Huawei just launched a three-screen phone days before Apple's foldable event

Timing is a weapon, and Huawei swung it. The Mate XT 2 — the company's second-generation trifold — launched in China today, right before Apple is expected to show off its first foldable iPhone at Tuesday's event. Samsung teased a tri-fold for years. Huawei just... shipped one.

Open it up and you get a 10.2-inch tablet that folds down into a chunky-but-normal phone, with a Kirin chip and an octagonal camera island riding on the back.

Purple Huawei Mate XT 2 trifold open on a retail security stand, octagonal rear camera and ULTIMATE DESIGN branding visible

The retail hands-on: that octagonal camera bump and ULTIMATE DESIGN branding aren't subtle — at these prices, they're not supposed to be.

Official render of the trifold fully unfolded in a V-stand pose on a white background

Fully unfolded, the V pose is the entire sales pitch — a tablet in your jacket pocket.

Hands holding the red leather Huawei trifold, rear camera module and HUAWEI ULTIMATE DESIGN branding

The red leather variant — because a $3,000-plus phone better dress the part.

The sneaky-good feature isn't the hinge, though. It's the privacy display that goes dark the second someone's looking over your shoulder — Samsung drew up that party trick, and Huawei shipped it first.

The catch: it's China-only for now, it costs more than your rent, and Western buyers get to admire it through store glass. Xiaomi follows this week, Apple follows Tuesday. The foldable wars just got loud.

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Source: Reuters · Image source: Reuters / The Verge / Bloomberg