Foldable smartphones are finally maturing, and after years of hype, busted screens, and regretful buyers, one brand might’ve finally figured it out: Huawei.
Let’s rewind five years. Foldables were supposed to be the next big thing in mobile. Screens that bend! Tablets in your pocket! Welcome to the future! Except… yeah, not quite. The reality was hinge creaks, screen bubbles, and phones that cost more than a MacBook but felt like prototypes.
Some brands dipped their toes and quietly stepped away. Others tried to dazzle with gimmicks and flashy animations while hoping you wouldn’t notice the creaky build. Huawei? It stuck around — and it got serious.
Now, in 2025, Huawei’s latest flagship foldable, the Mate X6, might just be the moment foldables stop being experiments and start being, well, actual phones you want to use.
Not just another foldy boy
Huawei’s been quietly dominating the foldable category for a while now. It owned 35% of the global foldable smartphone market in Q1 2024, with a 257% year-over-year spike. In China, it’s even bigger — nearly 43% of the entire market in H1 2024, per IDC. For context: that’s not just good, that’s Apple-in-2010 good.
Part of that dominance? Innovation that’s actually meaningful. No silly folding tricks. No weird stylus holders. Just solid, obsessive engineering that fixes the biggest reasons people side-eye foldables.
The Mate X6: Finally, a foldable that feels finished
The Mate X6 is Huawei’s response to every complaint early foldable adopters had.
Inner display? Reinforced with a carbon fibre plate for 65% more rigidity.
Frame? Aviation-grade aluminium, naturally.
Outer screen? Second-gen Kunlun Glass, which Huawei claims is way harder to shatter.
Hinge? Made of 100% Rocket Steel. (Yes, that’s a real thing. No, I don’t know why it sounds like a Marvel prop.) It’s also 27% stronger, and the phone’s now thinner — 12% folded, 14% unfolded.
And it doesn’t just feel more solid—it looks like a device that finally understands foldables are no longer novelty tech. They need to be daily drivers.
What about the cameras? You know, the thing foldables usually suck at
Here’s the surprise twist: the Mate X6’s camera system is genuinely great.
- A 50MP main sensor with a 10-step physical aperture.
- A macro telephoto lens (!).
- 1.5 million spectral channels, which sounds ridiculous but actually means a 120% boost in colour accuracy.
Basically, this is the first foldable where the camera setup doesn’t scream “compromise.” It’s legit flagship material.
Huawei’s secret weapon: it spends like crazy on R&D
How did Huawei manage to pull ahead while others fumbled?
Simple: it throws mountains of cash at R&D. We’re talking CNY 164.7 billion in 2023 alone — that’s over 23% of its total revenue. And over the last decade? CNY 1.11 trillion. Not a typo.
The result? Huawei now holds one of the biggest patent portfolios in tech and ranks 8th on BCG’s Most Innovative Companies list.
Say what you will about Huawei’s complicated geopolitical situation — when it comes to foldable smartphones, it’s innovating circles around the competition.
Foldables: No longer a gimmick. still not for everyone.
Even with all this progress, foldables aren’t for everyone. They’re still expensive. They’re still niche. And outside of China, Huawei faces real challenges due to the lack of Google Mobile Services.
But the Mate X6 represents a major turning point. It’s a foldable that doesn’t feel like you’re beta testing for a trillion-dollar company. It’s polished, powerful, and — most importantly — finally reliable.
Foldable smartphones are growing up. Huawei’s just ahead of the class.