Today, Huawei introduced the third generation of its foldable smartphone, the Mate X2. The original Mate X was first released in 2019, and last year, it got a relatively small upgrade with the Mate XS, but this is a true successor.
The Mate X2 replaces the outward-facing folding display with an inner one, similar to Samsung"s Galaxy Z Fold line. The inner display is an 8-inch panel with a nearly square 8:7.1 aspect ratio and 2480x2200 resolution for a total of 413ppi. The external display is a 6.45-inch 21:9 panel with a resolution of 2700x1160 and 456ppi. Both displays have a 90Hz refresh rate but the inner display has a 180Hz touch sampling rate, as opposed to the 240Hz rate on the external display.
The Mate X2 also promises much less screen glare thanks to a new magnetically-controlled nano optical layer, which Huawei says is the first on the market. The company promises a reflectiveness rate lower than 1.5% on the display, which is less than a third of Samsung"s Galaxy Z Fold2 and even lower than that of Apple"s Pro Display XDR. On top of that, the phone folds perfectly in half with no gap, thanks to a "multi-dimensional hinge design" that allows the display to bend forming a waterdrop shape inside the phone"s casing. Huawei also claims to have addressed the creasing problem some foldable displays have thanks to the larger bend, promising a 40% flatter display, and the hinge itself is made of more durable steel to make sure it doesn"t break easily.
In order to accommodate the camera setup, Huawei has made it so that the phone gets thicker as you approach the camera module, but the surface of the phone is flat. It also folds in a way that ensures the phone is equally thick at the bottom when it"s folded, so when you"re using it with one hand, you won"t notice it. However, when it"s unfolded, the right side is thicker and heavier, making it easier to hold with just the right hand, similar to what some e-readers do.
That camera setup consists of a 50MP RYYB primary sensor with an f/1.9 aperture, a 12MP 3x optical zoom lens, and an 8MP sensor with 10x optical zoom, all with OIS. There"s also an ultra-wide-angle camera with 16MP resolution as well as a "microspur" camera for macro shots. On the front, there"s another 16MP wide-angle camera and a "multi-spectrum color temperature sensor".
Turning to the specs, the phone comes with the new Kirin 9000 5G chipset, which has a 5nm octa-core CPU with a prime core running at 3.13GHz, three premium cores at 2.54GHz, and four efficient cores at 2.05GHz. It also has a 24-core GPU, a Kirin 6.0 ISP with a quad-pipeline, and three dedicated NPUs for artificial intelligence. The chip promises 30% more CPU performance, and 90% more GPU and NPU performance compared to the Kirin 990, as well as 32% more power efficiency for the CPU, 50% more for the GPU, and 65% for the NPU. There"s also a 4,500mAh battery with support for 55W Huawei SuperCharge.
The Huawei Mate X2 will be available in four colors, Crystal Blue, Crystal Pink, White, and Black, and it will come in two storage variants - 256GB and 512GB. The phone will be available in China from February 25, with the 256GB variant costing ¥17,999 ($2,782.65) and the 512GB model going for ¥18999 ($2,937.25). There are also accessories including cases with kickstand and an adjustable car dashboard stand launching alongside it.
Finally, Huawei also announced that its new HarmonyOS - which is a lot like regular Android - will be rolling out as an update for Huawei devices starting this April, with the Mate X2 being one of the first in line to get the update.