Huawei Teases a Wider Foldable, and the Timing Feels Very Apple-Adjacent

Huawei’s new extra-wide foldable phone was revealed on Monday, and it’s already drawing comparisons to the next big thing from Apple. Little is known about the Pura X Max, teased on China’s Weibo social network, but the internet is buzzing over its uncommon proportions, wide aspect ratio and similarities with the rumored iPhone Fold expected to arrive later this year. 

There are plenty of different ways to fold a phone, and tech companies have been experimenting with various configurations over the last few years. There are clamshell-style devices, like the Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, which fold like OG flip phones, shrinking down into a pocketable square. Then came taller, book-style phones that unfold to reveal larger, tablet-size displays. These days, you can even find trifold phones with two hinges. However you fold it, most foldables either start or end with the familiar candybar shape as their base.

Huawei’s Pura X Max — the newly announced larger evolution of the Pura X foldable phone — is what I like to think of as a passport-style foldable. Rather than the tall rectangle aspect ratio that almost all modern phones take, it has shorter and extra-wide proportions when folded before opening up to reveal what appears to be an approximately iPad Mini-sized and proportioned internal display. This is a formula similar to what we’ve seen on the 2020 Microsoft Surface Duo, though the Duo made use of dual internal screens split by a visible hinge rather than a flexible, foldable display.

The proportions of the Pura X Max announcement have experts and enthusiasts drawing comparisons to the rumored iPhone Fold, which might end up being called the iPhone Ultra, that is expected to debut this fall alongside the new iPhone 18 models. Industry insiders, alleged dummy models and leaked CAD files point to Apple using a similarly wide passport-style shape with proportions in the ballpark of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The iPhone Ultra is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch outer screen that unfolds into a 7.8-inch internal display and could be priced between $2,000 and $2,500. 

Set to launch on April 20 in China, the Pura X Max is shown in Huawei’s teaser imagery sporting a triple-camera hump on its rear panel. However, the manufacturer hasn’t given any specs, pricing or even shown us what that inside folding display will look like. 

The timing of the announcement could be seen as a shot across Cupertino’s bow — Huawei beating the hotly anticipated Apple device to the punch — and perhaps that could end up being true in Huawei’s home market of China. However, Huawei doesn’t have a presence in the US, so buyers looking to broaden their foldable horizons will have to wait to see what Apple or Samsung has to show later this year.