Huawei has just announced its new version of foldable phone, the Mate XS 2. At the moment, it will only be available in China at a significantly lower price than its previous generation.
The good news is that the company is returning to the exclusive market for foldable screen mobile phones, an area where very few brands have dared to market a product so far, despite the fact that most flirt with future developments.
When will the Huawei Mate XS 2 be launched globally?
Huawei introduced the Mate XS 2 on April 28, 2022 at a launch event in China.
As with most Huawei devices, we don’t know if the Mate XS 2 will be released internationally. However, in case this happens, you will have to wait a few months for its arrival.
How much does the Huawei Mate XS 2 cost?
As you can imagine, the option of buying the Mate XS 2 isn’t cheap, but in reality, it’s noticeably cheaper than the company’s previous folding screen phones.
Here is how the prices of the new model are established:
- Mate XS 2 with 8GB RAM and 256GB: 9,999 (about $1,500/$1,650)
- Mate XS with 8GB RAM and 512GB: ¥11,499 (about $1,750/$1,900)
- Mate XS with 12GB and 512GB: ¥12,999 (about $1,950/$2,100)
Without a doubt, this is a considerable price reduction if we look at what Companion XS original, released two years ago for ¥16,999 ($2,499). In the case of the most recent Companion X2 Presented in 2021, it cost ¥18,999 ($2,423).
This means that Huawei’s new foldable tries to match the cheaper prices of competing models, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Let’s see what prices the main competitors have:
What are the specifications of the Huawei Mate XS 2?
As we mentioned earlier, one of the most remarkable things about the Mate XS 2 is that it uses the same flip-screen design as its predecessor. That’s despite Huawei’s shift to an inward fold, like rivals like Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo.
This means that the Mate XS 2 is relatively unique in the market. That said, the design largely resembles that of the first Mate X, although it has had some subtle tweaks like the camera design. You will now find it in three colors: black, white and purple.
Screen-wise, it’s about the same size at 7.8-inches (120Hz AMOLED, of course) with a 2480 x 2200 resolution, which when folded gives you a huge 6.5-inch screen.
When unfolded the phone is just 5.4mm thick, and when closed it’s still relatively thin at 11mm. Its total weight remains at 255 grams, nothing extraordinary for the type of mobile in question.
Like other Huawei devices, the Mate XS 2 is 4G only. Here is one of its main shortcomings caused by the commercial restrictions that affect the company, with which it cannot currently access 5G modems for its phones.
Despite this aspect, Huawei tries to compensate for this aspect by improving Wi-Fi wireless connectivity with the first tri-band support integrated in a mobile phone.
It uses the Snapdragon 888 4G chipset, instead of the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. This is probably the key that Huawei was able to significantly lower its price compared to the previous generation.
While we’re sure many will see it as a disappointment not to use Qualcomm’s latest chipset, the 888 is still powerful enough to handle all but some of the most demanding gaming titles.
If we focus on the battery, we have to say that most versions of the phone come with a 4600mAh model, but the top 12+512GB variant uses a higher capacity which reaches 4880mAh.
Either way, you get a bigger battery than in previous Huawei foldables. Charging is also faster, with wired charging reaching 66W on all models.
This time Huawei has included a camera for selfies 10 MP and f/2.2 punch-hole on the main screen, so you can take advantage of the big screen to make video calls, which is what users were asking for in the previous version.
The rear cameras have also been improved, with a three-lens array: a 50MP f/1.8 main camera; another ultra wide angle of 13 MP and f/2.2 ultra wide; and finally, an 8 MP f/2.4 3x telephoto zoom with OIS.
Like other recent Huawei phones, it runs on the version of HarmonyOS. It is the brand’s proprietary mobile operating system based on, but distinct from Android and designed to provide interoperability with the rest of Huawei’s product ecosystem.
If you are interested in the brand’s mobiles, take a look at our ranking of best huawei phones What can you buy today?
