It looks like the Huawei Mate X design has changed, just weeks before its release

A Huawei Mate X has been spotted out in the wild — but it looks slightly different to the one the Chinese firm showed off earlier this year. Here’s what’s changed.

The personal handset of Huawei CEO Richard Yu was spotted at an airport by journalist Li Wei, and the pictures show that some last-minute tweaks have been made to the device ahead of its anticipated release in September this year.

Firstly an additional sensor appears to have been added to the phone’s camera module. It looks like a Time-of-Flight sensor, which is designed to enhance 3D imaging.

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Secondly, there’s now a bigger button to release the second screen, making it easier to fold out and snap back. And finally, there’s a new carbon fibre-looking material around hinge joints.

While it’s surprising to see these changes appear only mere weeks before the launch, perhaps these last-minute refinements have been triggered by the fiasco of the Samsung Galaxy Fold.

Just before it hit the market, the Fold was found to have severe screen issues. It was supposed to come out in April, but the release of the device has now been postponed until September; no doubt Huawei will be hoping to avoid such problems.

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There’s also another foldable device expected to be released in the not-too-distant future; the Motorola Razr 2019. This product is expected to introduce the folding concept to a familiar format, and we’re hoping to see it go head-to-head with the offerings from Huawei and Samsung. However, it still doesn’t officially exist.

Huawei has another device up its sleeve along with the Mate X. The flagship Huawei Mate 30 is expected to be released in October or November this year, and there have already been plenty of rumours of what we can expect from it, including as many as five cameras and a brand-new Kirin 985 chipset.