Foldable phones have been evolving rapidly in recent years, with most manufacturers following similar design philosophies. However, Huawei has introduced a genuinely innovative approach with its new Pura X, a flip phone that challenges conventional foldable design by opening horizontally rather than vertically, creating a unique user experience that sits between traditional flip phones and book-style foldables.
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| A close-up of the Huawei Pura X showcasing its unique design and camera functionality |
A New Take on Foldable Design
The Huawei Pura X represents a significant departure from traditional flip phone designs. While conventional flip phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series fold vertically to create a tall, narrow display when opened, the Pura X folds horizontally. This innovative approach results in a 16:10 aspect ratio display when unfolded, similar to what you might find on a business-class laptop. The wider screen provides a more balanced viewing experience compared to the ultra-tall 22:9 displays typical of other flip phones.
When folded, the Pura X maintains a compact form factor similar to other flip phones, making it highly pocketable. However, once opened, users need to rotate it 90 degrees, as the interface is designed to be used primarily in portrait orientation. This unique configuration gives users a screen that's shorter but significantly wider than conventional smartphones, enhancing many common use cases.
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| The Huawei Pura X partially folded, emphasizing its innovative hinge design and compact size |
Enhanced User Experience
The wider 16:10 aspect ratio of the Pura X's 6.3-inch main display offers several practical advantages. Text appears less cramped when reading articles or browsing websites, providing an experience more akin to reading on a Kindle. Standard 16:9 videos fill most of the screen even in portrait mode, offering a larger viewing area than typical smartphones.
Perhaps most surprisingly, typing on the Pura X is remarkably comfortable. The wider screen provides more space for the on-screen keyboard, making it feel less cramped whether in portrait or landscape orientation. Users report that this expanded keyboard space delivers a typing experience reminiscent of older BlackBerry devices but significantly improved.
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| The Huawei Pura X displaying its wide screen, offering an enhanced user experience for typing and browsing |
Technical Specifications
Under the hood, the Pura X features Huawei's in-house Kirin 9020 chipset. While not as powerful as flagship processors from Qualcomm or MediaTek, it delivers smooth performance for everyday tasks. The device includes a 4,720mAh battery, which is larger than most flip phones offer, supporting 66W wired charging and 40W wireless charging.
The camera system is impressive for a foldable device, featuring a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization, a 40MP ultra-wide lens, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom. For selfies when the phone is unfolded, there's a 10.7MP front-facing camera. The camera bump is notably smaller than those found on many contemporary smartphones.
The Pura X includes a 3.5-inch square cover display with 980 x 980 resolution. This external screen is a 120Hz LTPO panel with 10-bit color support, making it suitable for quick tasks like reading notifications, controlling media playback, or even taking calls. The main 6.3-inch display is also a 120Hz LTPO panel with 1,320 x 2,120 resolution that can reach brightness levels of up to 2,500 nits for excellent outdoor visibility.
Market Position and Availability
Currently, the Huawei Pura X is exclusive to the Chinese market with a price tag of approximately USD $1,000, positioning it as a premium device. This price point makes it significantly more affordable than book-style foldables like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (USD $1,799) or Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (USD $1,899), while offering some of their advantages.
The major caveat for potential international users is that the device runs on Huawei's Harmony Next OS, which lacks Google services and doesn't support standard Android apps. Huawei has not announced plans to release the Pura X globally, though the company has been known to change such plans based on market reception.
A Glimpse of the Future?
The Huawei Pura X represents an interesting middle ground between flip phones and book-style foldables. It maintains the pocketability that makes flip phones attractive while offering a more practical screen aspect ratio that enhances productivity and entertainment experiences. This innovative approach doesn't require revolutionary new technology—just creative thinking about how existing foldable technology can be implemented differently.
Whether this horizontal flip design catches on with other manufacturers remains to be seen, but the Pura X demonstrates that there's still room for meaningful innovation in the foldable phone market. For users who find traditional flip phones too narrow when opened but don't want the bulk of a book-style foldable, this new form factor could represent an ideal compromise.