Since foldables became a thing back in 2018, there have only been two major varieties of them: the clamshell and the book-style foldables. However, just this month, Huawei managed to be the first on the scene with what we’ve started calling the tri-foldable, thanks to the Mate XT.
The device is currently a China-only device, which is a shame since it is so one-of-a-kind (though others are already working on tri-fold smartphones. However, there’s good news afoot, as Huawei has confirmed that the Huawei Mate XT is going to get an international launch. But the question is, do you want it if it’s going to come without Google services?
The Huawei Mate XT Is Coming To International Markets In The First Quarter Of 2025
The Huawei Mate XT launched just a bit over a week ago, with a whole lot of spotlight on it. That’s not surprising considering that the smartphone world has never seen anything quite like it, apart from in science fiction. A lot of the anticipation around the phone died when it was revealed that it was exclusive for its Chinese audience (and when that price tag was detailed too).
However, it has just been confirmed that Huawei Mate XT will actually be getting an international launch, which is contrary to what I believed. Considering all the hype the device is drumming up, that shouldn’t be too surprising. The best part is that international customers won’t need to wait too long as the only tri-fold device in the world will be coming to the global stage in Q1 2025.
It’s not the only tri-fold smartphone that seems to be in the works, so even if you can’t get this one, there’ll certainly be several opportunities for that to happen.
Is It Worth Getting The Huawei Mate XT When You Know It Won’t Have Google Services?
If you’re even slightly considering getting this device though, the biggest question you should be asking is whether you can handle the absence of all of Google’s services on it. In case you don’t know, Huawei was the victim of US sanctions several years ago, leading to it having to cut ties with certain US companies, including Google.
Getting a Huawei device in 2024 (or 2025) means that you’ll need to make do with Play Store, YouTube, Maps, Google Drive, and more, not being installed on the device. Sure, there are workarounds, but it is never as easy as just having the apps installed.
Can you deal with using a phone that doesn’t have Google services easily accessible? Let us know in the comments. As for me, the answer to that is no. I love Huawei, but an Android without Google feels handicapped and I like my phone to work smoothly out of the box.
The Huawei Mate XT Has An Impressive Tablet-Sized Display
Easily, the most impressive thing about the Huawei Mate XT is its massive OLED display. Fully unfolded, it measures at 10.2 inches. However, you can fold it down once to bring it to a 7.9-inch diagonal (like modern book-style foldables) or fold it down once more to give it a 6.4-inch screen. The device isn’t even incredibly thick either.
At $2,800, the Mate XT is impressive to look at, but I’d never fork over the cash required to get one on my hands. The worst part is that once it launches globally, that price tag is likely to be much higher than its Chinese equivalent. But oh well, that’s what you pay for the cutting-edge.
