Huawei’s second trifold adds stylus support and purple pleather

Huawei has announced the Mate XTs, its second-generation trifold phone, which is available to order now in China. It’s only a minor upgrade on the first edition, but comes with new colors, stylus support, and a slightly lower price tag.

The biggest addition is the ability to use a stylus on the folding screen, though otherwise the 10.2-inch display — which folds down to 7.9-inch and 6.4-inch options — is much the same as before. Other upgrades include a Kirin 9020 chipset, an improved 40-megapixel ultrawide camera, and new colors: returning red and black models are now accompanied by white and purple versions, all bedecked in imitation leather.

The Mate XTs starts at 17,999 Chinese yuan (about $2,520). That probably doesn’t sound like much of a bargain, but it is cheaper than the 19,999 yuan ($2,800) Mate XT, which cost €3,499 (about $4,070) when it eventually launched outside China. When I reviewed the Mate XT I found myself surprisingly sold on it, though the price is still an obvious sticking point.

Huawei’s second trifold arrives before any other manufacturer has released a first, though Samsung’s is expected to arrive soon. Alongside the XTs, Huawei announced the MatePad Mini tablet, Freebuds 7i earbuds, and a MateTV range.