Huawei just made a bold statement in the global foldable phone race. The Chinese tech giant has announced the Pura X Max, a tri-fold smartphone the company is calling the world's largest foldable phone. With a display that measures 10 inches when folded and expands to a full 13 inches when open, this device does not just push the category forward -- it fundamentally redefines what a foldable phone can be.
Like Huawei's earlier Pura X, the Pura X Max uses a wide-format design, folding horizontally rather than vertically the way Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold line does. The Pura X Max takes the concept much further with a tri-fold mechanism -- folding in on itself twice, compressing from 13 inches down to 10 inches in its closed state. Both measurements already exceed the unfolded dimensions of any foldable device currently on the market.
For context, Huawei's own Mate XT previously held the record with a 10.2-inch unfolded display. Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 is expected to top out around an 8-inch inner screen. Apple, which has yet to release any foldable product, is reportedly developing a device with roughly an 8-inch internal display -- well below the Pura X Max's dimensions. Huawei notes that when fully open, the 13-inch display is even larger than an iPad mini.
Huawei says the Pura X Max will go on sale in China in Q3 2026. Pricing has not been announced. Whether the device will reach markets outside China remains uncertain, given Huawei's ongoing export restrictions that limit its ability to sell internationally.
The announcement reflects Huawei's aggressive push in China's premium smartphone segment, where it has been reclaiming market share from Samsung and positioning itself as a domestic alternative to Apple. In a market increasingly defined by form factor innovation, Huawei is clearly willing to make big bets on size.
Why It Matters
The Pura X Max signals that the foldable category is entering a phase of radical experimentation. While Apple cautiously approaches its first foldable and Samsung iterates incrementally, Huawei is taking moonshots -- building devices that challenge the very definition of a smartphone. For enterprise users wanting tablet-like productivity in a pocketable form factor, and for the industry watching consumer appetite for larger displays, the Pura X Max sets a new high-water mark and puts pressure on competitors to accelerate their own timelines.