The Huawei Mate X is the next foldable phone to be released. It looks as if we are living in the future we dreamed of a few years back. This foldable smartphone is geared up for a 2019 release, probably towards the end of the year. This Huawei Mate X Review will give you all the juicy details. The phone has a solid hinge making it a pleasant experience using it. It has been designed to make it sturdy so that handling it will not be a nerve-wracking experience. The Huawei Mate X has a 6.6-inch and 6.38-inch screens on either side, and it would transform into an 8-inch Android tablet when you open it up.
This bezel-less model looks so much better than Samsung Galaxy Fold. The phone will be made available in two variants, both having the specs required to run such a device. The original version of Huawei’s Kirin 980 chipset will be joined by the 5G Mate X with the Kirin 990 chip. The camera array of the Mate X model has also undergone some changes. The phone will now use sensors and lenses from Huawei P30 instead of Mate 20, as it was supposed to do earlier.
You might be aware that the Huawei Mate X will be released amid tensions between Google and the company. The phone might not allow access to the Google Play Store and default Google apps will not be present either. This might be one thing that could provide an edge to Samsung Galaxy Fold as Huawei is its only competition in the foldable market right now.
Design and Screen
Although it was apparent that Huawei has used a sturdy hinge system. The question here is how this system worked when the phone was in its folded mode. So, there is a button at the rear of the phone. Pressing this would release the back part of the display, letting it unfold into a tablet. Naturally, the front side of the smartphone is 6.6-inches of the all-screen display compared to Samsung Galaxy Fold’s 4.6-inch display with heavy bezels.
You may notice a vertical bar on the left of the back screen. This is where you will find the power button/fingerprint scanner combo, the USB-C port for charging, and the triple-camera system. Many of us might be apprehensive about unfolding or folding a phone since we are conditioned to think doing so will break it. Well, in most cases we would be right. However, with the latest trend of folding phones, we need to get more comfortable with such models since that is where we are heading right now.
Huawei claims that the foldable screen has undergone over 100,000 folds in lab-condition stress tests. They also have a case for added protection. What is surprising here is that it feels a lot sturdier in our hands than other comparable models. While the company says the clasp system is vital for the phone at this, maybe the upcoming phones would feature a hinge-free model.
Display
The display is where Mate X has gained followers. While Samsung showed off with a 4.6-inch display with heavy bezels, Huawei jumped up with an all-screen folded version that opens up to a FullView 8-inch display. The screen creates a virtual bezel as you fold it back again. It also works to save battery which could be due to Mate X’s screen technology. This OLED display has individual pixels that could be powered with the unused pixels remaining pitch black. This works differently to the LCDs where the entire panel needs to be lighted up at once.
Huawei believes that this power-saving feature is one of the main features of Mate X. Another common concern with delicate all-screen wraparound phones is their scratch resistance and durability. In most cases, these flexible plastic displays are more vulnerable to scratches than glass. The company, keeping this mind, is working on more durability tests. They hope to make it safer and more durable before it is set to launch.
Battery and Specs
Huawei Mate X features two batteries, totalling up to 4,500mAh. Since the Mate X has a larger screen compared to the Galaxy Fold, it naturally consumes more power as well. The foldable phone also features 55W SuperCharge tech which is far better than the usual 40W charging. Basically, this means that the phone could be charged from 0% to 85% in a mere 30 minutes.
The Mate X is powered by a Kirin 990 processor and a Balong 5000 5G modem. You will find that it works at superfast 5G speeds with only 3 or seconds to download a 1GB video. Earlier, the phone was set to run on the Kirin 980 processor, but the delays led to an upgrade. The phone comes with 512GB storage and support for expandable storage with Nano Memory.
Performance
The Mate X runs on a customised version of Android. The interface changes and optimises itself in milliseconds as you fold and unfold it. The general UI experience is seamless and smooth. With there being some time before it actually launches, we believe that the experience might be enhanced as well. EMUI is Huawei’s custom skin that is based on Android which is what is used here. The split-screen multitasking with the larger screen made things much easier. You could even use a mouse and keyboard with the tablet version of the phone. Huawei’s CEO has also implied that an EMUI desktop-style experience could be possibly seen sometime in the future.
Camera
While we know that the Huawei Mate X has a triple-module system, we know little about anything else camera-related. There is no front camera since the rear screen doubles up as a viewfinder. Since the rear cameras are usually much better, this should give you some excellent selfies. If you want, you can set up the second screen to get a dual viewfinder. This allows the other person to see a preview of the picture you are taking. The megapixel sizes and aperture details are yet to be released.
Verdict – Huawei Mate X Review
Despite being an expensive phone, Huawei Mate X is certain to win hearts, especially after the foldable phone has gained some more popularity. It is extraordinarily thin with very less bezel. It has been designed to be sturdy and the camera is awesome. What else do we need?
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