Huawei released the Mate XT 2, its third trifold phone, in China today at ¥19,999 ($3,000). The device abandons the accordion-style fold of its predecessor for an inward-folding mechanism that fully encloses the 10.2-inch flexible screen when closed—the same design Samsung used in its Galaxy Z TriFold before discontinuing it last year.
The engineering shift addresses a real problem. The original Mate XT, launched in late 2024, left parts of the delicate screen exposed. Foldables live or die on durability. By protecting the display completely, Huawei is eliminating what became the Z TriFold's liability.
Huawei is also bundling a privacy OLED display as an optional feature—available only on the 16GB/1TB variant for an additional ¥1,000 ($150). The technology narrows the viewing angle of pixels so the screen appears nearly black from the side while remaining fully visible head-on. Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra uses the same approach.
The pricing move is a deliberate revenue play. By making privacy a premium add-on rather than standard across the line, Huawei segments customers by willingness to pay while protecting margin on base configurations. For a device already at $3,000, the $150 upsell targets security-conscious enterprise and high-net-worth buyers.
The Mate XT 2 runs Huawei's in-house Kirin 9050 Pro chipset, carries an IP59 water-resistance rating, and features a triple rear camera system. The device launches in China only; no international release has been announced.
Samsung's retreat from the trifold form factor—despite pioneering it—left an opening. Huawei is moving in, but with a crucial difference: it's not chasing novelty. It's solving the durability problem that killed Samsung's attempt and monetizing privacy as a vertical feature. Whether the market will pay $3,000 for an inward-folding trifold when Samsung itself abandoned the category remains the open question.
