Huawei has never been shy about experimenting with form factors, but the MateBook Fold Ultimate Design may be its most ambitious computing product yet. Marketed in some headlines as a “foldable tablet,” this machine is more accurately described as a foldable computer that straddles the line between tablet, laptop, and ultra-premium showcase device. It runs HarmonyOS 5, opens into a large 18-inch dual-layer OLED display, folds down to a more portable footprint, and starts at 23,999 yuan, which works out to roughly US$3,328 at launch pricing.
That price alone tells you exactly where Huawei sees this device. The MateBook Fold is not intended to be a mass-market productivity notebook. It is a prestige product, a statement piece, and a test of whether foldable display technology can move beyond phones and into mainstream computing. For buyers who value novelty, industrial design, and next-generation hardware, it is fascinating. For buyers who just want a practical laptop, it is much harder to justify.
A New Category More Than a Simple Tablet
Calling the MateBook Fold a tablet is technically understandable because it becomes a giant touch-first slate when fully opened. But that description undersells what Huawei is trying to achieve. The device is closer to a folding all-screen PC. Reuters described it as one of Huawei’s first laptops using its home-grown HarmonyOS 5, while the South China Morning Post highlighted its 18-inch unfolded form, 13-inch folded size, and separate magnetic keyboard accessory.
In practical terms, this means the MateBook Fold can be used in several modes. Open flat, it becomes a large canvas for reading, multitasking, and media. Partially folded, it behaves more like a notebook, with one half acting as the workspace and the lower half accommodating touch controls or a keyboard workflow. Add the magnetic keyboard, and it moves even closer to a conventional laptop experience. That versatility is the central selling point, and it is what makes the device so compelling at first glance.
Design and Build Quality That Command Attention
Huawei’s engineering effort is the standout feature here. The MateBook Fold is reported to be 7.3 mm thick when unfolded and weighs about 1.16 kg, which is strikingly light for a device with an 18-inch foldable display. It folds down to a size closer to a 13-inch machine, which makes the format more plausible for travel than a rigid 18-inch computer would be.
The result is a product that looks and feels like a preview of future computing. It is sleek, highly portable for its screen class, and instantly eye-catching in a way conventional notebooks rarely are. Huawei also includes a separate keyboard that attaches magnetically, though it adds extra thickness and weight. That accessory matters because it shifts the device from experimental slate to something more workable for long-form productivity.
The tradeoff, of course, is durability anxiety. Foldables still raise familiar questions: how well will the hinge hold up over time, how visible is the crease in daily use, and how resilient is the display under repeated opening and closing? Those concerns are not unique to Huawei, but they matter more when a product costs over three thousand dollars.
Display Experience Is the Main Event
The MateBook Fold’s display is the reason this product exists. The machine features an 18-inch dual-layer OLED panel with a 3296 x 2472 resolution, and reseller listings also note peak brightness up to 1600 nits. Huawei’s own retail pages likewise emphasize the 18-inch dual-layer OLED setup and HarmonyOS-oriented smart interaction.
On paper, that is spectacular. An 18-inch OLED screen on a device that can fold into something much smaller opens up genuine possibilities for multitasking, immersive video viewing, creative work, and presentation use. This is not simply a case of bigger being better; it is the combination of scale and portability that makes the panel so interesting.
Still, real-world usability depends heavily on software optimization. A giant foldable screen is only as good as the applications that know how to adapt to it. This is where the MateBook Fold becomes both exciting and uncertain.
HarmonyOS 5 Is Ambitious but Still a Work in Progress
One of the biggest storylines around the MateBook Fold is not the hardware but the operating system. Huawei launched it as part of its broader push to expand HarmonyOS 5 from phones and tablets into PCs, a move tied to the company’s long-running effort to reduce dependence on U.S. technology and build a self-sustaining ecosystem. Reuters reported that Harmony-based laptop development began in 2021 and that Huawei said HarmonyOS was already running across more than a billion devices, supported by millions of developers.
