Huawei just proved it can do things Samsung and Apple haven’t done yet. But once you crack open the Pura X Max, a different story unfolds. A fresh teardown by iFixit has pulled back the curtain on the world’s first wide foldable, and what’s inside is equal parts brilliant engineering and a repair technician’s worst night.

A Phone That Changed the Foldable Game

The Huawei Pura X Max is not just another foldable. It is the world’s first wide, book-style foldable phone. While Samsung and Apple have stuck to tall, narrow designs, Huawei went in a completely different direction.

The Pura X Max shifts away from the now-familiar tall foldable design and instead focuses on a wider, more paper-like aspect ratio. Both the inner and outer displays follow a 2:1 aspect ratio, which Huawei says is intended to create a more consistent viewing experience across both screens. The result is something that feels more like holding a passport than a phone. In the best possible way.

On the outside, you get a 5.4-inch display that pushes up to 3,500 nits of peak brightness and supports a 1 to 120Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate. Open it up and there is a 7.7-inch inner screen with similar adaptive refresh capabilities, though brightness tops out slightly lower at 3,000 nits.

Interestingly, Apple is reportedly working on a similar design style for its first foldable phone, which may adopt the same wide foldable form factor. That alone tells you how much of a head start Huawei has grabbed here.

What iFixit Found Under the Hood

iFixit performed a teardown of the Huawei Pura X Max on YouTube. The video caption reads: “This foldable looks like the Future… Until You Repair It!” The title alone says everything.

The teardown revealed several genuinely impressive internal components. Here is a quick breakdown of what is packed inside:

• Chipset: Kirin 9030 Pro, bringing 25% CPU performance improvements, 40% GPU, and 70% NPU upgrades compared to the Kirin 9020 chip used in the Pura X.
• Main Camera: A 50MP f/1.4 to f/4.0 variable aperture RYYB main camera with OIS, a 12.5MP ultra-wide angle camera with macro, and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS.
• Battery: The phone is backed by a 5,300mAh capacity with 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
• Hinge: A new Basalt Waterdrop hinge that increases the available space by 16% and improves drop resistance by 33%.
• Inner Screen Protection: A triple composite ultra-tough layer including Ultra-Thin Glass, a carbon fiber support layer, and an ultra-high molecular weight buffer layer. Huawei claims this combination increases impact resistance by 50% and compression resistance by 20%.

The main camera with variable aperture technology caught the attention of the iFixit team. It is something that has been missing in many flagship phones, including Samsung Galaxy since the S9 series launch. That is a feature that quietly disappeared from most flagships years ago, and Huawei just brought it back in a foldable.

The Hinge and Display Pass the Test

Not everything inside the Pura X Max was cause for concern. The teardown had some genuinely good news on the durability front.

The teardown offered a close look at the folding mechanism. The hinge is well-sealed against dust and debris, and the spine of the screen features a flexible adhesive designed to protect the moving parts. This matters a lot for a phone that opens and closes hundreds of times a day.

The inner display surprised even the iFixit team. The inner display panel proved to be surprisingly resilient. It survived removal attempts that would often destroy lesser screens.

The Pura X Max also improved on water and dust resistance over its predecessor, going up from just IPX8 on the original Pura X to IP58 and IP59, meaning it is now dust protected and resistant against submersion and high-temperature water jets. For a foldable phone, that is a serious upgrade.

Where It All Falls Apart: The Repair Problem

Here is where the excitement hits a wall. Hard.

The Pura X Max is not exactly repair-friendly. While the USB-C port is easy to reach, other components are buried deep inside. The front screen is heavily glued, making initial entry difficult.

As per iFixit, while opening one side of the new device appeared easier, the other side, the front screen, seemed glued significantly more strongly. Getting past the first layer without damaging anything is already a challenge most people cannot win at home.

Then comes the real problem. The battery.

Starting with the battery, it appeared to be buried carefully and firmly inside the device, which makes safe repairs and recycling more difficult. This is not just an inconvenience for DIY repair enthusiasts. It is a long-term concern for anyone who plans to own this phone for more than two years.

The battery sits at the bottom of the component stack, meaning in order to replace it, you have to remove one component to get to the next, and the next, until the entire device is disassembled. Such a highly linear disassembly sequence means more time, more tools, and more chances for something to go wrong.

According to the iFixit reviewer, the overall device is good, though it could face difficulty with repair and maintenance services, as the screws missed proper concealing, and the battery replacement process is where the foldable device failed.

The Price Tag and What It Means for Buyers

Spending this much on a phone that is nearly impossible to repair at home is a risk worth knowing before you buy.

Pricing in China starts at CNY 10,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage model, going up to CNY 13,999 for the top-tier 16GB RAM and 1TB storage Collector’s Edition. At those price points, starting from roughly $1,610 and going up to around $2,050, this is a serious financial commitment.

Devices that rely heavily on screws are inherently more repairable than those that employ liberal amounts of strong adhesive. Adhesive, while often contributing to sleek designs and water resistance, acts like a stubborn glue, making it difficult to separate components without the risk of tearing cables or cracking screens. The Pura X Max clearly traded repairability for that impossibly slim, premium build.

The phone is only 5.2mm thin when unfolded. That thinness has a cost, and the cost is measured in repair bills.

A Huawei Pura X Max global launch date has not yet been confirmed, though it is expected to land in global markets sometime later this year. If and when it reaches international buyers, the repair situation becomes even more pressing since authorized service centers may be few and far between outside China.

The Huawei Pura X Max is genuinely one of the most exciting and forward-thinking phones built in years. It beat the biggest names in the business to a form factor that the whole industry is now chasing. The Kirin 9030 Pro, the variable aperture camera, the ultra-tough inner display, the sealed hinge. All of it adds up to something special. But that same ambition to be the thinnest and most futuristic foldable on the planet has made it a nightmare to fix. If you plan to buy one, treat it like fine art. Because getting it repaired will cost you just as much. What do you think? Is a phone this innovative worth the repair risk? Drop your opinion in the comments below.