For once, let’s forget the fact that Huawei is currently suffering defeat over its inability to work with US companies and use a Google Mobile Service-powered Android for its hardware. Let’s just focus on the marvels of the hardware Huawei is known to always make and that will also be the case with its forthcoming Mate X2 which is it’s next-gen folding smartphone meant to take upon the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

This will be Huawei’s third attempt to stay up within the foldable market where the likes of Motorola and Royole struggle with their devices which aren’t that up to the tandard of a premium-level device as expected by the masses.

The market is dominated by Samsung because others like Huawei have one thing or the other derailing their success and that will likely continue unless the Chinese smartphone maker is able to strike a good deal with the US government to get its ban revoked and start working with Google.

But that’s not the story this time around. Huawei seems to have accepted that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the best approach to making a first-generation foldable device considering the fact that the company has now changed up the design and layout of its folding smartphone from outward fold to inward fold which made the device look quite similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 but there is more to it.

No-crease display

The device will come with two displays one on the outside which is a 6.45-inch display touching every edge of the outer part of the device and then a massive 8-inch tablet inner screen which folds in half. The technology is meant to be free of any noticeable crease which is quite visible on other foldable devices even the Galaxy Z Fold 2 which has been dubbed the best smartphone in 2020.

Because of this, you’ll get the real and uninterrupted view of contents directly on the screen without the feeling of using two conjoined screens like the Microsoft Surface Duo.

This is thanks in part to a multi-dimensional hinge design’s five years in the making.

In the above picture, you can notice the crease on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 (right) while the Huawei Mate X2 (left) have tis uninterrupted layout based on a hands-on review by China-based tech reviewer Vincent Zhong.

Here’s how it works: the multi-dimensional locking mechanism creates a waterdrop-like cavity when the device is folded, this means the screen is not bent at a harsh angle like the hinge of the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

A render of the Mate X2’s hinge. Photo: Huawei

What’s more, when the Mate X2 is folded, it closes entirely flat, unlike Samsung’s foldable. This is thanks to a state-of-the-art architectural and structural design and engineering of the Mate X2.

The Mate X2 features a tapered design that subtly shifts the center-of-gravity to the thickest side, which is also where you grip the phone.

Premium-grade cameras

The next thing is the camera capability of the device which is expected to come with some great performance even though many big foldable devices in the past have issues with cameras as this this is like a compromise for the foldable hinges and other engineering inventions built within the device.

Huawei is known to be camera conscious and the fact hat we’ll be expecting the Mate X2 to being the peak of all Huawei devices might mean it will definitely feature better cameras than the Huawei P50 series. Based on reports, the device sports a 50MP primary sensor with a 16MP ultra-wide angle camera which is usually dubbed the “Cine Camera” by Huawei; then there is the 12MP 3X optical zoom lens and an 8MP periscope zoom lens which offers a 10x optical zoom capacity.

This camera configuration is nearly similar to the current Huawei Mate 40 Pro+, the company’s current apex slab smartphone offering.

The incorporation of a periscope sensor within the camera module of the Mate X2 is an amazing thing the company did despite the fact that the device is even much slimmer than expected. The thickness of the Mat X2 is about 4.4mm when unfolded but could reach as thick as 13.6mm when folded but its much slimmer than the Galaxy Z Fold 2 which is about 16.8mm.

Port to HarmonyOS

Out of the box, the Huawei Mate X comes with the current Android (AOSP with the EMUI 11) but starting by April, users will be able to choose whether they’d like to port to the HarmonyOS, the company’s proprietary mobile operating system – which promises a better experience for the foldable device.

The Huawei Mate X2 will be among one of the earliest batches of Huawei devices to get this game-changing upgrade. HarmonyOS will bring seamless connectivity between the Mate X2 and Huawei’s diverse line of consumer products, including the Huawei FreeBuds 4i.

Free TWS earbuds

Another thing Huawei is offering alongside its expensive top-notch foldable smartphone is the new Freebuds 4i which is said to have a powerful long lasting battery life with a music playback of about 10 hours with a single charge and also, you can use the device for four hours under 10 minutes charge.

The earbuds’ been redesigned and still looked a bit like the AirPods Pro but let’s leave that aside. It will feature a touch control system and fast pairing with other Huawei smart devices even though being a Bluetooth-enabled device meant it can work with other gadgets that supports Bluetooth audio.

Optimized UI for larger screen use

The larger 8-inch OLED panel on the inside of the device has no hole-punch camera and its definitely an edge-to-edge display which give you the uninterrupted view of content directly on the screen at a glance. The device is able to switch screens the moment you pop it open and then you can experience the well-built crease-free UI of the Mate X2.

Users are able to also open any application in a floating window which can be resized or placed anywhere on the screen and the App Multiplier help in opening multiple instances of the same application. All these are some of the essential features you get on a high quality premium-grade foldable smartphone from a top brand like Huawei which have a lot of resources at its disposal to research and make great software for its premium device.

Best Foldable smartphone yet?

Huawei continues to push through with its foldable smartphone and the outstanding engineering and design aesthetics of the Mate X2 is amazing which is why it’ll be loved by Chinese users and others around the world who would rather purchase an Huawei smartphone.

This post was originally published by XDA-Developer