Huawei sets the date for its tri-foldable phone launch, with a 10-inch display and high price rumored

Samsung's tri-folding display technology unveiled at the SID Display Week 2021 online event
Samsung showed off a tri-fold concept in 2021 (Image credit: Samsung Display)

Huawei's upcoming tri-foldable phone has been spotted several times in the wild, and the company has now announced an unveiling date of Tuesday, September 10, as rumors continue to swirl around this intriguing device.

You can see the event teaser over at GSMArena, and while the phone isn't specifically mentioned, that sure looks like a Z-shape folding handset in the background. New smartwatches and an electric car could also be unveiled.

The event is scheduled to get underway at 2.30pm in China on the afternoon of September 10 – which works out as 11.30pm PT on September 9, and 2.30am ET / 7.30am BST / 4.30pm AEST on September 10.

For those living in California and along the US West Coast, the Huawei tri-foldable is actually going to launch on the same day – just – as the iPhone 16 series, as September 9 is also the date of Apple's 'It's Glowtime' event, which is perhaps a deliberate move on the part of Huawei.

The most expensive panel ever

Even though we've caught a glimpse or two of the phone in public, we don't know too much about it, other than that it'll have two hinges rather than one (which is the standard on handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6).

Industry analyst Ross Young, who is usually reliable when it comes to predictions, says the phone is going to have a 10-inch main screen, and that it'll be the most expensive smartphone yet – which is unsurprising considering the tech built into it.

It seems that the extra screen space will be used to run "PC-level applications", so we could be looking at a device that blurs the boundaries between phone, tablet, and laptop. High-end internal specs have also been rumored.

How easy it'll be to buy this phone outside of China remains to be seen – Huawei is banned from selling its devices in the US, don't forget – but it's still going to be a notable first for the mobile industry, marking the introduction of a new foldable form factor.

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David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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