The world's first mass-produced tri-fold phone, Huawei Mate XT Extraordinary Master, will be available for pre-order on September 7th at 12:08.

Although the price has not been announced at the moment, Huawei has not displayed specific configuration information on its product page. The pre-order situation of this tri-fold phone is still very popular. As of 12:00 noon on September 8th, less than 24 hours after the pre-order started, the number of reservations for this product on the Huawei Mall has exceeded 2 million.

The online store has been extremely popular for reservations, and consumers have lined up outside Huawei flagship stores to place their orders. Some netizens regard Huawei Mate XT as the annual technology "king". Some netizens also said, "This is a valuable purchase, you will make a profit once you buy it."

According to Huawei's official online store, Huawei Mate XT Extraordinary Master has two configuration versions: 16+512GB and 16+1TB storage versions. In terms of appearance, Huawei Mate XT is available in two colors: Ruby Red and Dark Mystic Silver. The phone adopts an octagonal rear camera design with four cameras, and the lens ring and the perimeter of the phone are in a metal color.

According to more exposed information from the media, the front camera is 8 million pixels, and the rear camera is 50 million main camera + 13 million + periscope telephoto, with a genuine leather back cover.

According to reports, this tri-fold phone will be officially launched at the Huawei press conference on September 10th, and the price will be announced at that time. It will be officially available for sale on September 20th at 10:08.

The world's first mass-produced tri-fold phone.

As previously reported by the comprehensive media, this three-fold plan includes an internal fold, an external fold, and a double hinge, which can expand the screen size to about 10 inches, comparable to a large tablet.

In fact, the concept of three-fold has appeared as early as four to five years ago. TCL has previously showcased a concept phone with a three-fold design in 2020. Among overseas manufacturers, Samsung displayed two concept phones, Flex S and Flex G, with three-fold designs in 2023.

However, ideals are abundant, but reality is harsh. Faced with complex technical challenges and uncertain market demands, apart from Huawei, no globally available three-fold smartphones have been mass produced.

Previously, CSC Securities Research Report stated that Huawei's globally launched first mass-produced three-fold smartphone not only enhances the expanded screen compared to the current mainstream left-right foldable models, but also remains thin when closed. The new folding form is expected to reshape the user experience of foldable screen phones and unlock various folding methods.

Securities Times quoted industry sources as pointing out that once Huawei launches a three-fold screen phone, other manufacturers are likely to quickly follow with similar terminal devices, which will drive a new round of development opportunities for the entire foldable screen phone industry chain.

Shen Hong Securities previously stated in a research report that the penetration rate of foldable screen phones is increasing, and Huawei's three-fold screen phone may boost market sentiment. CINNO Research data shows that in the second quarter of 2024, the sales of foldable screen phones in the Chinese market reached 2.62 million units, a year-on-year increase of 125% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 11%. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter of triple-digit year-on-year growth. From the perspective of Huawei, their market share in the second quarter was 35.2%, ranking first in the domestic market.

Will 'air imaging' on smartphones become a reality?

The highly anticipated feature of 'air projection and stereoscopic imaging' also leaves room for imagination. In Huawei's advertisement video featuring Andy Lau, there are images such as film negatives and projectors, leading netizens to speculate that Huawei may incorporate the technology of 'air imaging' into their new products.

It is difficult for a single-screen flat phone to achieve aerial imaging, but the possibility of aerial imaging is greatly increased with the three-fold folding screen. If the three screens are folded into a U shape, they can project aerial images from three directions and form a stereoscopic image.

This will allow users to directly view and manipulate images in the air without relying on physical screens. Through gesture control, users can interact with and suspend digital content, enhancing the intuitiveness and convenience of operation.

Analysts believe that if the Huawei Mate XT can realize the "aerial imaging" technology, it will be a groundbreaking innovation and may lead the smart phone industry to a new stage of development. As Yu Chengdong said earlier, this is Huawei's most leading, innovative, and disruptive product.

A groundbreaking product that others can think of but cannot achieve, after 5 years of persistence and investment, we have turned science fiction into reality. The pinnacle of Huawei!

The price may exceed 20,000 yuan.

As the world's first three-fold folding screen phone, the price of Huawei Mate XT is bound to be high.

According to a previous report by Daily Economic News, TrendForce analyst Zhou Shibor recently said:

Due to the yield loss of the screen itself, the cost will increase, plus the use of composite material hinges, the (three-fold folding) cost is estimated to be at least double, which is based on the preliminary mass production stage.

Due to the complexity of manufacturing tri-folding products, it is widely speculated that their price will be higher than 20,000 yuan. At the same time, on the second-hand e-commerce platform, several sellers have taken the opportunity to "speculate" prices. One seller said:

The selling price is based on the price on the day of release. Unable to quote now, but it is expected to have a premium of at least 0.01 million yuan compared to the official price.

In Zhou Shibos' view, the initial shipment volume of tri-folding smartphones this year is expected to be only 0.09 million to 0.1 million units, and "it may further increase depending on the market acceptance and application promotion."

Although the price has not been determined, judging from the booking data, consumers' enthusiasm for this tri-folding smartphone, which is hailed as the new "Maotai of electronics", has not diminished at all.

Editor/Emily