Alright, let’s talk about this thing, because Huawei just dropped a phone that’s doing its own thing in a big way. You thought flip phones were dead, right?
Well, apparently, they’ve been resurrected in a weird, sideways, flip-the-script way that might make you wonder if someone at Huawei just got a little too much time with a prototype and a bunch of caffeine.
Introducing the Huawei Pura X, a flip phone that opens sideways. Yeah, you heard that right. It’s like they looked at the traditional flip phone form factor, saw the Samsung Galaxy Flip and the Motorola Razr, and said, “Screw that, let’s do something… bigger.”
And when I say bigger, I mean wider, because this thing is like a flip phone on steroids—seriously, this is the flip phone that ate a tablet for breakfast and had no remorse.
So, picture this: you’re holding a flip phone, but instead of flipping it open vertically, you’re cracking it open sideways like a weird horizontal book. And boom, you’ve got a 6.3-inch screen in a 16:10 aspect ratio.
For those of you who don’t spend your days obsessing over screen ratios, what that means is this thing is wider than your typical flip phone and looks more like a tablet that’s been squashed down into a foldable phone.
It’s like Huawei’s attempt to create a hybrid between a flip phone and one of those massive book-style foldables like the Samsung Z Fold. It’s like they said, “You know what? Why not make this thing look like it’s from the future… or maybe just a weird alternate universe where dimensions are all wrong.”
Now, here’s where it gets a little weirder. This is the first Huawei phone to ditch Android. Gone. Kaput. No more Android apps. This thing runs HarmonyOS Next, Huawei’s very own operating system.
For those of you who are Android loyalists, yeah, that’s a big deal. HarmonyOS doesn’t even use Android Open Source Project code, which means no Android apps.
Huawei’s out here doing its own thing, and they’re doing it loud and proud. It’s like when the rebellious kid in class decides to not play by the rules and, somehow, everyone’s watching to see if they pull it off. And let’s be honest, that’s what’s got people buzzing.
HarmonyOS Next came out alongside the Mate 70 series in November 2024. Back then, if you had one of those phones, you could choose between HarmonyOS Next or a version based on Android. But for the Pura X, Huawei said, “Nah, we’re going all in.”
No choice. It’s HarmonyOS Next or nothing. Whether or not that’s gonna bite them in the ass down the line is something we’ll all have to see, but for now, it’s a bold move that’s got people talking.
And guess what? The Pura X isn’t just about ditching Android for the sake of being different. No, Huawei’s also debuting its Harmony Intelligence—an AI assistant built on their own Pangu model.
They didn’t stop there, either. It’s been juiced up with something called DeepSeek. So, Huawei’s out here building an AI system that’s apparently starting to turn some heads in the tech world.
Heck, even Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, admitted that Huawei’s presence in AI is growing. He says they’re “the single most formidable technology company in China,” and let’s be honest, when Nvidia’s CEO is giving you props, you’re probably doing something right.
He even pointed out that the whole “US trade restrictions on Huawei” thing isn’t exactly working out the way everyone thought it would. So yeah, this Harmony Intelligence thing might actually be something worth paying attention to.
But here’s the thing—you can’t get this weird flip phone in the US, at least not yet. The Pura X is only available in China for now. If you want one, you’re gonna have to fork out 7,499 yuan (around $1,037).
Sure, it’s a lot of dough for a flip phone that might still make you wonder why you didn’t just get a regular one, but hey, this is Huawei’s first real push to shake up the foldable market, and if they pull this off, it might be the beginning of something big. And no, before you ask, it’s not a rollable phone—that one’s still coming.
Maybe. I don’t know, I’m not a psychic. But Lenovo’s already confirmed they’re rolling out a rollable laptop this year, so if you’re looking for a future where your devices constantly change shape, stay tuned.
At the end of the day, Huawei’s shaking up the flip phone game in a way that might leave you scratching your head. Is this a brilliant leap forward or just another weird step in a tech company’s effort to stand out?
Well, that’s up to you to decide, but we can’t ignore the fact that Huawei’s building something here. Whether it’ll be successful or just another bizarre chapter in the history of foldables is anyone’s guess.
But hey, at least it’s not boring. That’s something, right?
Want to know more about Huawei’s AI advancements and their new phone? Check out Nvidia’s latest thoughts or dive deeper into the HarmonyOS transition.
