Huawei Mate XT Ultimate review
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate offers a stunning trifold display, great cameras, and fast charging but lacks Google services and 5G.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate has a powerful camera. The rear cameras can also be used for selfies. It has a 50MP main camera, a 12MP zoom camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. There is also an 8MP front camera. Laser assistance and a color sensor improve photo quality.
The phone has a 5,600mAh battery. It supports 66W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
This foldable tablet runs on EMUI 14.2 or HarmonyOS 4.2, depending on the region.
The Mate XT is slim and lightweight. It measures 156.7 x 219.0 x 4.8mm and weighs 298g. It has ultra-thin glass, a vegan leather back, and a metal frame.
The main display is 10.2 inches with a 2232×3184 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The cover display is 6.4 inches, and the dual display mode expands to 7.9 inches.
The phone runs on the Kirin 9010 chipset. It has an octa-core processor and a Maleoon 910 GPU. It comes with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage, all with 16GB RAM.
The rear cameras include a 50MP main camera, a 12MP zoom camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The front camera is 8MP. Both can record 4K videos.
The phone supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and an infrared port.
Other features include a side fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, and BDS satellite calling (China only).
The Kirin 9010 offers mid-range performance. Outside China, it is limited to 4G. The phone is not water-resistant.
For Western users, a big issue is the lack of Google services. You can install Google apps using GBox or microG, but some apps may not work properly.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate – Full Specifications
| 📌 Feature | 📋 Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Release Date | Announced: September 10, 2024 Released: September 20, 2024 |
| 📏 Body | Unfolded: 156.7 x 219 x 3.6-4.8 mm Folded: 156.7 x 73.5 x 12.8 mm Weight: 298g SIM: Dual Nano-SIM |
| 📱 Display | Type: Tri-foldable LTPO OLED, 90Hz Main Screen: 10.2 inches, 2232 x 3184 pixels Cover Screen: 6.4 inches, 1008 x 2232 pixels Dual Screen: 7.9 inches, 2048 x 2232 pixels |
| ⚙️ Operating System | HarmonyOS 4.2 (China) |
| 🚀 Processor | Chipset: Kirin 9010 (7nm) CPU: Octa-core GPU: Maleoon 910 |
| 💾 Storage & RAM | ❌ No SD card slot ✅ 256GB / 512GB / 1TB storage ✅ 16GB RAM |
| 📸 Main Camera | Triple Camera Setup: – 📷 50 MP (wide), OIS – 🔍 12 MP (periscope telephoto), 5.5x zoom, OIS – 🌅 12 MP (ultrawide) Features: 💡 LED flash, HDR, panorama 🎥 Video: 4K, 1080p, OIS, HDR |
| 🤳 Selfie Camera | 📷 8 MP (wide) 🎥 Video: 4K, 1080p ✨ Features: HDR |
| 🔊 Audio | 🔈 Speakers: Stereo 🎧 Headphone Jack: ❌ No |
| 📡 Connectivity | 📶 Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6 🔗 Bluetooth: 5.2 📍 GPS: Yes 📡 NFC: Yes 📟 Infrared Port: Yes 🔌 USB: Type-C 3.1, OTG |
| 🎛️ Sensors | 🛑 Side-mounted Fingerprint Scanner 🎛 Other Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Compass, Barometer |
| 🔋 Battery | Capacity: 5600mAh ⚡ Charging Speeds: 66W Wired ⚡ |
| 🎨 Colors | 🔴 Red, ⚫ Black |
| 💰 Price | 💶 Around €3500 |
| 📊 Performance Tests | 🔊 Speaker Loudness: -28.1 LUFS (Average) 🔋 Battery Life (Active Use): 7 hours 48 minutes |
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design, build quality and handling
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate is a unique smartphone with a fresh design. It is great to see a brand trying something different.
Huawei has created a foldable tablet with a large 10.2-inch display. Its 16:11 aspect ratio makes it feel like an iPad.
Even with its big screen, the Mate XT is not bulky. It is very thin—just 3.6mm when opened and 12.8mm when folded, like the Galaxy Z Fold6.
The phone has a strong build. It features a metal frame, stainless steel hinges, and a vegan leather back in black or red. The foldable screen has an ultra-thin glass layer inside.
The camera housing is made of 80 layers of stainless steel. Each phone has a unique star-shaped design.
When folded, the Mate XT looks like a regular phone with a 6.4-inch OLED screen. It has an 8MP front camera and a thin earpiece. There is no proximity sensor, but software handles that well.
You can fold it in different ways. It can be a 7.9-inch square display or a full 10.2-inch tablet. Like other foldable phones, it has a plastic border around the screen. The protective film should not be removed to avoid damage.
When opened, the Mate XT is very thin, but the large camera bump can make it wobble.
In portrait mode, it feels like a regular tablet. The back is fingerprint-resistant and comes in black or red.
The rear camera setup includes a 50MP main camera with a variable aperture, a 12MP 5.5x zoom camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. It also has a laser sensor, dual-LED flash, a color sensor, and a microphone.
