Why Huawei’s triple foldable is completely unnecessary

I admit: I’ve actually been wanting a smartphone that can be opened like a book and the screen can be viewed that way for a long time. But even the latest craze, the innovative Mate XT Ultimate Design from the Chinese electronics company Huawei, remains for me an unnecessary, expensive gimmick with built-in weak points.

The Huawei Mate XT looks technically brilliant with its double folding mechanism. After all, it transforms from a smartphone into a tablet with a screen diagonal of more than ten inches. That’s quickly as big as an iPad Pro 11 from Apple. Other folding phones, for example from Samsung, only have one hinge, so the display area only doubles when opened.

Huawei will have worked on this marvel for five years. While YouTubers are singing its praises, the folding and clamshell concepts of smartphone manufacturers are reducing the basic principle of smartphones to absurdity – and that is: simplicity and durability, ideally at a reasonable price.

Form factor of smartphones

Let’s start with the fusion of simple operation and complex functions. The previous untransformable, rectangular form factor of smartphones is, for me, unmatched. It fits quickly into any shirt or trouser pocket without stretching or pulling down clothing too much. In addition, the devices are quick to start up and, despite all their functions, offer an acceptable service life in a relatively small housing. They are also durable because, apart from the vibrator, there are no moving parts that could break.

Advantage Foldables

Today, foldable smartphones have the undisputed advantage that the displays are larger and can therefore display more information than previous models. People with long-sightedness can also have information displayed in much larger font. I have heard of users who, for this very reason, do not want to go back to the old form. But nothing in this world is free, and especially not a flexible display.

Disadvantages of Foldables

In this case, you have to carry around thicker and heavier devices. Huawei’s device is even thinner than Samsung’s simple Galaxy Z Fold 6 at 10.8 millimeters (mm), just 3.6 mm per triptych third. But it is still more than two mm thicker than an iPhone and weighs 298 grams, 100 grams more than the iPhone 16 Pro and 70 grams more than the iPhone Pro Max. And these values ​​also take their toll in the form of a comparatively small battery.

Huawei’s top smartphone has a capacity of 5,600 milliampere hours (mAh). That’s more than a quarter more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but significantly less than the iPad Pro with an 11-inch display, which has 8,160 mAh. A power user who wants to use the Huawei smartphone for all of his or her daily work will probably have to charge it.

Hello, scratches!

Then there is the folding mechanism, which allows the display to open at an edge over which it is folded. This is a tradition at Huawei, but it is nevertheless prone to scratches. That is why there is already a case that has a lip that protects the open display somewhat.

This is not ideal for a work device, especially when you consider the price. The entry-level version with 256 gigabytes of storage costs $2,800, which is more than twice as much as Apple’s cheapest iPhone Pro Max in China. And you’ll also have to dig deep into your pockets for a screen repair, which costs the equivalent of around 1,000 euros.

I think there’s a reason why Samsung only uses a hinge and Apple has so far resisted this trend. The technology is simply not mature enough to be more than a niche product. In my opinion, the more than four million orders for the Mate XT don’t change anything.

Even if Huawei can meet demand, in my view it would remain a feasibility study financed by customers due to the price and the compromises. As long as folding phones do not become significantly thinner, more robust and less expensive, I will remain loyal to the classic smartphone.

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