While the foldable Huawei Mate X might not have had much of a presence at IFA 2019, we have learned a little bit more about the likely release date of the elusive folding smartphone.
In a group briefing session attended by Trusted Reviews, Huawei CEO Richard Yu noted that we could finally see the gorgeous smartphone hit shelves as early as next month. That’s not too long after Samsung is set to release its Galaxy Fold rival.
Related: Here are the biggest changes Samsung has made to the updated Galaxy Fold
The Mate X was first announced at MWC in Barcelona earlier in the year, but without a firm release date. And we’ve been eager to get our hands on it ever since.
It looks like there’ll be a version of the Mate X with the Kirin 890 chipset – the hardware it was originally announced with – and another, which will arrive later, packing the new 5G-capable Kirin 990.
Read our Hands on: Mate 30 Pro review
The Mate X was always designed as a 5G phone, but in the case of the Kirin 990 the 5G modem is built right into the chip, rather than being separate.
The Mate X is Huawei’s first foldable phone and is a seriously exciting device. Unlike the Galaxy Fold, the Mate X only has a single screen that unfurls outwards. It packs a Leica camera array on the back, two batteries and super-fast charging.
Since its original announcement, Huawei has updated the design slightly by adding a button on the back to unfold it.
Related: 5G in the UK
If the October release date actually comes to pass, the Mate X will follow on from the September 19 unveiling of the Huawei Mate 30 series – expected to comprise the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro. Few concrete details are known about these phones yet, aside from the Kirin 990 chipset that’ll provide the power.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
