The Mate XS: A Huawei Foldable Will Finally Be Available Outside China

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Andrew Hoyle/CNET


Huawei has taken the wraps off the Mate XS, a minor update to its existing [/news/using-the-mate-x-made-me-a-foldable-phone-believer/ Mate X] that I spent time with in Paris late last year. I think the folding design is great and while the Mate X was strictly China-only, the Mate XS is due to go on sale elsewhere in the world, including the UK.
The XS does have some slight upgrades, including an apparently strengthened display, the latest Kirin 990 processor and some caps on the edge of the folding mechanism to help protect against dust. 



























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Spending time with Huawei's new Mate XS






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There's no firm date for the Mate XS as of yet, and no firm price either, although it is expected to be somewhere around the £2,200 mark in the UK (about $2,850 or AU$4,300). Yikes. Don't expect it to be available in the US at all, due to [/news/huawei-ban-full-timeline-us-sanctions-china-trump-administation-5g-facial-recognition/ Huawei's ongoing political difficulties]. 

The Mate XS is otherwise identical to the Mate X, so read on to see what I thought of that phone when I took it on a lovely tour trung quoc of Paris. 



























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Huawei Mate X hands on: I love this folding phone






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The Huawei Mate X
I've finally been able to spend some real time with the foldable Huawei Mate X, the Chinese company's [/news/top-foldable-phones-motorola-razr-2020-galaxy-flip-galaxy-fold-2-and-more/ folding phone] rival to Samsung's [/reviews/samsung-galaxy-fold-review-device-that-piqued-our-interest-in-a-foldable-phone-future-review/ Galaxy Fold] and [/features/motorola-razr-here-questions-answered-hands-on-with-foldable-phone/ Motorola's folding Razr]. After a whole day using it all over Paris, I've gotta be honest, this foldable Android device is damn cool. 

I'll start with the obvious, the actual folding mechanism. The Mate X's flexible OLED screen folds backward on itself, in contrast to Samsung's Galaxy Fold, which closes in on itself like a book, or the Razr, which folds shut like an old clamshell phone. That means you can use the entire 8-inch display even when the phone is closed. Unlike the Galaxy Fold, there is no internal Mate X display. 
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Now we can debate all we want about [/news/motorola-razr-vs-galaxy-fold-the-foldable-phone-war-is-on/ which screen design and mechanical hinge are best], but this is purely about the Mate X, so I'll tell you what I've found to be great so far.

First of all, that folding display just looks amazing. The way the screen bends back around on itself, without any kind of distortion to the images, is awesome and I love the way the interface -- no matter what you're looking at -- instantly resizes into the correct