Huawei has officially unveiled a large-format foldable phone, and it’s hard not to look at it and think again about the iPhone Fold rumors.
The unreleased foldable iPhone just got an unofficial competitor in the form of the Huawei Pura X Max. Huawei has already started publicizing it through official materials ahead of its launch in China on April 20. Image posters shared by the company show an unusually wide foldable layout that, when opened, looks more like a compact tablet than the taller, narrower foldable devices we’ve become accustomed to.
Why the Pura X Max has everyone talking
The official images shared by Huawei show the Pura X Max in blue, white, black and orange colors with a boxy, passport-like build and a triple rear camera setup. It looks like a super-wide foldable device, a format that has so far only been seen in rumors about future Apple and Samsung devices.
This is where the iPhone Fold comparison really comes into play. Recent CAD renderings and rumors about the first foldable iPhone had a similarly broad design language, rather than the conventional style of the Galaxy Z Flip or Z Fold models. But it looks like Huawei is taking the first step with a wider screen that should make reading, multitasking, video and gaming feel more natural.
So no more awkward aspect ratios on the main screen. In practice, the wider main screen gives way to a compact tablet-like design when opened.
Why it steals the hype from the iPhone Fold
The answer is pretty simple: the Pura X Max is real.
The iPhone Fold is still making the rounds in online speculation and rumors. Many of these are likely to be made up, leading to speculation and providing supply chain chatter. Meanwhile, Huawei has a real product with official images, a launch date, and a design that seemingly answers the same question: “What should the next big foldable be?” question before Apple even got there.
