There has been plenty of rumours pointing toward HUAWEI moving toward their very own developed Harmony OS. They say 2021 is the year they will jump into their own Operating System (OS). According to the launch as well, we can expect to see the first smartphones with Harmony OS by April 2021.
But the launch is not about HUAEI’s upcoming smartphone interface. It is about a certain replacement for the elusive HUAWEI Mate Xs of 2020. Welcome to the HUAWEI Mate X2.
The HUAWEI Mate X2, as you would have guessed, is the HUAWEI Mate Xs. Funnily enough, it does not look anything like a replacement for the HUAWEI Mate Xs. It resembles a certain foldable flagship from its competitor, to be fair.
Source: HUAWEI
That may not necessarily be a bad thing though. That sort of standardises a foldable smartphone format that everyone can agree on. While it does lack a little innovative flair, it also means that we know what to expect from a certain type of devices in the future.
The HUAWEI Mate X2 is now a dual display wielding device instead of a single foldable display beast. It makes a little bit more sense in terms of device handling as well with this type of inside-outside display layout. It also justifies the pricing a little bit better than before. You are now paying for two displays instead of one.
While the HUAWEI Mate X2 looks like a “Me Too” device, HUAWEI has made every inch of improvement they think a foldable smartphone like its type should have. For one, visually, the 6.45-inch display is a proper Full HD display at 2,700 pixels by 1,106 pixels. Inside, you get an 8-incher with 2,480 x 2,200 pixels on board, that’s more than 1440p and almost square.
Source: HUAWEI
But that is not all, the front display is a 90Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling display worthy of any games you throw at it. It is an actual usable display that is not too narrow to enjoy, or too tall to work with. It looks like a proper smartphone display you can enjoy. The internal display is a fast-moving 90Hz refresh rate display too with 180Hz in touch sampling for near instant response times.
The device is not even that thick to begin with. The HUAWEI Mate X2 is only 14.7mm thick at the thickest when it is folded. There also seems to be no gaps when you fold the device, it is a flush device and looks like it will feel like a single device. When you unfold it, it is 8.8mm at its thickest point. We say that because the device is designed as a wedge and to be heavier at the bottom plate of the device. That is also the only way for the device to be completely evenly squared when you fold it.
Powering the device is a HUAWEI Kirin 9000 System on a Chip (SoC). It is also the same one that we can find in a HUAWEI Mate 40 series. Alongside the powerful SoC you also get 8GB of RAM to work with.
Source: HUAWEI
Unlike its rival, the HUAWEI Mate X2 only packs two camera modules, both outside the device. This way, the 8-inch internal display remains undisturbed and full. Out the front display then is a 16-Megapixel selfie camera. But there is also a quad-camera set up at the back that fires at 50-Megapixel, 16-Megapixel, 12-Megapixel, and 8-Megapixel.
The 50-Megapixel main camera is the same ones you will find on the HUAWEI Mate 40 series as well, so you are not getting anything less than the best. You get a single ultra-wide camera with the 16-Megapixel. The two others are zoom lenses at 3x optical zoom factor (12MP) and a 10x optical zoom factor (8MP). As with any modern flagship you can record videos at 4K resolution.
To cap it all off, the EMUI 11 device runs on an internal 4,500 mAh battery. That battery charges at 55W at the maximum. That is good news considering that it also supports 5G and WiFi 6+. Of course, it charges via USB Type-C.
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
The biggest question is now, how expensive it will be. The HUAWEI Mate X2 will be available in China 25th February, 2021 onward and will come with a charger out-of-the-box. The get to choose between 256GB or 512GB variants at CN¥ 17,999 (MYR 11,270*) and CN¥ 18,999 (MYR 11,896*). There is no word yet on when the device will get to Malaysia. We are expecting them to mention the device’s local availability to be mentioned closer to the global launch of the HUAWEI P50 series. Still, keep watch of this space. For more information, you can head to HUAWEI.
*Approximately based on conversion rate of US$ 1.00 = MYR 4.04 on xe.com at 24/02/2021
Hot off the finalisation of the sale of it’s Honor brand, rumours are surfacing that Huawei may be looking to do the same with their P and Mate smartphone line ups as well. News first surfaced when Reuters reported that it had obtained the information from sources close to the matter.
The report stated that Huawei was in talks with Shanghai government-backed investment firms to spin the brands off as independent companies like Honor. One of the sources claimed that the idea has been floated since late last year. Sources are claiming that Huawei hasn’t made a final decision just yet and the deal may not go thru as Huawei is still looking to manufacture its own HiSilicon Kirin chipsets.
Be that as it may, Huawei has issued a statement to Android Authority dismissing the “rumours”. That said, the company did the same when initial rumours of Honor’s sale surfaced. In its statement, Huawei states, “There is no merit to these rumours whatsoever. Huawei has no such plan. We remain fully committed to our smartphone business, and will continue to deliver world-leading products and experiences for consumers around the world.”.
The sale would effectively mean that Huawei would be withdrawing itself from the high-end smartphone market. On the other hand, Huawei has been touting its upcoming Harmony OS as an alternative to Google’s Android OS since the sanctions from the U.S. were enacted. However, things haven’t been easy for the company as sanctions have tightened leading to the company losing access to key partners such as ARM and TSMC.
