Battle of the Foldables: Huawei unveils Mate XT 2 as Apple, Xiaomi launches loom

Huawei has launched the Mate XT 2, its latest tri-fold smartphone, at a time when competition in the premium foldable market is beginning to heat up. The new phone starts at 19,999 yuan (around $2,980) in China and will go on sale from September 12.

The Mate XT 2 was unveiled in China today, September 7. The timing is notable. Apple is holding its September 9 event, where it is expected to unveil its latest iPhone lineup and potentially its first foldable iPhone. Xiaomi, meanwhile, is also launching a new foldable around the same time, making this a particularly busy week for high-end smartphones.

Huawei has stuck with the tri-fold design for the Mate XT 2, but has changed how the phone folds. The previous Mate XT used an outward-folding flexible display. The new model folds inward, which is designed to offer better protection to the main screen when the phone is closed.

The new foldable also gets Huawei's latest Kirin 9050 Pro processor. Huawei says its LogicFolding architecture is aimed at improving both computing performance and power efficiency. The chip is another notable development for Huawei as the company continues to build its own technology stack amid US restrictions on its access to advanced semiconductor technology.

According to Huawei's own testing, the Mate XT 2 delivers a 42% improvement in overall performance compared with its predecessor.

Huawei Mate XT 2 features: 10.2-inch display, 50MP cameras and privacy screen

The tri-fold design remains the Mate XT 2's defining feature. Open it fully and the phone offers a 10.2-inch OLED display with 3K resolution, a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate and high-frequency PWM dimming. When closed, it can be used through a 6.5-inch cover display, meaning users do not have to unfold the phone for everyday tasks.

Huawei has also worked on the phone's durability and hinge. The Mate XT 2 measures 3.5mm at its thinnest when unfolded, weighs 299 grams and comes with IP58 and IP59 ratings for dust and water resistance.

One of the more unusual additions is a privacy display. The feature is designed to limit what people around the user can see on the screen, something that could be useful when the large display is being used in public. Huawei is offering the privacy-screen version with 1TB of storage.

The camera setup has been upgraded as well. The Mate XT 2 gets a 50MP primary camera with a 1/1.28-inch sensor, variable aperture, optical image stabilisation and Huawei's RYYB pixel technology. It is joined by a 40MP ultra-wide camera and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom. There is also a fourth multi-spectral camera intended to improve colour reproduction.

Powering the phone is a 5,600mAh battery, with support for 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. The Mate XT 2 comes with 16GB of RAM, while storage options run from 256GB to 1TB. Huawei is also offering a collector's edition with 2TB of storage.

The Mate XT 2 runs HarmonyOS 7, with Huawei adding software features built around the larger foldable screen. These include multitasking capabilities, AI-powered content generation and an on-device AI assistant.

With Huawei, Xiaomi and potentially Apple all pushing further into foldable phones, the Mate XT 2 arrives as the category moves beyond being a novelty and towards becoming a more serious part of the premium smartphone market.