It’s time to finally have an in-depth discussion about triple-folding phones.
On the 4th of this month， Huawei released its latest iteration of a triple-folding device， the Huawei Mate XTs.
I， Tony， managed to get my hands on the device immediately after the launch event. To be honest， my initial impression was one of slight disappointment—
The Mate XTs， in many aspects， doesn’t represent a huge leap forward from its predecessor， the Mate XT.
However， after using the Mate XTs as my primary device for over a week， experiencing a rather “prestigious” digital lifestyle， I realized that while the upgrades on the Mate XTs are not extensive， each improvement is quite substantial. Moreover， by not pushing the specifications to their absolute limits， Huawei has been able to dedicate more resources to refining the specific application scenarios for the triple-fold. This has transformed the device， often seen as merely a status symbol， into something with more practical utility.
As mentioned earlier， the Mate XTs offers a strong sense of familiarity upon first touch. The familiar leather texture and the similarly smooth unfolding mechanism allow users who have experienced the Mate XT to transition seamlessly and quickly get started.
Fortunately， the unit we received is in the latest “Jinzise” purple， allowing anyone to immediately recognize that I’m using the new triple-fold.
But beyond the superficial， what truly excited me was the processor and overall performance. While Mr. Yu mentioned at the conference that the Mate XTs uses the Kirin 9020， further details were scarce. Furthermore， as HarmonyOS 5.1 does not yet support sideloading and most mainstream benchmarking and performance analysis tools are not yet available on the AppGallery， we couldn’t directly showcase the Mate XTs’ performance through conventional means.
However， the good news is that Genshin Impact for Hongmeng was officially released this past Wednesday. We can use gameplay footage to assess the capabilities of the new 9020 chip.
As you can see， during a 30-minute exploration of Sumeru City， the Mate XTs maintained a stable 60 FPS even at a 1488p resolution.
Even when fully folded， where thermal conditions are less ideal， the Mate XTs’ gameplay performance showed no significant fluctuations. Of course， the resolution had to be reduced to 873p to match the smaller screen.
Following both tests， the device’s temperature remained within normal limits， with no signs of overheating.
This performance is not only impressive when compared to Huawei’s previous models but also holds its own against current mainstream processors like those in the 8 Elite and 9400， far exceeding our expectations.
During our visit to China Joy， we learned at the HarmonyOS booth that the underlying system now supports a feature called “AI Smart Frame Interpolation.” The excellent gaming performance observed on the XTs， beyond the enhanced processor power， is likely attributable to this AI feature.
Beyond the chipset and gaming performance， the camera system also represents a significant upgrade.
Both the ultra-wide and main cameras have been upgraded to RYYB sensors， and consequently， the triple-fold model now features the “Hongfeng” (Red Maple) original color camera. This brings Huawei’s imaging capabilities across its Pura series， Mate series， and from flat to folding designs， all under the unified “Hongfeng” imaging system. The advantages of “Hongfeng” in color reproduction are well-known， so instead of elaborating further， I’ll let the sample photos speak for themselves.
While the performance and camera upgrades are significant， boosting the overall user experience and visual appeal， the unchanged battery capacity on the Mate XTs is a point of contention.
The Mate XTs， like its predecessor， retains a 5600 mAh battery. This decision was clearly made to maintain a slimmer profile for the device. When fully unfolded， the Mate XTs measures a mere 3.68 mm at its thinnest point， and when folded， it’s only 13.24 mm thick.
However， considering that the Mate XTs’ fully unfolded state presents a large， 10.2-inch “tablet-like” display， the battery life with such a capacity was initially a concern for me. I was hesitant to use it in its expanded form for extended periods， worried about it draining quickly.
Yet， after completing a comprehensive series of tests， I was pleasantly surprised. After 30 minutes of video playback， 30 minutes of live streaming， 30 minutes of 1080p video recording， 30 minutes of Taobao browsing， 30 minutes on Weibo， 30 minutes on Douyin， and 30 minutes of Honor of Kings， the Mate XTs still had a remarkable 44% battery remaining.
It’s crucial to note that this battery life was measured while the Mate XTs was in its fully unfolded state. In typical daily usage， the device isn’t constantly in this configuration， but rather alternates between single-screen， dual-screen， and triple-screen usage. This implies that the actual battery life experienced by users would likely be even better.
Compared to hardware improvements， the Mate XTs has focused more on expanding its application scenarios， essentially giving users more compelling reasons to utilize the triple-fold functionality. This includes the introduction of Huawei’s floating window feature， previously seen on their tablets. By activating this mode from the control center， the Mate XTs can simultaneously run multiple applications， much like a desktop computer， offering a versatile and professional appearance.
Last year， when discussing the triple-screen setup of the Mate XT， conversations primarily revolved around its capabilities for watching videos and entertainment， with productivity scenarios only receiving a brief mention. Huawei likely recognized that limiting the expanded screen to just these functions was a underutilization of its potential.
