Huawei May Add a Compact MateBook Fold PC to Its 2026 Lineup

A Weibo tipster called SuperDimensional has put a compact Huawei MateBook Fold PC on the company’s 2026 hardware roadmap. The new model would shrink Huawei’s only folding laptop away from its 18-inch statement piece and toward something smaller and more portable. Huawei has not announced the device.

Two separate Weibo leaks now describe a 2026 lineup in which a smaller foldable computer joins the existing 18-inch MateBook Fold. They arrive while memory prices are pushing foldable hardware in a more complicated direction. The leaks point to a September debut window alongside the Mate 90 smartphone and the Mate XT 2 tri-foldable.

A Weibo Tipster Lists a Compact Foldable PC for 2026

Huawei Central’s report on the compact MateBook Fold PC leak says Weibo tipster SuperDimensional shared a list of devices Huawei may launch in September, a list that includes new phones, tablets, and a small foldable computer. The post says Huawei has a compact MateBook Fold PC model in its 2026 pipeline, and that the device will likely debut alongside the Mate 90 and the XT 2 tri-foldable.

The leak does not describe the screen size, weight, hinge, or pricing. It only signals a change of direction: instead of adopting the same 18-inch folding structure that defines the current MateBook Fold, Huawei may use a smaller, more portable design “to boost convenience,” per the tipster’s framing. The compact PC would follow the Pura X Max, a compact wide-folding smartphone that Huawei has already opened for pre-order in China.

• Tipster: SuperDimensional on Weibo
• Likely launch window: September 2026
• Likely co-debuts: Mate 90, Mate XT 2
• Form factor shift: smaller than 18-inch MateBook Fold

The 18-Inch MateBook Fold Huawei Already Sells

The existing MateBook Fold Ultimate Design launched in China on June 6, 2025, with pre-orders opening the week of its May 20 reveal. Huawei positions it as the world’s first 18-inch foldable PC. When unfolded, the device reveals an 18-inch tandem OLED LTPO display with 3.3K resolution (3296 by 2472 pixels) and a 4:3 aspect ratio; when folded, it becomes a 13-inch tablet-like form factor with a 3:2 ratio.

The hardware is unusually dense for a folding chassis. MateBook Fold launch specs and China pricing details list the display as reaching peak brightness of 1,600 nits with HDR10+, a 1,440Hz PWM dimming rate, a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and a 92% screen-to-body ratio. The whole unit weighs 1.16kg, measures 7.3mm when unfolded, and folds to 14.9mm. Power comes from a 74.69Wh battery with 140W wired charging, 32GB of RAM, and a choice of 1TB or 2TB NVMe SSD.

Huawei built the hinge around what the company calls the largest basalt teardrop hinge in a foldable computer, which lets the screen sit between angles of 30° and 150° without external support. An integrated kickstand handles landscape use without an accessory. The MateBook Fold runs HarmonyOS 5 and ships with a 5mm-thick aluminum keyboard that weighs 290g and lasts up to 24 days on a charge.

The MateBook Fold launched in Cloud Water Blue, Forging Shadow Black, and Skyline White color options. First retail sales opened in China on June 6, 2025, following pre-orders the week of its May 20 reveal. International availability has not been announced alongside the China launch.

A Second Tipster Adds a Mini Model to the 2026 Plan

A separate Weibo leak from tipster @FixedFocus, also covered by rumored storage downgrade coverage on the 2026 foldable PC, describes two foldable PCs for 2026 rather than one. The post says Huawei is researching both an Ultimate Design model and a Mini variant, and that the Mini would be “a slightly affordable version” sitting below the flagship in price.

Both leaks converge on the same basic shape: a 2026 MateBook Fold family with at least one smaller, more accessible entry alongside a refreshed large-screen flagship. The detail they do not yet share is what the smaller model’s screen size, hinge, or pricing would actually look like, and whether the Mini would replace the 18-inch model or join it as a second SKU.

Memory Prices Are the New Constraint on Storage

The @FixedFocus leak also flags a possible storage spec downgrade on the next MateBook Fold, with NAND and DRAM prices reshaping foldable hardware specs across the category. The current generation ships with 1TB and 2TB NVMe SSDs; the tipster says those tiers may shrink on the 2026 model. Storage prices are experiencing a massive, sustained surge in the market, per the tipster’s framing. Huawei Central frames the shift as part of a broader price adjustment across Huawei’s device lineup.

The same dynamic is showing up elsewhere in the foldable category. Vivo X Fold 6 base configuration leak at CNY 9,999 shows a near-40% jump over the X Fold 5 driven by memory costs. The MateBook Fold and X Fold 6 both ship storage tiers that the leaks say may shrink on their 2026 successors.

