If 2018 was the year of the notch, then 2019 has already found its next big selling point: The fold. Just days after Samsung announced their flexible smartphone, Huawei bounced back with their usual philosophy: Anything any other smartphone manufacturer can do, they can do better. Say hello, to the Huawei Mate X:
So what’s under the hood? On the surface, you’ve got a what is essentially an 8-inch tablet that houses an OLED screen, a meaty 4500 mAh battery and Huawei’s speedy Kirin 980 processor (same as the Mate 20 Pro). All this, and a thickness of just 11mm when folded. That’s Parisian supermodel thinness for a device that packs so much into it. One feature I do appreciate is how the Huawei Mate X has incredibly tiny bezels on three sides while the fourth has a thick grip section that is also home to the device’s trio of cameras, which is known as the Falcon Wing. Metal.
According to Huawei, these are the measurements for the device in its various forms:
- Main display – 6.6 inch 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 2480 x 1148 resolution when folded
- Rear display – 6.4 inch 25:9 aspect ratio, 2480 x 892 resolution when folded
- Main display unfolded – 8 inch 8:7.1 aspect ratio, 2480 x 2200 resolution
The Mate X is also looking to future-proof itself, with built-in 5G connectivity, a dual-sim card setup and capacity for Huawei’s Nano memory cards. As for the camera, Huawei hasn’t dropped any details just yet, but with the Leica branding seen on this device I’d expect a final setup that is close or even improves upon last year’s offerings from the P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro line, that leveraged a Master AI system with a proper telephoto lens to create some stunning 40 megapixel images.
8GB of RAM and a 512GB internal storage capacity rounds out the known spec list, as does the astonishing price: €2,299/$2600 for this beast of a phone and tablet hybrid. And yes, I think I may be getting a severe case of technolust that my dwindling resources definitely cannot match.
Last Updated: February 25, 2019
G8crasha
February 25, 2019 at 08:45
So, you can buy a phone for the price of a small second hand car. What value for money!!!!
With that I decided to do a little experiment:
1. 2014 Toyota Hilux – R36800
2. 1999 Alfa Romeo 156 – R34900
3. 1997 BMW 5 Series 528i – R34500
4. 1996 Audi A4 1.8 – R25000
Now, that’s not to say the above cars are 100%, but even if you buy one at this price and fix what needs to be fixed, there is a chance it would still be cheaper than buying this phone.
But hey, this coming from a guy who bought an S9 last year!!!
Kromas
February 25, 2019 at 10:30
I mean I bought a 1080ti instead of a phone upgrade and before that I bought a Vive instead of a phone upgrade. Hell my P8 still runs but I might just splurge a bit and get a p smart 2019 refresh cause it has a kirin 710 chip inside and is cheap.
G8crasha
February 25, 2019 at 08:45
So, you can buy a phone for the price of a small second hand car. What value for money!!!!
With that I decided to do a little experiment:
1. 2014 Toyota Hilux – R36800
2. 1999 Alfa Romeo 156 – R34900
3. 1997 BMW 5 Series 528i – R34500
4. 1996 Audi A4 1.8 – R25000
Now, that’s not to say the above cars are 100%, but even if you buy one at this price and fix what needs to be fixed, there is a chance it would still be cheaper than buying this phone.
But hey, this coming from a guy who bought an S9 last year!!!
Kikmi
February 25, 2019 at 09:00
This design is pretty well damn done imo. Ergonomics seem to be spot on. Depends where the weight is going to be situated but I can totally see this design doing well.
PoisonedBelial
February 25, 2019 at 08:31
What exactly is a folding phone fixing?
I don’t see any point to these at all.
It reeks of a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.
The D
February 25, 2019 at 08:32
It’s fixing the problem of people having too much money in their wallets.
PoisonedBelial
February 25, 2019 at 08:45
Please introduce me to these people.
I’d be glad to help them have less cash in their wallets.
G8crasha
February 25, 2019 at 08:45
I agree with what you say, and I would personally not splurge out on so much money for this phone. The way I see it though is that at least the industry is innovating, even if it is not solving any existing problems, or the said innovation is not game changing. You could also reason that this innovation may lead to another one that is useful. Who knows. Somebody will take this idea and build on it.
Gavin Mannion
February 25, 2019 at 09:12
Total waste of money, but it’s cool tech that could get used elsewhere
Llama In The Rift
February 25, 2019 at 08:59
Joh Joh…how do i protect this phone then? Do i need to laminate it?
Hammersteyn
February 25, 2019 at 09:00
Maybe it’s like a collectible, you put it in a glass case and never use it.
Kromas
February 25, 2019 at 10:29
Remember those bodyglove nokia protectors back in the day? I think like that. Phone pouches are making a comeback baby.
justlikemo
February 25, 2019 at 10:52
with a side clip for your jean pant
Kromas
February 25, 2019 at 11:28
THAT ONE!!! 😛
PoisonedBelial
February 25, 2019 at 09:00
Rather give me the Nokia 9 with the cameras on the back.
Kikmi
February 25, 2019 at 09:00
This design is pretty well damn done imo. Ergonomics seem to be spot on. Depends where the weight is going to be situated but I can totally see this design doing well.
Hammersteyn
February 25, 2019 at 09:00
The weight is gonna shift from your wallet to this phone.
Gavin Mannion
February 25, 2019 at 09:12
This is just so much better that the Samsung one it’s laughable.
If you were an idiot wanting to pay over $2k for a folding phone there is zero chance you would buy the Samsung now, it looks idiotic when folded.