From a strategic perspective, that matters a lot. Huawei is not merely launching a premium gadget; it is trying to establish a full computing platform. If HarmonyOS matures on PCs, the MateBook Fold may one day look like an important milestone.
For buyers today, though, the software story is mixed. HarmonyOS may offer smooth integration within Huawei’s ecosystem, but it does not carry the same global application familiarity as Windows or macOS. That immediately narrows the audience. If your workflow depends on niche desktop software, enterprise compatibility, or the reassurance of deeply entrenched app support, this device asks for more compromise than many buyers will accept.
Performance, Memory, and Storage
Huawei has not always been fully transparent in public reporting about the underlying chip in this machine, but commercial listings describe versions with 32GB of RAM and either 1TB or 2TB of storage, while some reseller pages reference a Kirin X90 and HarmonyOS 5. Reuters also confirmed launch pricing for the 32GB/1TB model at US$3,328 yuan and separate reporting indicates a 2TB version at US$3,920, with later discount activity in China bringing those prices down temporarily.
For a foldable first-generation PC, those are respectable top-line memory and storage figures. The MateBook Fold is clearly not under-specced in a flagship sense. But performance value is harder to assess because buyers are paying heavily for the display architecture and industrial design, not just raw computing output.
Price, Value, and Who This Product Is Really For
Here is a quick price snapshot:
| Model | Launch Price | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|
| MateBook Fold 32GB + 1TB | 23,999 yuan | ~$3,328 |
| MateBook Fold 32GB + 2TB | 26,999 yuan | Varies by exchange rate |
At this level, the MateBook Fold is competing less with ordinary laptops and more with luxury-tier technology. The value proposition is not “best performance per dollar.” It is “one of the most visually impressive and mechanically ambitious portable computers you can buy.”
That means the ideal customer is fairly specific:
- early adopters who want cutting-edge hardware
- Huawei ecosystem loyalists
- buyers who prioritize novelty, design, and portability over conventional value metrics
For students, office workers, and most mainstream laptop shoppers, the equation is much tougher. Even a premium traditional notebook or tablet-and-keyboard setup will usually offer better software certainty and lower risk.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
Pros
- Innovative foldable 18-inch OLED design
- Extremely thin and light for its screen size
- Premium build and standout visual appeal
- Flexible usage modes for work and media
- Strong memory and storage configurations available
Cons
- Very expensive, even by flagship standards
- HarmonyOS PC ecosystem remains less proven than Windows or macOS
- Long-term durability questions are inevitable with foldables
- Limited global availability compared with mainstream rivals
Where You Can Buy It
Availability is still centered heavily around China and specialist import channels. The most credible places to look are:
Because regional availability can shift, buyers should verify shipping support, warranty terms, keyboard bundle details, and software localization before ordering.
Final Verdict: Visionary Hardware, Practical Limits
The Huawei MateBook Fold is one of the most intriguing PCs released in recent years. It pushes the boundaries of what a portable computer can look like and offers a genuine glimpse of a future where the distinction between notebook and tablet becomes increasingly irrelevant. On industrial design alone, it is an achievement.
But buying a product like this is not just about admiring innovation. It is about living with the software, trusting the hardware over time, and deciding whether the premium is justified. Right now, the MateBook Fold feels more like a luxury concept brought to market than an essential productivity machine for ordinary users.
That does not make it a failure. On the contrary, it makes it important. It shows that foldable computing is no longer just theoretical. Yet importance and practicality are not the same thing, and at more than $3,300, Huawei’s futuristic hybrid remains a hard sell outside a narrow audience.
Final Score
RAVE-TECH FINAL SCORE: 8.1/10
It scores highly for design ambition, display innovation, and category-defining hardware. It loses points on price, ecosystem maturity, and the lingering uncertainty that comes with any first-wave foldable computer. For enthusiasts, it is thrilling. For everyone else, it is probably wiser to admire from a distance.