Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold may have already disappeared from store shelves, but the tri-folding phone race is showing no signs of slowing down. Huawei has opened reservations in China for the Mate XT 2, ahead of its full launch on September 7. We still don’t know how much this thing will cost, but Huawei has now revealed its colors, memory configurations, and a major redesign that could make the phone more practical than its predecessors.
While making the phone tougher was a focus, the design is absolutely stunning. Huawei is offering the Mate XT 2 in Dark Black, Pure White, and Jin Purple. The black and white versions are dressed up with gold-colored frames, while the purple model is easily the showstopper. The Ultimate Design phones have always looked premium, and this phone doesn’t break away from that tradition.
Huawei is doubling down on the trifold idea
Huawei’s original Mate XT used a Z-shaped folding mechanism, where one portion of its flexible display remained exposed when the phone was closed. While we found the design of the original pretty impressive during our hands-on, an exposed folding screen naturally raises durability concerns. So for the second-generation model, Huawei is making it even tougher.
Its roughly 10-inch flexible display now folds inward from both sides, while a separate screen handles normal phone duties on the outside. This is similar to the folding philosophy Samsung chose for the Galaxy Z TriFold, where closing the device protects the entire flexible panel inside.
The company is emphasizing durability, with the promotional footage showing the Mate XT 2 undergoing repeated drops and exposure to pressurized water (though we don’t have the official IP rating yet).
2TB in a phone that becomes a tablet
Every currently listed Mate XT 2 configuration gets 16GB of RAM, paired with either 512GB or 1TB of storage. There’s also a 1TB version with Huawei’s privacy-screen technology. The purple Mate XT 2 can be configured with 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, along with the privacy display and a bundled stylus. Huawei hasn’t announced pricing for any configuration yet.
Reservations are currently limited to China. Standard configurations are expected to ship by October 31, while Huawei will reveal the remaining details at its September 7 launch event. But we can expect the price tag to be exorbitant. The original Mate XT launched for around $2,800, which is similar to Samsung’s original $2,899 Galaxy Z TriFold. Despite this, it sold out after a deliberately limited production run. Samsung is reportedly developing another generation with a redesigned hinge, but that successor hasn’t been officially announced.
Huawei, on the other hand, is already rolling out its successor, with its XT tri-fold already taking reservations—and if that purple version looks this good in person, Samsung’s eventual sequel has a rather glamorous target to beat.