Huawei has made a fundamental contribution to the development of Android smartphones in recent years. It was the first to adopt a periscope lens to improve the zoom, it was the first to create a Night Mode truly worthy of the name and was the first to use large batteries on thinner smartphones. Also on the software front, Huawei has given its contribution to the development of Android, different solutions created by the Chinese house then arrived in the official releases of the green robot.
Today the relationship with Google, and especially with the United States, is not the best, despite this the desire to innovate has not stopped. The new Mate Xs is the demonstration that Huawei does not intend to stop, entering a whole new sector, that of folding smartphones, where there is ample room for improvement and where there are the most difficult production challenges to overcome.
It is not a prototype
Huawei Mate X was released in China last year and sold out quickly. Despite never having arrived in Italy, Mate X was the first folding smartphone to face the challenge of the market. A friendly market, that of the mother country, but to which Europe and Italy will also be added in the coming weeks. Mate Xs is in fact the first Huawei folding smartphone to arrive in Europe, after a renewal process that did not upset the first model but went on to improve it in some critical points, such as the resistance of the hinge to wear. The voltage to which the display is subjected is felt from the first opening, just press the red button on the left edge of the phone to see it open with some energy. You must then open the display completely to hear the "click" which indicates the correct positioning of the screen in "tablet" mode.
Mate Xs does not use secondary screens as in Samsung and Motorola leaflets, not needed because the main screen is already facing out. When closed it can be used as a normal smartphone, when open it can be transformed into an 8-inch tablet, with all the advantages. Compared to Samsung's Fold, this approach brings several advantages on a constructive level, no extra screens or cameras are needed to manage the phone when it is open or when it is closed, even the thickness benefits.
The screen is made of a particular polymer that uses a two-layer structure, designed to increase wear resistance. It is then applied directly to the factory, a protective film, which must not be removed.
The main display located outside the device, and not inside as in the Samsung Fold, convinced us immediately, the usability benefits greatly and we are not dealing with secondary screens, often small and impractical.
Once the tension to which it is subjected is opened, there are no obvious creases, the 8-inch display is stretched to perfection, only by passing the finger do you notice the crease in some places.
Huawei has thought of software optimizations to make the most of the generously sized screen, it is possible to run applications in two windows side by side, to which you can add a third app in a floating window. Copy-paste is also available between the two applications open simultaneously, convenient for moving text and images.
In terms of usability, Huawei's folding screen is more incisive than that used by Samsung and is used more, given the absence of secondary displays, the only unknown remains the resistance to prolonged use of this panel.
Its position towards the outside of the body makes it more exposed to wear and possible blows in the event of a fall. Huawei is confident of its product, enough to bring it to Europe, but only time will tell if the Mate Xs' OLED panel will be able to withstand normal daily use.
A high-end data sheet
Faced with such a particular product in the form factor, the data sheet loses some of its interest, Huawei has however made a powerful smartphone and with everything you need for a top of the range. The OLED screen is 8 inches and has a resolution of 2480×2200 pixels while the processor is a Kirin 990 with 5G connectivity, made at 7 nanometers. We then find 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal expandable memory. The cameras, made in collaboration with Leica, include a 40 Megapixel main sensor with f / 1.8 aperture, a 16 Megapixel F / 2.2 wide angle, an 8 Megapixel f / 2.4 telephoto lens for zooming and finally a ToF sensor for detection depth of field.
There battery is 4500 mAh and supports 55W fast charging, Dual SIM is also present. All this brings the total weight of the phone to 300 grams, not a few but close to the 276 grams of the Galaxy Fold. The operating system on board is Android 10 with Huawei Mobile Services, therefore there are no Google services and applications, the applications are downloaded from the proprietary App Gallery store. Mate Xs is an arrival in Italy in the coming weeks, there is not yet a precise date but the launch is close, at one price of 2,599 euros, the highest among the foldable currently available, for a product that will need a thorough test to understand its real potential.
