This is the coolest flip phone this year and it’s not the Galaxy Z Flip 7

So I just had the chance to test drive the new Huawei Pura X foldable – a phone that unexpectedly made headlines last month when it was announced as Huawei’s latest flip phone.

Why would a flip phone command so much attention, you ask?

It’s because of the Pura X’s unique form-factor and screen aspect ratio. This phone is as compact as a regular flip foldable, but the trick is it opens horizontally, and that means you end up with an unfolded phone with a display that isn’t super tall, but is pleasantly and unexpectedly wide.

Basically, you get a 16:10 screen, which is a popular screen ratio for business-class laptops. And that makes for a very unique experience on a phone.

Huawei Pura X Collector's Edition unboxing

Gallery: Huawei Pura X design showcase

Use cases enhanced by the 16:10 display

Typing on the on-screen keyboard is surprisingly a-w-e-s-o-m-e! Both in portrait and landscape! It turns out that even if you hold the phone in portrait orientation, all you need is a bit more width and, all of a sudden, the keyboard starts to feel way more spacious and convenient. It’s like typing on a good-old BlackBerry handset, but way better.

Gallery: Harmony OS Next is beautiful, fast and smooth, but needs more features

A genuinely innovative phone. Samsung, hello?

Chinese giant Huawei is super-focused on innovating these days, and the Pura X is a pure representation of this fact. The phone’s originality doesn’t just extend to the display aspect ratio; the whole design is remarkable. Just take a look at my unit’s back cover! Sure, it may not be everybody’s cup of tea (that’s why there’s a more standard glass edition), but it’s generally very stylish and different. Besides, it’s convenient, non slippery and durable - you can safely use the phone without a case and not worry about it getting scratched.

Price: $1000, plus the usual Huawei caveats

Now, is the Pura X something you should immediately pounce on? Probably not, and the fact is - you probably can’t, even if you wanted to, because it's China-exclusive. At least for the time being, Huawei says there are no plans to bring it internationally, although these plans often change, so we’ll see.
On top of that, there’s the Google services issue. The Pura X comes with Huawei’s Harmony Next OS, which is all nice and fluid, but doesn’t have access to the standard apps we’re used to in the West. If it ever comes outside China, it’ll surely have an adapted version that can run the apps we all know and love.

Then there’s the in-house made Kirin chipset, but I really don’t consider this to be a real issue. Huawei's Kirin CPUs are decidedly behind the latest Snapdragons, but the fact is the phone runs nice and smooth - no performance concerns whatsoever. Plus, Huawei phones are generally very well optimized to deliver both performance and efficiency.

The Pura X’s starting price of 7500 Yuan would roughly convert to $1000, so this isn’t a cheap phone - it is very much a premium, no-compromise product.

I hope Huawei ends up making the Pura X available globally – there is something to having a very compact flip foldable, which, however, can expand to a screen and aspect ratio that make it very practical and elevate the typical smartphone experience to new heights. A very intriguing and innovative concept, indeed. Samsung should waste no time and copy as much as it can, before Huawei decides to bring it to the international scene.