Huawei launches its third tri-fold smartphone, the Mate XT 2, featuring a redesigned inward folding system, enhanced durability, and high-end specifications, exclusively in China alongside HarmonyOS 7.
Huawei has unveiled its third tri-fold smartphone, the Mate XT 2 Ultimate Design, in China, positioning it as a major redesign rather than a simple refresh. The launch took place alongside HarmonyOS 7, with Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business, presenting both products. Pricing starts at CNY 19,999 for the 16GB and 256GB model, roughly KES 385,600, and the device is a China-only release for now, meaning it ships with Huawei’s own software rather than Google’s services.
The most visible change is the folding system. Unlike the earlier Mate XT models, which folded in a Z shape and left part of the flexible display exposed, the new version closes inward so the main panel sits protected inside the chassis. Huawei says that approach improves durability and also allows for a larger 6.5-inch cover screen with a 2442 by 1140 resolution and peak brightness of 6,500 nits. The handset is rated IP58 and IP59 for dust and water resistance, which several launch reports describe as a first for a tri-fold phone.
Open out, the device reveals a 10.2-inch inner display with a 3K-class resolution and ultra-thin glass. Huawei is also offering a privacy-focused version of the screen, branded Lingdun, which uses narrow-angle pixels to limit visibility from the side. The company says the cover glass and inner display materials have been strengthened, with claimed gains in drop resistance, scratch resistance and impact resistance. Those claims are Huawei’s own, but they underline how heavily the company is marketing the Mate XT 2 as a durability-led redesign.
At the core is the Kirin 9050 Pro, Huawei’s latest chip for the device. Huawei says the processor uses a two-layer vertical stacking approach to improve transistor density, and claims a 24% uplift in single-core performance, a 52% gain in multi-core performance and a 42% improvement in overall speed versus the previous Mate XT generation. The new silicon is paired with a Maleoon GPU, a Da Vinci NPU and Balong modem support for satellite calling and messaging. HarmonyOS 7 also adds more multitasking, including three apps side by side and a PC application zone.
The rest of the specification sheet is close to flagship territory. Huawei lists a 50-megapixel main camera with a variable aperture, a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom and a 40-megapixel ultrawide camera, plus an updated colour sensor meant to improve white balance. There is also an ECG function with Chinese medical registration, a 5,600mAh battery, 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, along with 16GB of RAM across all variants. The top configuration reaches 2TB and adds the privacy display and stylus, while the phone weighs 299g and comes in black, white and purple. Chinese listings suggest sales begin on 12 or 13 September, depending on the retailer.
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