[REVIEW] Huawei Mate XT: No trifold gimmick, but it's pricey

The Citizen

12-06-2025

What strikes you immediately about the Mate XT when unfolded is how ridiculously thin it is.
If you are a businessperson, entrepreneur, CEO of a company, a sales representative, or perhaps even a university student, or a journalist like me, then the Huawei Mate XT is the best mobile device you can get at the moment.
I only recently learned that the popular idiom 'seeing is believing' is a gross misreading of Thomas Fuller's original quote. The 17th-century English clergyman actually said, 'Seeing is believing, but feeling is the truth'.
And that's exactly how I felt when I saw the Huawei Mate XT for the first time in Barcelona, Spain.
Form factor
What strikes you immediately about the Mate XT when unfolded is how ridiculously thin it is. Shockingly so, in fact. It feels sturdy, too.
You wouldn't want to test the bendability of it in the opposite direction, obviously, but it does feel like it could take some stick
The Mate XT Ultimate is more like a foldable tablet! It features a whopping 10.2-inch LTPO OLED screen with 360ppi resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, and 10-bit colour depth. This large 16:11 display can be folded one or two times, depending on your preferences and use case.
Huawei has invented two different high-precision hinges for the purposes of the XT design, which are durable yet incredibly thin, and allow the device to remain as thick as a recent Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold when completely closed. But when it's completely open, this new Mate is only 3.6mm thin!
Is this the best Friday or what? This amazing device just landed on my desk, the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design 😀 Unfold the magic ✨ #Huawei #HuaweiMateXTUltimate @HuaweiZA @HuaweiMobile pic.twitter.com/eTDitFfwaR — 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) June 6, 2025
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Danger
By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has 7.6 and 6.3-inch screens, and the OnePlus Open 8 and 6.3-inch screens.
Creases are a major issue for foldable screens like those on the Samsung and Honour devices, but Huawei has managed to tame both on the Mate XT. It's no worse than the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
What puts the phone in danger is that one of the hinges in the phone causes a bent portion of the display on the outside edge, making it susceptible to damage when dropped, even when closed.
The in-box case covers this up with a flap that runs the whole length of the phone.
Gaming
With its tri-fold form factor and huge display, it is impressive, which makes it a breeze for multitasking needs.
It's worth noting that you can only split screen between two apps, but with pop-up windows and extra screen real estate, I didn't find it much of a hindrance.
The Huawei Mate XT is well-suited for gaming, offering a smooth and responsive experience even with graphically intensive games. It provides a solid performance, and the large, high-refresh-rate display enhances the gaming experience.
The Mate XT Ultimate runs on Huawei's own Kirin 9010 – it's a step back from the Kirin 9020, which powers the Mate X6. It's coupled with 16GB RAM, and you can get the device with up to 1TB of storage.
Photography
Huawei phones have been known for their solid photographic chops, and we expect that to be the case with the Mate XT.
The rear setup, which can also be used for selfies, has a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a variable aperture, a 12MP 5.5x zoom camera with a periscope telephoto lens, and a 12MP AF ultrawide camera.
Laser assistance and a colour spectrum sensor complement the back cameras. There is also a small 8MP imager inside a cutout in the screen.
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Battery
The main thing people ask me about the Mate XT, once they get over its foldability, is whether the battery sucks.
In my experience, it absolutely doesn't. The 5,600mAh capacity proves more than capable of lasting a full day.
I'm not spending all day with the phone fully open. A 5,600mAh battery is a decent size for a phone, but relatively small for a tablet.
Pricey
After several weeks using the Mate XT as my main phone, my primary impression is that it delivers on its promise, effectively offering three different devices in one.
The Mate XT feels like the ideal combination of tablet and smartphone. The fact that it's so thin and consequently folds down into such a practical package is where the innovation and demand lie.
Verdict
All in all, the Huawei Mate XT is designed for those who demand the cutting edge of consumer technology.
But there is one huge drawback, and this is not cosmetic. The Huawei XT ultimate design is pricey and retails for around R70,000.
Many people will also argue that it's a Huawei device, and therefore, it lacks Google. Well, Huawei has done a workaround on this.
All you need to do is download the GBox app, and you will have access to all the necessary apps. It takes about five minutes to download all the apps, depending on the connection, and it works like magic.
China talks
Currently, the United States and China have agreed on a 'framework' on trade after two days of talks in London aimed at de-escalating tensions between the sides.
So who knows, maybe they may have also been talking about the Huawei issue.
If they are discussing Huawei, and if the sanctions are lifted against the company, Huawei could become a world market leader in the mobile phone, watch and computer market, taking the competition to the likes of Apple, Samsung and many others.
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