Mobile Word Conference: Huawei introduces Samsung-style foldable phone

When it comes to the question of how best to build a foldable screen smartphone, tech company Huawei has taken a step back. With its previous foldable smartphones, the Matte X And Mate Xs, the Chinese company has always had the screen attached to the outside of the device. An additional offer can be saved abroad. At the same time, this increased the risk of damaging the foldable screen.

At the Mobile World Congress, Currently taking place in Shanghai despite the epidemicThe company has now released a fundamentally changed new version, the Mate X2. The sensitive folding screen of this model is now in the inner part of the two halves of the body; The entire eight-inch size is only visible when opened. On the outside, however, there is a separate display with a 6.5-inch diagonal screen.

The design is reminiscent of Samsung’s favorite construction method, which was recently used by Huawei’s Korean competitor Galaxy Z Fold2 5G Have been used.

Both screens are based on OLED technology and frame rates of 90Hz, so they should provide very high image quality. On the back there is an arrangement of four cameras with a resolution of 50 megapixels and an optical zoom of up to ten times. Huawei is using its Kirin 9000 chip as its processor. The company hasn’t had many other options since the United States imposed sanctions on it.

Huawei’s Android alternative is scheduled to arrive in April

Because of these sanctions, US companies are no longer permitted to supply Huawei with products developed or manufactured in the USA since mid-2019. This includes Next to chips and processors Also, Google’s Android operating system and associated services.

So a system based on an open source version of Android 10 is installed on the Mate X2, which lacks important Google offerings such as Play Store, Gmail and YouTube. Huawei is trying to balance these services with its own app store and the app search functionality in alternative app stores.

However, during the presentation, Huawei announced that the Mate X2 will have its own operating system from April It’s called HarmonyOS Wanted hardware, which the group offered as an alternative to Android in response to US sanctions in 2019. Richard Yu, Huawei’s head of entertainment electronics, told SPIEGEL He said already in September 2019HarmonyOS will be in Smartphones like the P40 Penalties should not be eased.

But Ars Technica got to the test a few weeks ago DiscoverThat HarmonyOS is ultimately a version of Android, even if the company always claims otherwise.

Anything but a bargain

On the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress, Huawei CEO Ken Ho said the company had managed to slightly increase its sales and profits despite the sanctions. The exact figures on this should not be published until March.

The new Mate X2 will definitely not play a major role in this. On the one hand, prices start at 17,999 yuan, which equates to about 2,300 euros, and are aimed at very wealthy customers. On the other hand, it is served – at least for now – exclusively in China.