Chinese tech giant Huawei has launched its Mate XT Ultimate Design smartphone, a folding phone that can transform into a 10.2-inch tablet.
Described by Huawei as "the first-ever commercial triple foldable phone", the main innovation of the Mate XT Ultimate Design is a flexible OLED touchscreen that is hinged in two directions.
Huawei has developed a triple-foldable phone
When fully unfolded, the 3,000-pixel 10.2-inch screen delivers what the brand called "cinema-level immersive viewing" with a screen ratio of 16 by 11.
The device switches automatically between single, dual and triple screen modes as the screen unfolds, with dual-screen mode offering roughly square proportions and the fully unfolded device operating like a tablet. It opens up into a 10.2-inch tablet
To achieve the novel technical feat of a triple-fold screen, Huawei developed a hinge system that uses two tracks working in tandem to enable both inward and outward folds.
The hinges incorporate 26 precision cams that facilitate smooth opening and closing, with components made from strengthened steel to ensure durability.
The design is hinged in two directions
An integrated connecting rod and slide rail structure help to reduce the overall thickness of the hinge and therefore the phone itself, which measures 12.8 millimetres when folded and 3.6 millimetres at its thinnest point when fully unfolded.
The screen's composite laminated structure provides strength despite its thinness, according to...