Huawei on Thursday unveiled the second generation of its trifold smartphone as it seeks to consolidate its resurgence in China and cautiously expand abroad.
The new device, the Huawei Mate XTs, is priced between 17,999 yuan ($2,520) and 21,999 yuan depending on storage options. Unlike conventional foldables with a single hinge, the Mate XTs features two hinges, allowing it to fold at multiple points and expand into a tablet-sized screen.
Huawei introduced the world’s first trifold, the Mate XT, last year, debuting it in China before rolling it out to select overseas markets in early 2024.
Since then, the company has regained momentum, with its domestic market share climbing to 18% in the second quarter, up from 15% a year earlier, according to Counterpoint Research. That makes Huawei the top smartphone vendor in China.
In foldables, Huawei is even more dominant, controlling 75% of the Chinese market, IDC data shows. The Mate XT alone sold 470,000 units through the second quarter of 2025, generating more than $1.3 billion in revenue.
“The performance is quite strong considering it’s one of the most expensive smartphones available and this shows there is a demand for something innovative,” Francisco Jeronimo, a vice president covering devices at IDC, told CNBC.
Huawei is aiming to prove its innovative edge after U.S. sanctions in 2020 crippled its smartphone business by cutting off access to crucial software and chips.
In response, the company built its own operating system and secured domestically produced, less-advanced chips for newer models—moves that have fueled its recent comeback.