The sale of Honor seems to have been a boon to the brand as the company has since inked deals to engage partners like AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, MediaTek and more. This enables them to produce their Honor MagicBooks and smartphones. However, unlike Honor, the sale of the P and Mate brands would only leave Huawei’s lower end Y and Nova series in their smartphone portfolio.
The wait is finally over. All the main flagships of 2020 have launched. All you have to do is select the best one for you. You can either choose to get a Samsung Galaxy S20 or Note20 device, or an Apple iPhone 12 device, or now, you have a third option – the HUAWEI Mate40 device.
You could easily deviate and get a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 or a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, or even get a completely different flagship like an ROG Phone 3, or something like the new Lenovo Legion Duel gaming smartphone for that matter. But we will talk about that later. Today, we are focusing on the big three that every other person will think about. Well, technically one, because the Chinese tech giant just launched their flagship device and this article is actually dedicated to that.
Source: HUAWEI
There is plenty to talk about too, with the new HUAWEI Mate40 series. For one is the new design language that is not too different from last year’s Mate30 design language. They call it the Space Ring design, basically moving the camera arrangement from being contained in a circle to now being a ring that encircles, well, a circle with ‘Leica’ printed on it.
There is also the five lensed HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ and that gives it the ability to zoom up to 100x (digital zoom) in its camera app. Of course, there is an ultra-premium version they only know as the Porsche Design HUAWEI Mate40 RS that could go with your Porsche Design Acer Book RS that was launched just a few days ago. And, there is a new Operating System (OS) based on Google’s latest Android 11. There is still no Google Play Store on the device though.
HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+
Source: HUAWEI
We start with HUAWEI’s most overkill of a device, the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+. There are multiple HUAWEI Mate40 devices, but this is the most powerful. It is just slightly less powerful that the Porsche Design HUAWEI Mate40 RS, but the Mate40 Pro+ is technically just missing a small ingredient that might not change the experience that much anyway.
HiSilicon Kirin 9000 – The Most Powerful Ever
Source: HUAWEI
HUAWEI leapfrogged Samsung and Qualcomm in this department for now. They introduced the world to what seems to be the most advanced and their most powerful System on A chip with the HUAWEI Mate40 series. This is quite expected also, mind you.
What is unexpected is just how sophisticated this chip was going to be. You get 15.3 billion transistors packed into the octa-core unit, 3.5 billion more than Apple’s latest A14 Bionic. This goes without saying, the Kirin 9000 also has two more cores than the Apple chip. This is achieved with 5nm process, obviously. We are expecting the new Qualcomm and Samsung chips to be based on th 5nm platform as well though, so only time can tell whether or not this device stands the test of time. HUAWEI did promise a smooth Android performance even after 36 months though. That is 3 years of smooth Android with a speed drop off at only 2.5%.
Embedded within the chip is a larger, more powerful dual Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for even more complex compute power for more special and handy features like HUAWEI’s brilliant air gesture control. Then there is a bigger, more powerful 24-core Mali-G78 GPU that HUAWEI claims to surpass any other smartphones that comes before. That also means better looking games and better video and photo editing experience on the smartphone itself.
But that is not all the NPU offers though. Combined with a new, more powerful image processor chip, photos and videos are even better than before. AI Tracking of a subject is smoother and better, you do not even have to move your smartphone for that, and it looks like the camera is moving to the subject’s movements. The front camera now can shoot videos in 240fps slow motion mode now too, creating more creative possibilities. Of course, stabilisation is even more enhanced now with the combined power of the NPU and Image processor.
5G is not new anymore in these devices. The 5G chip that is on the Kirin 9000 though is a more advance chip that support 5G Super Uplink and 5G Downlink CA technology. That also means that 5G is even faster than before with up to triple data download speeds on supporting networks.
This powerful chip is the beating heart of HUAWEI’s most advanced and most expensive Mate flagship series to date. At least for the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+, the HiSilicon Kirin 9000 should pack enough power to get the best out of the 5-camera set-up. Of course, there is the matter of powering the EMUI 11.
EMUI 11 – Better Than Ever, More Powerful Than ever
Source: HUAWEI
We have pointed out before that HUAWEI’s Android based EMUI has come a long way from the early days of being and ‘iOS copy’. EMUI has matured to become a unique ecosystem and OS in its own rights.
While Always-on Display (AoD) is not all that new, there is a new revamp anyway on EMUI that makes AoD even better than before. Rather than just having a static display with preset layouts and graphics, EMUI allows you a little bit more creative space with AoD. They call it Dynamic Graphic AoD, you can take a short video or even put up different photos to spice up your AoD or completely change the layout of the AoD just to get the right looks on your HUAWEI Mate 40 device.
Source: HUAWEI
It does not stop there though, they also developed something called Eyes-on Display (EoD). That means your display only turns on when you look at the device. We are guessing that the mechanism uses the front-facing camera to track your eye movement to turn on the display just for the moment you look at the display. It displays the same AoD graphics that you have set for your device too, but it only displays when you look at the display. That is a nifty way to cut back on battery consumption and allow your device to last even longer.
Of course, multi-window is still possible. With the right apps you can have up to three apps open at the same time on the device. Of course, you are going to struggle a little bit with screen real estate at that point, but if you need to multitask with three different apps, EMUI 11 can handle it. The mechanics are exactly the same as well on EMUI 10.1.
