Huawei is definitely studying Apple's latest strategy. Huawei released the HUAWEI Mate X folding smartphone in 2019, and earlier this year it launched the surprisingly similar-looking Mate Xs. Will the Mate Xs Max be next?
There will be a lot of debate about Huawei's smartphone naming strategy and its track record in terms of security. Still, many would agree that the Chinese tech giant has been successful in innovating over the past few years.
For example, the "PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS" released in 2018 was the first smartphone with a fingerprint sensor built into the display. A year later, the Huawei P30 Pro adopted periscope zoom technology for its camera. It's now also in rival Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Huawei's Mate X also took the lead in foldable smartphones, sweeping 2019's Mobile World Congress (MWC). On the other hand, Samsung's "Galaxy Fold" received harsh evaluations from the media in the same year.
To be fair, the Mate X has not been released outside of China. That's why it hasn't been under the same scrutiny as the Galaxy Fold. Still, the Mate X looked far more "futuristic" than the Galaxy Fold.
Almost a dream experience...
This time, I tried Huawei's Mate Xs for about 24 hours. I tried out the enhanced internal system, the improved new UI, and the quad camera on the streets of London. And it was an almost dreamlike experience. It's a model with 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, and with a price tag of 2,499 euros (about 300,000 yen), it's no surprise.
Although it is possible to sell outside of China, it is necessary to look at the reality beyond the enthusiasm. As with all of Huawei's new tech running on Android, there is a caveat involving US President Donald Trump.
Like the Mate 30 Pro, which is already on sale in the UK, the Mate Xs lacks Google services. The impact of this will depend on what Huawei can achieve with its own app store in the next 6-12 months.
Beautiful, Perfectly Responsive
The design of the Mate Xs is virtually unchanged from the 2019 Mate X. There's a wraparound display that wraps around the sides, with a closed phone-style screen size of 6.6 inches and a resolution of 1148 by 2480 pixels. These outperform the Galaxy Fold.
