Is a $10,000 Phone Worth It? The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition Experience Tells You the Answer

Is a $10,000 Phone Worth It? The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition Experience Tells You the AnswerAs this review nears completion, I am shocked by the number of people on the Huawei website who have already booked the device. Over 6

Is a $10,000 Phone Worth It? The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition Experience Tells You the Answer

As this review nears completion, I am shocked by the number of people on the Huawei website who have already booked the device. Over 6.85 million people have signed up to reserve a Mate XT Master Edition. Multiple sources from the supply chain have revealed that the stock of the device is estimated to be around one million (first batch). That means, when it officially goes on sale at 10:08 AM on September 20th, there will be at least 6-7 people fighting for every single phone. Regardless of how many of those 6.85 million people are scalpers, the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are eager to get their hands on a phone that starts at $19,999 shows that only Huawei can achieve such a level of influence.

Echoing the explosive pre-order numbers on the official website is the mind-blowing secondary market. The markup on this phone is far more insane than any other, with prices ranging from $20,000 to nearly $100,000. There will always be those with extravagant budgets, who want to be the first in line. On a certain e-commerce platform, screenshots show a listing for a phone priced at $99,999 with multiple users having already purchased it with a full payment. Whether it's the IT industry or entertainment circles, anyone who's anyone seems to have the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition as their must-have for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival. At least for these past two weeks, the Huawei tri-folding phone has been synonymous with two words - "face" and "status".

After testing so many phones, this is the first time I have questioned the value and definition of a "phone". Is it worth spending tens of thousands of dollars, or even $100,000 on a phone? But after experiencing it firsthand, I came to understand that the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition offers much more than just the emotional value of status. Its greater significance lies in the fact that Huawei has broken the smartphone experience framework that was defined by Apple's iPhone in 2007, with a product that others have conceived but failed to achieve. It redefines the new form of smart terminals in the new era. In other words, your next "phone" doesn't have to be a phone; your next tablet doesn't have to be a tablet. (This is a slogan for Huawei)

Someone might ask: "Can I just use a regular phone and a tablet to achieve the same functionality?". With that question in mind, let's dive into the experience of this worlds first commercially available tri-folding phone. I will attempt to answer your questions from a perspective that includes thickness, weight, tri-folding experience, performance, gaming, photography, charging, and battery life.

I. Appearance: 10.2 Inch Tri-folding Form Factor, Yet Weighing Only Half as Much as a Same-Sized Tablet

The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition's packaging utilizes the classic red and black color scheme. This color combination highlights the phone's high-end positioning while exuding a sense of steadiness and gravity. Red evokes a passionate, vibrant visual impact, while the addition of black adds a touch of elegance and mystery to the overall design. Inside the package, other than the phone itself and the fast charging set, there are also Huawei FreeBuds5 earphones and a Huawei 88W SuperCharge car charger.

The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition is currently only available in a leather version, with two color options: Obsidian Black and Ruby Red. Our model is the Ruby Red version, which leans towards a slightly darker shade of red, reminiscent of the color of fine wine. It appears refined and sophisticated.

The phone's camera module employs the signature octagonal design of the Master Edition series. The legendary star-studded design surrounding the lens embodies the texture of rock veins, ensuring that no two are alike. Below the camera module, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition cleverly integrates a "HUAWEI ULTRA MATE DESIGN" logo. This detail not only showcases Huawei's relentless pursuit of product design but also enhances the phone's recognition and uniqueness. This meticulous attention to design ensures that every time you pick up the phone, you feel their commitment to craftsmanship and aesthetics.

When unfolding the phone, you'll find "Designed and Crafted by HUAWEI" engraved on the right side of the back, a testament to the phone's meticulous design and craftsmanship. These little details add a touch of classiness and sophistication.

The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition uses the Huawei Tian Gong hinge system, achieved through precision mechanical structure adjustments and micron-level digital twin modeling tests. This results in a coordinated movement of the screen axis in both the inward and outward folding forms, ensuring perfect alignment between the hinge and the screen. In pursuit of an ultra-thin feel, Huawei has introduced an embedded sliding structure for the inner hinge and an integrated connecting rod structure for the outer hinge, resulting in an unparalleled experience.

When unfolded in its tri-screen state, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition boasts a 10.2-inch display. The screen employs a non-Newtonian fluid material and a 322 cm UTG glass, and it's the first to introduce a 3K Huawei immersive large screen. This screen boasts a 2232x3184 resolution, a screen-to-body ratio of 92%, a 16:11 golden ratio, and provides a more immersive viewing and reading experience. A front-facing camera is integrated at the top of the left half of the screen.

The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition, in its folded state, features meticulously polished and smoothed hinge surfaces on the sides of the device, creating a sleek and textural look. The core components of the hinge utilize ultra-strong rocket steel, which delivers exceptional resistance to deformation, ensuring its durability even with frequent use.

In its folded state, the phone is equipped with a 6.4-inch OLED screen with a 2232x1008 resolution. Folding the left side of the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition backwards creates a dual-screen state, similar to a standard folding phone, with a screen size of 7.9 inches and a resolution of 2232x2048. The top and bottom of the phone feature symmetrical stereo dual speakers, integrated with an infrared remote sensor. If you look closely at the center of the top and bottom, you'll find two microphones. When you unfold the phone to make a call, the microphones will move behind your ear, potentially leading to a less clear sound quality. Therefore, we recommend taking calls in the folded state.

On the right side of the device, there are volume control keys and a fingerprint-enabled power button.

Considering the large size of the phone, how much does it weigh? We weighed it and found the naked phone weighs 307g. For a regular folding phone, this is indeed a bit heavy. However, consider this: for a device with a screen size exceeding 10 inches, it only weighs just over 300g. A similar sized iPad weighs nearly half a pound. From this perspective, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition is actually quite light, and you can easily hold it with one hand.

The thinnest edge of the phone, when unfolded, is only 3.78mm thick, making it the thinnest folding phone in the world. The side with the camera module is slightly thicker at 5.16mm, but that's because it features a stereo Type-C port. However, it's only thick enough to accommodate a Type-C port and nothing more. It simply can't be any thinner.

The packaging includes a phone case, a 66W Huawei SuperCharge adapter, an 88W Huawei SuperCharge car charger, a SIM card ejector, a rotatable stand case, a quick start guide, a warranty card, and a membership card worth $500.

II. Tri-folding Screen Experience: Three Forms Expand to Become a Small Tablet, Finding the Perfect Balance between Portability and Large Screen

The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition's tri-folding design offers a variety of adaptable forms. The phone features Huaweis innovative Tian Gong hinge system, with two hinges for inward and outward folding. When you unfold the screen on the right side outwards, it becomes a 7.9-inch regular folding phone. Then, if you fold the left side screen inwards, you get a 10.2-inch full-size phone.

In terms of creases, in the off-screen state, the crease on the outer folded side is slightly more noticeable compared to the inner folded side. However, when the screen is lit, the creases on both sides are almost invisible. Both hinges also support multi-angle hovering. You can fold the outer folded screen back to use it as a phone stand on a table, essentially giving you the screen size of a regular folding phone, but with a wider field of view and a more comfortable viewing angle than a double folding phone.

The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition's split-screen experience truly maximizes the convenience of folding screens. For instance, in the financial field with the Wind Financial Terminal, users can simultaneously view real-time stock trends and analyze market dynamics and charts. This information comparison and integration is