Repair costs for the triple-screen foldable are so high, you can buy another foldable instead

Hadlee
Simons
/
Android
Authority

TL;DR

The
HUAWEI
Mate
XT
is
the
world’s
first
triple-screen
foldable.
It
costs
over
$2,800
to
buy
in
China.
The
device’s
repair
costs
are
equally
high,
with
a
screen
replacement
costing
over
$1,125
and
a
motherboard
replacement
costing
over
$1,500.
In
contrast,
the
latest
Galaxy
Z
Flip
6
costs
$1,120
in
China.

The

HUAWEI
Mate
XT
is
the
world’s
first
dual-folding,
triple-screen

foldable
phone,
and
it’s
absolutely
impressive.
The
combination
of
one
inward
folding
hinge
and
one
outward
folding
hinge
gives
us
a
phone
that
can
be
an
ordinary
smartphone
when
folded,
a
large-screen
foldable
when
half
unfolded,
and
a
full-blown
tablet
when
completely
unfolded.
That’s
three
different
form
factors
in
one
convenient
device
in
your
pocket.
But
that
convenience
comes
at
a
cost,
and
as
expensive
as
the
Mate
XT
is,
its
repairs
are
equally
eye-watering.

The
HUAWEI
Mate
XT
is
currently
available
in
China
for
19,999
Chinese
yuan
(~$2,810)
for
the
16GB/256GB
variant,
21,999
Chinese
yuan
(~$3,090)
for
the
16GB/512GB
variant,
and
23,999
Chinese
yuan
(~$3,370)
for
the
16GB/1TB
variant.
This
is
the
bleeding
edge
of
smartphone
technology,
so
the
prices
are
naturally
high.

As
spotted
by

GSMArena,
HUAWEI
has
published
the

official
price
list
for
repairs
of
the
HUAWEI
Mate
XT.
If
you
want
to
replace
the expansive
screen
of
the
device
with
a
new
one,
it
will
cost
you
7,999
Chinese
yuan
(~$1,125).
The
price
goes
up
to
9,799
Chinese
yuan
(~$1,375)
if
you
want
to
keep
the
old
display
with
you.
If
you
opt
for
a
refurbished
screen
instead
of
a
new
one,
you
can
bring
it
down
to
6,999
Chinese
yuan
(~$985).

If
your
Mate
XT’s
motherboard
dies,
replacing
it
can
cost
up
to
10,699
Chinese
yuan
(~$1,500)
for
the
1TB
variant.

For
reference,
the
latest
flip-style

Samsung
Galaxy
Z
Flip
6
starts
at
$1,100
in
the
US
and
7,999
Chinese
yuan
(~$1,120)
in
China.
It
will
cost
just
as
much
to
buy
a
Galaxy
Z
Flip
6
instead
of
replacing
the
HUAWEI
Mate
XT’s
display.

The
motherboard
and
the
display
are
usually
the
most
expensive
parts
of
a
smartphone,
so
the
rest
of
the
repairs
are
relatively
cheaper.
A
battery
swap
will
cost
499
Chinese
yuan
(~$70),
while
camera
repairs
can
cost
up
to
759
Chinese
yuan
(~$105),
depending
on
the
camera.

HUAWEI
hasn’t
shared
any
plans
to
launch
this
foldable
outside
of
China.
If
you
intend
to
buy
this
phone,
we
recommend
taking
good
care
of
it
as
repairs
are
quite
expensive.