Well, what do you know? Huawei Mate60 Pro and Mate60 Pro+ are not the only devices rocking the new Huawei-designed and China-made Kirin chip. There is the Mate X5 too. That’s right. Huawei has also launched (note, it’s launched, not announced) a new folding phone without any fanfare.
For some reason, Huawei decided to skip X4 to go straight to X5. Probably Huawei did so to catch up with the actual number of Mate folding devices. So, yeah, this is indeed the fifth Mate X device. Anyhoo, Huawei’s folding device has the most convoluted naming of any product ever.
Aesthetically, the new Huawei Mate X5 [CH] is almost identical to the Mate X3, save for the camera module that now has more black, occupying nearly the entire circular unit.
Speaking of cameras; it looks like they are exactly the same as the Mate X3, i.e. it comprises a 50 MP main camera, a 13 MP super wide-angle camera, and a 12 MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS. There is, of course, 5x optical zoom and up to 50x digital zoom. Similarly, the front-facing camera on both the main and secondary displays appears to be the same 8 MP item as on the X3.
The major difference between the Mate X3 and the Mate X5 is that the latter is now powered by the Kirin 9000s chip found on the Mate60 Pro. So technically, the 5G has returned to the Mate X folding phone.
In case anyone’s wondering, the physical size remains the same but it is now a tad heavier across both the PU and Glass model (239g/241g vs 243g/245g).
As before it supports bi-directional BeiDou satellite messaging for sending and receiving text via satellite in the event where there is no cell coverage. However, it does not support satellite calls at this point.
It will be offered with 12 and 16 GB RAM and 512 GB ROM for the “regular” model and 16 GB RAM standard with 512 GB or 1 TB storage for the “collector’s edition”. The device supports an NM card of up to 256 GB.
The displays while the same are also where things get a little confusing. The 12 GB model’s main display has a peak brightness of 1,000 nits and supports 60/90/120 Hz, while the 16 GB model’s brightness peaks out at 1,800 nits and 1-120 Hz adaptive refresh rate.
Another key difference is the battery. The new Mate X5 has a slightly larger 5,060 mAh battery but charging remains the same 66 W wired charging, 50 W wireless charging, and 7.5 W reverse wireless charging.
The collector’s edition further touts a new Kunlun glass that is tougher than the standard Kunlun glass. The rest of the specifications appear to be identical to the X3, including IPX8 water resistance.
The Huawei Mate X5 is available to order [CH] starting September 08, 2023, China time. However, there is no pricing yet. Even then, pre-orders are apparently all sold out.
Images: Huawei [CH].
