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Huawei Mate Xs 2 unveiled, the second-generation outward folding smartphone
On April 28th, Huawei unveiled the successor to its unorthodox take on the foldable form-factor. The Huawei Mate Xs 2 retains the signature outward fold of its predecessor, despite Huawei abandoning it for the Mate X2.
Design
One thing that cannot be understated about the Huawei Mate Xs 2 is its head-turning design. Even as a foldable, Huawei’s device manages to stand out. Although broadly similar to its predecessor, there are some subtle changes to the camera module to accommodate the more ambitious sensor.
Unlike the Galaxy Fold lineup, the Mate Xs 2 is shockingly thin for a foldable at about 5.4mm when unfolded and 11.1mm when folded. It is also on the lighter side for a device of this caliber at 255 grams. Adjustments to the hinge mechanism have also made the screen flatter. The device is available in three colors at launch - Brocade White, Elegant Black and Frost Purple.
Display
Unsurprisingly, the display of the device looks stunning on paper. A 7.8” OLED panel with 2480x2200 resolution (which adds up to 424 ppi), a 120Hz refresh rate and P3 wide color gamut. When folded, you are still left with a rather massive 6.5” screen that manages to compete head to head with some plus-sized smartphones, like the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Huawei has made progress in the durability department, the Achilles heel of any foldable. The material of the screen has been strengthened and can now even support input from an active stylus, such as Huawei’s own M-Pen 2s.
Camera
The most obvious upgrade in the Huawei Xs 2 is the camera system. The module now sports a triple camera system - a 50MP primary sensor, backed up by a 13MP ultra-wide one and a 8MP 3x optical zoom telephoto lens with an LED flash. The selfie camera is no slouch, coming up at 10.7 MP. Huawei has also implemented what they call “enhanced computation optics” for additional clarity of the images.
Specifications
The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, ensuring stellar performance, surpassed only by Apple’s A series chipsets. The octa-core CPU consists of one 2.84GHz core, three 2.42GHz and four 1.8GHz ones. The GPU of the device is the Adreno 660.
The standard variant of the phone has a 4600mAh battery, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, while the more expensive Collector's Edition comes with 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and 4880mAh battery capacity. Across all models, the Mate Xs 2 will feature support for super fast 66W charging. Huawei promises a 90% charge of the battery in only 30 minutes.
OS and other features
The Mate Xs 2 is running HarmonyOS 2, Huawei’s native software. Hence, without direct access to the Play Store, the pool of available apps is somewhat limited. Huawei is also introducing a “self-adaptive UI engine”, which optimizes the layout to make more efficient use of the greater screen real estate, as well as additional touch gestures.
Huawei’ foldable is the first device on the market to support tri-band Wi-Fi. The device features further improvements in connectivity as well as 2 SIM card slots. Lastly, the stunning screen will be backed up by spatial sound audio speakers, in order to guarantee a truly immersive experience when consuming media.
Price and availability
The device will have a normal and a “Collector’s Edition” version, with the latter having the bigger battery, more RAM and internal storage. Pricing will start at CNY 9999 (around 1500 USD) for the lower-tier model. The device will be available for purchase on May 6th in China.
