At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Huawei unveiled the Mate X foldable smartphone, entering a nascent category that Samsung had only just opened. Priced at $2,600 and built around a hinge that folds outward rather than inward, the device represents a bold wager that the future of mobile computing lies in screens that transform — a conviction shared by rivals, though not yet confirmed by the people who would actually carry these phones in their pockets.
Huawei Mate X Foldable Phone Tops Samsung's Galaxy Fold at $2,600
The Mate X costs $620 more than Samsung's Galaxy Fold
Mark
So Huawei and Samsung are both launching foldable phones within weeks of each other. Is this a genuine technological race, or are they both just trying to own the headline?
Mimi
Both, probably. Samsung moved first with the Galaxy Fold, so Huawei needed to respond quickly. But the Mate X isn't just a copy—it folds the opposite direction, which is a real engineering choice that changes how the device works.
Luke
Right, but let's be clear about what we actually know versus what's claimed. Huawei says the hinge allows a notch-free display and better camera integration. We haven't seen independent testing of whether that actually delivers a better user experience than Samsung's approach.
Mark
The price difference is striking—$2,600 versus $1,980. What justifies the extra $620?
Mimi
Huawei points to the larger unfolded display—8 inches versus Samsung's smaller tablet mode—and the Leica camera system. Whether that's worth the premium is subjective, but the specs are genuinely different.
Luke
The camera system is interesting because it's the same array for front and back, which theoretically solves a real problem. But again, we're reading Huawei's claims. We don't have reviews yet showing whether this actually produces better selfies than a dedicated front camera.
Mark
What about the U.S. market? Is Huawei really locked out?
Mimi
The reporting says it's "unlikely" the Mate X will be available in the United States, given Huawei's conflicts with the U.S. government. That's a significant constraint on the company's ambitions.
Luke
That's worth flagging as uncertain. The article doesn't say definitively that it won't come to the U.S.—just that it's unlikely. Government policy could shift, or Huawei could find a workaround. We should hold that lightly.
Mark
Does this tell us anything about whether foldable phones are actually going to be a thing?
Mimi
Not yet. Both companies are betting they will be, but neither has proven consumers want them at these prices. The fact that Apple is apparently exploring the technology suggests the industry thinks it matters, but that's speculation.
Luke
Exactly. The article ends by saying it's unclear whether this is the future or a fad. That's honest, because we genuinely don't know. Two expensive devices launching doesn't prove demand exists.
Il Polso
- Huawei's Mate X arrives with a 'Falcon Wing' hinge that folds opposite to Samsung's Galaxy Fold, producing a seamless 8-inch display with no notch and a single camera array that serves both front and rear photography.
- At $2,600, the Mate X is $620 more expensive than Samsung's already market-shocking Galaxy Fold, raising immediate questions about who, exactly, this device is meant for.
- A June or July launch gives Samsung a months-long head start in a category where consumer habits are still entirely unformed.
- Huawei's fraught relationship with the U.S. government clouds whether the phone will ever reach American consumers, quietly shrinking its potential market before it has even shipped.
- Both Huawei and Samsung are betting heavily on foldable technology as the next frontier, yet neither has evidence that ordinary users want — or will pay — for it.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Huawei unveiled the Mate X foldable smartphone, entering a nascent category that Samsung had only just opened. Priced at $2,600 and built around a hinge that folds outward rather than inward, the device represents a bold wager that the future of mobile computing lies in screens that transform — a conviction shared by rivals, though not yet confirmed by the people who would actually carry these phones in their pockets.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Huawei unveiled the Mate X, a foldable smartphone built around what the company calls a 'Falcon Wing' hinge. Unlike Samsung's Galaxy Fold, which folds inward, the Mate X folds outward — keeping the display visible on both surfaces when closed and allowing a 6.6-inch phone screen to expand into an 8-inch tablet. The design also eliminates the notch by tucking the camera system into a side wing, where a Leica-built array of three lenses handles both selfie and rear photography from a single module.
The hardware ambitions are considerable. Unfolded, the device tapers to just 5.4 millimeters. A 4,500mAh battery charges to 85 percent in thirty minutes via Huawei's 55W SuperCharge technology, and a 5G modem positions the phone alongside Samsung's Fold as ready for networks still being built. Multitasking software is designed to keep apps running fluidly whether the device is open or closed.
The price, announced at roughly $2,600, immediately reframed Samsung's $1,980 Galaxy Fold as the accessible option in a category where neither device is remotely affordable. A launch window of June or July hands Samsung a meaningful head start, and Huawei's ongoing tensions with the U.S. government raise genuine doubt about whether the Mate X will ever be sold in America at all.
Beneath the competing specifications lies a larger, unresolved question: both companies are treating foldable phones as the industry's next chapter, yet no one has demonstrated that consumers actually want them. Apple was said to be studying the technology without any urgency to ship it. Whether foldable devices become a lasting category or an expensive detour remains, for now, an open question.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Huawei stepped into the foldable phone arena with a device that immediately challenged Samsung's recent entry into the category. The Mate X, unveiled on February 24, 2019, uses what the company calls a "Falcon Wing" hinge—a mechanism that folds in the opposite direction from Samsung's Galaxy Fold, transforming a 6.6-inch phone screen into an 8-inch tablet display. The engineering choice meant Huawei could keep the display visible on both front and back surfaces when the phone is collapsed, and it allowed the company to eliminate the notch that mars many modern phones by housing the camera system in a side wing instead.
The physical specifications underscore the ambition of the design. Folded, the Mate X measures 11 millimeters thick; unfolded, it tapers to just 5.4 millimeters. The camera system, built around Leica optics, includes a 40-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide option, and an 8-megapixel telephoto. A fourth camera sensor was promised for activation at a later date. Because of the hinge design, the same camera array serves both selfie and rear-facing photography, eliminating the traditional compromise of separate front and back cameras with different capabilities.
Huawei equipped the Mate X with a 5G modem, matching Samsung's Galaxy Fold in that regard and positioning both devices as future-ready for networks still rolling out globally. The battery capacity sits at 4,500 milliamp-hours, and Huawei's 55W SuperCharge technology can push it to 85 percent capacity in thirty minutes. A fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button handles biometric authentication. Like Samsung, Huawei designed the software experience around multitasking, with split-screen functionality that would theoretically keep applications running seamlessly whether the device was folded or open.
The price, however, immediately set the Mate X apart—and not in a way that suggested value. Huawei announced a figure of 2,300 euros, which converted to approximately $2,600 at the time. Samsung's Galaxy Fold, already shocking the market at $1,980 when it debuted weeks earlier, suddenly looked like the bargain option. The Mate X would not reach consumers until June or July at the earliest, giving Samsung a several-month head start in the foldable market. More significantly, Huawei's ongoing disputes with the U.S. government cast serious doubt on whether the phone would ever be sold in America, effectively limiting its addressable market from the outset.
The competitive timing raised a broader question about the technology itself. Both Samsung and Huawei were betting that foldable phones represented the future of mobile devices, yet neither company had proven that consumers actually wanted them. Reports suggested Apple was exploring the technology, but the Cupertino company showed no signs of rushing a foldable device to market. Whether foldable phones would become the industry standard or fade as an expensive curiosity remained genuinely uncertain—a question that would take years to answer.
Citazioni salienti
Huawei designed the Mate X to fold in the opposite direction of Samsung's Galaxy Fold, so the display is visible on both the front and back of the device when collapsed— Huawei (via product specifications)
It's not clear if the Mate X will be available in the United States, but it is unlikely given Huawei's conflicts with the U.S. government— Market analysis based on regulatory environment
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Politics & Governance