Source: HUAWEI
They have improved multi-screen collaboration on HUAWEI devices with the new Mate40 series though. You can have your PC, HUAWEI Share enabled of course, running at least three different instances of your HUAWEI Mate40 device all running different apps or instances of a single app. It looks amazing, and we are betting that they should be amazing to work with in terms of productivity. You have to be using a HUAWEI smartphone with a HUAWEI notebook PC though.
The native email app received a little bit of an overhaul. Now you can opt to make your emails look like a chat or a messenger style chat app. The layout is sort of an optimisation for mobile devices and make full use of the small display real estate. It makes your email app looks better too somehow.
Speaking of apps, EMUI also introduced a new navigation app they call Petal Maps. We have not tried it, but it is a HUAWEI developed app that looks like a cross between Google Maps and Waze. In addition to the navigation app, they have Petal Search as well; a Google alternative to search engines made for mobile devices. They say that Petal Search also does not collect your information, does not track your location, and does not expose your preferences or data. We look forward to trying those.
On top of those new features, they took away a few things too. No, that is not a bad thing. It is to protect your privacy from prying eyes.
For example, to prevent unknown eyes from looking at your notifications on your lock screen, HUAWEI automatically hides the notifications from eyes and faces it does not recognise. If you gaze on it, it opens up with more information on the notification. When you share your screen or cast your screen to a smart display too, notifications will only be contained on your own smartphone display instead of the smart display. You can now make plans with your friends on the side while watching a movie casted from your HUAWEI Mate40 device.
The Penta-Camera Combo – HUAWEI’s Most Advanced Camera Ever
Source: HUAWEI
Before we start, we have to clarify that HUAWEI’s penta-camera set-up is not actually the first in the market. That honour has to go to Nokia and their PureView smartphone that has not seen the light of the market just yet. This is the first HUAWEI device to feature five cameras pointing out of the back of the glass back though.
The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ packs one 50-Megapixel Ultra Vision Camera with HUAWEI’s signature RYYB (Red Yellow Yellow Blue) sensor and built in Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) out of the ceramic back. That main camera is supported by three other lenses that can do ultra-wide photos (20-Megapixel Cine Camera, 100o angle), optically zoom up to 3x ( 12-Megapixel Telephoto Cameaa), and even super zoom up to 10x optically (8-Megapixel SuperZoom Camera). There is an extra ToF 3D sensor in the array for depth information, so you can get stunningly accurate depth-of-field information on your photos. With the zoom lenses too, the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ can digitally zoom images at up to 100x, technically. You might not use that on a gallery poster though.
The cameras are not just for high-resolution photos though. They are also made for breath-taking videos. With cleverer image stabilisation, your 4K videos should look like they are shot on gimbals and big stabilisation rigs. HUAWEI really pulled all the stops for this one as well with AI Active Tracking. We mentioned earlier too that you do not have to move your device to capture a moving subject zoomed in, the image cropping algorithm just follows the subject and keeps the subject in consistent scale on your frame.
You can shoot videos at up to 3,840fps too, for ultra-slow-motion videos, but that mode is restricted to 720p resolution. Speaking of slow-motion videos though, you can now shoot at 240fps with no limits on your HUAWEI Mate40 device. Of course, it stops when your device overheats or when storage runs out.
Out the front is a combination of two cameras so that you can create stunning contents as well. There is a 13-Megapixel Ultra Vision Selfie Camera that can go up to 100o for a wider shot and a ToF 3D sensor for more accurate Depth information. This also means that the front-facing camera can shoot videos at up to 4K and even shoot unlimited 240fps videos at 1080p. Again, the limit is when you overheat your camera, when your battery runs out, or storage is full.
On both ends though, HUAWEI’s AI eliminates lens distortions. That means that your ultra-wide angle photos or wide-angle selfies will look like they were taken with a regular lens. Your face will not be stretched out and your subject will not look extra funky. This is brilliant stuff.
Everything Else
Source: HUAWEI
You see all of the greatness projected out to you via a large 6.76-inch display. It is an OLED panel that projects more than Full HD at 2,772 by 1,344 pixels. Of course, a modern smartphones needs a fast refreshing display and this keeps up at 90hz together with 240Hz sampling rate.
The curve on the sides are sharper than ever at 88o angle. That also means that your palms are technically touching the sides of the display when you hold it. You can still control the volumes using the virtual volume slide on the sides though, but the display is not your main source of interaction with the device anymore, the volume rocker button is back.
That is not all though, thanks to Kirin 9000’s cleverer NPU, air gesture controls are now much more powerful and precise. You do not even have to touch your device to interact with the device. Useful when you get your hands dirty. You can pick up calls, you can change screens, you can control your volume, you can even pause and play videos or music just via your hands moving in front of the display, like magic.
Of course, the processor is just part of the recipe for a smooth running, powerful device. You need a large RAM too, and the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ has 12GB of it. To contain all the content that you will be making with the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+, there is a 256GB storage to boot.
Of course, HUAWEI is known for their super long-lasting battery. They are touting the Kirin 9000 to be more efficient than the current generation of SoCs out in the market. That also means that the 4,400mAh battery shoehorned into the device should last you a full day of use and maybe even more, depending on how you use your device. If you ever run out of battery and you need to get it going quick, the battery can take on 66W via HUAWEI SuperCharge (included in-the-box) through the USB Type-C port, and 50W wireless charging (Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge sold separately).
