Apple faces a new threat as Huawei takes its trifold phone to the world
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For the first time, the world’s only trifold phone will be available to customers outside of China.
Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate first went on sale in China last September and has been a hit since its launch. Now the phone is rolling out in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico, according to The Verge.
The phone isn’t cheap: It will set you back over $3,660. It sells for $2,800 in China, where scalpers have been known to sell them on the streets for much higher.
The phone is also sleek: At it’s slimmest point, it’s slightly over 3 mm — just barely wider than two pennies stacked together. It features a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 12MP periscope telephoto lens with 5.5x optical zoom and OIS. The phone also features a 5,600mAh silicon-carbon battery.
The phone supports inward and outward folding at the same time. Its screen measures 10.2 inches diagonally.
The Mate XT Ultimate doesn’t support Google (GOOGL-1.24%) or Apple (AAPL-0.53%) products, though, so customers can’t access features like Apple’s App Store.
Huawei commands 17 percent of the mobile phone market in China. It’s looking to burnish its brand outside the country after suffering poor publicity in recent years over the security of its telecommunications equipment.
Huawei has outpaced Apple in the Chinese market, despite U.S. sanctions.
According to Huawei, the heart of the tri-fold’s unique design is an advanced precision hinge system. Huawei says it offers precise coordination and delicate dual-hinge movement for a smooth and seamless opening-closing mechanism.
According to Huawei press release other “firsts” the phone claim include:
—Britney Nguyen contributed to this report
