Huawei illuminates its foldable phone in MWC 2019 teaser photo

We've known for a while that Huawei's planning to unveil its first foldable phone at MWC 2019, joining the minor parade led by the Samsung Galaxy X (or whatever it's called), but this is our first peek at what Huawei's foldable effort will look like.

The company posted a teaser photo (or render) on Twitter to promote its Mobile World Congress 2019 press conference, showing a silhouette of the phone illuminated by the colors coming off the screen and asking, "Are you ready to reveal the unprecedented?" 

While it looks cool, the shape of the hinge may augur that it won't fold flat. But we do know that it'll be 5G-ready, as the company announced in late January.

Foldable designs let manufacturers expand a handset's screen size while keeping the device compact enough to carry it the way we've become accustomed to. The radical new design is also viewed as a compelling way to encourage upgrading in a mature  market, in which we're holding onto devices longer and phone sales are slowing, along with the lure of 5G and gaming optimization.  

Of course, given the current US trade tensions with Huawei's home country of China and the company's legal woes here in the US, many of us may never get the chance to bend this particular model.

Watch this: Foldables, 5G and the future of the iPhone in 2019

06:02

Samsung's foldable phone is here, with brand-new One UI for Android

+18 More

See all photos