Huawei’s vertical tri-fold emerges in patent

Huawei’s Next Move: A Vertical Tri-Fold Smartphone Could Be Coming

Back in 2024, Huawei turned heads when it launched the Mate XT Ultimate, the world’s first tri-fold smartphone. It was a massive statement of intent, proving that the company was miles ahead in foldable engineering. Now, it looks like Huawei isn’t done experimenting with the tri-fold concept. A newly surfaced patent suggests they are taking that same DNA and applying it to a vertical flip-style design.

Spotted by the team at xleaks7 (via PostFast), the patent reveals a device that looks like a standard flip phone on steroids. While most flip phones today fold once in the middle, this concept features two hinges, allowing the screen to fold into three distinct sections. When fully extended, you get a tall, expansive display; when closed, it retracts into a compact square that could easily disappear into a pocket.

The “S-Shape” Engineering

The design utilizes an S-shaped folding mechanism. This means one hinge folds inward while the other folds outward, similar to the architecture of the Mate XT. The result? A screen that can be shrunk down to just one-third of its full size. This isn’t just about aesthetics, though. Folding three layers of tech into one small footprint creates hardware challenges, specifically with connectivity. Interestingly, the patent mentions a specialized shield designed to prevent signal loss—a common headache when you have multiple layers of metal and glass stacked on top of each other.

While we often see patents that never make it to the assembly line, this one feels like a natural evolution for Huawei’s Pura or Mate series. It’s a bold take on the “clamshell” form factor that could bridge the gap between a portable phone and a full-sized tablet experience. Whether this becomes the next big thing in mobile tech or remains a brilliant concept on paper remains to be seen, but Huawei is clearly determined to stay at the cutting edge of the foldable market.