Apple’s entry into the foldable phone market with its newly launched iPhone Duo has drawn comparisons to a wide-screen design Huawei introduced more than a year earlier, highlighting how the Chinese manufacturer’s early bets on folding smartphones are now shaping the wider industry. Huawei Foldable Design Influence
Unveiled this month by Apple’s hardware chief John Ternus, the iPhone Duo opts for a passport-style, 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the taller, narrower folding formats Apple could have chosen.
That decision places it in close company with Huawei’s Pura X Max, launched in April, which carries a comparable 7.7-inch inner display and 5.4-inch outer screen.
Huawei first tested the wide-screen concept with the original Pura X in March 2025, a 6.3-inch, 16:10-ratio device roughly the size of a passport when folded.
Samsung, too, has moved toward the format with its Galaxy Z Fold8, joining the Fold8 Ultra and Flip in its foldable range after previously sticking to taller, squarer designs.
Industry observers note that the wider aspect ratio offers more usable screen space for video and everyday apps than earlier folding phones allowed — an advantage Huawei’s engineering choices identified well before its rivals caught on.
Camera performance, long viewed as a compromise on folding devices, has become a key differentiator. The iPhone Duo pairs 48-megapixel main and ultra-wide sensors, leaning on computational photography to make up for physical constraints.
Samsung’s Fold8 Ultra goes further, combining a 200-megapixel main sensor with a 50-megapixel ultra-wide and a dedicated telephoto lens.
Huawei’s Pura X Max, meanwhile, features a 50-megapixel telephoto alongside its main camera system, alongside a 5,300mAh battery, 66-watt wired charging and reinforced glass durability — specifications that rival flagship, non-folding phones.
Huawei’s tri-fold Mate XT and its broader lineup — spanning flip, book-style, passport and tri-fold designs — mean the company now offers more folding formats than either Apple or Samsung.
Industry sources suggest the Pura X Max could see a global launch in the near future, which would put Huawei’s technology directly in front of international buyers already comparing it with Apple and Samsung’s latest devices. UAE Interact
