Huawei Mate Xs (2020): Everything You Need To Know
The Pitch
With the original Huawei Mate X only launching in China, the Huawei Mate Xs sees the infamous Chinese tech giant’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy Fold go international.
Relying on an outward fold rather than the alternative, the Huawei Mate Xs features a sprawling 8-inch display that wraps around the entire exterior of the device.
There are pros and cons to this approach. It opens the display up to more everyday wear and tear but it also means you don’t have to live with an embarrassingly small external display like that found on the exterior of the original Galaxy Fold.
The Specs
Processor: Kirin 990 5G
Display: 8.0-inch AMOLED
Resolution: 2200 x 2480 pixels
RAM: 8GB
ROM: 512GB
Expandable Storage: Yes (Nano Memory)
Headphone Jack: No
Fingerprint Scanner: Yes
Operating System: Android 10 / EMUI 10
Battery Size: 4500mAh
Rear Camera: 40-megapixel wide (f/1.8) lens + 8-megapixel (f/2.4) telephoto lens + 16-megapixel (f/2.2) ultrawide lens + Time-of-Flight depth sensor
The Reviews
Of all the foldable phones seen thus far, the Huawei Mate Xs appears to be the most divisive when it comes to reviews. As per AndroidAuthority’s Kris Carlon:
The Huawei Mate Xs is a fantastic piece of hardware with three big roadblocks to mainstream acceptance: the natural aversion to having a flexible display on the outside of a folding device, a current lack of access to Google apps and services not yet made up for by Huawei’s fledgling App Gallery, and its relatively high price tag
Huawei did manage to find a fan in TechRadar’s Abbas Jaffar Ali, who called it the best implementation of foldable form-factors yet:
Huawei has thrown conventional design out of the window with Mate Xs by placing the foldable screen on the outside and we think this design makes great sense as you’re not stuck with a secondary smaller display.
WhistleOut’s Alex Choros felt similarly, concluding:
A sky high price-tag, a lack of Google apps and services, and serious concerns around durability make it impossible to recommend.
Finder.com’s Alex Kidman was even more critical, calling it:
A phone that will sting you to the tune of $3,999, and it’s crippled by Huawei’s current lack of access to the full Google ecosystem.
Our Verdict?
Even by the standards of foldable smartphones, the Huawei Mate Xs is onerously expensive. It’s also subject to software drawbacks in a way that fare like the Galaxy Fold and Motorola Razr are not. As far as caveats go, can’t run Google apps and services and doesn’t have access to the Google Play Store is a fairly sizable one.
If Huawei’s troubled relationship with the US government were mended overnight, the Mate Xs would still be a tough sell. Absent any such chance in circumstances, it’s a persona non grata in the land of foldable smartphones.
