Huawei is expected to develop a tri-foldable smartphone, and a prototype of the alleged device was recently spotted in the hands of a senior official at the company. While there is no timeline for its launch or information on what it might offer, a claim on social media suggests its hefty price tag. As per the claims, the development prototype of the phone costs around $4,900 (around Rs 4,11,000), and the Chinese company is reportedly looking at ways to bring down its price.
Huawei Tri-Fold Smartphone Price (Expected)
The information comes from a post on X (formerly Twitter) by user @jasonwill101, who suggested that while Huawei’s tri-fold smartphone prototype is priced steeply, the production model might not be much cheaper in comparison. The mass-market phone is speculated to cost CNY 29,000 or around $4,000 (around Rs. 335,000).
Currently, the cost of Huawei’s three-fold engineering prototype is more than RMB 35,000, and the company is constantly working to reduce the cost. The expected retail price of the mass-produced model is RMB 29,000 ($4,000) photo:twitter.com/2JBvtx9IIN
— jasonwill (@jasonwill101) August 13, 2024
If that price tag holds true, the triple-folding smartphone would become the most expensive mass-market phone yet. It could cost more than twice as much as other foldable smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. Despite that high price tag, it may not offer the hardware to justify it.
The smartphone is rumored to be powered by a Kirin 9-series chipset, with the Kirin 9010 touted as one of the most likely options. The processor is also rumored to power the upcoming Huawei Mate 70 series. It is said to not be as powerful as other flagship chipsets on the market like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or the MediaTek Dimensity 9300.
Huawei Tri-Fold Smartphone Rumors
The alleged Huawei smartphone is said to have a 10-inch internal display that can be folded three times thanks to a dual-hinge system that would have three separate screen sections. While one of the screens could fold inward, the other could do so outward.
The smartphone was recently spotted in the hands of Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, which has sparked rumors of its imminent launch. It appears to have a cutout for the front camera on the left-most screen. Despite being a tri-foldable smartphone, it could reportedly be of “average” thickness.
