Huawei’s Mate XT triple foldable phone just teased in new video — and I have questions

Huawei has given us our first look at its upcoming tri-foldable phone, the Huawei Mate XT, in a recent post on Weibo. This could be the shape of the best foldable phones going forward, but I have some major questions about the device.

The video shows a man working in an old film editing office slowly putting together a film that then transitions into him standing at a beach. We see the phone folded at several points in the video, and once unfolded. However, we do not get to see the phone unfolding so we have no idea of how this action is performed, which leads me to some questions.

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Firstly, it seems the phone has a large circular camera base with at least three cameras and a sensor. The Huawei Mate XT also seems to have a material cover on the back, although it is unclear what this is comprised of. It does look leather-like.

Huawei Mate XT teaser triple foldable phone — (Image credit: Huawei)

This screen placement raises an interesting question about the selfie camera. On phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 6, there are two selfie cameras — one on the external screen and one on the inner screen. However, if the Huawei Mate XT folds as expected it would mean that there will only be one camera on whichever screen faces outwards.

The biggest issue I can see with the phone so far is how cases will work. As it stands foldable phones usually come in sections, with one having a moveable section for the hinge. This likely wouldn't work with the Huawei Mate XT, so the only option I can see is a case that would only cover the external screens. however, this means that the middle screen won't have the same protection as the other screens, which would make unfolding it in public risky.

There is still a lot that we don't know about the Huawei Mate XT, including any of the hardware for the phone. While we don't know when the Huawei Mate XT will be released, Huawei has mentioned in a later post about a new event happening on September 10 where we may learn more.

The Huawei Mate XT certainly looks intriguing, but it won't be coming to the U.S. due to an ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China. And while you may be able to buy the triple foldable in the U.K., you won't be able to access the Google Play Store or Google apps unless you use a workaround.

We hope to go hands on with the Huawei Mate XT once it's officially announced.

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Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer.