Huawei to unveil the world's first tri-fold smartphone next month
Lately, Huawei has been grabbing headlines with rumors about its upcoming triple-folding smartphone. It has been seen a few times in the hands of Richard Yu, the CEO of the Chinese tech giant's consumer business division. Now, it looks like Yu himself has confirmed the phone will hit the shelves in September.
A recent report from China (translated source) shares that Richard Yu was at an event for the Stelato S9, an EV powered by Huawei’s HarmonyOS. While there, reportedly, a customer asked Yu about the unveiling of the triple-fold phone and when they could buy it. His simple response? Next month.
Now, if all this pans out, keep in mind that the device might launch in China first. It might even stay exclusive to China, but we will have to wait a little longer to know for sure.
Being a first-gen product, this device is rumored to have a sky-high price – think about $4000. If Huawei really goes with this price point, we can probably expect a limited release, meaning only a few units will hit the market.
Earlier rumors also suggested that Huawei might release its tri-fold phone this year, possibly beating Samsung to the punch as the first brand with a smartphone in this unique form factor. Although Samsung is also said to be developing a tri-fold device, the Chinese tech giant is taking the lead in this race.
In my opinion, the launch of the first tri-fold device would really show just how quickly technology is advancing. Just think about it: we went from the original foldable, the Royole FlexPai, unveiled in October 2018, to the first Galaxy Z Fold just months later, and now we are anticipating a tri-fold device, a foldable tablet/laptop hybrid (yep, Apple might be working on that one) and more.
Huawei’s tri-fold device might be right around the corner
A recent report from China (translated source) shares that Richard Yu was at an event for the Stelato S9, an EV powered by Huawei’s HarmonyOS. While there, reportedly, a customer asked Yu about the unveiling of the triple-fold phone and when they could buy it. His simple response? Next month.
Being a first-gen product, this device is rumored to have a sky-high price – think about $4000. If Huawei really goes with this price point, we can probably expect a limited release, meaning only a few units will hit the market.
The triple-folding smartphone is said to come with a huge 10-inch display, giving it a tablet vibe. There are whispers that it could be included in the upcoming Mate series, which is also rumored to drop this September, but that is still to be confirmed. With all the teasers popping up, the official campaign can’t be far off.
Richard Yu is spotted using a prototype of the company's upcoming tri-fold smartphone. | Image credit – WHYLAB
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