With the popularity of foldable phones rising, companies like Samsung have been leading the way with early offerings however, recent brands such as Honor (Magic Vs) and Huawei (with its just announced Mate X3) are beginning to shift the landscape. Huawei’s latest foldable focuses on maximizing pocketable screen space while keeping the weight down. The Mate X3 boasts a great hardware package, weighing in at just 239 grams (slightly heavier than the Oppo Find N2 at 233 grams but 10% lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4).
Despite the low weight, the IPX8 water-resistant body features a teardrop hinge for the 7.85-inch inner display, with a 2496 x 2224 pixel resolution. The 6.4-inch cover display has a taller 20.9:9 aspect ratio and a 2504 x 1080 pixel resolution. Internally, the phone features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. It also includes a 4,800mAh battery with 66W wired charging and 50W wireless support.
As for the cameras, the Mate X3 has an 8MP module for selfies (on each display), as well as a triple-camera array on the back consisting of a 50MP (f/1.8) primary shooter, a 13MP (f/2.2) ultrawide lens, and a 12MP telephoto lens (with 5x optical zoom).
Due to US sanctions against Huawei, the Mate X3 lacks standard Google apps, and 5G connectivity is also missing because Huawei doesn’t have access to the necessary modems. There have also been reports that the edges around the display are not as slim as they appear in promotional materials. The Mate X3 has only been released in China, with no news about international availability.
The phone comes in three storage variants, with the 256GB model priced at CNY 12,999 ($1,906), the 512GB model at CNY 13,999 ($2,052), and the 1TB model at CNY 15,999 ($2,345).
While an international debut seems unlikely due to the lack of 5G and Google apps, anything is possible. Would you go for this new foldable if it was available in the US?
Filed in . Read more about Android, Foldable Smartphones and Huawei.