The Huawei Mate X2 just arrived for review and boy boy is this what I've been waiting for. Judging by the form factor alone, it's the foldable phone that Huawei should have made a few years ago.
To be fair, I liked the old Mate Xs design. I appreciated the uninterrupted main display, the economical use of cameras, and the large external screen. But the question of the durability of an outwardly foldable display was far too big for far too many people. Since Huawei and Samsung introduced their first foldable phones two years ago, Samsung has dominated foldable space with a market share of over 80%.
See also: The best foldable phones you can get
The Mate X2 is Huawei's attempt to regain some of that market share from Samsung. Ironically, Huawei's new design is very reminiscent of the "Innie" design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. Regardless of who did it first, Huawei does it really well here, possibly even better than Samsung itself. Here are my first impressions from the Mate X2.
The "Outie" is dead
Huawei Mate Xs (left) and Huawei Mate X2 (right)
The first thing to note is that the Mate X2 eliminates the need for the external folding screen of its predecessor and securely encloses the foldable screen on the inside. Fortunately, you still get that gorgeous full-size external display that Huawei has made since the beginning of its foray into foldable devices.
The back of the Mate X2 is very well machined and it doesn't look like dust can get into the innards of the chassis very easily. At the top of the Mate X2 are some speakers, a microphone, an IR blaster and the SIM tray. The bottom edge has another speaker, microphone and USB-C port. On the right side of the Mate X2 there is a volume rocker and a fingerprint scanner that are integrated into the elongated power button.
Seen from the side, the front part has a slightly funny looking wedge shape. The Mate X2 is a pretty chunky phone, but when closed, it's actually thinner on the hinge than the Galaxy Z Fold 2 (it folds flatter too). My first finding is that the Mate X2 offers a much better viewing experience than the foldable one from Samsung, even when closed.
The Mate X2 is a normal phone when closed.
Simply put, the Mate X2, like the Mate Xs before it, is just a normal phone when it's closed. There's no bizarre 25: 9 aspect ratio here like the Z Fold 2, just a normal 21: 9 OLED like any other phone you're used to.
The 6.45-inch 90 Hz OLED panel has a resolution of 2,700 x 1,160 (456 ppi) and apps are displayed with normal aspect ratios, even in split-screen mode when the Mate X2 is open. At first glance, it's just as good as any other screen you can find on a regular Huawei phone.
What is the interior design like?
Unfold the Huawei Mate X2 and the real fun begins. The main 90 Hz OLED display is no less than 8 inches (2,480 x 2,200 pixels, 413 ppi) diagonally and is not damaged by any notches or cutouts in the camera. The only downside I can see so far is that you won't be able to make video calls on the Mate X2 when it's unfolded. I got used to it on the Mate Xs and can't say it bothered me, but it's something I need to be aware of.
The result of this design is that you can use the main camera array on the back to take selfies as well. There is still a 16-megapixel selfie camera on the external display when the phone is closed. However, you can also open the Mate X2 and use one of the main cameras for selfies with the external screen as the viewfinder. This includes the 10x optical periscope camera if you want to get straight up your nose.
Do not miss: The best camera phones right now
Whatever you see on one screen or another expands when you open the Mate X2 or compresses when you close it. I like the continuity between the modes I've seen so far. Huawei's AppGallery has included a lot more apps than it did when it reviewed the Mate Xs last year, but unfortunately, Google apps are still not supported here.
If you look closely at the bezel with the Mate X2 open, you'll see that it actually has a protective cap. This is presumably Huawei's most recent response to covering the edges of the screen protector-like layer, which was a bit annoying on the Mate Xs. The previous solution had a tendency to collect fuzz in the grooves around the sensors, but this new solution looks a lot better from the start.
Is there a crease?
Technically yes, but it's so minimal that I can barely see it. I might notice it more under different lighting conditions, so stay tuned for our full review. The only thing I can say now is that the Mate X2's display is flat. How really flat. You can still feel the crease with your finger when you swipe it across the center of the screen - only - but it's a huge improvement over all of the other leaflets I've used.
I'm impressed with how solid the Mate X2 feels. There isn't a flex anywhere. When you open it, the screen clicks into place very firmly. I doubt the hinge will loosen over time, as it eventually did with my Mate X. When you tap the screen on the Mate X2 there is no giving either, it feels just as solid as a regular phone.