Specifications
Processor
HiSilicon Kirin 9000 5G w/ Dual NPU Octa-core 1 x Cortex-A77@3.13 GHz 3 x Cortex-A77@2.54 GHz 4 x Cortex-A55@2.05 GHz
Non-Removable Li-Po 4,400 mAh Fast Charging 60W (HUAWEI SuperCharge) Fast Wireless Charging 50W (Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge)
Connectivity
Dual SIM Wi-Fi WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS A2DP Bluetooth 5.2 OTG Support USB 3.1 Type-C NFC
Camera (s)
REAR: 50 MP Ultra Vision Camera (Wide Angle, f/1.9 aperture, OIS) 20 MP Cine Camera (Ultra-Wide Angle, f/2.4 aperture) 12 MP Telephoto Camera (3x Optical Zoom, f/2.4 aperture, OIS) 8 MP SuperZoom Camera (10x Optical Zoom, f/4.4 aperture, OIS) 3D Depth Sensing Camera, support AF HDR LED Flash 4K Video recording 720p@3,840fps FRONT: 13 MP Ultra Vision Selfie Camera (Wide Angle, f/2.4) 3D Depth Sensing Camera 4K video recording 1080p@240fps
Sensors
Gesture Sensor 3D Face Recognition Gravity Sensor Infrared Sensor Fingerprint Sensor Barometric Pressure Sensor Gyroscope Compass Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Laser Sensor Colour Temperature Sensor
Miscellaneous
Stereo Speakers IP68
HUAWEI Mate40 Pro
Source: HUAWEI
You do not need five cameras, you tell yourself. You do not need to spend as much money, you say. But you want that power, the same one as the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+. Then the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro is for you.
The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro is technically a twin sibling to the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+. It packs the same large 6.76-inch display with a very steep curve on the side. The body is made out of roughly the same materials too. Well, save for the ceramic back; the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro has a regular glass back.
Source: HUAWEI
It packs the Same HiSilicon Kirin 9000 though. That also means the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro’s EMUI 11 can work as well as the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro+. You get the same air gesture controls, the same AoD or EoD, and probably around the same battery life with the 4,400 mAh battery.
The biggest visual difference, other than the variety of colour options, is the cameras. Up front, they are still the same sensors; a 13-Megapixel sensor with a ToF 3D depth sensor. It can still record 4K videos and 240fps 1080p videos as well.
The difference is at the back. There are two cameras less on the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro. You lose the ToF sensor and one telephoto lens. Instead you get a 50-Megapixel main sensor (same one as the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+), a 20-Megapixel Ultra-Wide Cine Camera (same on as the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+), and a 12-Megapixel Telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom capabilities.
Source: HUAWEI
You get the same camera modes too as the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+. In that case, if you are looking at a slightly tighter budget, the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro might seem like a good choice. While there is only an 8GB RAM for the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro, the differences in experience should be minute enough that you might not notice at all.
Specifications
Processor
HiSilicon Kirin 9000 5G w/ Dual NPU Octa-core 1 x Cortex-A77@3.13 GHz 3 x Cortex-A77@2.54 GHz 4 x Cortex-A55@2.05 GHz
Non-Removable Li-Po 4,400 mAh Fast Charging 60W (HUAWEI SuperCharge) Fast Wireless Charging 50W (Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge)
Connectivity
Dual SIM Wi-Fi WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS A2DP Bluetooth 5.2 OTG Support USB 3.1 Type-C NFC
Camera (s)
REAR: 50 MP Ultra Vision Camera (Wide Angle, f/1.9 aperture, OIS) 20 MP Cine Camera (Ultra-Wide Angle, f/2.4 aperture) 12 MP Telephoto Camera (5x Optical Zoom, f/3.4 aperture, OIS) HDR LED Flash 4K Video recording 720p@3,840fps FRONT: 13 MP Ultra Vision Selfie Camera (Wide Angle, f/2.4) 3D Depth Sensing Camera 4K video recording 1080p@240fps
Sensors
Gesture Sensor 3D Face Recognition Gravity Sensor Infrared Sensor Fingerprint Sensor Barometric Pressure Sensor Gyroscope Compass Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Laser Sensor Colour Temperature Sensor
Miscellaneous
Stereo Speakers IP68
HUAWEI Mate40
Source: HUAWEI
Then there is the most regular and basic of the bunch. The HUAWEI Mate40 is the entry level to the series of high-end devices. It is also a smaller device with a 6.5-inch display. It is still an OLED panel with 90Hz refresh rate and 240hz response rate. But it is not as high-resolution as its other siblings at 2,376 by 1,080 pixels (Full HD+).
It is still virtually as powerful with the HiSilicon Kirin 9000E (one less NPU core, 22-core Mali G78) SoC though. Like the Mate40 Pro it packs an 8GB of RAM, though storage is a step smaller at 128GB. Unlike both the Mate40 Pro and Mate40 Pro+, it only has a single 13-Megapixel front-facing camera for selfies but still support the same 4K video recording and 1080p@240fps videos.
Source: HUAWEI
The back of the device shares more similarities with the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro though. It only has three cameras mounted at the back, like the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro. The 50-Megapixel camera stays but the Cine Camera is a 16-Megapixel unit rather than a 20-Megapixel shooter. The telephoto lens an 8-Megapixel shooter is capable of 3x optical zoom.
