The long-rumored Huawei triple-folding phone will be released “next month” according to a company executive, suggesting that months of speculation could soon be over.
Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Yu Chengdong (also known as Richard Yu) revealed the information during a press event for Huawei’s STELATO S9 electric vehicle. As Huawei Central reports, a customer asked when he would be able to buy the Huawei triple foldable, and Yu replied: “next month, by September”.
The device, which would be the first of its kind, is rumored to have a 10-inch inner screen, almost as large as the display on the 10th-generation iPad.
Last week, photographs of Yu using what appears to be the new foldable clearly showed three panels stacked into a slab form factor. A large circular camera bump, similar to that of the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, was also visible.
A previous image showed Yu using the device unfolded, with two creases and a punch-hole selfie camera visible.
Tri-fold arms race
The announcement is the latest milestone in a behind-the-scenes race between Samsung, Honor, and Huawei to produce the world’s first triple-foldable.
While Samsung’s original Galaxy Z Fold phone was the first foldable on the market, the Korean tech giant may have been beaten to the punch this time.
Honor CEO George Zhao confirmed that the company had laid out a patent for a tri-fold design in July, and rumors of a Samsung tri-fold have circulated all year. Yanko Design has suggested that Samsung may make use of its Flex S screen concept, with reports from Tom’s Guide and CNET speculating further about this potential new product.
However, this apparent confirmation from Huawei itself suggests that it’s set to win the race to bring a tri-fold phone to market – we’ll be watching with interest, and we’ll bring you the news as soon as the company makes it official.