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Huawei is set to launch its next foldable, the Mate X2, on February 22
You still won't be able to get your hands on it, mate
Huawei created a furor among visitors at CES 2019 when it showcased its upcoming foldable phone that admittedly looked more futuristic than the prototype Samsung had shown. A lot has changed, however, between then and now. While the South Korean giant is now making the finest foldables on the market, its Chinese rival has been crippled by the US trade ban. Huawei isn't giving up, though, and is set to launch its next folding phone — the Mate X2 — later this month.
When Huawei announced the Mate X foldable phone back in February 2019, it didn't expect it would have to delay the device's release twice due to concerns over its folding screen's quality. When he Mate X finally came out in November, it unfortunately shipped with Android 9 and hasn't been updated to Google's latest offering since then. Thankfully, the device is now receiving Android 10.
Huawei unveils updated Mate Xs foldable with an eye-watering €2,499 price tag
Incremental upgrades and no Google apps make this a hard sell
At a live-streamed event today that was supposed to take place as part of MWC in Barcelona, Huawei unveiled the latest iteration of its folding Mate Xs smartphone. It’s mostly unchanged compared with its predecessor in terms of design, although the hinge has apparently been shored up and it now features the company’s latest mobile chip, the Kirin 990 5G.
Following a string of delays and an anticipated late-October launch, Huawei's Mate X folding phone has finally gone on sale in China for a mere $2400 (16,999 Chinese Yuan). Or, at least, it was on sale. The phone has reportedly sold out in just minutes, though more rounds of sales are expected to happen in the coming days.
Huawei’s first foldable phone — the Mate X — may finally see the light of day this November 15 after a twice-deferred launch since June. The delays were partly in view of the company's trade hurdles concerning Android, and largely to make hardware refinements to avoid a Galaxy Fold-like recall. Huawei took this time to hone the Mate X’s out-folding display with a layer of transparent polyimide (PI), which should prevent the screen from scratching.
There has been much hype surrounding folding phones, and while the Samsung Galaxy Fold was almost launched, canceled at last minute, and then relaunched, the Huawei Mate X has been taking its sweet time. This is bound to change, as the company has confirmed that it's launching its own take on foldables in China this month, while a video showing off the device and its retail box has been making its rounds on Twitter.
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- According to Nikkei Asian Review, Huawei's folding Mate X may also skip out on Google apps and services when it goes on sale, expected to happen later this month. The phone has already suffered delays pushing the release from June until September. If it had launched on time, it may have been able to sneak in the release before the Google's ability to license software to the company expired.
According to a report published today by Reuters, Huawei's upcoming Mate 30 series of phones may have to eschew Google's apps as a result of the trade ban imposed by the U.S. government. While the phone should still be able to run Android, given the free and open availability of the software, deeper integration with Google's apps and services like the Play Store and YouTube will be missing if an exemption can't be secured.
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Huawei 's consumer division chief Yu Chengdong was spotted in an airport in China by reporter Li Wei apparently waving around a slightly redesigned version of the Huawei Mate X. The phone was previously delayed amid Huawei's drama with the US government, while Samsung was also having its own folding phone troubles. In the meantime, the company has made a few subtle tweaks to the as-yet-unreleased Mate X.
Folding phones are tricky to get right, their manufacturers are finding. In light of Samsung's well-documented troubles with its Galaxy Fold, Huawei previously delayed the release of its own folding device, the Mate X, from a June release date until September. Now, that release date has been pushed even further, according to TechRadar.
Despite being quite a promising device, the Samsung Galaxy Fold's launch didn't go as smoothly as expected. Indeed, several review units failed right before its official release, which led the brand to delay the handset's commercialization to improve its design. Some saw this as an opportunity for Huawei to get ahead of the competition with its Mate X. Nevertheless, the manufacturer faced its own share of issues after it was added to the US Entity list, as it may have to stop using Android on its devices. On top of these woes, the company's first foldable device may not be as reliable as expected, as its launch is being delayed to September, with Huawei claiming they "don’t want to launch a product to destroy [their] reputation."
By holding its event ahead of Mobile World Congress (MWC) for the first time in a few years, Samsung ensured maximum hype surrounding the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Some of that hype may have died down once the design and the $1,980 price tag came to light, but the general vibe is that it's nice to have an exciting new form-factor in what has become a relatively stale industry. As the press conferences from the other major tech companies get underway here in Barcelona, we expect to see a few more devices with flexible screens, and the first of those to be unveiled is the Huawei Mate X.
Samsung just got done showing off its first foldable phone, and Huawei is looking to take some wind out of its sails. A banner going up ahead of Huawei's Mobile World Congress event appears to show off the company's first foldable phone, which it calls the Mate X.