Today is February 22nd and that means that Huawei has just unveiled the Mate X2, a follow-up to its incredible Mate X that launched back in 2019. Sleeker, flatter, with better cameras than the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Mate X2 is held back by the same crippling issue as the Mate 40 and P40 series – the lack of Google apps and services that western markets demand.
Whereas the Mate X sported an outward-folding display, the newly announced Mate X2 follows the Galaxy Z Fold 2 design by switching up to an inwardly-folding display. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Mate X2 doesn’t leave a gap when it’s closed, this is thanks to the slanted design of the phone that tapers off ever so slightly. It’s a neat touch.
There’s no notch, punch-hole, or in-display camera present on the internal display, it’s a blemish-free visual experience. Speaking of the display, it’s an 8-inch OLED panel with 2480 x 2200 resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling. The outer display is 6.45-inches big with 2700 x 1160 resolution, with a 90Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling, and 456ppi.
Under the hood, you’ll find Huawei’s 5nm Kirin 9000 chipset that features a Mali-G78 GPU, along with a surprisingly low amount of RAM (8GB), and 256/512GB storage options. The Mate X2 runs on Android 10 with EMUI 11 running on top.
The rear panel of the Mate X2 sports a quartet of sensors including a 50MP Ultra Vision Camera with a wide-angle lens and OIS. A 16MP Cine Camera with an ultra-wide-angle lens is also present and accompanied by a 12MP Telephoto lens with 3x Optical Zoom and OIS, along with an 8MP SuperZoom camera with 10x Optical Zoom and OIS. That’s a boatload of Optical Image Stabilization present, so there should be no excuse for shaky images or video. The external display sports a 16MP selfie camera.
There’s a 4,500mAh battery to keep the lights on with 55W SuperCharge wired charging, there’s no mention of wireless charging. The fingerprint sensor is side-mounted, and you’ll find support for Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 6, NFC, and there’s even an IR blaster present (and a charger in the box).
As mentioned, there’s no Google apps or services present, so the Mate X2 is running on Huawei’s HMS framework. Another potential deal-breaker is the price tag of almost $3,000, which is an eye-watering figure. There’s no telling if the Mate X2 will ever go on sale in western markets, and it’s yet another great Huawei handset that we miss out on (price notwithstanding) because of the US ban.
