Huawei's Tri-Fold MateXT Masterpiece Pre-Sale is Hot, Scalpers Already Marking Up Prices

Huawei's Tri-Fold MateXT Masterpiece Pre-Sale is Hot, Scalpers Already Marking Up PricesOn September 7th, Huawei's tri-fold flagship, the MateXT Masterpiece, officially commenced online and offline pre-sales. According to the official website, pre-orders will close on September 19th, and the phone will officially go on sale on the 20th

Huawei's Tri-Fold MateXT Masterpiece Pre-Sale is Hot, Scalpers Already Marking Up Prices

On September 7th, Huawei's tri-fold flagship, the MateXT Masterpiece, officially commenced online and offline pre-sales. According to the official website, pre-orders will close on September 19th, and the phone will officially go on sale on the 20th. As of now, over 1.6 million people have pre-ordered the device on Huawei's website, and the number continues to grow.

According to reporters from the "Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily," offline stores have also begun receiving shipments of the Huawei MateXT Masterpiece. Some stores in Shenzhen have received sample units, but the supply is limited, with certain stores only receiving 2 to 3 units.

Regarding the specific price of the product, Huawei sales staff stated that they are unable to disclose it before the launch event, as doing so would result in a fine exceeding 500,000 yuan. Currently, offline stores are only accepting intent-to-purchase registrations, not formal pre-orders. Upon the official release of the product, stores will notify consumers according to their registration order to pick up their devices.

Unlike directly-operated stores, some distributors have already started inviting specific customers to pre-order. One Huawei distributor stated that they are only accepting pre-orders from Huawei Mall members with a V3 membership or higher, requiring a 5,000 yuan deposit. Due to limited supply, the MateXT Masterpiece must be purchased alongside a HUAWEICare+ plan. This distributor admitted that the tri-fold device will likely see high markups in the initial stages, and they did not rule out the possibility of bundling other accessories besides the Care+ plan.

In addition to offline stores, "scalpers" have also listed pre-orders for the Huawei MateXT Masterpiece on used goods trading platforms, with prices ranging from 20,000 to 23,000 yuan. These sellers stated that the listed price is only for the base model (16GB + 512GB), and additional charges will be applied based on chosen configurations.

As early as February this year, rumors circulated that Huawei was developing a "tri-fold phone," with an expected release in the second quarter of the year. In August, Richard Yu was photographed using a tri-fold phone on an airplane. The phone features three screens, with the left side displaying message lists and the right side showcasing web content. When fully unfolded, the inner screen is noticeably larger than that of conventional foldable phones. The protective case on the side seemingly hides a stylus. Yu also hinted in Dong Yuhu's livestream that "the next generation of foldable phones will be something everyone can imagine but no one can achieve. We've been working on it for five years, and we're finally about to launch it."

On September 3rd, Huawei Terminal announced the new member of the MateXT Masterpiece brand via Weibo. Richard Yu, Huawei's Executive Director, Chairman of the Terminal BG, and Chairman of the Intelligent Automotive Solutions BU, reposted the Weibo using the MateXT Masterpiece.

Some mobile industry professionals believe that as a new foldable form factor, tri-fold phones will be significantly more expensive than conventional foldable phones. On the one hand, the screen simultaneously performs both inward and outward folding, subjecting the flexible screen to both compressive and tensile stress, putting immense strain on its strength. On the other hand, the two opposing folding stresses can cause slippage in the multi-layer film and module structure, impacting the screen module's stability and display lifespan.

Recently, Transsion Holding unveiled the ultrathin tri-fold concept phone, PHANTOMULTIMATE2. In terms of its form factor, this concept device adopts a Z-shaped folding design. When fully unfolded, it measures approximately 10.1 inches in size. Moreover, all screens are located on the same side, unlike current mainstream foldable phones with screens on both sides.

A developer involved in HarmonyOS application adaptation mentioned that adapting applications for tri-fold phones is not particularly difficult. When fully unfolded, the app ratio for tri-fold phones is similar to tablets. When only two screens are unfolded, the app ratio can be aligned with current foldable phone standards. While there is a certain amount of adaptation work, it is not as demanding as it was for foldable phones when they first launched.