After facing months of delays, Huawei has finally launched its first folding smartphone, the Mate X 5G. Unfortunately, the smartphone is only available for China, at least for now.
It was first showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. Its release was expected in June this year, but to prevent mishaps similar to what Samsung faced, Huawei pushed the launch forward.
Design and Display
Most of the design-related specifications of the Mate X have been leaked already. It has an outward folding design using an innovative falcon hinge. The hinge has no openings or grooves, which makes it appear more durable than the Galaxy Fold. At the back of the smartphone, there is a full-length vertical bump that houses the cameras, the flash, and the hook to clip the secondary display when folded.
In folded form, the smartphone has two displays. The main display is a 6.6-inch panel with a 19.5:9 aspect and 2480 x 1148 pixels resolution. The secondary display is a 6.38-inch panel with a 25:9 aspect ratio and 2480 x 892 pixels resolution. In the unfolded form, the smartphone has a single 8-inch display with an 8:7.1 aspect ratio and 2480 x 2200 resolution. The display is made using double-layer polyimide material for increased strength and durability.
Internal and Storage
Under the hood, the smartphone features the Kirin 980 SoC from last year. We were expecting it to come with the Kirin 990 5G at the helm, but the development cycle was too long for that to be possible. Anyways, the company has promised that it will launch the upgraded version of Mate X 5G with a Kirin 990 by March 2020. Memory wise, the smartphone has only one variant featuring 8 GB RAM and 512 GB onboard storage.
On the software front, Mate X 5G will run on the open-source version of Android and will not offer the full range of Google services and applications. However, it will come with some foldable specific features like split-screen multitasking and drag-drop options.
Cameras
At the back, the Huawei Mate X features a quad-sensor camera with a 40 MP main sensor, 8 MP telephoto lens, 16 MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 3D depth sensor. The camera also features a 3x optical zoom and 45x hybrid zoom. The 40 MP main sensor has OIS and AIS support as well.
The main camera will act as a selfie camera with the secondary display as well. The smartphone does not come with a dedicated selfie camera.
Battery and Pricing
This foldable smartphone is fueled by a 4500 mAh battery backed by Huawei’s 55W SuperCharge technology. The battery charges from 0% to around 85% in just 30 minutes.
The smartphone will go on sale by 15th November in China with an eye-watering $2403 price tag.
Huawei Mate X 5G specifications
- CPU: Octa-core (2×2.6 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2×1.92 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Mali-G76 MP10
- Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 980 (7 nm)
- OS: Open source Android
- Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G;
- Display:
- Folded: Main: OLED capacitive touchscreen, 6.6 inches, 19.5:9 aspect, 2480 x 1148 pixels resolution
- Secondary: OLED capacitive touchscreen, 6.38 inches, 25:9 aspect ratio, 2480 x 892 pixels resolution
- Unfolded: OLED capacitive touchscreen, 8 inches, 8:7.1 aspect ratio, 2480 x 2200 pixels resolution
- Memory:
- RAM: 8 GB
- Internal: 512 GB
- Card slot: No
- Camera:
- Primary: 48 MP + 8 MP + 16 MP + 3D TOF
- Connectivity: LTE, USB Type-C, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm jack
- Fingerprint scanner: Yes (side-mounted)
- Battery: 4500 mAh
- Price: $2403
stunning look