Over 5 million people have preordered a foldable device that morphs into a slab phone, tablet, and even laptop

If you’re still using a regular ol’ slab phone that does nothing but take photos and let you doomscroll, you might want to sit down. Huawei has just dropped the Mate XT Ultimate Design, the world’s first tri-fold smartphone, and it’s turning heads faster than you can say, “Who needs a tablet?”

Now, here’s the kicker: As of this writing, over 5 million people have already slapped down their hard-earned equivalent of $2,800 cash to preorder this tech beast, which easily transforms from a standard phone into a tablet and even a makeshift laptop. The Mate XT is a shapeshifter, literally. And as you might expect from Huawei, it’s unapologetically premium — no penny-pinching here. For reference, the base Huawei Mate XT is pricier than a brand-new 16-inch MacBook Pro.

While the US has been busy trying to cripple Huawei with a ban, it seems like the Chinese tech giant simply shrugged, doubled down on innovation, and dropped a mic in the form of the Mate XT. Despite the device’s hefty price tag, Huawei fans and tech enthusiasts in China rushed to preorder it, as if to say, “We see your ban, and we raise you 5 million orders.”

“Apple hasn’t fallen, but Huawei has truly risen again,” a Weibo user commented. “Times are changing. U.S. sanctions have been in vain,” another wrote on the platform that is basically China’s version of X.

When you look at the current foldable smartphone space, the Mate XT is indeed a true game-changer. It redefines what a smartphone can be. Unlike your average foldable, which gives you a tiny sliver of a screen when folded, Huawei’s tri-fold design offers a much larger, fully functional display. Unfold it once, and you’ve got a tablet; unfold it twice, and boom — you’ve got a laptop on the go.

Under the hood, this powerhouse is running on Huawei’s proprietary Kirin 9000S chipset. It’s no Snapdragon, but Huawei clearly isn’t here to play by US standards. Paired with up to 16GB of RAM, this device is more than capable of running multiple apps, gaming, streaming, and editing videos at the same time. And, thanks to its 1TB storage option, you’ll have plenty of room to hoard all your favorite Netflix downloads and memes.

Huawei’s also managed to squeeze in a 10.2-inch AMOLED display when fully unfolded, which means vivid colors, sharp contrasts, and buttery smooth scrolling. Notably, the display expands from a compact 6.4 inches to a spacious 10.2 inches (2,232 x 3,184) when fully unfolded. But for added versatility, it can also be used in an intermediate 7.9-inch configuration. Here’s a video of the phone.

Plus, it’s got a 5,600mAh battery, so you can binge-watch your favorite shows or work remotely without worrying about scrambling for a charger halfway through the day. And if need be, the Mate XT supports 66W fast wired or 50W fast wireless charging.

The device features a triple rear camera setup, including a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and a 12-megapixel periscope camera. On the front, an 8-megapixel hole-punch selfie camera is positioned on the leftmost screen when the device is fully unfolded.

For a company that was supposedly “crippled” by US sanctions, Huawei is doing just fine, thank you very much. In fact, the Mate XT’s insane preorder numbers are a loud reminder that, try as it might, the US can’t fully squash Huawei’s appeal. Sure, they can block access to Google services and impose sanctions preventing the sale of the Mate XT and other Huawei devices outside China, but clearly, Huawei’s innovation pipeline isn’t drying up anytime soon.

And let’s be real, at a time when Samsung and Apple are largely sticking to their guns with iterative updates, Huawei is out here flexing its design chops and dropping the kind of futuristic tech we used to dream about as kids. The US may want to take notes instead of trying to put a lid on Huawei.

With such a massive response from consumers, it’s safe to say that foldables — especially ones that can also be your work laptop — are here to stay. Whether or not Huawei can keep up this momentum post-launch remains to be seen, but if the Mate XT’s early buzz is any indicator, the Chinese tech giant is far from out of the game.

In fact, they’re probably just getting started. So, if you’re tired of your boring rectangular phone and ready to embrace a future that folds, flips, and bends, Huawei might just have the perfect piece of tech for you. Unfortunately, you may have to ship one directly from China — and be ready to use it without the Google Play Store.

Featured image: Huawei