The top has a speaker, an IR blaster, and a microphone. The bottom has a USB-C port, SIM slot, another speaker, and the main microphone.
The side-mounted fingerprint sensor helps with security. It is not the most comfortable when fully opened but still useful.
The Mate XT is stylish, premium, and innovative. It stands out in any crowd and offers great flexibility.
The included case turns it into a portable monitor, perfect for watching videos.
The phone is easy to hold in any mode, but it has no water resistance. Even a basic IPX4 rating would have been helpful.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Display, battery life, charging speed, speakers
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate has a 10.2-inch foldable screen with bright colors and smooth performance. When fully opened, it looks great.
It has three screen sizes. In tablet mode, it’s 10.2 inches. When folded, it becomes a 6.4-inch phone. There’s also a 7.9-inch size when partly unfolded.
There is a small crease where it folds, but the screen is still clear and bright. It supports HDR10, though some apps may not detect it.
The screen gets bright, up to 944 nits in auto mode. The lowest brightness is 2.1 nits, making it easy to use at night.
It has a 90Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling. It also supports HDR Vivid, which makes videos look better. Some apps may not stream in high quality unless using a special tool.
The phone has a 5,600mAh battery. In tablet mode, it lasts around 7 hours and 48 minutes. In phone mode, it lasts about 11 hours and 56 minutes.
Charging is fast with Huawei’s 66W SuperCharge. It reaches 45% in 15 minutes and fully charges in about an hour. Charging while folded is slower.
There are two speakers, one on top and one on the bottom. The sound is good but not very loud.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Software and performance
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate runs EMUI 14.2 globally and Harmony OS 4.2 in China. It is not the latest version.
EMUI 14.2 is based on Android 12. You can install apps through AppGallery, APK Pure, or use GBox to get Google Play Store apps.
The design looks familiar with features like large folders, widgets, and air gestures.
Huawei includes apps like Gallery, Music, Video, Health, File Manager, and Smart Remote (for controlling devices with the IR blaster). Other apps include Petal Maps, Petal Search, and Huawei’s Browser.
The large screen makes multitasking easy with split-screen and floating windows. Switching between them is smooth.
AI features include Smart Remove for editing images and AI Noise Cancellation for clear calls. Google Gemini also works.
AppGallery installs apps but has ads. GBox helps run Google apps like Maps, Drive, and YouTube, but streaming quality depends on it.
The phone uses the Kirin 9010 chip, which is slower than newer ones. It has 16GB RAM and up to 1TB storage.
Performance is average. It works well for daily tasks and videos, but gaming is not the best.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Camera, photo and video quality
Huawei’s foldable phones have better cameras than most. The Mate XT Ultimate continues this but is bigger, heavier, and more expensive.
It has a 50MP main camera with an adjustable aperture, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 5x zoom camera. The selfie camera is 8MP.
The main camera takes sharp photos with good colors. Portrait mode makes faces look natural. There are two 50MP modes—one has more detail but is slower, while the other is faster but softer.
Zoom photos at 2x stay sharp. The 5x zoom camera takes clear shots but needs 80cm to focus. At 10x zoom, photos lose detail.
Sharp details and somewhat brighter colors are captured by the ultrawide camera. Although primary camera produces better selfies, the selfie camera is still fine.
Low-light photos are good, but shadows can look too soft. Night mode brightens images but makes them too sharp. At 2x zoom, night shots lose detail. The zoom camera is average in low light, and at 10x zoom, photos look very soft. The ultrawide camera is okay but doesn’t gain much detail in night mode.
The phone records 4K60 videos on the rear cameras and 4K30 on the selfie camera but lacks 8K or 4K120. Stabilization is good, but video quality isn’t great. The main camera’s videos look outdated, zoom videos are soft, and low-light videos lack detail.
The primary and zoom cameras on the Mate XT Ultimate produce excellent images. However, the video quality and zoom in low light may be improved. One of the greatest foldable phones for taking pictures is still this one.
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Huawei Mate XT Ultimate: Pros & Cons
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| 📱 Stunning trifold display | 🚫 No water or dust resistance |
| ✨ Ultra-thin, premium design | 🔋 Mediocre battery life |
| ⚡ Fast wired & wireless charging | 🔈 Quiet speakers |
| 📸 Excellent photo quality & selfies | 📉 Mid-range performance |
| 🔄 Great multitasking features | ❌ No Google services, outdated Android |
| ✅ | 🎥 Disappointing video quality |
| ✅ | 💰 Extremely expensive |
| ✅ | 📦 No charger included in some markets |
Conclusion
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate stands out with its stunning design, unique trifold screen and impressive camera for a foldable device.
However, it has average performance, uncertain app support, no Google services, and lacks 5G outside China. These issues might be forgivable—if it didn’t cost €3,500.
If the high price doesn’t bother you, this is the only mainstream trifold phone available. But if you don’t need a trifold, there are better foldable options at half the price.
