Mate X2: Huawei’s Third Foldable Phone is Official

Specifications and Features of the Huawei Mate X2

Design

Unlike its two predecessors, the Mate X2 folds inwards like a book which adds to the protection of the display. The phone’s thickest part is the right side where the camera array is positioned and it gets gradually slimmer to the left where the other edge measures at just 4.4 mm.

Huawei has rethought and restructured the hinge to minimise the gap between folded sides of the phone when closed and reduce the crease. From demonstrations during the launch event, we can confirm that the Mate X2 has almost no gap. In order to make the foldable phone lighter, Huawei has used advanced zirconium-based liquid metal and carbon fiber panels, however the Mate X2 weights at 295g and it will be the largest foldable smartphone on the market when it launches later this month in China.

Display

When unfolded, the inside OLED display measures at 8 inches, has a square aspect ratio of 8:7.1 and boasts a resolution of 2480 x 2200. The interior panel features the first “magnetically-controlled nano optical layer” in a smartphone and its primary property is to reduce light reflection and glare in bright conditions, which on the Mate X2 has been achieved at only 1.5 per cent, while the Galaxy Z Fold 2, for example, has 5 per cent. The outer 6.45-inch display has a resolution of 2700 x 1160, and both panels run at 90Hz.

Processor and battery

The Mate X2 is powered by the Kirin 9000 chipset which debuted last year paired with a 5G antenna. The phone offers 8GB of RAM and two options of internal storage 256GB or 512GB. Inside, it comprrises a 4,400mAh battery cell with fast charging of up to 55W. Surprisingly, Huawei states that the phone will run on the EMUI 11.0 based on Android 10, but we were expecting HarmonyOS.

Cameras

The front display houses a 16MP selfie camera, and unlike the Galaxy Fold 2 there’s no selfie camera embedded in the inner screen. In partnership with Leica, Huawei equipped the Mate X2 with some serious rear cameras:

• a 50 MP wide angle Ultra Vision camera
• a 16 MP ultra-wide angle Cine camera which functions as a macro camera at 2.5cm distance as well
• a 12 MP telephoto camera with 3x optical Zoom
• a 8 MP SuperZoom camera with 10x optical zoom, 20x hybrid zoom and up to 100x digital zoom

How much will the Huawei Mate X2 cost?

Huawei has confirmed that the Mate X2 256GB will retail in China for ¥17,999 which is around £2,000, and the 512GB model for ¥18,999 or approximately £2,100. If these retail prices will be kept for the UK, it will make the Mate X2 the most expensive foldable smartphone available to buy.

It is uncertain if the model will be available anywhere outside China at all, but the previous Mate Xs was launched worldwide, so hopefully the Mate X2 will be available in the UK. However even if it is, the lack of Google services is still a deal breaker for many.