Huawei improves the screen and processor on the foldable Mate XS

Huawei has improved its foldable device in ways where it counts: its display and processor. And so the Mate X successor, the aptly named Mate XS, features a more durable display and a faster processor. 

Huawei is using a "quad-layer" construction for its plastic display, which the company claims should make it more robust. Up top, there are two layers of polyamide film stuck together with a clear adhesive. Below that is the flexible OLED display, and then a softer polymer layer is underneath that serving as a cushion and the last layer connecting the screen to the Mate XS's main body.

The hinge, this time, is said to be smoother and more durable than its predecessor. Huawei claims it has improved the cooling system in the Mate XS to let it bridge the folding portion of the device.

The Mate XS comes equipped with a Kirin 990 processor, which means it gets an integrated 5G modem. But because of the ongoing ban from the US government that prevents them from working with US companies, then this foldable device won't have any Google apps or services. Instead, the Mate XS runs the open-source version of Android with Huawei Mobile Services.

Since the Mate XS folds out to 8 inches from a 6.6-inch display, you can have up to three apps open simultaneously, with the two halves taking up an app each plus a floating window for the third app. You are allowed to have two instances of the same app open at the same time. Still, it isn't clear if this will work for all apps.

Aside from having the same display size as the Mate X, the Mate XS shares a lot of the same specs. It still has a 4,500mAh battery and a quad-camera setup composed of a 40-megapixel f/1.8 camera, 8-megapixel f/2.4 camera, 16-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide camera, and a 3D depth-sensing camera.

Unlike the Mate X, though, Huawei plans to introduce the Mate XS to unspecified "global markets." It will retail for €2,499 (around CA$3,610) for the 8GB RAM/512GB storage model.

Source: The Verge