The Huawei Mate Xs 2 is the company’s newest foldable smartphone. It was first released in China, and now the rest of the world is getting it.
This is Huawei’s attempt to carve out its own unique part of the foldable market while becoming price-competitive with its competitors. They did this by going back to their original inward-folding design and lowering the price of the product by a significant amount compared to previous versions.
This article tells you everything you need to know about the Mate Xs 2.
Will the Huawei Mate Xs 2 be available globally?
Huawei introduced the Mate Xs 2 during a launch event in China on 28 April 2022, then announced it for foreign markets at a separate English-language event on 18 May, stating that it would be on sale sometime in June. It should be no surprise that the phone will not be released in the United States, but it will be available in the United Kingdom, although a little late. The Huawei Mate Xs 2 will be available for pre-order via the Huawei shop on September 12th.
Huawei Mate Xs 2 price?
Although it won’t come as a surprise to learn that the Mate Xs 2 is a pricey device, it is, in fact, less expensive than the large form factor foldable that Huawei has released in the past. Only one version of it is sold in the UK and the rest of Europe, and that is:
- 8+512GB: £1,699/€1,999
Meanwhile, buyers in China do get a range to pick from:
- 8+256GB: ¥9,999 (around $1,500/£1,200)
- 8+512GB: ¥11,499 (around $1,750/£1,400/€1,690)
- 12+512GB: ¥12,999 (around $1,950/£1,600)
This is a significant discount compared to the original Mate Xs, which was sold for €16,999 when it was first introduced two years ago, as well as the more current Mate X2, which was sold for €17,999 when it was first released a year ago – or €2,499 in Europe.
The foldable smartphone produced by Huawei is no longer dominating its own price category and has moved significantly closer to that of its primary competitors; nonetheless, it is still noticeably more expensive when purchased outside of China:
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – $1,799/£1,649
- Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 – ¥8,999 (around $1,335/£1,090)
- Oppo Find N – ¥7,699 (around $1,200/£900)
- Vivo X Fold – ¥8,999 (around $1,335/£1,090)
Huawei Mate Xs 2 characteristics and specifications.
As was just noted, one of the most noticeable aspects of the Mate Xs 2 is that it has the same outward folding design as its predecessor. This is one of the things that makes it stand out. This is despite the fact that Huawei opted for an inward fold for the Mate X2, which is a design that is shared by competitors like as Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo.
This indicates that there isn’t much competition for the Xs 2 on the market. However, the design is somewhat different from the initial Mate Xs in a few key respects, most notably in the arrangement of the camera, and it is available in your choice of one of three colors: black, white, or purple. The camera configuration has also been improved.
It has about the same dimensions, with a 7.8-inch display that has a resolution of 2480 by 2200 and a refresh rate of 120 hertz AMOLED, which, when folded, converts to a big 6.5-inch screen. The thickness of the phone is just 5.4 millimeters when it is folded, and even when it is closed, it is still quite thin at 11 millimeters; the phone weighs a total of 255 grams.
Following an initial period of hands-on time with the Xs 2, the push-button mechanism that unlocks the Falcon Wing hinge on the original Mate Xs persists on this new offering. However, its flush placement along the bar of bodywork running down the phone’s back, combined with a lack of texture, does mean that it’s tricky to find and press without having to turn the device around to see what you’re doing. This new offering is available in black, blue, or gold.
The Mate Xs 2, same like other Huawei products, is only compatible with 4G networks. Because of the company’s well-known trade constraints, it is now unable to acquire 5G modems for mobile phones. As a result, customers interested in purchasing an iPhone XS 2 will need to be content to go without the most recent and rapid form of connection. Wi-Fi has been improved in order to compensate for this, and the first tri-band Wi-Fi functionality in a phone was recently introduced.
Instead of the more modern Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, it makes use of the Snapdragon 888 4G as its central processing unit. That is undoubtedly one of the ways in which Huawei was able to achieve their cheaper pricing. The 888 is still more than powerful enough for anything other than the most demanding gaming, despite the fact that we are certain that many people will find it to be a letdown that it does not employ the most recent chipset.
The battery has several strange variations. The battery on most models of the phone has a capacity of 4600 milliampere hours (mAh), but the battery on the highest-end model, which has a capacity of 12+512 gigabytes of storage, has a capacity of 4880 mAh. In either case, however, you are getting a larger battery than on Huawei’s earlier foldables. Additionally, every model supports cable charging at 66 watts, making charging much quicker.
This time around, Huawei has placed a punch-hole selfie camera with a resolution of 10 megapixels and an aperture of f/2.2 on the main display. This allows you to take use of the large screen while making video calls.
The rear cameras have also been improved, and now include a triple-lens array that consists of a 50-megapixel primary camera with an aperture of f/1.8, a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens with an aperture of f/2.2, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with an aperture of f/2.4 with optical image stabilization.
It operates on HarmonyOS in China and Emotion UI everywhere else, much like all of Huawei’s other recent smartphones. This is Huawei’s own mobile operating system, similar to but separate from Android, and it was developed with the goal of maximizing compatibility with the rest of Huawei’s product ecosystem.
Be sure to check back for updated price and availability information as it becomes available, and continue to check back here for a comprehensive review. In the meanwhile, you may be interested in reading our evaluation of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3, which is the Mate Xs 2’s most significant competitor at the moment.