Mate X: Huawei’s $2600 Foldable 5G Smartphone Debuts at MWC 2019

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019, the Chinese smartphone giant Huawei unveiled its first foldable 5G smartphone Mate X, which is priced at €2,299 ($2600).

SEE ALSO: Huawei to Launch P30 Series in March

The foldable smartphone race has started.

“As a new breed of smartphones, HUAWEI Mate X combines 5G, foldable screen, AI and an all-new mode of interfacing to provide consumers with an unprecedented user experience. The HUAWEI Mate X will be the first key for consumers to open the door to 5G smart living,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei CBG.

Living up to the name of Huawei Mate series, the 2-in-1 smartphone and tablet Huawei Mate X features a 6.6-inch dual display. When unfolded, it transforms into an 8-inch tablet only 5.4mm thick, thinner than the newest iPad, and larger than Galaxy Fold revealed by Samsung days ago.

The Falcon Wing Mechanical Hinge along with a high strength flexible OLED panel is the key to Mate X’s foldable function. According to Yu, the R&D team spent three years working on the hinge to achieve seamless connection between the two screens.

The panel consists of four layers, the flexible protective top three encasing the hinge. And each screen is capable of its own multitasking. Consumers can drag images from their photo gallery to their emails in split-screen mode.

Powered by the 5G modem chipset Balong 5000, Huawei claims its Mate X to be the world’s fastest 5G foldable phone. 5G download speed can reach 4.6Gps on the Sub-6GHz band (theoretical), according to Huawei. As Balong 5000 is also the world’s first chipset to support both SA and NSA architectures, users will not need a device upgrade to continue enjoying 5G connectivity. The HUAWEI Mate X’s dual SIM feature supports both 4G and 5G.

The foldable smartphone comes in a new Interstellar Blue “that epitomizes the beauty of technology and sets a higher bar for future smartphones.” It is scheduled to launch in mid-2019.

Featured Image Source: Huawei