The Evolution of Foldable Screens: From Triple-Folding to Foldable Computers, Who Is Redefining the Industry Standards?

When the foldable screen meets HarmonyOS 5, how can traditional PCs undergo a fundamental reshaping?

On May 19th, at the launch event of the nova 14 series and HarmonyOS-powered computers, the Huawei MateBook Fold Master Edition was officially unveiled. This PC, with its innovative "portable large screen" form, features an 18-inch giant screen in the unfolded state, offering a visual feast. When folded, it transforms into a 13-inch portable laptop.

It can be said that following the triple-fold and wide-fold designs, Huawei's foldable screen technology has achieved another historical breakthrough in product categories: from smartphones to laptops, the Huawei MateBook Fold Master Edition, as the first HarmonyOS-powered foldable laptop, expands Huawei's foldable screen territory.

When the portable large screen becomes a new possibility for traditional PCs with long-established forms, the birth of HarmonyOS-powered computers not only marks the first breakthrough of domestic operating systems in the PC field but also breaks the productivity boundaries of traditional laptops with its foldable form, software-hardware synergy, and new interaction modes. As Yu Chengdong stated at this launch event, "HarmonyOS-powered computers offer the world an additional choice."

On May 22nd, according to data from the Huawei Mall, the pre-order volume of HarmonyOS-powered computers exceeded 140,000. Among them, the pre-order number of the Huawei MateBook Fold Master Edition, priced at 23,999 yuan, exceeded 100,000. This is sufficient evidence that Huawei's "foldable screen offensive" in the desktop computer market has once again triggered an unprecedented market response.

From the world's first commercially available triple-fold product, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition in 2024, to the wide-fold Huawei Pura X that broke the traditional aspect ratio in March this year, and now to the Huawei MateBook Fold Master Edition, Huawei has successively launched three new categories of foldable screen products in less than a year. A question worth answering is: From foldable phones to foldable PCs, why can Huawei initiate this form revolution?

In the foldable screen field, only Huawei can surpass Huawei

More than a decade ago, Steve Jobs regarded 3.5 inches as the golden size for smartphones. However, as the amount of information in people's digital lives has grown exponentially, this once-popular industry assertion has long been shattered in the era of full-screen displays. Especially in the current context of the continuous emergence of new productive forces and the increasing diversification of audio-visual entertainment, the flexible display revolution represented by foldable screens has emerged as a new force.

Whether it is smartphones, tablets, or traditional PCs, the screen has always been the medium connecting people with the digital world. As the screen size continues to increase, the amount of information it can carry and interact with is also growing. Finding the perfect balance between large screens and portability has gradually become the key to innovation for mainstream manufacturers.

And this is precisely the significance of the triple-fold design in the context of its era of birth as a new and breakthrough form.

Based on the existing mature phone forms represented by the dual-fold design, it can be foreseen that multi-fold designs may become the new starting point for the display revolution of mobile terminals. As the boundaries between different terminals blur with the trend of large screens, the triple-fold design has become a super terminal due to its ability to cover more scenarios and meet more needs.

It is because of Huawei's profound insight into this trend evolution and its sufficient accumulation of foldable screen technology that it was able to be the first to achieve the commercialization of triple-fold technology - launching the world's first commercially available triple-fold screen phone, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition, which is a new technological species integrating single-screen, dual-screen, and triple-screen states.

In the most critical hinge part of foldable screen technology, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition is equipped with Huawei's first - created Tian Gong Hinge System. It not only achieves precise cooperation between the hinge and the screen but also solves the dual challenges of thinness and toughness of the hinge. In fact, other foldable screen phones on the market currently can only achieve one-way folding, either inward or outward. However, the Tian Gong Hinge System of the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition can achieve both inward and outward folding of the screen.

The difficulty lies in ensuring that the two hinges for inward and outward folding work in tandem through a double - track linkage mechanism to ensure a balanced and smooth feeling when opening and closing the phone. At the same time, it is also necessary to avoid the heavy body caused by this structural design, which may affect users' pursuit of portability.

