Huawei has just unveiled a jaw-dropping foldable laptop that, on its slimmest edge, could be mistaken for your everyday smartphone. Dubbed the MateBook Fold Ultimate Design, this futuristic machine clocks in at a mere 7.3 mm (0.29 in) when fully unfolded and just 14.9 mm (0.59 in) when closed — that’s thinner than most flagship phones today.
By contrast, Lenovo’s trailblazing ThinkPad X1 Fold measures 8.6 mm (0.34 in) when open and 17.4 mm (0.68 in) when folded. Huawei’s engineers have clearly gone the extra mile to shave off every last fraction of a millimeter, setting a new benchmark for device thinness in the burgeoning foldable-PC category.
At its core, the MateBook Fold sports a single 18-inch tandem LTPO OLED display that bends seamlessly in half. Folded, one half becomes a 13-inch 3:2 “screen-only” setup, complete with a virtual keyboard; unfolded, it transforms into a full-bleed 18-inch workstation with a lofty 4:3 aspect ratio. The panel cranks out 3.3K resolution (3,296 × 2,472) and peaks at a blistering 1,600 nits, promising eye-popping HDR highlights without sacrificing battery life thanks to LTPO dimming tech.
Under the hood, Huawei’s new foldable packs a home-grown Kirin X90 processor, up to 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM and either 1TB or 2TB of blazing NVMe storage. It’s surprisingly light too — just 1.16 kg (2.56 lbs) on the nose. A 74.69 Wh battery keeps the lights on, juiced up at up to 140W over USB-C when you do inevitably need a power boost.
Perhaps most intriguingly, the MateBook Fold debuts Huawei’s HarmonyOS 5 on the PC for the first time. Born of necessity after U.S. sanctions cut off Windows licensing earlier this year, HarmonyOS 5 brings native cross-device sharing, a growing app ecosystem (150+ PC-specific titles) and tight integration with Huawei’s smartphone and tablet lineups.
For now, though, you’ll need to head to China to get your hands on one. Huawei has priced the 32GB / 1TB model at 23,999 yuan (≈ US $3,328), while the top-end 32GB / 2TB configuration bumps the sticker to 26,999 yuan (≈ US $3,744). No word yet on a global rollout or whether HarmonyOS 5 on PC will ever make it to Western shores.
Beyond the specs, the MateBook Fold signals Huawei’s push to reclaim its place at the cutting edge of laptop design. With Apple mumbling about foldables and Microsoft still figuring out dual-screen Windows PCs, Huawei has sprinted into the future — at least for its home market. Whether this ultra-thin marvel heralds a worldwide foldable-PC revolution or remains a China-only curiosity is the next great cliffhanger.
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