Apple is getting ready to unveil its iPhone 16 series during the September 9 ‘It’s Glowtime’ event, but Huawei has decided to take its rival’s lunch by announcing the world’s first tri-fold smartphone just a day after, on September 10. It appears that the former Chinese giant may have intentionally wanted to claim some of the iPhone 16’s attention on its own product, and it is a smart tactic, especially given that Apple was struggling in China before it introduced a series of discounts on various products, including some iPhone 15 models.
Latest teaser poster of the Huawei tri-fold smartphone indicates that the unique smartphone will have two opposing hinges, forming a literal ‘Z’
The last time the tri-fold smartphone was pictured, an ex-Huawei executive was holding a device that featured three ultra-thin panels that had a massive rear camera bump. While those allegedly leaked images gave us an idea of what form factor to expect from the upcoming handset, the teaser pretty much reveals those elusive details. As you can probably tell from the image below that was shown on Weibo first, the tri-fold smartphone features three displays, with two opposing hinges sitting in between these panels, allowing the device to form a ‘Z’ shape.
Huawei has been highly secretive about this hardware, and the only information we have retrieved is through a wave of unconfirmed rumors. According to the last update, the company was still working to bring down the cost of the prototype, hinting that it might take a while before the tri-fold smartphone enters mass production. It is also possible that due to the smartphone’s unique and complicated form factor, there are a few more iterations required, so mass manufacturing may not happen until next year.
The announcement could serve as an elaborate teaser or a concept unveiling, much like how TECNO, another Chinese smartphone manufacturer, did with its Phantom Ultimate 2, a tri-fold concept that shares more or less the same attributes as Huawei’s upcoming offering. We are currently unaware of its specifications, but we have our fingers crossed for September 10, so make sure to tune in because we will have all the relevant information prepared for you.