The Huawei Mate XT Master Edition not only achieves a balanced opening and closing feeling through the first - created multi - drive precise adjustment but also innovatively introduces an embedded design. The outward - folding hinge uses an integrated connecting rod structure to minimize the moving space of the hinge, while the inward - folding hinge uses a first - created embedded sliding rail structure, reducing the hinge thickness by 16% by reducing the rotation angle of the arc arm.

Coupled with the micron - level digital twin model technology, through 45 versions of trajectory design and more than 15,000 iterations of the digital twin model, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition has solved the difficulty of integrated linkage and found the optimal linkage trajectory through precise scientific tests.

Secondly, on the other "arm" of foldable screen technology - the screen, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition also has a first - created ultra - form triple - fold large screen. By introducing multi - directional bending flexible materials, the screen of the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition has a 25% improvement in bending resistance, thus achieving inward and outward bending of the ultra - thin large screen.

Meanwhile, its globally launched 3K Huawei immersive large screen is equipped with multiple screen technologies, such as SuperVision technology for pixel - level brightness adaptive adjustment, SuperMotion technology supporting LTPO adaptive refresh, and it also supports HDR high dynamic range and industry - leading AI computing image quality. From ultra - clear display to color gradation, the "extraordinary screen" of the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition can bring a different visual experience.

For office users, this is a new form of large - screen office collaboration: the extra - large screen provides a page layout that is more in line with traditional office habits, allowing users to fully grasp key information such as PPTs and documents on a single screen; for movie - watching users, it is also a portable private giant - screen cinema. The 10.2 - inch large screen with delicate picture quality and rich colors makes every movie - watching experience a visual feast; for reading users, it is an immersive intelligent reading experience: with the support of the large screen, Huawei Reading allows users to turn pages like turning a book and supports AI summary and AI knowledge graph functions, offering an experience far beyond traditional reading.

From handling work to meet productivity needs, to enjoying audio - visual entertainment content as a substitute for tablets and computers, and to the gaming experience brought by the immersive large screen - rather than simply being regarded as a foldable screen phone, the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition can be seen as a multi - terminal integration of a computer, a tablet, and a phone. It can be said that this is a "representative work" of foldable screens that integrates Huawei's leading technologies and innovative concepts, symbolizing Huawei's continuous leading position in the foldable screen field.

For the industry, the commercial launch of the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition also represents that Huawei has initiated a form revolution in mobile terminals. When the experiences of different terminals such as phones and tablets undergo a historical integration, a new type of "mobile large screen" is rewriting the innovation rules of mobile terminals. As Yu Chengdong once said, "Huawei aims to do things that others cannot think of, or things that others think of but cannot do, or even things that others dare not think of."

For most Chinese phone manufacturers, entering the foldable screen market may be a way to overtake Apple and Samsung on a curve and demonstrate their brand's technological strength in the high - end flagship market. However, for Huawei, this is a historical opportunity to drive the rise of a whole new industrial chain. It can be said that the rapid development of the foldable screen market in the past five years has gradually led to a differentiation in this field that has shown signs of a red ocean.

While some manufacturers are targeting the small - fold market, Huawei, as a pioneer in foldable screen technology, has injected a shot in the arm for the industry with the wide - fold form - the Huawei Pura X. Once launched in March 2025, the Huawei Pura X has continuously fermented positive user reviews.

In terms of form innovation, the Huawei Pura X, which breaks the tradition, has achieved a precise positioning between a straight phone and a tablet with a 16:10 golden ratio. It not only retains the portability in the folded state but also has a larger display area than traditional straight phones when unfolded.

According to Huawei's official data, this screen, which is equipped with Huawei's immersive™ display technology, has a peak brightness of 2500 nits and a 120Hz LTPO2.0 adaptive refresh rate. In the landscape movie - watching mode, it can have a 30% larger display area than a straight phone of the same size. Whether it is binge - watching dramas or watching sports events, it can provide a more immersive content experience. The display area is about 30% larger than that of a straight phone. And this 30% is enough to bring a "tablet - level" immersive experience that a straight phone cannot provide in the palm of one's hand.

