Huawei continues to bet on mobile phones with a flexible screen despite its limitations caused by the restrictions of the United States and the shortage of semiconductors, and has globally announced the Huawei Mate Xs 2, the second generation of its flagship foldable. This new smartphone arrives with multiple improvements compared to its predecessor, the matte xs, including, among others, a more powerful processor and a larger battery. All this, in addition, maintaining that flexible screen format completely different from what we see in the rest of its competition smartphones.
The Mate Xs 2, in fact, does not have two screens, as some folding screens do, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 or the Oppo Find N. This smartphone, on the other hand, has a flexible OLED panel that reaches 7.8 inches, a slightly smaller size than its predecessor, but similar to what we can get in a compact tablet. Bent, the panel is reduced to 6.5 inches, more conventional dimensions. The fold is also external, so part of the screen remains on the back. This is only activated when the main camera is used. In this way, the user can take a selfie with the primary lenses and see if it is framed.
The screen of the Huawei Mate Xs 2, on the other hand, has a 120Hz refresh rate and has a resolution of 2480 × 2200 pixels when fully unfolded. Dubbed, the panel’s resolution is reduced by 2480 × 1176 pixels.
The appearance of the Mate Xs 2 has also undergone some changes compared to the Mate Xs that the company announced in 2020. The crease so characteristic of flexible screens is no longer as pronounced, and the hinge now it is more resistant. All this translates into a design that is 2.5 times more resistant to drops, 2.8 times more resistant to shocks and 1.4 times more resistant to breakage.
Huawei Mate Xs 2: a lot of power, but with some other absence
The Huawei Mate Xs 2 arrives with a processor Snapdragon 888, one of the most powerful SoCs from Qualcomm. It does, yes, with a variant with 4G connectivity, since Huawei, due to the restrictions imposed by the United States, cannot use third-party 5G technology. It maintains a RAM memory of 8 or 12 GB and an internal storage of 256 or 512 GB.
All this, in addition, with a 4,600mAh battery which can be charged with a maximum power of 66W. The variant with the higher RAM and storage configuration, called the ‘Collector’s Edition’, keeps that power in the load. Its battery, however, has a higher capacity: 4,880 mAh.
Regarding the photographic section, the Huawei Mate Xs includes a triple main camera with a configuration very similar to that of most high-end smartphones. The primary sensor has a resolution of 50 megapixels, while the ultra wide-angle camera is 13 megapixels. It also has an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor, which allows you to capture photos with a 3x optical zoom or up to 30x digital zoom. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is 10.7 megapixels.
Huawei Mate Xs 2 | |
Dimensions and weight | 156.5mm x 139 x 5.4mm (unfolded) / 156.5 x 75.5 x 11.1mm (folded) |
Screen | – 7.8-inch OLED with 2480 x 2200 pixel resolution (folded 6.5-inch with 2480 x 1176 pixel resolution), 120Hz screen refresh rate |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 with 4G connectivity |
RAM | 8 or 12GB |
Storage | 256 or 512GB |
main chamber | – 50 megapixel primary sensor with f / 1.9 aperture – 13 megapixel ultra wide angle sensor with f / 2.2 aperture – 8-megapixel telephoto sensor with f/2.4 aperture (3x optical zoom and up to 30x digital zoom) |
Frontal camera | 10.7 megapixels |
Battery | 4,600 mAh (4,800 mAh in 12 GB + 256 GB version), 66W fast charge |
connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G, GPS, NFC, USB-C |
Operating system | Android under EMUI |
Price: | €1,999 |
Software: Huawei Mobile Services to alleviate the absence of Google
The Huawei Mate Xs 2 also includes EMUI, its own customization layer adapted to the flexible screen and that allows, among other things, to activate multitasking to be able to use different applications on the same screen. However, there is —again— a very important absence: Google services.
Although the smartphone works with Android, the company does not have a license to include apps such as Google Play, Gmail, Maps, etc. Huawei, yes, has an ecosystem of services called ‘Huawei Mobile Service‘, which include apps such as Petal Maps (maps), Huawei Music (streaming music service) or even AppGallery, its own application store.
Price and availability of the new Huawei folding
The Huawei Mate Xs 2 It can be purchased from June. The company will only market the version with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, which also includes a 4,600 mAh battery. The price of this version is €1,999.