Huawei may be preparing one of its most unconventional foldable smartphones yet. Newly published patent documents, uncovered in collaboration with leaker David from xleaks7, reveal a device that folds twice using an S-shaped mechanism, creating what could become the industry’s first vertical trifold smartphone.
While the company has not confirmed the product or its commercial name, the design appears to build on the ideas introduced by the Huawei Pura X, a wider take on the traditional clamshell foldable. If the concept reaches the market, it could debut as a future member of the Pura family.
Unlike existing flip phones that fold once, Huawei’s patent describes a device divided into three sections. The flexible display wraps around an internal structure using two hinges, allowing the handset to collapse into a compact, pocket-friendly form factor.
When fully unfolded, the device transforms into a tall smartphone-style screen with significantly more vertical space than conventional foldables. Folded shut, it resembles a thick clamshell device rather than a book-style foldable.
Huawei details a system composed of multiple sub-frames, a central chassis, flexible display layers, antenna components and shielding elements. One of the key innovations is a dedicated baffle layer designed to reduce signal interference when the device is folded.
Adding a second hinge increases mechanical complexity and creates new obstacles related to durability, heat dissipation, antenna performance and internal component placement.
Most mobile content is consumed vertically across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Threads and X. A taller display could allow users to view more content, read longer comment sections and multitask more effectively without constantly switching between apps.
As with all patent filings, there is no guarantee the product will reach consumers.
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