What else do I have to know?
I've put together a data sheet below for your viewing pleasure, but the Huawei Mate X2 isn't so much about specs as it's about an incredible piece of tech. Based on my experience with the Mate Xs, I am sure that the Mate X2 will go just as well with an everyday phone as the Xs. Even so, I reserve judgment until I can spend more time on it.
The Huawei Mate X2 box contains a 66W charging brick, a USB-C to USB-A cable and a pair of USB-C earbuds. It also comes with a very nice looking PU leather case with a kickstand that works when the phone is both open and closed. It should be noted that while the Mate X2 is equipped with a 66 W (11 V / 6 A) chip, the phone itself only supports 55 W fast charging (11 V / 5 A).
Also read: How much does it cost to replace a foldable display?
Huawei Mate X2 specifications
display
8-inch 90 Hz OLED (when open), 2480 x 2200, 413 ppi;
6.45 inches (when closed) 90 Hz OLED, 2700 x 1160, 456 ppi
SoC
Kirin 9000 (octa core, 1 x Cortex-A77 at 3.13 GHz, 3 x Cortex-A77 at 2.54 GHz, 4 x Cortex-A55 at 2.05 GHz)
GPU / NPU
Mali-G78 with 24 cores, two NPUs with a large core and a small core
camp
256/512 GB, NM card expansion
Cameras
Main cameras:
50MP Ultra Vision camera (wide angle, f / 1.9, OIS);
16MP cine camera (ultra wide angle, f / 2.2 aperture);
12MP telephoto camera (3x optical zoom, f / 2.4 aperture, OIS);
8MP SuperZoom camera (10x optical zoom, f / 4.4, OIS)
Aligned to the front:
16MP selfie camera (wide angle, f / 2.2)
battery
4,500mAh battery,
66W / 55W SuperCharge wired charging (phone supports max.55W)
Sensors
Sensors: fingerprint, gravity, infrared, hall, air pressure, gyroscope, compass, ambient light, proximity, laser, color temperature
network
Primary SIM card
5G NR: n1 / n3 / n28 (TX: 703 MHz - 733 MHz, RX: 758 MHz - 788 MHz) / n38 / n40 / n41 / n77 / n78 / n79 / n80 / n84
4G FDD LTE: bands 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/12/17/18/19/20/26
4G TDD LTE: bands 34/38/39/40/41
3G WCDMA: Bands 1/2/4/5/6/8/19
2G GSM: bands 2/3/5/8 (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
Secondary SIM card
4G FDD LTE: bands 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/12/17/18/19/20/26
4G TDD LTE: bands 34/38/39/40/41
3G WCDMA: Bands 1/2/4/5/6/8/19
2G GSM: bands 2/3/5/8 (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
place
GPS (L1 + L5 dual band) / AGPS / GLONASS / BeiDou (B1I + B1C + B2a + B2b quad band) / GALILEO (E1 + E5a + E5b tri band) / QZSS (L1 + L5 dual band) / NavIC
Connectivity
Dual-SIM, NFC, USB 3.1 GEN1 (included cable only supports USB 2.0), Bluetooth 5.2 (supports BLE, SBC, AAC, LDAC), dual-band WLAN 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax, 2×2 MIMO, HE160, 1024 QAM, 8 spatial sounding MU-MIMO (requires router support)
software
EMUI 11 on AOSP version of Android 10
Dimensions
Open: 161.8mm x 145.8mm x 4.4mm ~ 8.2mm;
Closed: 161.8mm x 74.6mm x 13.6mm ~ 14.7mm
Colours
Crystal blue, crystal pink, white, black
Huawei Mate X2: the first verdict
At first glance, the Huawei Mate X2 looks like a foldable killer. As always with Huawei, the hardware looks flawless. The fate of the Mate X2 will likely depend on software experience. Both about how well it works without Google services and how good the foldable experience turned out to be. stay tuned Android Authority for the full Huawei Mate X2 review next week.
The Huawei Mate X2 looks like a foldable killer.
The Huawei Mate X2 costs CNY 17,999 / 18,999 for the 256GB and 512GB versions, respectively (approximately $ 2,765 / $ 2,920). It was only officially launched in China, but if I have one it will likely have a European / global launch soon.
Let me know in the comments below what questions you would like to answer in the full Huawei Mate X2 review, and I will definitely answer them.