Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has beaten Apple and Samsung by launching the industry’s first foldable phone with a “wide” screen.
Dubbed the Pura X Max, the phone has a wide screen, as opposed to the taller displays often seen on foldable smartphones. Huawei is calling the Pura X Max the industry’s first horizontally wide foldable phone.
All folding phones currently on the market open up from a regular-shaped handset into a tablet with an almost square aspect ratio. Huawei, however, has chosen a different shape that is wider than usual. This design is reminiscent of the original Google Pixel Fold, which paired a 5.8-inch outer display with a 7.6-inch inner screen.
The wide foldable design has an advantage over regular foldables: the screen ratio is better suited for media consumption, as videos don’t have large black bars and everything looks more natural. However, the wider build can make the phone bulkier, harder to hold, and less comfortable compared to more compact devices.
The Pura X Max as a short, wide foldable phone with a triple rear camera, a minimal crease, and three colour options: white, orange, and purple. The phone has a 5.4-inch cover and 7.7-inch internal display. Inside, it is powered by the Kirin 9030 Pro chipset and a 5300mAh battery. The device starts at CNY 11,000 (or approx $1,615 for the base unit) and is currently available in China.
Huawei has debuted a new “wide” foldable phone ahead of Apple and Samsung, both of which plan to launch foldables with a similar form factor this year. In fact, Samsung is preparing a new Wide Fold phone as early as July, while Apple may launch its first foldable (also expected to feature a wide screen) in September.
Industry insiders say that as the smartphone market is already saturated, brands may be turning to new form factors and more premium-priced foldables to attract customers. Huawei’s wide foldable and upcoming folding phones from Apple and Samsung will target a similar market, with screens within a tenth of an inch of each other and a shared 4:3 aspect ratio, a format that works well for consuming media and reading.
Samsung, Apple’s top rival in the worldwide smartphone market, launched its first foldable phone in 2019. iPhones are a key revenue driver for Apple, accounting for over half of the company’s reported $143.8 billion revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. Huwei, a top smartphone brand in China and a competitor to Apple, has been selling folding phones for years.