It even has a slightly smaller battery compared to the other devices in the series. It has a 4,200mAh battery compared to the 4,400mAh on the two bigger devices. We suspect that the battery size difference is also due to the size constraints of both devices. The battery charges at 40W with HUAWEI’s SuperCharge technology via USB Type-C, and the device features no wireless charger.
Specifications
Processor
HiSilicon Kirin 9000E 5G w/ Dual NPU Octa-core 1 x Cortex-A77@3.13 GHz 3 x Cortex-A77@2.54 GHz 4 x Cortex-A55@2.05 GHz
Non-Removable Li-Po 4,200 mAh Fast Charging 40W (HUAWEI SuperCharge)
Connectivity
Dual SIM Wi-Fi WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS A2DP Bluetooth 5.2 OTG Support USB 3.1 Type-C NFC
Camera (s)
REAR: 50 MP Ultra Vision Camera (Wide Angle, f/1.9 aperture, OIS) 26 MP Cine Camera (Ultra-Wide Angle, f/2.4 aperture) 8 MP Telephoto Camera (3x Optical Zoom, f/2.4 aperture, OIS) LED Flash 4K Video recording 720p@3,840fps FRONT: 13 MP Ultra Vision Selfie Camera (Wide Angle, f/2.4) 4K video recording 1080p@240fps
Sensors
Gesture Sensor 3D Face Recognition Gravity Sensor Infrared Sensor Fingerprint Sensor Barometric Pressure Sensor Gyroscope Compass Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Laser Sensor Colour Temperature Sensor
Miscellaneous
Stereo Speakers IP68
Porsche Design HUAWEI Mate40 RS
Then there is the one that HUAWEI has been saving for last. This is the most premium Mate series going to be in production. The Porsche Design HUAWEI Mate40 RS is here.
When I say more premium though, I am referring to its price point. Everything that is built into the device points to the fact that it is a HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ under the skin. It is a Porsche Design product, so it looks different with the Ceramic back and colour options too. Instead of a clean round shape of the Space Ring, the Porsche Design HUAWEI Mate40 RS has an octagonal shape to it, more angular. The plain smooth back of the Mate40 Pro+ is now littered with powerlines that is inspired from the modern Porsche sports cars.
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
The only big differentiator in performance is the extra temperature sensor that is encircled by the five-camera set up. Even the camera set-up is similar to the Mate40 Pro+, save for the extra temperature sensor. The differences, in this case, is only skin deep. Oh, of course the other difference is on the price tag.
Specifications
Processor
HiSilicon Kirin 9000 5G w/ Dual NPU Octa-core 1 x Cortex-A77@3.13 GHz 3 x Cortex-A77@2.54 GHz 4 x Cortex-A55@2.05 GHz
Non-Removable Li-Po 4,400 mAh Fast Charging 60W (HUAWEI SuperCharge) Fast Wireless Charging 50W (Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge)
Connectivity
Dual SIM Wi-Fi WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax GPS/A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS A2DP Bluetooth 5.2 OTG Support USB 3.1 Type-C NFC
Camera (s)
REAR: 50 MP Ultra Vision Camera (Wide Angle, f/1.9 aperture, OIS) 20 MP Cine Camera (Ultra-Wide Angle, f/2.4 aperture) 12 MP Telephoto Camera (3x Optical Zoom, f/2.4 aperture, OIS) 8 MP SuperZoom Camera (10x Optical Zoom, f/4.4 aperture, OIS) 3D Depth Sensing Camera, support AF Colour Temperature Sensor HDR LED Flash 4K Video recording 720p@3,840fps FRONT: 13 MP Ultra Vision Selfie Camera (Wide Angle, f/2.4) 3D Depth Sensing Camera 4K video recording 1080p@240fps
Sensors
Gesture Sensor 3D Face Recognition Gravity Sensor Infrared Sensor Fingerprint Sensor Barometric Pressure Sensor Gyroscope Compass Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Laser Sensor Colour Temperature Sensor
Miscellaneous
Stereo Speakers IP68
Pricing and Availability
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
Source: HUAWEI
They did not mention when the devices will start shipping out to customers. The HUAWEI Mate40 and the HUAWEI Mate40 Pro will be available in Mystic Silver, White, Black, Green (Vegan leather), and Yellow (Vegan Leather) colour options. The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ and Porsche Design HUAWEI Mate40 RS will be available exclusively in Ceramic White or Ceramic Black.
The HUAWEI Mate40 (8GB + 128GB) will be available for EUR€ 899 (MYR*). The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro (8GB + 256GB) will set you back EUR€ 1,199 (MYR*). The HUAWEI Mate40 Pro+ will be priced at EUR€ 1,399 (MYR*), while the Porsche Design HUAWEI Mate40 RS will be available for EUR€2,295 (MYR*). We will be keeping a close ear to the ground for local pricing and availability.
*Based on approximate exchange rate of EUR€ 1 = MYR 4.91 as of 23/10/2020
No, please do not get the title wrong. The HUAWEI Mate Xs still does not have Google Play Store out of the box. Now that we got that out of the way, let us get right to it; HUAWEI’s very anticipated foldable smartphone is available for purchase in Malaysia today onward.
