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.

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.

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.

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 Huawei, with the inner fold resisting compression while the outer fold resists tension.

Huawei's suggested uses for the phone in its fully unfolded mode include reading books and magazines with double-page spreads or using email and apps as you would on a tablet.

Other key features of the phone include its array of four cameras, including one with a ten-stop variable aperture telephoto lens that allows the user to control how much light enters the camera.

Ultimate Design is Huawei's premium label and the phone incorporates crafted elements including layered steel construction visible along the case edges and the octagonal camera surround.

The back of the phone is wrapped in red or black leather inlaid with the Ultimate Design logotype in gold to match the finish of the metal components.

Huawei chose to launch the device just a few hours after US firm Apple presented the iPhone 16 lineup. Apple has yet to release a foldable phone, despite being granted a patent for such a design in 2016.

Huawei unveiled its original Mate X smartphone at the 2019 Mobile World Congress, demonstrating many of the features present in the Mate XT version but with only one folding mechanism.

Several other brands unveiled folding phones that same year, including Microsoft and Motorola, which produced a revamped version of its Razr flip phone.

Samsung was forced to delay the release of its Galaxy Fold smartphone after reports of screens breaking during use. The South Korean firm also launched a flip phone with a flexible glass display in 2020.

Huawei Technologies Co. was founded in 1987 and is now one of the world's largest telecommunications firms, operating as a network carrier as well as a manufacturer of its own products and devices for other brands.

The company has been faced with sanctions from countries including the United States, which sees it as a national security risk despite Huawei's denials. The Mate XT smartphone will go on sale on 20 September but is expected to be available only in China.

All imagery courtesy of Huawei.