At Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona today, Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) unveiled the World’s Fastest 5G Foldable Phone, the HUAWEI Mate X. When folded, the device is a huge display smartphone with a 6.6-inch screen. When opened, it turns into a slim tablet with an 8-inch screen.
Thus compares with the Samsung Fold, unveiled four days earlier, having only a 4.6-inch front display, and 7.3-inch when opened up,
“The HuaweiMate X’s revolutionary form factor is achieved by Huawei’s relentless effort in R&D,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei CBG, at the launch. “It represents a voyage into the uncharted. As a new breed of smartphones, Huawei Mate X combines 5G, foldable screen, AI and an all-new mode of interfacing to provide consumers with an unprecedented user experience.”
It features a Falcon Wing mechanical hinge, 7nm multi-mode modem chipset Balong 5000, a high-capacity 4500mAh battery, and the world’s fastest charging, with a 55W HUAWEI SuperCharge.
Likun Zhao, President of Huawei CBG for Southern Africa, said: “In terms of technology, Huawei has taken another leap in innovation. We will continue to bring the latest innovation to our local consumers and we intend on bringing Mate X to South Africa later this year.”
On the front, the 2-in-1 smartphone and tablet features a high strength, flexible OLED 6.6-inch dual display panel using FullView, edge-to-edge display. When unfolded, it transforms into an 8-inch tablet measuring 5.4mm thick. Folded, it measures 11cm, compared to the Fold’s 17cm. Unlike the Fold, which looks like two phones on top of each other when folded, the two halves of the Mate X screen fit into a frame.
The expansive viewing area lends well to both productivity and entertainment scenarios, said Huawei in a a statement today: “Everything from editing a document to reading feels better on a larger screen. In addition, consumers are able to drag images from their photo gallery to their emails in split-screen mode. The larger screen allows consumers to do more with their time.”
The foldable design makes it possible for the Leica camera system to play the role of both front and rear cameras. When folded, the Mate X shows a view finder on both sides, so the subjects in the frame can contribute to the creative process.
The Mate X also comes with an integrated Fingerprint Power Button that enables users to power up the device with one tap.
Equipped with the world’s first 7nm 5G multi-mode modem chipset Balong 5000, the chipset has unprecedented 5G download speeds, at 4.6Gps on the Sub-6GHz band (theoretical). Balong 5000 is also the world’s first chipset to support both SA and NSA architectures. A dual SIM feature supports both 4G and 5G.
A purpose-designed 4500mAh battery is packed in the Mate X’s body, using AI-based smart power-saving technology. The 55W SuperCharge charging plug is able to charge the battery back to 85 percent In 30 minutes.
At MWC 2019, Huawei also launched an updated HUAWEI MateBook X Pro, new mainstream notebook PCs, the HUAWEI MateBook 13 and HUAWEI MateBook 14, as well as the HUAWEI 5G CPE Pro router.
Click here to watch the Gadget exclusive Huawei Mate X demo, recorded by Arthur Goldstuck.