Huawei is not in the thin race for folding phones, but its latest entrant in the premium foldable market, the Huawei Mate X7, is a tad thinner than its forebear. It does so while improving on the already excellent Xuanwu “water drop” hinge architecture, which now promises to be more reliable and durable.
The hinge on the new Mate X7 [CH] boasts core components made of ultra-strong rocket steel and has a large “water drop” that provides greater screen space, enhances protection, and enables a tighter closed package.
All told, it measures 9.5 mm when closed compared to the Mate X6’s 9.85/9.9 mm closed. However, when opened, it is just 0.1 mm thinner than its predecessor at 4.5 mm. It is a far cry from the king of thin, the Honor Magic V5, but man, it is just as ridiculous IMHO.
Did we also mention it is teeny-weeny bit lighter, too, at 235 g (vs. the Mate X6’s 239 g). This possibly over-engineered hinge is paired with a wing-shaped aluminum body frame to create a solid foundation for the entire device’s robustness.
Moreover, the device boasts both IP59 and IP58 dust and water resistance, allowing it to withstand high-temperature and high-pressure water-flow impacts. I believe it is the first folding device to rock an IP59 rating, which is somewhat borderline absurd for a folding-screen device. Further in the durability/survivability department, the secondary display is outfitted with second-generation Kunlun glass.
Speaking of the display, the secondary panel is a 6.49-inch curved OLED that pushes 2,444 × 1,080 pixels and hits 3,000 nits. The device opens up to an LTPO technology screen with a 1–120 Hz refresh rate 8-inch OLED display of 2,416 × 2,210 resolution, and a brightness of 2,500 nits. Both displays utilize 1,440 Hz high-frequency PWM dimming for happier eyeballs.
Power comes from the 5 nm process-equivalent Kirin 9030 Pro, featuring up to 20 GB RAM and 1 TB storage. For something this thin, it has a battery that will put any iPhone of any generation to shame. Packed inside this impossibly thin frame is a 5,525 mAh battery that supports 100 W wired and 50 W wireless charging.
Huawei’s XMAGE camera system includes a 50 MP variable aperture main camera with OIS, a 40 MP ultra-wide, a 50 MP periscope telephoto/macro camera with OIS, plus two 8 MP selfie cameras.
On the connectivity front, this big guy features dual-band WiFi, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, BT LE, support for SparkLink NearLink E2.0, USB 3.1 Gen1 with Type-C interface, and DP1.2 support. And then there are, of course, the usual servings of positioning and sensors. The device runs HarmonyOS 6, obviously.
There are two variants: the standard Mate X7 and the Mate X7 Collector’s Edition, which is virtually identical, save for the available memory and battery capacity, with the Collector’s Edition having a larger 5,600 mAh battery. Oh, the Collector’s Edition also rocks satellite communication in addition to the standard Beidou satellite messaging, and it is bundled with a pen.
The new Huawei Mate X7 was launched in China with a starting price of 12,999 yuan [CH] (about 1,837 US dollars). Good news for eager tech heads outside of China with deep pockets. The phone will see a global rollout on December 11, 2025, in Dubai, though pricing for the global market—which varies from region to region—is yet to be revealed.
Images: Huawei [CH].
