Two weeks with this tri-fold phone was like living in the future | Stuff

There’s really no escaping it: the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design is an eye-wateringly expensive smartphone. So much so, in fact, the cost of a return flight to Dubai to pick one up in person will set you back less than the device itself. That’s one of the few countries outside of China you can actually get hold of one, as being stuck on the software back foot continues to hamper the firm’s Western appeal.

However, being able to concertina a 10.2in tablet in enough places so that it slips into a trouser pocket softens the blow. A lot. The world’s first tri-fold phone is tech geek’s dream, with dimensions so skinny and a design so dramatic you’re guaranteed to be the centre of attention whenever you unfurl it. Top-tier cameras and rapid charging speeds are what you’d expect from a foldable flagship, too.

Spending a few weeks with one as my main phone taught me a lot about the appeal of this new foldable breed – as well as where the phone world will need to improve the formula before it truly enters the mainstream.

Even non-techy people love it

Until the Mate XT, I’d never had anyone comment on the gadgets I use on my train commute. Even style-centric smartphones like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro flew under the radar, but the Huawei became a regular talking point. Admittedly it’s no shrinking violet when folded, with a red faux leather rear and a polished metal frame finished in gold. The “ULTIMATE DESIGN” logo blazoned across the back might not actually be over-egging the pudding.

Folded shut, you’re looking at a slender 6.4in phone; unfolding one of the two hinges transforms it into a 7.9in book-style device, while opening up completely creates a 10.2in tablet. The screen folds back on itself in a Z shape, but each third is so ridiculously skinny (a mere 3.6mm if you don’t count the camera bump) that it’s barely any thicker than Samsung’s book-style Galaxy Z Fold6. It’s hefty, admittedly – but I never found the 298g device a chore to use in any configuration.

In tablet mode, the expansive 16:11 aspect ratio is almost perfect for on-the-go streaming binges and means you can fit three apps side-by-side-by-side for maximum multitasking. The creases are easier to spot than the best book-style models, and the non-removable screen protector doesn’t cope well with light reflections, so darker content can be a challenge when outdoors. Brightness is merely OK, as is the 90Hz dynamic refresh rate; scrolling is smooth enough, just not as buttery as folders with 120Hz panels. Still, the 3K resolution is razor-sharp, and colours have the punch and vibrancy I expect of OLED.

Whether this style of tri-fold will gain popularity is up for debate. Huawei tried the whole “one edge of the screen exposed” thing before with the Mate XS 2, but rival foldables quickly settled on one flat outer display and a flexible inner screen. The Mate XT does come bundled with a case in the box for some extra protection, although I thought it felt a bit plasticky given the phone’s asking price. That said, the built-in kick stand – which twists so you can go hands-free in any configuration – was very handy.

The Mate XT doesn’t feel anywhere near as delicate as early book-style foldables did, so it’s a shame Huawei didn’t seek any kind of IP rating. Book-style rivals like the Oppo Find N5 have IPX9 resistance, meaning they can survive high pressure jets as well as full submersion. As a southpaw I also found the side-mounted fingerprint sensor a little tricky to reach; the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro‘s dual under-display fingerprint sensors are much more convenient.

Google is just a few clicks away

A box-fresh Mate XT runs Huawei’s EMUI interface, on top of an older version of Android stripped of all Google services. That’s no big deal if you aren’t a slave to the Big G’s software, as Huawei’s home-grown apps cover all the bases, from maps and email to web browsing and document editing. Pressing the power button wakes the Celia smart assistant rather than Gemini, and you download apps from the Huawei AppGallery instead of the Play Store.

The selection has gotten bigger since I last used a Huawei phone, but most of the major Western names are still MIA. You’ll spend a lot of time in the web browser to access things like Facebook and YouTube. There are ways around that, of course: downloading an app like Gbox let me install most of my favourites. Contactless payments with Google Wallet are still a no-go, though, and whether you’d be happy downloading banking apps through this workaround is up to you to decide.

It was only once I’d downloaded a few familiar apps and games that I got the Mate XT’s full performance picture. Huawei’s own-brand Kirin chipset and 16GB of RAM supply enough oomph to keep the EMUI interface running smoothly, but raw performance is below every current generation book-style foldable I’ve tested. 3D games in particular need details dropping to maintain a playable frame rate. Productivity apps are no trouble, though, and it didn’t affect my ability to multitask when in tablet mode. The firm has a long way to go to catch up to the likes of Qualcomm, MediaTek and Apple.

That’s true for battery life as well. The Mate XT has a sizeable 5600mAh silicon-carbon cell, but the chipset isn’t particularly efficient, and that large display sucks juice at quite the rate. If you’re in tablet mode 24/7 expect it to drain fully after five hours of gaming, or ten hours of video streaming. Book and phone modes fare a little better, so I could still get through a regular day of use, but every model in the current book-style pack lasts longer. At least you get speedy and wireless charging, though whether you get a compatible charger in the box seems region-dependent.

Foldable photography still has its limits

One day soon I’ll be able to call a book-style phone’s cameras great without also saying “for a foldable” straight after. Today isn’t that day. With only so much room for sensors in a device this thin, and Huawei unwilling to compromise on a colossal camera bump, you’ve got to accept your circa-£3500 handset will be bested by models costing a third of the price.

The Mate XT does a very good job with what it has, though. The 50MP lead lens is the standout, with a variable f/1.4-4.0 aperture that does depth blur rather convincingly. Optical image stabilisation and laser autofocus help out in low light, and Huawei’s image processing has long been top-tier.

My shots were all free from noise, with colours that lean towards a more natural presentation than some of the book-style competition. Huawei tends to favour higher contrast, so everything has real impact. Sharpening could be a little aggressive in places, but only if I went looking for it. Cropping the sensor produced virtually lossless 2x zoom shots.

The periscope zoom also put in a good showing regardless of light levels, and despite not having an especially high pixel count. 5.5x magnification is quite strong, so I often had to take a step back from my subject when shooting portraits, and it can’t match the Oppo Find N5 for colour consistency with the main lens, or general clarity.

The ultrawide snapper has an expansive 120-degree field of view, with sharpness right up to the edge of the frame. Dynamic range isn’t quite as good as the main camera, but I still reached for it more than I did on other foldables I’ve used lately.

This style of foldable also only needs one front camera instead of two, with an 8MP unit on webcam duties. It gets the job done, but I rarely used it for selfies when you can simply fold the screen and use the rear cameras instead.

Prices have to fall before tri-folds are mainstream

The Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design appeals directly to gadget fans for whom money is no object. After all, why just have one fold when you can have two at twice the price? This is surely the sign of foldable things to come, except you can have it right now. Being the only one of its kind also ensures you’ll turn heads every time you pull it out of your pocket.

I’m sold on having such a big screen squeezed into a tiny form factor, and its cameras are up there with the best foldable phones on sale right now. Performance and battery life are less impressive, though, as are Huawei’s familiar software pitfalls. I can’t help but wonder what the firm would be capable of it it had access to the same hardware as the rest of the phone world.

As a result, you’ve got to be seriously committed to get hold of one. It makes much more sense for phone fans living in China – as long as they’ve got a big enough bank balance.

Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design technical specifications