Phones
Samsung’s Tri-Fold phone dreams folded by Huawei Mate XT launch
Huawei officially launched the world’s first Tri-Fold phone, folding Samsung’s dreams. It was previously reported that Samsung will be the first to debut its tri-fold phone. However, the Chinese phone maker managed to win the battle.
Samsung Display showcased its tri-fold phone prototypes at many occasions. Meanwhile, turning the prototype into a consumer product itself a major milestone. Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design became the world’s first Tri-Fold phone.
Featuring dual hinge and triple screens, the Mate XT Ultimate Design can turn into a full size tablet. It becomes as portable as a regular bar type smartphone, offering ease of handling alongside PC-like display offering.
Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design comes with a huge 10.2-inch screen. Thanks to its form factor, you can use it as a 6.4-inch or 7.9-inch screen phone. It uses an OLED panel with LTPO tech, 1440Hz PWM dimming and 240Hz touch sampling rate.
Screen sizes:
- Single screen: 156.7mm (length) × 73.5 mm (width) × 12.8 mm (thickness)
- Dual screen: 156.7mm (length) × 143 mm (width) × 7.45mm/4.75mm (thickness)
- Triple screen: 156.7mm (length) × 219 mm (width) × 3.6mm/3.6mm/4.75mm (thickness)
Despite having large screen and dual hinges, the device weighs only 238 grams. Also, less weight doens’t mean compromise in battery capacity. The Mate XT packs 5600mAh battery supporting 66W wired and 50W wireless charging.
In terms of optics, the Mate XT has a 12MP ultrawide, a 50MP primary and a 12MP Telephoto with 5.5x optical zoom, plus an 8MP selfie snapper. The sensor is capable of capturing shots at 50x digital zoom, which is also equipped with OIS tech.
HuaweiCentral reports that bookings have already started and the first sale is targeted for September 20. The Mate XT Ultimate Design is launched at the following prices in China (conversion in dollar and euro for reference only):
- 16GB+256GB = 19999 yuan (2,820 USD, 2,548 Euros)
- 16GB+512GB = 21999 yuan (3,108 USD, 2,800 Euros)
- 16GB+1TB = 23999 yuan (3,390 USD, 3,050 Euros)
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra would be super sleek against the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple recently launched its new iPhone lineup, with shipments starting on the 20th. Samsung will likely debut the new flagship phones in January 2025.
A new rumor suggests that the Galaxy S25 Ultra camera lens is greatly sleek as compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Leaker IceUniverse compared the thickness of both flagships’ camera lenses, suggesting a notable difference.
Per the info, the Galaxy S25 Ultra lens could be just 2.4mm thick. Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with a 4.3mm thick camera module. It’s over 1.5x of the camera thickness of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Despite equipping better camera hardware, the Galaxy S25 Ultra could maintain its thickness. Camera modules on Chinese phones are already monstrous (in size), which won’t create a sleekness load against the upcoming S25 Ultra.
If the rumor is true, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be the finest and sleekest flagship in 2025. The company has reportedly upscaled the hardware game, with the design department also working hard to make the device vastly acceptable.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is said to be 8 grams heavier than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Samsung reduced the thickness of the middle frame, as part of reducing the weight. However, things may be cleared as the time of official debut comes close.
S25 Ultra lens is only 2.4mm, and that of iPhone16 Pro Max is 4.3 mm. pic.twitter.com/KSMVsCICpS
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 17, 2024
At least three Android vendors set to copy iPhone 16’s Camera Control button. I wish Samsung to bring a camera control button to Galaxy phones. Meanwhile, we might see it on at least three different Android phones this year.
Realme, Oppo, and Nubia could debut the iPhone 16-like Camera Control button on their upcoming device. After confirmation from Oppo and Nubia, a Realme exec has posted a video of a camera button on one of the brand’s phones.
The camera button on that Realme model works quite similarly to the iPhone 16. It’s a touch feedback button, which offers different adjustment tools. Zoom in and Zoom out in the camera viewfinder will be the most useful addition.
It isn’t the first time Chinese vendors blindly stealing Apple’s iPhone features. When the Dynamic Island was introduced by iPhone 14 Pro, many Chinese phone makers brought a replica on their entry-level smartphones.
In particular, Nubia has confirmed that its next smartphone will offer a camera shutter button. OPPO is also said to offer a camera shutter button on the Find X8 series. Beyond that, Realme demonstrated the feature in a real-life unit.
Sony has kept a physical camera shutter button alive on its flagship models. Apple just made good use of the key, fueling it with additional controls. The software magic is worth praise, triggering a notch-like area on the screen for visibility.
Apple says the iPhone 16’s Camera Control is a tactile switch that powers the click experience. The button has a high-precision force sensor, which realizes the light press gesture, and a capacitive sensor to offer touch-based interactions.
Samsung waits and replicates Apple?
One UI 6 copied a lot of features and customization tools from iOS 17 last year. We are hearing that the Galaxy S25 series could debut iPhonified design. The frame could go flat, with Samsung already ditched its iconic curved screen.
Apple iPhone 16 reportedly supports faster charging than the iPhone 15 series. The company never discloses charging support in watts on official product sites. Well, the iPhone 16 seemingly supports 39W fast charging, which is still less than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
According to the info, Apple brought 39W charging support to the iPhone 16 series. Reports are circulating of 45W fast charging functionality. However, practical testing (via IceUniverse) indicates that the max charging speed is 39W.
CQC results suggest that the iPhone 16 features 45W wired charging. This is about 50% faster than the iPhone 15 series, which supports up to 29W charging. Meanwhile, the maximum support is 39W as tested by reliable industry sources.
Samsung continues to bring 45W charging support in select Galaxy devices. The Galaxy S24 Plus, S24 Ultra, and M55 are some of those. It’s not much higher than the 39W but shows Samsung is already ahead of Apple’s boosted charging function.
The newest S24 series is designed with convenience in mind and super fast charging is a key part. To ensure you can make the most of the S24’s rapid charging capability, there are some requirements for that such as compatible adapter and cable.
Packed with a 5000mAh battery, Samsung’s S24 Ultra typically takes around 78 minutes to fully charge from 0% using a 45W charger. Various factors can impact the charging speed and time to get the battery charged 100%.
Next year, Samsung will launch the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Early rumors indicate that there will be no charging upgrade in the Plus and Ultra models. Yet, we expect improvements in that particular aspect through artificial intelligence.