For a foldable PC, the chassis, hinge, and OLED panel already drive most of the bill of materials, leaving storage as one of the few levers Huawei can adjust without changing the headline screen or the form factor. A compact MateBook Fold with leaner storage tiers could be priced below the 18-inch flagship without rebuilding the basalt teardrop hinge or sourcing a new OLED panel. That makes storage the natural place to cut before the company cuts screen size or hinge quality. Huawei’s pricing strategy for the smaller model is still unknown, since neither tipster disclosed a target price. The leaks describe the Mini variant as “a slightly affordable version” without naming a number.

Foldable PCs Are No Longer a One-Off Showcase

When Huawei shipped the MateBook Fold in 2025, the company was entering a category Lenovo had opened with the ThinkPad X1 Fold. MateBook Fold launch coverage and Lenovo price comparison places the 1TB MateBook Fold at CNY 23,999 (~$3,300 at direct conversion), above the ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 at $2,899. The price gap frames where the category sits today, with one foldable PC per maker priced between roughly $2,900 and $5,000. A second Huawei SKU would shift that single-device structure into a two-model foldable family.

HP’s Spectre Foldable PC entered the same conversation in 2023 at $4,999.99, a 17-inch OLED with a 3mm fold area. Lenovo came back to the segment at MWC 2025 with the ThinkBook codename Flip AI PC Concept, an outward-folding 18.1-inch OLED that the company called the industry’s first laptop with that hinge direction. Lenovo’s two generations of ThinkPad X1 Fold shipped sequentially rather than side by side. HP has stuck with one Spectre Foldable since 2023. Huawei’s 2026 plan would put two foldable PCs on shelves at once, a structure no other major PC maker currently maintains.

What a Compact MateBook Fold Has to Solve

The existing MateBook Fold is already more portable than its size suggests at 1.16kg and 14.9mm folded. A genuinely compact variant would have to go smaller than the current 13-inch folded footprint without losing the hinge and screen technology Huawei uses to position the device above conventional laptops.

One clue is in the Pura X Max. Wide foldable phone form factor with 7.69-inch inner display describes a 7.69-inch inner display and a 5.5-inch outer screen, the form factor Huawei calls a compact wide foldable. If Huawei applies the same logic to a PC, the result would be a foldable with a smaller inner screen but a usable single-screen mode when folded, rather than a traditional clamshell.

The basalt teardrop hinge is the other constraint. Huawei’s marketing calls it the largest of its kind in a foldable computer. A smaller model would likely need a redesigned hinge with a tighter radius, the same engineering hurdle Lenovo and HP both face when scaling folding PCs down rather than up. No leak has yet said whether the compact MateBook Fold would share the Ultimate Design’s hinge or use a different mechanism.

The Phones Launching Alongside a Compact Foldable PC

The Pura X Max has already shipped with a 7.69-inch inner and 5.5-inch outer display, opening for pre-order in China as the first modern horizontally wide foldable phone. Android Authority notes that the form factor “upstaged” Samsung’s wide-fold concept and runs ahead of Apple’s wider iPhone Fold design.

The Mate 90 series is expected in September. A separate Mate XT 2 leak with Kirin 9050 Pro and battery details points to an October debut for the tri-fold with a Kirin 9050 Pro chipset, a battery exceeding 6,000mAh, and stylus support. If the compact MateBook Fold PC lands in the same window, Huawei would put three major hardware launches on one fall stage, a foldable PC, a flagship phone, and a tri-fold phone, at a moment when Apple’s $1,999 iPhone Fold is also tipped to ship.

• Pura X Max: launched April 2026, compact wide foldable phone
• Mate 90 series: tipped for September 2026
• Mate XT 2: tipped for October with Kirin 9050 Pro

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Huawei officially announced a compact MateBook Fold PC?

No. As of the leak covered by Huawei Central, the compact MateBook Fold PC is a Weibo rumor from tipster SuperDimensional. Huawei has not confirmed the device, its specifications, or its launch window.

What does the current MateBook Fold cost?

The 32GB + 1TB MateBook Fold Ultimate Design launched in China at CNY 23,999, and the 32GB + 2TB variant at CNY 26,999, per Moneycontrol’s launch coverage.

Which other companies sell foldable PCs?

Lenovo has shipped the ThinkPad X1 Fold line, with the 16-inch model launching at $2,899. HP sells the Spectre Foldable PC, which HP’s own press materials price at $4,999.99 with limited availability since October 2023. Lenovo also showed an outward-folding ThinkBook concept at MWC 2025, but it has not been released.

What operating system does the MateBook Fold run?

HarmonyOS 5, Huawei’s own operating system, ships on the current MateBook Fold. The compact model, if it ships, would likely run the same OS or a successor version.

When is the compact MateBook Fold PC expected to launch?

SuperDimensional’s leak places the compact model in Huawei’s 2026 pipeline with a likely September debut window alongside the Mate 90. The tipster @FixedFocus says both the Ultimate Design and Mini variants are under research and may debut this year.