Huawei Mate X2 Launched; Price, Details, Specification and Impressions

The Huawei Mate X2 was launched on 22nd February 2021. It marked the third generation of the brand’s foldable phones. However, this time around, the design received an overhaul. It folds inside, unlike the previous two models.

The Mate X2 is now the brand’s forefront smartphone that will rival the Samsung Galaxy Fold 3. The Fold 3 will be launched in the coming months, fueling the competition of foldable phones.

Key Highlights:

8.00-inch primary display

6.45-inch secondary display

HiSilicon Kirin 9000 processor

8GB RAM

4500mAh battery

50 MP rear camera

The Huawei Mate X2 is built like a proper flagship, with all the top specifications. While its primary rival is the Samsung Galaxy Fold series, the Mate X2 will also go head-to-head with other flagships.

The retail box consists of a rapid 66W charger, USB-C earphones, charging cable and a protective case that acts as a kickstand too. The Huawei Mate X2 also comes with a pre-applied screen protector on the external display.

The Mate X2 is offered in Bright Black, Ice Crystal Blue, Ice Crystal Powder, and White Glaze colour options.

Let’s take a detailed look at the device:

Price:

The Huawei Mate X2 will cost around CNY 17,999 (roughly Rs. 2.01 lakh) for the 8GB + 256GB variant and CNY 18,999 (roughly Rs. 2,12 lakh) for the 8GB + 512GB variant in China. For now, the phone has only been released for China. There is no news on whether it will make its way to the international market or not.

Design:

Design is probably the most exciting aspect of the device. The curve is now inwards, similar to the Galaxy Fold design. The design now allows for a bigger screen at the front. This is a huge upgrade compared to the last generation.

The design is also like a wedge, which makes the weight distribution more uniform. According to Huawei, with equal weight distribution on both sides, the phone feels heavier. But with their wedge design, the phone folds to make up for a more uniform weight experience. The phone in its folded state measures 161.8x74.6x14.7mm. While in its unfolded state, it measures 161.8x145.8x8.2mm and weighs 295 grams.

Display:

Another fascinating aspect of the phone is its dual-display. The Mate X2 sports a 6.45-inch OLED display at the front. The aspect ratio is almost similar to 16:9, at a resolution of 1,160*2,700 pixels. The screen also has features like a 90Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and 456ppi pixel density. This front also houses the selfie camera.

Upon unfolding the device, you get a neat and gorgeous 8-inch OLED display. The display has no obstruction whatsoever and looks amazing. The resolution of this panel is 2,200*2,480 pixels with a 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate, and 413ppi pixel density.

Internals:

The Mate X2 is powered by the octa-core Kirin 9000 SoC and Mali-G78 GPU. It comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB and 512GB storage options. This is expandable via Huawei’s Nano Memory card.

The Huawei Mate X2 runs Android 10 with EMUI 11.0 skin on top.

Cameras:

In terms of cameras, the Huawei Mate X2 packs a rear quad-camera setup that includes a 50MP primary sensor with an f/1.9 lens and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) support. Then we have a 16MP sensor with an ultra-wide-angle f/2.2 lens and a 12MP telephoto shooter with f/2.4 aperture and OIS support. Finally, there’s an 8MP super zoom camera with f/4.4 aperture with 10x optical zoom and OIS support.

Selfies are handled by a single 16MP sensor with an f/2.2 lens. There is a time-of-flight sensor beside the front lens for a better portrait mode.

However, using the screen at the front, one can easily take photos with the rear camera.

The cameras are on par with Huawei’s flagship phones- the P40 and P40 Pro.

Battery and Connectivity:

The device has a 4,500Ah battery that supports 55W fast charging. Unlike other top smartphone brands, Huawei has included the charging brick in the box.

Connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port for charging.

The Mate X2 also includes all the necessary sensors like the gravity sensor, Infrared sensor, barometer, gyroscope, compass, ambient light sensor, and proximity sensor.

Overall Impressions:

The Huawei Mate X2 is the first foldable phone which can be called “not in beta”. The performance and cameras should be good too, considering it’s Huawei. The battery might suffer from the bigger display, but that’s something unavoidable. The device is probably the best when it comes to hardware. Huawei Mate X2’s only problem? Its availability.