When it comes to foldable phones, Huawei is one of the companies that come to mind. The first foldable phone that Huawei launched was the Mate X in October 2019. Then the very next year, we got the Huawei Mate Xs. Last year, Huawei launched the Mate X2, and today, the Huawei Mate Xs 2 went official in China. So this is the 3rd generation foldable phone by Huawei, and hence, it comes with some significant upgrades over the last generation.
Perhaps the most significant change from last year is the folding mechanism. Instead of having an inwards folding screen, the phone has an outward-folding display. This is something we have seen before from Huawei and was in 2019 when the company’s first foldable phone, the Mate X, launched. That phone, too, had an outward-folding screen. Now, while the outward-folding mechanism makes the phone look futuristic with that display going all the way to the back, display protection is one thing that takes a big hit.
Because the display folds outwards, there is no need for a secondary display, something all other inwards-folding phones have.
Huawei worked on making the hinge even better, and with the new hinge structure, this is now the flattest foldable phone. Huawei also reduced the weight to 255g, from Mate X2’s 295g. And like all other companies, Huawei claimed that the phone has an almost crease-free design. The company even compared the crease with that of Galaxy Z Fold 3 to show how superior the company’s hinge mechanism is.
Speaking of the specifications, the Huawei Mate Xs 2 has three cameras on the back (or front, depending on how you use it). There is a primary 50MP sensor with an f/1.8 lens, a 13MP ultrawide, and an 8MP 3X telephoto with OIS. On the front, there is a hole punch for the selfie camera, and it includes a 10.7MP sensor with an f/2.2 lens.
The chipset powering this phone is the Snapdragon 888, the flagship SOC of 2021. But, there is no 5G modem, so Mate Xs 2 does not support 5G. This happened with last year’s Huawei P50 Pocket as well. There is 8GB RAM (12GB for the Collector’s Edition) and 256GB or 512GB storage. The phone also has a nano-microSD card slot to expand the storage.
Huawei Mate Xs 2 has a 7.8-inch display that, when folded, results in a 6.5-inch (diagonally) panel. It is a 10-bit OLED with a resolution of 2480 × 2200 pixels when expanded (2480 × 1176 pixels when folded). The pixel density is 424PPI, and the fingerprint scanner is on the side. The battery size is 4,880mAh, and the phone supports 66W charging. For better thermal management, there is even a Graphene liquid cooling under the hood.
The phone has stereo speakers, HarmonyOS 2, & Tri-band Wi-Fi (The first phone to support this). There is also Huawei M-Pen 2S support.
Finally, speaking of the price, Huawei Mate Xs 2 comes in three colors and three storage options. Here is the pricing –
- 8GB + 256GB – ¥9999 (~€1,430 / $1,500)
- 8GB + 512GB – ¥11499 (~€1,650 / $1,730)
- 12GB + 512GB – ¥12999 (~€1,870 / $1,965)
Interestingly, the price is lower than that of the Huawei Mate X2. The Mate X2 launched at ¥17999, and even the most expensive variant of Mate Xs 2 is cheaper than that price.