Folding smartphone Huawei Mate X - pros and cons

At the international exhibition of mobile technology Mobile World Congress 2019, the famous Chinese corporation Huawei presented the Mate X smartphone. The novelty turned out to be much more remarkable than the Samsung flagship Galaxy Fold. The Chinese brand's smartphone attracts the most attention with its eight-inch display, which rolls up to the outside, thanks to which it can be used constantly, which is very convenient.

What is the projected service life

The journalists were given the opportunity to personally check the new expensive flagship and weigh all its advantages and disadvantages.

The developers of the novelty for a long time could not answer the question about the useful life of the folding display. However, for consumers, this is one of the important points. Indeed, during use, the screen will unfold and collapse more than a dozen times, which is why its service life will clearly become less. But on February 26, this secret was revealed by the leadership of the Chinese corporation, and the announced information simply amazed everyone.

Features of the foldable smartphone Huawei MateX

The most important distinguishing feature of the Mate X from the Samsung flagship is that the foldable display is on the outside, not on the inside. That is, it is always ready for use. Also the advantage is the smaller clearance and functional convenience.

The lifespan of a foldable smartphone is 24 months, and this is with its daily and active use. After this period, some shortcomings may appear in the work. To check the duration of the working life, Huawei manufacturers conducted special laboratory tests for several weeks in which the smartphone was constantly folded and unfolded.

From an official source it became known that the manufacturer will produce about 100,000 foldable flagships per month.

3-4 weeks before the start of sales, the corporation will already start producing Mate X so that the smartphone is not in short supply and everyone can buy it. However, the brand's management does not think that the demand will be very high, since the cost of the flagship is high. But still, if necessary, production can be increased if there is a need for it. The start of sales of Huawei Mate X is planned for this summer, however, most likely, again due to its price, the smartphone will not arrive in all countries.

Foldable smartphones from Huawei and Samsung have no competitors yet. But the flagship from the Chinese manufacturer is in the lead. The Mate X has a slimmer and more attractive look.

Specifications

Pros of Huawei Mate X

Both the front of the screen and the back are full-sized, so one can be used as the main one for everyday tasks. And the back can be used for selfies or turn on the player. In practice, this is very convenient - everything is immediately at hand. However, it's worth noting that the Mate X has 4GB less RAM than the Samsung foldable smartphone.

Interesting! But due to the fact that there is no additional screen, the battery charge is consumed much more economically. The battery of the Mate X smartphone consists of 2 equal parts - 2250 mAh each.

As secondary advantages, we can note the possibility of using two SIM cards, a 5G modem, as well as a proprietary nanoSD memory card slot. In the Russian Federation, within 2 years, it is planned to introduce a 5th generation mobile network, at which the speed will grow to 4.5 Gbps. However, whether the new smartphone will survive until this time is a big question.

Cons of Huawei Mate X

The manufacturer of the Chinese brand has in many ways surpassed the Samsung flagship. While the Galaxy Fold is 17 mm thick, the Mate X is only 11 mm thick. And in the open state it is generally only 5.4 mm. The Chinese also delighted consumers with the display size - 8 inches versus 7.3 ”Samsung ones. And the gap when folding is smaller here due to the fact that the display is outside. However, the Chinese novelty also has disadvantages, and it is unlikely that anyone will like them.

Disadvantages Huawei Mate X:

1. The external screen has a greater risk of damage than the internal one, like the flagship from Samsung;
2. The protective coating of the display is too weak, which is why more and more scratches will constantly appear on the screen;
3. The life of the falcon wing joint is only 2 years;
4. Flimsy construction combined with the highest price tag;
5. For the foldable form factor, the EMUI shell is not yet ready;
6. The smartphone is most likely not repairable, but a replacement will be possible.

All of these cons are not your usual criticism of the novelty. This is an objective assessment of all the characteristics, thanks to which it becomes possible to consider in advance the feasibility of a purchase. This data, of course, may not be enough for an adequate assessment, so below are more detailed official data on the Mate X smartphone.

Huawei foldable smartphone battery

The total battery capacity of the Mate X is 4500 mAh, and it is divided into two equal parts - 2250 mAh each. Both halves of the smartphone are equipped with batteries with lithium-polymer "chemistry". If we take into account that the Chinese flagship does not have a second display and the battery capacity is larger than in Samsung (4380 mAh), accordingly, its autonomy will be better.

Interesting! Huawei Corporation officially names only the nominal battery capacity of all gadgets and always mentions that the characteristics may differ slightly in all devices.

Until now, the fastest charging has been the 50W SuperVOOC Flash Charge. However, it has now been replaced by 55W Huawei Super Charge. Thanks to the new patented technology, the smartphone charges up to 85% in just half an hour. In this case, each half of the battery is filled up to 1925 mAh, respectively, in general - up to 3850 mAh. This speed is really quite high for the mobile world. No less interesting is the operating time of a folding smartphone - how long will it last at 100% charge.

Working hours Huawei Mate X:

• talk time - 23 hours;
• listening to music - 99 hours;
• standby mode - 156 hours;
• total work of 2 parts of the display - 6 hours.

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the autonomy is much longer (in sleep mode, as much as 11 hours are added, and for the screen - 1 hour). This information is not official. These are the results of calculations of special algorithms that are derived based on the characteristics of the processor, matrix, battery capacity, and so on. All the same, mobile technologies do not stand still, thanks to which many manufacturers have learned to create more capacious batteries without increasing the body and weight of the device.

The cost of Huawei Mate X

Today Huawei Mate X is the most expensive smartphone in the world - its cost is 2299 euros or 2600 dollars, which is approximately equal to 172,300 rubles. The calculation of the price tag included such indicators as the amount of RAM and built-in memory, the size of the cameras, the color - Interstellar Blue, equipment, gifts and promotional codes.

Huawei's foldable smartphone release date

To date, only approximate official information about the start of sales of new items is known - mid-2019. The manufacturer plans to release one hundred thousand copies daily. There is no doubt that the Chinese have enough production capacity, but there is a big question about the demand. To bring a very expensive smartphone tablet to the masses will require very laborious advertising and marketing work. More precisely, the date of the start of sales, most likely, will be announced only after the release of the Samsung foldable smartphone. Samsung plans to launch its brainchild in late spring or early summer. Therefore, Mate X can not wait until the middle of summer.

Will Mate X be on sale in Russia

There is no official list of countries for the delivery of a foldable smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer yet. However, based on the cost of the gadget, it is unlikely that it will appear on Russian shelves. Huawei Corporation targets the European market and customers who are interested in luxury goods. It is possible that the company's management will take into account that there are a lot of users in Russia who are interested in this particular brand, and in the CIS countries a fairly large number of residents prefer luxury goods. Initially, the manufacturer will establish supplies with developed countries, since the risks of failure are too great in developing countries.