Therefore， this year， Huawei has collaborated with long-time partner WPS and new partners like Wind and Eastmoney to develop PC-version clients specifically for the Mate XTs. WPS， as many HarmonyOS followers know， has consistently shown strong support and dedication to adapting its applications for the platform.
The PC version of Wind， prominently featured in the launch event， offers even greater value. Upon consulting colleagues with expertise in investment research， it was highlighted that Wind’s most significant asset is its financial database， making the information display method crucial for its functionality.
Applications like Wind typically need to display information from multiple dimensions， including real-time dynamic charts， tabular data， and sometimes even PDF documents. This makes the small screen of a standard smartphone inadequate for fully leveraging the capabilities of such applications due to space constraints.
Conveniently， the expanded display of the triple-fold Mate XTs allows for the presentation of significantly more information. Moreover， the PC version of Wind provided for the Mate XTs features a more streamlined and efficient dashboard layout.
For users opting for the ¥16GB + 1TB stylus bundle， the productivity potential of the Mate XTs is further enhanced.
The M-Pen 3 stylus features three buttons on its barrel and supports two modes. In writing mode， long-pressing the central button directly activates AI-powered selection. The button near the tip handles other functions; a single press brings up the function menu. During my testing， the most frequently used function was the global annotation feature.
Regardless of the interface， a single press of the button near the tip activates this feature， allowing users to directly write notes or mark up the current screen as they would on a notebook.
Once in annotation mode， a double-press of the button near the tip allows for switching brush types. After annotating， the content can be directly saved as an image or PDF， eliminating the need to export to a separate note-taking application， making the process remarkably efficient. I can only imagine how many annotations my editor would leave on my drafts with this feature at their disposal.
Intriguingly， the tail end of the stylus is slidable. Initially， I assumed this design was solely to conceal the charging port. However， it turns out that quickly sliding and returning the tail end also switches modes.
Upon switching to air mouse mode， the M-Pen 3 transforms into a laser pointer， allowing for seamless cursor control， selection， and page turning from a distance. The use of physical buttons ensures a higher degree of accuracy and responsiveness compared to gesture-based controls like sliding or tapping.
It would be even better if a page scrolling function could be added， which would allow this stylus to function entirely as a remote mouse.
I previously mentioned that this new M-Pen 3 belongs to a different series than the M-Pencil released for Huawei tablets. According to the official product information， this stylus is currently exclusive to the Mate XTs， with no current support for other tablets or folding phones.
The functional and structural design further highlights its divergence from the tablet-oriented M-Pencil. To maintain the Mate XTs’ slim profile， the phone itself does not feature a magnetic docking area for the stylus. Initial pairing requires a long press of the device’s button， meaning the stylus and the phone are essentially separate hardware components when not in use.
However， the most critical aspect is likely the tip’s structure. While the Mate XTs’ screen is protected by both OTG glass and a non-Newtonian fluid layer， suggesting that a stylus tip， not being particularly sharp， shouldn’t cause damage， the M-Pen 3 incorporates protective measures.
The stylus tip is not rigidly fixed; it has some degree of play along the shaft’s direction. This design is likely intended to provide a cushioning effect when the tip contacts the screen， preventing excessive impact during writing.
Furthermore， during writing， if the user presses too hard or writes too quickly， the system will prompt them to adjust their pressure to avoid damaging the screen. Huawei， you are being overly cautious!
However， this tip design does come with a trade-off. Writing on the somewhat yielding foldable screen with this stylus feels akin to writing with a pencil on a damp book， lacking the smooth glide experienced on a tablet.
When viewed under a slow-motion camera， the writing latency of this stylus， while not exceptional when compared to mature tablet styluses， is imperceptible to the naked eye during regular writing.
But then again， these are minor issues. Firstly， the target users for the Mate XTs likely won’t be doing extensive writing. More commonly， they might be annotating PPTs presented by subordinates or signing high-stakes contracts worth millions. (Wink wink)
Perhaps the only improvement I hope Huawei will consider is releasing a case for the Mate XTs that can accommodate the stylus. It’s quite inconvenient to constantly think about where to store the pen when going out. (Whispered)
Alright， that concludes our discussion on the new and notably “prestigious” triple-fold Huawei Mate XTs. Overall， Huawei seems to have a clear strategy for the evolution of triple-fold devices. With no competitors having followed suit a year after its initial mass production， there’s no need to aggressively push hardware specifications and compete fiercely with oneself. Instead， releasing an updated model every eighteen months and dedicating more effort to adapting a wider range of applications is a more prudent approach.
Rather than making substantial advancements only to neglect the refinement of user experience， Huawei’s approach appears to be the correct way to handle new form factors. Ultimately， regardless of how innovative or technologically advanced a product may be， it cannot simply remain a prestigious calling card. It must eventually address specific user needs and provide tangible functional value.
