Most folding phones so far shared the same dual-screen setup. Only the pioneer of folding phone, Royole – which we heard is in financial trouble now – did it differently with a single screen setup that folds with the screen facing outside. Then in 2020, Huawei followed suit with the Mate Xs folding phone. Two years later, Huawei carried over the formula to present the Huawei Mate Xs 2.
That’s right. The chip-starved China tech giant has unveiled yet another folding phone. While the new Huawei Mate Xs 2 touts a super thin and lightweight design that is super flat when closed, it is NOT a 5G device.
The beauty of the phone is marred by the fact that it is running on a last-gen Qualcomm chip, the Snapdragon 888 4G. That said, given how widespread 5G is today, you’d be a hard-core fan to be wanting this device.
Though I have to admit, the design is pretty striking. Where Oppo made a mark with a wholly different (and definitely more handy) aspect ratio with Find N, Huawei choose to continue with an external folding screen configuration for the new Mate Xs.
Like the original Mate Xs, the Mate Xs 2 has a bar to the side where you will find the main camera module, a folding lock/unlock button, a USB-C port, a power on/off button, and a fingerprint scanner. The bar looked pretty much the first Xs but it is now missing the Leica branding.
When folded, the smaller half of the screen when goes off, leaving the other screen active to be used like a regular, candy bar smartphone. The display is a 120 Hz OLED item that is 6.5 inches, 2,480 by 1,176 pixels when closed and 7.8 inches, 2,480 by 2,200 pixels when opened.
It may technically have just one display but the new Mate Xs 2 is still rocking two sets of cameras: the main cameras (a 50 MP wide-angle main, a 13 MP super wide-angle, and an 8 MP telephoto) and a 10 MP selfie camera, which is presented as a hole punch at the top right-hand corner of the display.
Interestingly, the phone is not available in different RAM and ROM configurations but the battery capacity also varies depending on the RAM/ROM you chose. The 8+512 has a 4,600 mAh battery while the 12+512 has a tad larger 4,880 mAh battery. Speaking of battery, the phone supports 66 W fast charging.
Moreover, the phone is touting a so-called graphene liquid cooling for improved heat dissipation. There is also stereo and a new AI sound engine. Finally, there is, of course, the handset maker’s very own HarmonyOS 2.
The new Huawei Mate Xs 2 Folding Phone is open for pre-order in China. It has a starting price of 9,999 yuan, which works out to be around US$1,513. Not cheap for a 4G device in 2022. Like I have said, only diehard fans will want this device.
Images: Huawei [CH].
