Huawei has just launched its three-way foldable phone.
That's the first product of its kind in the world.
Last night, at the Apple launch event, the Cupertino-based company unveiled a range of new products. But chief among them was the new iPhone 16 range.
With a new design which looks reminiscent of the iPhone 5C – and a new Capture button for photography lovers – the device represents the pinnacle of current technology for the brand.
But there was an even more exciting release overnight, which looks set to be a much more significant technological feat. Dubbed the Huawei Mate XT Extraordinary Master, this is the tri-fold design which we've seen leaked in recent weeks.
That's the first three-way foldable phone to hit the market. While the current crop of handsets utilise a single hinge to open out like a book, this Huawei handset folds like a Z-shape. That enables users to trade between a regular phone-sized device and a tablet as needed.
The handset sits just 12.8mm thick when folded down to a single-screen setup – certainly impressive given the two extra displays hidden inside of that – and as slim as 3.6mm when unfolded. That's absolutely tiny, and should make this a really comfortable hold in it's widest setting.
You'll even find a whopping 5,600mAh battery inside. That's comprised of a trio of smaller cells, each located in the segments of the folding chassis.
It's no slouch in the camera department, either. A triple rear-camera array includes a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 12MP periscope telephoto. That offers a 5.5x optical zoom, with a 50x digital zoom to boot.
There is, of course, one slight sticking point. Priced from 19,999 yuan (approx. £2,145; $2,800; AU$4,200) it's not cheap. That's even before we get into conversion prices – and the fact that Huawei still can't make use of any Google apps or the Android operating system.
Still, it's a killer leap forward in the technology space, and one which should be celebrated.
