Big Huawei Mate X2 5G leak reveals key design details and specs
The Huawei Mate Xs
Foldable smartphones are still very much in their infancy, but newly leaked information suggests Huawei is ready to concede that Samsung introduced a superior foldable design last year with the Galaxy Fold.
The Huawei Mate X2 will look a lot like the Fold 2
Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young has heard from seemingly reliable sources within the display industry that Huawei has plans to fit the foldable Mate X2 with an in-folding display rather than an outward-folding panel.
That decision essentially means Huawei is looking to ditch the unique Mate X and Mate Xs design in favor of something that closely resembles the foldable Samsung Galaxy Fold & Z Fold 2.
The smartphone will feature an 8.03-inch display like the original models, according to Ross Young, with the key difference being the way it folds. That will be coupled with a 4.5-inch external screen.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
Huawei hopes to source its panels from long-term partner BOE and rival Samsung, which means the Mate X2 will be the first non-Samsung foldable to feature a Samsung display. But unlike the Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 2, Huawei will be using plastic rather than ultra-thin glass.
Huawei could use a Kirin chipset inside the Mate X2
Huawei recently announced that it will stop production of Kirin chipsets on Tuesday, September 15, due to the restrictions imposed by the US Government on the company. The Mate 40 series was also confirmed to be the final Kirin-powered flagship from Huawei.
Despite this, Ross Young believes the ultra-premium Mate X2 will arrive equipped with the next-gen Kirin 1000 chipset coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage as standard. Expandable storage support is unlikely, but 12/256GB and 16/512GB variants are planned.
Also planned, according to Young, is 5G network support and a massive 6,000mAh battery that supports ridiculously fast 65W charging technology. The software version isn't specified, but Android 11 and EMUI 11 straight out of the box are extremely likely.
The Huawei Mate Xs
That will enable a so-called Laptop Mode that, as the name suggests, works at a 120-degree angle like a traditional laptop. Support for the Huawei Pen stylus is also expected.
Impressive cameras, as with any high-end Huawei
Accompanying everything mentioned above should be a 40-megapixel main camera that sits next to a 40-megapixel ultra-wide-angle snapper and a 12-megapixel telephoto shooter with support for 3x optical zoom. A 5-megapixel depth sensor is expected too.
As for the selfie cameras, rumor has it that Huawei will fit the Mate X2 with either a 16-megapixel camera or a 32-megapixel alternative.
Huawei Mate X2 announcement and release date
Previous Huawei foldables have been introduced at MWC in February in Barcelona, so perhaps the Huawei Mate X2 will follow a similar announcement timeline by making an appearance at the 2021 edition.
The actual release, however, could happen quite a few months later. The original Mate X foldable was only made available to purchase in China and the newer Mate Xs is only available in a limited number of markets at certain locations and retailers.
The Huawei Mate Xs
Huawei should make the Mate X2 more easily available, but considering its lack of Google apps and services, it could be quite hard to find in Europe and other international markets.
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