For the price of MYR 11,111, you are getting a piece of engineering
marvel that is the
HUAWEI Mate Xs starting from today. There is a problem, however. We are not
technically allowed out of our homes to buy a smartphone. Even if do get
outside, the shops are not even open. So, what is HUAWEI on about? How are they
selling their new smartphones?
Source: HUAWEI
Online is the word. Of course, selling smartphones online is
nothing new to HUAWEI. They have been doing it for years with their sister
brand HONOR. Of course, they have their own curated web store as well.
Obviously at this state, where no one can be out and about
doing their regular shopping, HUAWEI can only put the HUAWEI Mate Xs on sale on
the web store. So here it is, no launch gambit, no fancy roadshows; just a simple
product put online. A little underwhelming for the Mate Xs? Yes. Necessary? Yes
as well.
The HUAWEI Mate Xs – As Weird as Interstellar
The HUAWEI Mate Xs comes only in one colour option; that is Interstellar
Blue. As you can see in our hands-on video, with poor lighting, the device does
actually look quite good. If you must ask as well (of course, you would) it
really feels like a quality product like no other. The folding mechanism gives
you a load of confidence with the device, it has a solid resistance that gives
you a sense that this thing is meant to be folded in and out for a lifetime. Even
the crease is barely noticeable on the HUAWEI Mate Xs, less pronounced than,
let us say a Samsung Galaxy Fold.
Still, it is quite a different interpretation of what a foldable smartphone should look like. We like that about the HUAWEI Mate Xs. We also like the fact that it has a tonne of power and 5G connectivity thanks to the ultra-powerful HiSilicon Kirin 990 System on a Chip (SoC) with 8G of RAM and 512GB of storage. We like that the EMUI 10 (based on Android 10, by the way) that is on the device is optimised for multiwindow functionality.
We also like the fact that the device only features one display
(8-inch to 6-inch), which is technically cheaper and simpler to maintain. Although,
at this point, it is difficult to say thanks to the more ‘robust’ folding
mechanism. Also, not too sure about the battery life because it only has 4,500
mAh squeezed into its tight body. We are not saying that this is not impressive;
it is an impressive feat still.
As we mentioned before in our launch article as well, you only get a single array of cameras that you use for both main camera shots and selfies. That is, in our books, great as well; less things to worry about and you get a single camera quality instead of two different results on two different fronts. The HUAWEI Mate Xs has a main 40-Megapixel camera, a 16-Megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, an 8-Megapixel telephoto lens, and a Time of Flight sensor for even more stellar portraits and better auto focusing.
So, you can get your hands on the HUAWEI Mate Xs today for
MYR 11,111 from HUAWEI’s
one and only web store. With that purchase you get a free HUAWEI Freebuds 3
worth MYR 679. You also get an Envelope Leather Case for the device worth MYR
299. In the box itself you get a sort of shell to cover the sides of your new
smartphone and a pair of USB Type-C earphones. Oh right, this thing does not
have a 3.5mm headphone jack. You also get HUAWEI’s three months warranty on
your display, just in case. That warranty covers everything from drops to
whatever sort of accidental collisions the device might face within the three
months. It does not cover water damage though, and this is not an IP rated
device, so keep it away from coffee, or even rain.
HUAWEI VIP Home Delivery Service
Beyond that, you get to choose on the method of your receipt
of the device. Yes, you get to choose. You can be optimistic and tell the web
store that you will collect your HUAWEI Mate Xs at your preferred HUAWEI Store.
That is if you can find one that is open, or if you can wait until April for
the device. If not, you can choose for the HUAWEI Mate Xs to be delivered right
to your doorstep. They call it the HUAWEI VIP Home Delivery Service.
You can expect a man in tuxedos to arrive at your doorstep,
mask ready of course (health and safety requirement), and gloves. They would
ring your doorbell, and you answer the door greeted by an English accent and
your smartphone on a silver tray. They will sanitise the device in front of you
as well, just to add to the drama and show. Then you pick it up and feel like
the most important man in the world.
Source: HUAWEI
No, we are kidding. The face mask and sanitation procedures
are true though. Still, I would imagine that if you bought your smartphone you would
not be able to wait for it to get a first glimpse and hands-on with it. I
suggest you go for the delivery service, all you have to do is provide them
with your contact and delivery details anyway.
The HUAWEI Mate Xs is now on sale at HUAWEI’s online
web store. The highly anticipated smartphone will set you back MYR 11,111.
The free gifts mentioned are available for all purchases of the HUAWEI Mate Xs until
further noticed by HUAWEI. More information on their device can be found on HUAWEI’s Website.
After a long hiatus HUAWEI has launched their flagship laptop, the Matebook X Pro. The Matebook X Pro is a 13.9-inch laptop with thin bezels that gives the laptop an amazing 91% screen to body coverage. The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro pushes 3,000 x 2,000 pixels creating a display with a pixel density of 260ppi. thanks to the super slim bezel you get a true border-less experience.
Processing power of the new Matebook X Pro is courtesy of Intel’s 10th gen Core i7-10510U. There is also a cheaper variant with Intel’s Core i5-10210U. Even the Core i5 version should give you a smooth and snappy experience on The HUAWEI Matebook X Pro.