The emergence of the wide - fold design once again proves that for foldable screens, the screen is no longer just a display tool but also a container for experience. Realizing the interaction of more information such as entertainment and work in a limited space is an upgrade of the terminal experience centered around the screen.

From the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition to the Huawei Pura X, and now to the Huawei MateBook Fold Master Edition targeting the more challenging desktop market, the reason why Huawei can venture into the fertile ground of free innovation in the foldable screen field and achieve breakthroughs in form and category time and time again is that Huawei always wants to be the first in the industry to "taste the crab." Always starting from the needs of consumers, having the innovative spirit to be the first, and combined with continuous R & D investment, the resulting solid underlying technical strength has created the current competitive landscape where only Huawei can surpass Huawei.

In the foldable screen market with one dominant and multiple strong players, Huawei continues to rewrite the existing industry paradigm

Foldable screens were initially a product led by hardware innovation.

As the pain points once questioned by the market and users, such as screen folding, hinge lifespan, and thin and light body, have been gradually overcome, today's foldable screen technology has moved towards the innovation stage of software - hardware integration and synergy.

Especially when UTG ultra - thin flexible glass has become the standard for high - end flagships and the water - drop hinge has become the mainstream solution in the market, domestic operating systems represented by HarmonyOS 5 are opening up another realm at the software level. For example, the Huawei Pura X, the first device to be equipped with HarmonyOS 5, enables the dual existence of information inside and outside the device, excellently balancing the dual needs of intelligence, efficiency, and trendy social interaction.

Whether it is the all - round and reliable dual - fold series such as the Huawei Mate X5 and Huawei Mate X6, or the new foldable forms with unlimited exploration such as the Huawei Mate XT Master Edition, Huawei Pura X, and Huawei MateBook Fold Master Edition, Huawei has already formed the most complete and cutting - edge foldable technology matrix.

It is precisely the overwhelming technological advantage that has enabled Huawei to dominate the foldable screen market, forming a competitive landscape of "one dominant and multiple strong players." According to IDC data, in the first quarter of 2025, Huawei occupied the top position in the Chinese foldable screen market with a market share of 76.6%. And according to BCI data last year, in the Chinese foldable screen market in 2024, Huawei's market share of 51.29% ranked first, and this is already the fifth consecutive year that Huawei has led the Chinese foldable screen phone market.

This is not an accidental result of historical development but the construction of a new industry from scratch in the deep waters of technology. Huawei has always led the entire market forward in the posture of a game - changer and a leader.

Firstly, at the hardware level, Huawei has in - depth cooperation with domestic supply chains including flexible screens, UTG covers, and MIM parts, aluminum alloy materials, liquid metals, etc. in the hinge part, which is the core part of the industrial chain, driving the collaborative innovation of the entire upstream and downstream of the foldable screen industrial chain. It can be said that in these core parts of foldable screen technology, Huawei has made unsparing efforts in research and development, which has led to today's technological achievements and industrial influence.

Secondly, at the software level, Huawei has joined hands with multiple partners to create together. From the parallel vision first introduced in 2019, to the intelligent multi - window first introduced in 2020, and then to the adaptive UI engine first introduced in 2022, these system capabilities that reduce the adaptation cost for developers have attracted the recognition of numerous leading software manufacturers. Coupled with the efficient model of "one - time development, multi - terminal deployment" of HarmonyOS 5, Huawei will quickly promote the application adaptation of the foldable screen ecosystem.

Foldable screen technology is not only an exploration of the form of smartphones but also an innovative way of thinking about mobile terminals by breaking away from the traditional paradigm of the smartphone industry. It reveals the essence of interaction in the digital world: this is an era where everything is displayed, and each of us is a "screen citizen."

From triple - fold to wide - fold and then to ultra - large fold, it is Huawei's infinite pursuit of the perfect balance between large screens and portability. On the path of pursuing perfection, Huawei has always been driven by self - transcendence and based on an innovative ecosystem, continuously bringing better product experiences to users.

This article is from the WeChat official account "36 Krypton", and 36 Krypton published it with authorization.