MWC 2019: Huawei unfolds Mate X

It's here. Huawei's take on the foldable device trend. We welcome the Mate X. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Fold that has the bigger tablet display inside the fold like a book, the Huawei Mate X folds outwards. If you want to go from the 6.6-inch smartphone display to the 8-inch tablet, you'll just need to unfold it.  It's able to do so thanks to Huawei's patented Falcon Wing design, its hinge that has over 100 components.

There is another 6.4-inch at the back of the device when you have this device folded. One use of this screen is for when taking selfies with the cameras beside it, or for when you're taking someone else's photo and they can see how the shot is being composed.

Speaking of the cameras, Huawei keeps them on some sort of grip at the side of the device. This part also houses the USB-C port for charging as well as the power button/fingerprint sensor. One thing missing is the fingerprint sensor.

Taking selfies? No problem.

This design approach doesn't just provide better grip for when the Mate X is in tablet mode. It also helps in keeping the display flat when in phone mode and it makes sure the display is uninterrupted by a camera module.

No one can blame you of taking a bad photo ever again

Huawei has been able to slim down this device. When in tablet mode, it's just 5.4 thin, which makes it slimmer than the iPad Pro. When folded, it's 11mm thick.

The Mate X is powered by the Kirin 980, which is the same processor as the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. As we've seen in the leaked billboard, the Mate X is a 5G-ready device. It comes with Huawei's Balong 5000 5G modem and quad antenna array, which means it is capable of twice the speed of the Snapdragon X50 mode at 4.5Gbps (as compared to Qualcomm's 2.3Gbps speeds). In actual use, this means you can download a 1GB movie in just three seconds. Now, when compared to 4G, it's 10x faster.

The Mate X has a 4,500mAh battery and comes with a 55-watt SuperCharge charger with this device. It promises to get you up to 85 percent in 30 minutes.

It also has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. The Mate X will support Huawei's smaller nano memory cards.

The durability of the device and its display is a valid concern. Huawei said they will be making a cover case for it. But we also wonder how long the hinge mechanism can survive the repeated movement of folding and unfolding the Mate X. We also have to think about how the software will respond to these different modes. But those are things we'd only find out once this product hits the market.

It's expected to come out in the middle of the year. Whether it's making its way here is another story altogether, especially considering Huawei's troubles. The Huawei Mate X is priced at a mouth-watering €2,299, which is around CA$3,400, and it'll only be available in Interstellar Blue.