To complement the power and take full advantage of multitasking, the laptop comes with 16GB of RAM across all variants. 16GB of RAM is copious for you and your laptop to work with. Ample RAM also gives you the ability to run multiple tasks at once without slowing down. The MateBook X Pro also comes with a minimum of 512GB and the top variant comes with a whopping 1TB storage. That also means you may not need to worry about storage needs for a while.
The MateBook X Pro comes with NVIDIA GeForce MX250 with 2GB of GDDR5 to give you a smooth experience in all tasks at hand from video editing to gaming. That is good news for most power users. That is especially if you need to use your notebook PC as a remote video editing rig. You might not want to put Adobe’s After Effects through it though. Then again, After Effects is too heavy to run on plenty of PCs.
The new MateBook X Pro is designed with a metal unibody with a diamond cut edge giving it a sleeker and thinner look. Well, it is only 14.6mm thick. Anyway, the body comes finished with a premium sandblasted finish that feels smooth to the touch and it has three different colours to choose from. They come in Space Grey, Emerald Green and Mystic Silver.
Such Slim, Very Thin, Many Power, Wow. In that small package, HUAWEI still managed to fit a 56Wh battery that could last up to 12 hours of video playback. All these watts, and you still gotta charge them. The MateBook X Pro has a 65W Type-C portable adapter which can be used with a wide variety of charging outputs.
The time has come, for the pricing and its variations. There will be three variants, all of which comes with touch screens. The first two variants will be running on Intel’s 10th Generation Core i5 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. That is where the similarities end, the only difference is that one comes with a MX250 graphics card and the other does not. The last and final variant gets the same 16GB RAM and MX250 graphics card but it comes with a more powerful Intel Core i7 processor and a bigger storage at 1TB. The prices for all three variants of the laptop are as follow, EU€ 1,499, EU€ 1,699, EU€ 1,999 which translates to about MYR 6,820 , MYR 7,730 and MYR 9,095.
Mobile World Congress 2020 was cancelled, but that does not
mean that you will miss all the big announcements. HUAWEI just had their announcement
not more than an hour ago. In that announcement they announced the latest HUAWEI
Mate Xs foldable smartphone. It is pretty much an evolution of last year’s
HUAWEI Mate X foldable smartphone. That is not all they launched though.
This year they also introduced the HUAWEI MatePad Pro, a
high-end tablet designed for the professionals. Why we say that? It has a DCI-P3
colour accurate display for the best sort of colour reproduction you can get on
10-inches of display. The 10.8-inch display pushes 2,500 by 1,600 pixels, effectively
a QHD+ display. With a 90% screen to body coverage too it is small, really
small. Thin too at 7.2mm, as thick as modern smartphones.
It is one of HUAWEI’s most advanced tablets to come out of
the Chinese tech giant’s showrooms. It packs HUAWEI’s HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G
processor. You get an option of getting the MatePad Pro with 5G connectivity
too if you really must. Of course, the 5G versions will cost you a little bit
more.
Audio cannot be neglected in a super powerhouse like the
MatePad Pro too. You get not only four speakers at each corner of the device; you
also get far-field mics for your voice commands from a distance away. That is
all wrapped in ultra-light fiber glass body or stylish vegan leather body.
For maximum productivity, you can get the HUAWEI M-Pencil
for EU€
99. You can take advantage of the app multiplier, multiscreen collaboration, multi-window
modes, and even HUAWEI share for even more optimised productivity and
multitasking. Of course, it does have large battery to fill the space within
the slim and compact body. 7,250mAh large, in fact. For that, you get all-day
productivity. It even charges at 40W if you plug it in a wall charger. It can
charge wirelessly at 37W too.
The HUAWEI will be available within this quarter of 2020. Malaysia? We do not have a set date yet, but it looks like we are also getting it soon enough. It comes in either Green or Orange Vegan Leather colour options, or White or Grey glass fiber colour options. Prices start at EU€ 549 (6GB + 128GB) [MYR 2,520], EU€ 649 (8GB + 256GB) [MYR 2,979], EU€ 749 (8GB + 256GB, M-Pencil, Vegan Leather) [MYR 3,438] for the WiFi version, EU€ 599 (6GB + 128GB) [MYR 2,749], EU€ 699 (8GB + 256GB) [MYR 3,208] for the LTE variant, and goes all the way up to EU€ 799 (8GB + 256GB) [MYR 3,666], EU€ 949 (8GB +512GB) [MYR 4,355] for the 5G variant. The HUAWEI MatePad Pro runs on HUAWEI’s EMUI 10.0.1 based on Android 10 Operating System (OS) though you can only get your apps through HUAWEI’s App Gallery.
HUAWEI showcased the interestingly complex and advanced
HUAWEI Mate X, a foldable smartphone that is unlike anything that we could
imagine a foldable smartphone would be. Instead of folding inward, the display of
the Mate X folds outward. That also means that when the HUAWEI Mate X is
folded, the display wraps around the side to the back.
We did not actually see the HUAWEI Mate X making it into the
smartphone market mix in Malaysia. Which also means we did not even get to see
it in person. Still, it made the foldable smartphone market a little bit more
interesting than what it already is. It gives the foldable smartphone market
something to think about, because it was an unconventional solution to a conventional
problem.
This year is still about foldable smartphones apparently. Of
course, there was the Samsung Galaxy Fold that came in with a large display
that folds in. There is an external display of course when the display is folded
in. Then there is the Motorola RAZR and most recently the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
that was just announced two weeks ago. Oh yes, the Z Flip is going to make it
in Malaysia.
