Mate XT Ultimate Design: Everything to Know About Huawei's Triple-Screen Phone

Huawei set the consumer tech community abuzz with the commercial launch of the world's first triple-screen folding phone. The Mate XT Ultimate Design is a new style of foldable phone that can fold down to fit into your pocket and unfurl into a 10.2-inch tablet. Before Huawei released it, triple-screen foldables, or "trifolding" phones, could only be found at tech conferences like CES and MWC as concept phones (or in the pockets of characters on the dystopian Westworld TV series). 

Needless to say, it comes at a price. The Mate XT Ultimate Design costs approximately $2,800 when converted from 19,999 yuan, and that's if you can manage to get it.

Read more: Huawei's New Triple-Screen Phone Is a Big Deal. but It May Not Be the Future 

I had the opportunity to use the phone during a trip to Shenzhen, China. Here are the most frequently asked questions CNET received about the Mate XT and my answers. If you want additional hands-on insights, read my Mate XT Ultimate Design hands-on story.

Will the Mate XT Ultimate Design come to the US?

Huawei has no current plans to launch the Mate XT Ultimate Design in the United States.

How many folds does the Mate XT Ultimate Design have?

Although the word trifoldable is a misnomer of sorts, the term has been widely used and accepted by the media and the general public. In reality, the phone folds twice, not three times. It also has just one large flexible OLED touchscreen. But because the Mate XT Ultimate Design folds in two places, that larger 10.2-inch display transforms into three slimmer panels, which is why we call it a triple-screen phone. 

Book-style folding phones like the Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold have just one fold, but actually have two separate screens: a cover display and an inner one. The inner screen typically measures between 7 and 8 inches, depending on the manufacturer.

How much is the Mate XT Ultimate Design?

The phone costs 19,999 yuan, which converts to approximately $2,800, £2,160 or AU$4,195.

Where can you buy a Mate XT Ultimate Design?

The Mate XT is only sold in China through Huawei. Though the phone can be found on a number of resale sites for thousands of dollars more than its retail price.

What colors does the Mate XT Ultimate Design come in?

Currently the Mate XT Ultimate Design comes in two color variants, either black or red-orange with gold accents. Both use a material that Huawei calls vegan leather, similar to what Motorola uses on its Razr Plus and Moto G phones.  

How visible are the creases on the Mate XT Ultimate Design?

The Mate XT Ultimate Design has two hinges, and therefore two creases along the screen. During my short time with the phone, I could see the folds at certain angles, but in general I found the creases unobtrusive when watching videos, scrolling through emails and other tasks. I could feel the folds when using the phone, but they didn't sour my experience. Overall, the creases aren't any more or less visible than they are on leading book-style foldable phones such as Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Honor's Magic V3.

What's the Mate XT Ultimate Design's battery life?

I only spent about an hour with the Mate XT Ultimate Design, and didn't get to test its battery life. The phone has a 5,600-mAh battery. That's larger than the ones used in most book-style foldable phones, which range from 4,400 mAh to 5,150 mAh. The exception is the Vivo X Fold 3 and X Fold 3 Pro, which have 5,500- and 5,700-mAh batteries respectively. Keep in mind that the Mate XT's battery has to power a larger 10.2-inch screen: It's closer to the size of a tablet, which can have batteries that range from 6,500 to 8,000 mAh.

How do I buy the Mate XT Ultimate Design if I live in the United States? 

There's no straightforward way to buy the Mate XT Ultimate Design if you live in the United States. Currently the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design is limited to China, making it nearly impossible to get anywhere else. Huawei does have a history of releasing global versions of its phones. Despite not being sold in the US, these are somewhat easier to get through third-party retailers that ship to the US. At this time Huawei hasn't announced plans for a global version of the Mate XT.