HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece: The Future of Tri-folding Screen Phones is Here

HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece: The Future of Tri-folding Screen Phones is HereThe HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece, the world's first tri-folding screen phone, has already captured countless eyeballs even before its official release on September 10th. When it finally hit the market on September 20th, it was practically impossible to get your hands on one, with its starting price of 19,999 not deterring consumers' enthusiasm

HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece: The Future of Tri-folding Screen Phones is Here

The HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece, the world's first tri-folding screen phone, has already captured countless eyeballs even before its official release on September 10th. When it finally hit the market on September 20th, it was practically impossible to get your hands on one, with its starting price of 19,999 not deterring consumers' enthusiasm. [Cool] So how exactly does a tri-folding screen phone work, who is it suitable for, and what does it reveal about the current market? As one of the very few media outlets to get their hands on an actual device, IT Home is here to give you a glimpse.

I. Exterior Design

Unlike previous Masterpiece series phones, the HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece doesn't come in a "standard" version. The entire phone is built to the high standards of the Masterpiece series. Available in two colors, Ruihong (Red) and Xuanhei (Black), the HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece features a new material ultra-thin leather with a black gold waistline design. When fully unfolded, you can see the "Designed & Crafted by HUAWEI" logo. At its thinnest point when fully unfolded, it measures only 3.6mm thick and boasts a 10.2-inch screen, resulting in a remarkably thin and light feel in hand. [Bro, you're on point] In its folded state, the 12.8mm thickness isn't much different from a dual-folding screen phone. You can see that the width of the Type-C port at the bottom of the device is truly at its limit.

The rear camera adopts the legendary star-studded design that is synonymous with the HUAWEI Masterpiece series. Its rock vein texture undergoes an 80-layer process involving steel fusion and high-temperature forging, taking 22 days and 78 separate steps like "folding, forging, and twisting." Each piece of texture is unique. [Intrigued] To ensure the durability of the tri-folding screen phone, the screen also adopts a composite ultra-tough laminated structure with non-Newtonian fluids and industry-leading UTG glass, providing double-layer impact protection for the screen. The crease on the inner fold of this phone is similar to that of the MateX3 and X5, while the outer fold is slightly more noticeable than the MateXs2. [Pro Team] Given the significant reduction in thickness, compressing the space for the hinge, this crease is beyond expectations.

To ensure usability in different folded states, the power button (which also doubles as a fingerprint sensor) and volume buttons are placed on the right side of the device. Despite the strict requirements for stacking due to the extreme thickness and weight, HUAWEI still equipped the MateXT Masterpiece with comprehensive external features like BeiDou satellite communication and an infrared sensor. [Bro, you're on point] It also packs a 5600mAh battery that supports 66W wired fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging. HUAWEI managed to squeeze in a wireless charging coil in such a thin body, which is remarkable given that previous dual-folding phones had to sacrifice wireless charging due to thickness constraints. Moreover, this phone's original accessories are not to be overlooked. The purchase comes with a gift box that includes a rotating stand protective case, FreeBuds5, 88W super fast charging car charger, and 66W super fast charging charger.

II. Tri-folding Hardware, Endless Possibilities

As a tri-folding screen phone, the HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece offers three screen modes. In the fully folded single-screen mode, the MateXT Masterpiece has a 6.4-inch screen with a resolution of 22321008, a width of 73.5mm, and a thickness of 12.8mm. The actual weight of about 306g makes the grip feel slightly heavy when used as a traditional straight phone.

Unfolding the "inner fold" part of the phone reveals a dual-screen mode similar to traditional folding screen phones. In dual-screen mode, the HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece's screen size is 7.9 inches, with a resolution of 22322048, a thick end of 7.45mm, and a thin end of 4.75mm. The phone's weight feels significantly lighter in this mode. [Bro, you're on point] Further unfolding the "outer fold" part of the phone gives us the full 10.2-inch tri-screen mode, with a thin end of only 3.6mm and a thick end of only 4.75mm. In this mode, the screen resolution is 22323184, with a 16:11 aspect ratio, providing a more tablet-like experience.

Unlike the MateXs2's previous outer-folding phone's button-based pop-up mechanism, the MateXT Masterpiece's outer fold utilizes a magnetic latch. Upon unfolding the phone, you simply need to slide the edge of the phone to unlock it. When fully unfolded, due to the extremely narrow screen bezels, the MateXT Masterpiece feels more like holding a half-thickness 8-inch tablet that houses a 10.2-inch screen. [Surprised] With HUAWEI's Tian Gong hinge system, the MateXT Masterpiece achieves dual-track linkage and maintains the smooth hinge feel of the HUAWEI MateX series. It unfolds effortlessly with a smooth, graceful motion and can be held at various angles. The core component of the hinge is made of super-strong rocket steel with a 1900MPa anti-deformation strength. The screen's outer fold is resistant to stretching, while the inner fold is resistant to compression. Powering this tri-folding screen is the Kirin 9010 processor. The phone comes in three storage versions: 16GB+256GB, 16GB+512GB, and 16GB+1TB.

III. Multiple Forms, Each with its Own Use

For HUAWEI folding screen and tablet users, the software interaction of the MateXT Masterpiece tri-folding screen phone will feel familiar. Swiping an app upwards towards the left side will split the screen, while swiping towards the right will open a small window. You can also click on an app in the sidebar to open a small window and drag it onto the screen to split the screen. I divide the MateXT into four main usage modes: single-screen mode, dual-screen mode, tri-screen horizontal mode, and tri-screen vertical mode.

3.1 Single-screen mode

In single-screen mode, the HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece offers a traditional straight phone experience. When switching between different modes, I didn't encounter any app reloads. The current state of the app is preserved. [Looking forward to it]

3.2 Dual-screen mode

Unfolding the inner fold gives us a dual-screen mode similar to traditional folding screen phones. In this mode, reading documents, browsing information streams, and multi-tasking with left-right split screens all deliver a satisfactory experience. In other words, all the efficient scenarios of traditional dual folding screen phones are suitable for use in this mode.

3.3 Tri-screen horizontal mode

The tri-screen unfolded horizontal mode is the hero scenario of the HUAWEI MateXT Masterpiece, setting it apart from other folding screen phones on th