Huawei unveils the foldable Mate XT at MWC 2025, which unfolds both inwards and outwards. The device symbolizes the company’s return to the European smartphone market.
The Mate XT is Huawei’s eye-catcher this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The company’s latest foldable flagship phone is the world’s first commercial “tri-fold” smartphone. Huawei launched the device in its home country China at the end of 2024, and is gradually bringing it to other markets, including (limited) in Europe.
The Mate XT is a technical tour de force. This is not a foldable smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. The device has a double folding hinge to fold the screen both inwards and outwards. This allows you to use the device as one large screen or in a Z-shaped fold. The three screen halves give you a total of 10 inches of screen space, which is equivalent to a small tablet.
Huawei is still subject to trade restrictions. The device doesn’t run on a Qualcomm chip, but an entirely Chinese Kirin 9010 chipset. The software is the homemade HarmonyOS.
European Comeback
The Huawei Mate X is an important milestone for Huawei, as the device marks the brand’s return to the European smartphone market. After the launch in China, Huawei started the international rollout in February. The device has not yet come to the Benelux, and local representatives cannot confirm if that is planned. Other new models such as the Mate X6 can be found in the Belgian webshop.
The US trade restrictions have dealt significant blows to Huawei’s consumer division. In recent years, Huawei mainly released smart watches and tablets in the European market. Last year during MWC, the company already indicated that a return to the smartphone market was not ruled out, and this year they are keeping their word. With the Mate XT, Huawei is thinking big.
Whether it will be a comeback in style remains to be seen. Not only the sky-high price, 3,499 euros including VAT, but also the absence of the familiar (Google) services for consumers, make the device an expensive gamble.