Huawei is trying to make the folding PC smaller, and it’s giving it something the first model lacked: an outside screen. The MateBook Fold S was announced in China as a more compact follow-up to last year’s MateBook Fold. It opens into a 14.7-inch display and folds down to roughly the size of a hardcover book. Huawei says it’s small enough to fit in a compact bag or coat pocket.
The size reduction stands out, but the more interesting change is the small square display on the outer lid. Huawei calls the Fold S the world’s first computer with a cover screen. In its teaser footage, the panel stays on while the device is closed, showing the time and other quick information. Folding phones adopted outer displays years ago because opening a device just to check a notification gets tiresome. Folding laptops have mostly gone dark when closed. If the cover screen can handle quick checks, the Fold S could feel less like a laptop that needs to be opened and more like a device that can be used throughout the day. Three camera lenses beside the cover screen also suggest it can take photos while folded.
The original MateBook Fold, launched in 2025, was the first folding-screen PC. It used an 18-inch dual-layer OLED display that folded to a 13-inch footprint and weighed 1.16 kg without its keyboard. Starting at about $3,500 in China, it showed that the concept worked, but it was large and expensive. The Fold S takes the idea toward a size closer to a typical ultraportable. Huawei is also presenting it in a more style-focused way, with Cloud Sea Blue, Sky White and Magic Night Black colour options instead of the business-like black of the first model.
Many of the most important details are still missing. Huawei hasn’t named the processor or shared the device’s weight, battery capacity, display resolutions or price. It also hasn’t explained how typing will work, whether through an on-screen keyboard, a separate keyboard, or both. Reports before the announcement suggested a weight of about 600 grams, roughly half that of the original, but Huawei hasn’t confirmed it. The device runs the latest PC version of HarmonyOS, which adds AI features to Notes and WPS Office, though Huawei hasn’t described those features yet.
Reservations open in China on 14 November at 10:08 a.m. local time through Huawei’s online store, authorised retailers and Huawei Experience Stores. Display units will be available in stores the same day. There’s no word yet on an international launch, which is common for Huawei’s HarmonyOS PCs.
Price is the main question. A smaller folding PC only expands the category if the price comes down as well. If Huawei keeps it near the original’s cost, the Fold S may remain more of a showcase than something most people would buy.