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Key Highlights:

Design & Hardware:
- Form Factor: It unfolds twice, starting as a 6.4-inch phone, then a 7.9-inch “mini tablet,” and finally a 10.2-inch widescreen tablet. The reviewer calls it a “bi-fold” technically, despite Huawei’s “tri-fold” marketing.
- Durability: The hinge and flexible OLED panel feel robust. The crease is visible but acceptable.
- Screen Quality: The OLED panel is brilliant, with a matte-like coating that resembles a painting or illustration.
- Weight & Thickness: Weighs 298g, which is heavy (noticeable in loose shorts) but manageable in regular pants. Thickness (12.1mm folded) is comparable to flagship phones with cases.
- Wow Factor: The novelty hasn’t worn off; it still attracts attention and feels revolutionary, not a gimmick.
Software & US Sanctions:
- Google Services: Due to US sanctions, it lacks native Google Mobile Services (GMS). “MicroG” is a workaround that enables most Google apps (YouTube, Drive, etc.) for 80-90% of users.
- Reviewer’s Dilemma: As a YouTuber whose livelihood depends on his Google account, the reviewer cannot risk using his main account on an unauthorized device/workaround, preventing it from being his daily driver.
- Sanctions Rant: The reviewer expresses frustration with the US government for crippling Huawei’s global reach, arguing it stifled competition (forcing Samsung/Apple to innovate less) and prevented this phone from having the latest chips.
- Chipset: Runs on the Kirin 9010 (7nm), which is technically two generations behind current flagships but performs perfectly fine for daily tasks like Instagram, YouTube, and light gaming.
Camera:
- Main: 50MP with variable aperture (f/1.4 – f/4.0). Good photos and stabilization.
- Zoom: 12MP periscope zoom (5.5x optical). Sharp details but lacks the natural bokeh of larger sensors found in other “Ultra” phones.
- Ultrawide: decent but a bit weak compared to the others.
- Overall: Impressive engineering to fit a periscope zoom in such a thin device (approx 4.4mm unfolded).
Experience & Usability:
- Multitasking: Robust system allowing split-screen, floating windows, and resizing. Great for consuming content (watching two Instagram reels at once, reading manga, watching movies).
- Battery: 5600mAh battery drains faster than desired due to frequent use of the massive 10.2-inch screen. Comes with an 80W fast charger.
- Accessories: Includes a case/flap to protect the exposed right side of the screen.
Conclusion: The phone is a glimpse of the future. The reviewer predicts major brands (Xiaomi, OPPO, eventually Apple/Samsung) will adopt this form factor by 2030. It’s an “absolute breathtaking piece of kit” hampered primarily by political restrictions for this specific user.

Finally something that makes sense to people. I’ve always argued with people that diverse things makes companies to push boundaries but people/governments want only monopoly/duopoly. Loved Huawei since p20 and I’m patriotic to Huawei to this day. Hail Huawei

I was mad when the US government shut down Huawei sales in this country. I suspect the real reason behind this is Apple, Samsung and Google knew Huawei products are superior to anything here and we were afraid of the competition. As a result, we keeping getting the same iterations of these phones year after year.

Bought this 2 months ago, absolutely love it. Got all my doubts cleared up. The 90Hz panel looks smooth and I couldn’t tell the difference from a 120Hz. Chip runs fast on all daily apps. It’s a shame the international version doesn’t support 5G though. Other than that I have no complaints at all. I also got google suite running just as my other android phones (pretty much came with the phone).

God luck with entry to US. Many of us in EU don’t want to go there for the time being, whether is as turist or for business, or other purposes. US loses its way, isolationism with lots of internal issues and problems, and tries to blame the world for that. At its core, its overspending, mismanagement, don’t collect enough tax from rich/mega corp, and redistribution wealth problems.

100% agree here as an American, this beef that our government has with China only hurts us as citizens. The alternate reality you mentioned with Huawei applying pressure to Apple, Samsung and Google if Huawei had entered the US market sounds like a dream honestly. I’m still skeptical of this tri-fold form factor, but I’m more than happy to proven wrong. I’d love to combine my tablet and phone into one device.

HUAWEI began to change the game and for me the break point that changed everything was in the presentation of P20 Pro in 2018 (the Paris keynote, previously I was with Steve Jobs when he launched the iPhone in 2007). I have a P20 Pro right here, I changed the battery like 3 years ago, and it’s insane, like brand new, battery, camera, charging time. The brand was loyal with me as a costumer so I sticked with them now with HONOR with the Magic Pro, by far the best camera, charging time, longest battery life, ultra fast. Thank you Ben for recognizing a flagship product, and not going only for the “next big thing” or the next new phone out there.

Fantastic summary of how much Huawei’s presence alone would have driven the smartphone market worldwide had it not been singled out with ridiculous, inconsistent and nonsensical sanctions. All the innovations in China today could have been available worldwide, the tri-folds, the camera tech, the software etc. There absolutely was a major chilling effect that people don’t want to admit.

I remember before the US decided to destroy Huawei to boost Samsung/Apple, I used to see Huawei phones almost as commonly as Samsungs. They used to be so massive and I’ve honestly never gotten over them being banned. The fact that the US could just say “No more” and that was it for us Europeans, it will never not piss me off. They were ahead of the competition and when the US market was about to find out just how good they were, they got banned. I hope the ban is lifted some day because it would really give us back some amazing phones.