OPINION: Apple unveiled the Apple Intelligence-powered iPhone 16 range this week to much fanfare, but I don’t think it was the most interesting launch in the world of smartphones this week.
No, for that, we need to turn to the often-shunned Huawei and its new tri-foldable. Yep, the world’s first tri-foldable smartphone is here, and it looks like something straight out of a Sci-fi movie.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to disparage the iPhone 16 launch. I was quite impressed by this year’s offering, especially when it comes to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
These phones offer quite a notable year-on-year upgrade even without Apple Intelligence, sporting larger 6.3- and 6.9-inch screens respectively and some of the slimmest bezels I’ve seen on a phone yet.
They’re not just bigger either; they sport a new high-res 48MP ultrawide sensor with autofocus that allows it to double up as a fairly competent macro lens, and the iPhone 16 Pro finally got the boosted 12MP 5x telephoto lens that was previously exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Then there’s power, of which the iPhone 16 Pro models have absolutely oodles. Last year’s A17 Pro chipset already had a healthy lead on the Android competition, and I expect that gap to widen with the A18 Pro considering the usual CPU, GPU and NPU bumps.
I’m also quietly excited about the idea of Camera Control, the new button on the side of the iPhone 16 collection that not only doubles up as a physical camera shutter but, due to its touch-sensitive nature, can switch between camera modes and settings with just a swipe.
But, as snazzy as the iPhone 16 collection might be, it still offers the same core smartphone experience we’ve had for years at this point.
The same can’t be said for the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate, however. The tri-foldable was, in a rather symbolic move no doubt, unveiled just hours after the iPhone 16 on Monday in China after weeks of teasers – and it looks absolutely incredible.
In fact, it closely mirrors the design of the tri-fold tablets we saw in the first season of Westworld in 2016, and that’s a Sci-fi TV series that has a rather fanciful take on tech and artificial intelligence. The fact that we’re seeing something that was considered Sci-fi fodder just a few years ago completely blows my mind.
Like the fictional Westworld tablet, the Mate XT Ultimate sports an inverse dual-hinge design that folds in a Z shape allowing it to be used in several forms.
The cover OLED screen measures 6.4 inches when fully folded, allowing for use as a traditional phone. That can be extended to a whopping 10.2 inches (2232 x 2184) when completely unfolded, and there’s even a middle ground 7.9-inch configuration akin to book-style foldables by only unfurling one part of the tri-fold system.
This essentially means you have a smartphone, book-style foldable and what equates to a full-size, 16:9-esque tablet screen, all in one – fairly thin – device.
Elsewhere, the foldable offers either 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage depending on the variant you opt for, alongside the top-end Kirin 9010 and 16GB of RAM, as well as a triple rear camera system comprised of 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide and 12MP periscope lenses.
Despite its slim dimensions, there’s also a 5600mAh battery complete with 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
Now, there are some caveats to this impressive hardware; not only is it a China exclusive, and will likely remain that way given Huawei’s complicated history in the Western market – but it’s also very expensive.
The entry-level model, complete with 256GB of storage, comes in at 19,999 yuan – around £2,146./$2,818 – with the top-end 1TB model tipping the scales at 23,999 yuan, or £2,576/$3,382. And that’s without taking elements like import tax into question.
That’s not only comfortably more expensive than any other mass-produced smartphone on the market, but even the likes of the 14-inch MacBook Pro.
I won’t be buying one, then, but it’s still an absolute marvel of engineering that gets me genuinely excited about the next few years in the smartphone market, and it outshines the iPhone 16 announcement this week.
