The Huawei Mate Xs caught my eye when it first launched as the Mate X in early 2019. Landing at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, the foldable phone was famous behind glass, with practical opportunities hard to find. : and unfortunately I didn't manage to test it. Originally scheduled to go on sale in June 2019, it was pushed back to November and ultimately only available in China, impeding my attempts to familiarize myself with the most exciting foldable on the market. At the time, their competition was slim. There was the Royole FlexPai, which felt and worked like a rough prototype rather than a genuine product, and the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which was pulled before it hit stores even after review units developed faults. screen and hinge, finally released later in 2019, with fixes for these issues. While the Galaxy Fold gave most of the world its first true taste of a foldable phone, its thick and heavy design (at the front) meant it didn't have the foldable style of a product. highly desirable. It looked a lot like a first generation device. The Huawei Mate X, on the other hand, was highly desirable, and it got even better when an updated version with a newer chipset and better durability was introduced like the Huawei Mate Xs, and then became available. when buying in markets outside of China.
Dressed to impress
The Mate X looks around the room. Foldable phones need to look futuristic and desirable at the same time, a difficult balance to strike. And with an exorbitant price, you definitely want a good device. Instead of opting for Samsung's foldable inner screen, the Mate Xs display folds out and folds in on itself, resulting in a slimmer, more streamlined design that lets you still use half the screen as a traditional smartphone when the device is folded. With the push of an easily accessible button, however, the back of the display is freed from the body, allowing you to flip it up and watch the interface transition from a traditional phone portrait rectangle to a square, tablet-style display. It's magic.
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(Image credit: TechRadar) This easy transition between states makes the Mate X easier to use than the Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Z Flip and Moto Razr, as their screens fold in on themselves, forcing you to use (or display) less intuitive screens. and smaller outside of phones. While the Galaxy Flip and Moto Razr offer smaller form factors overall, you don't get a much bigger screen than a standard phone when you open it up; and that kind of attention misses the point of foldable phones, which is to increase available screen real estate, and both devices still carry a significant price tag. So the Mate Xs has the advantage of ease of use and a larger screen than these, and it looks much better than the Galaxy Fold. That's why the Huawei Mate Xs is still the best foldable phone right now, but it's not perfect.
Are you Appy with this?
The main current problem with Huawei smartphones is the ban on the company being able to use Google's suite of mobile services. This prevents major apps from Google and the Play Store from being available on the Mate Xs, meaning the foldable phone has to rely on Huawei's mobile services and the company's App Gallery storefront, and it's relatively new. . . The point is that there simply aren't as many apps available in the App Gallery as there are in the App Store or Play Store, especially for those living in Western markets. Huawei is aware of this and is working with developers to bring more and more apps natively to the platform. You can sideload some apps (such as WhatsApp, Prime Video, and Netflix) via APK downloads, which Huawei's app gallery and Petals search can direct you to. One of the main beneficiaries of this form factor is video streaming services. Being able to take a phone-sized device out of your pocket, and then slide the screen to nearly double the area, makes a world of difference when watching TV shows and movies on the go. Whether you're on public transportation, on a plane, or sitting in a car, being able to have a bigger screen without having to carry a second device with you, like a tablet or laptop, is a real blessing. .
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(Image credit: TechRadar) It also makes browsing the web, emailing, and working more convenient, but you won't be able to access the Gmail app or Google Drive or the associated Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps . However, the Microsoft Office productivity suite is available (via APK download), giving you access to Word, Excel, and Outlook. Huawei regularly adds new apps to its store and recently added TomTom Amigo, Emirates Flights, Mondly, Marvel Strike Force, and Merriam-Webster Dictionary at the time of writing. Using Huawei smartphones without Google services requires some adjustment to your habits - you'll have to use Here Maps, for example - but the selection of apps is increasing. You'll have to decide if transitioning to another way of using your phone is worth the hefty expense the Mate X demands. More foldable phones are on the horizon, with the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 arriving at the company's August 5 event, the more we know that Xiaomi, TCL, Oppo and more are working on their own foldable options, and we're still waiting for Microsoft's Surface Duo to go on sale. But for now, for open-minded users with money burning a hole in their pocket and looking for a taste of the phone's foldable action, the Mate Xs is your best bet if you can. beat app compromise Today's best deals for Huawei Mate XS Huawei Mate Xs 8.0" Foldable... Original Huawei Mate Xs 5G...