Of course, HUAWEI is not going to be the only one missing
out. For this year they are launching their brand-new HUAWEI Mate Xs. Like the
Mate X we saw in CES 2019 last year, the HUAWEI Mate Xs features the familiar
Falcon Wing Hinge. The one found on the HUAWEI Mate Xs is supposed to be sturdier
than the original Mate X though, at least that is what they are claiming.
Like the Mate X of 2020, it also features a display that
folds out into a larger display instead of folding in. Which also means that
the Mate Xs will have a wrap-around display as well. Folded in, the main
display measures in at 6-inch. That extends to 8-inch once popped out. Yes, it
is a spring loaded mechanism, only for the first part of the unfold though.
As one of the leaders in 5G infrastructures and technology,
the HUAWEI Mate Xs comes with 5G capabilities too. While it does have dual SIM
capability, the other SIM tray can only support up to 4G connectivity, understandably
as well.
Of course, a new flashy flagship has to come with a flashy
processor. For that, the HUAWEI Mate Xs gets a HiSilicon Kirin 990 System on a
Chip (SoC). Of course, that also means that the HUAWEI Mate Xs is perfect for
multitaskers with multi-window capabilities built-into the User Interface (UI).
You can even open two instances of a single app if the app supports App Multiplier
feature. Imagine having two instances of WhatsApp running at the same time.
Instead of having two or even three camera arrangements though,
HUAWEI has gone quite conventional with a single camera array. The single camera
array is still a system of HUAWEI’s proven SuperSensing 40-Megapixel quad camera
set-up. Supporting the main camera is a 16-Megapixel ultra-wide shooter, 8-Megapixel
telephoto lens, and a 3D depth sensor for better Bokeh photos.
A large screen, as usual, needs a large battery. The HUAWEI
Mate Xs packs a 4,500mAh battery. While that may not sound that big compared to
equivalent 8-inch tablets, you must remember that HUAWEI smartphones do come
with some very impressive battery life, according to user testimonies anyway. If
that is not enough for you in a day though it charges at 55w; that is as fast as
some notebook PC these days. The notebook that typed out this release, for
example, charges at minimum of 40W. With 55w charging, the HUAWEI Mate Xs
charges from empty to full within 40 minutes.
teThe HUAWEI Mate Xs is said to be sold globally next month, March 2020. Earlier in the presentation Richard Yu did say that the new smartphone will be expensive. How expensive? EU€ 2,499 expensive. That is about MYR 11,500 and that is for the 8GB RAM and 512GB storage variant. Yes, it does come with 5G connectivity. The HUAWEI Mate Xs comes with their very own EMUI 10.0.1 and HUAWEI Mobile Services based on the Android operating system. It does not support Google’s Play Store though.
If you kept up with the tech scene as of 2019, there would be one topic that is a little more outstanding that others. No, not foldable devices. Nope, not even flexible glass, or roll-able TVs like LGs. The hottest topic all year long was the dawn of 5G connectivity.
At this point, if you ask us about when you can expect 5G, we can only say this year 2020. You can bet on that though. The three major network providers in Malaysia have started testing out 5G networks as of late 2019 last year. Celcom, Maxis, and Digi have been looking into 5G implementations and have been talking about upgrading their towers for 5G connectivity roll-out. They also claim that some towers are already ready for a 5G switch. Celcom, for example have successfully tested out their 5G network in their own office tower in 2019.
Of course, there is a big problem when our network providers turns on the switch to 5G. That problem is not on their ends. Sadly, we are limited to our devices; we do not have plenty of choices when it comes to 5G ready devices. Even the Samsung Galaxy Fold that comes to Malaysia will not have 5G connectivity. The only 5G ready smartphone that was launched last year was from Vivo.
This year looks to be different though. Other than the expected 5G roll-out, you can expect more smartphones to come with 5G connectivity. One of those smartphones that is confirmed to come as a 5G ready device is the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G (codename: LIO-N29). How do we know? It just passed through SIRIM’s inspections as of January 2020.
Source: HUAWEI
Yes, the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro is not that new of a smartphone. It launched late last year 2019 in Malaysia. It packs HiSilicon’s most powerful Kirin 990 with 8GB of RAM. The Malaysian model comes with 256GB of storage too for good measure. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro continues with their super powerful quad-camera set-up as well as a large 4,500mAh battery. The device is void of any physical buttons. Instead, the beautiful Horizon display takes on the traditional volume rocker function. Of course, to power on the device, there is still a haptic button on the right side. For 2020, it will have 5G to get it up to speeds with Malaysia’s introduction of 5G.
Source: SIRIM
From the screenshot, HUAWEI’s Mate 30 Pro 5G comes with three 5G bands. The devices comes with a 700MHz, 3,500MHz, and 3,700MHz bands. Nope, not gibberish; the global band for 5G has been reported to be somewhere between 3,300MHz to 4,200MHz. There are also reports of 700MHz spectrums being used in Malaysia for certain telcos. Which also means that the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro will be perfectly ready for Malaysia’s 5G push.
We do not know when the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G version will be going into the market. We do know though that SIRIM has approved the specifications within the screenshot. That also means that we can expect the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G to go on sale very soon. Price? We are guessing about MYR 4,499. Do not take our word for it though, we could be wrong.
