Huawei Mate X arrives in China as firm celebrates record total phone shipments

By Andy Boxall Published October 23, 2019

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Though times are turbulent for Huawei, it has still managed to ship 200 million smartphones already this year, beating a previous record, and has finally given its folding smartphone — the Huawei Mate X — a release date. Before you get too excited about potentially buying the Mate X, the phone has only been announced for China so far.

The Mate X was first shown at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, but suffered several delays since then, primarily to do with software and app compatibility, and the speed with which 5G networks were being launched following its announcement. Huawei has repeatedly said that aside from those issues, the phone has been ready for launch since mid-year.

Recommended Videos

This is Huawei’s third 5G phone, following the Mate 20 X 5G and the Mate 30 5G, and the version set for release in China uses the same components as the Mate 20 X 5G — the Kirin 980 processor and Huawei’s Balong 5000 5G modem. The Mate 30 5G has the latest Kirin 990 chip, which comes with integrated 5G, and Huawei’s Consumer Business Group Chairman Richard Yu has hinted that a revised version of the Mate X with the Kirin 990 may come at a later date.

While the Mate X’s release is exciting, Huawei has also announced that this year so far it has shipped 200 million smartphones already, beating the time it took to reach this milestone by 64 days when compared to last year. Huawei has been battling against a trade restriction with the U.S., which has stopped it from working with Google and other suppliers, making this number all the more impressive. However, its most recent phone — the Mate 30 Pro — comes without Google services, and the effect this has on international sales will be visible in figures released in 2020.

The Mate X folding phone will be released in China on November 15, and if you’re sitting down, I’ll tell you the price: the local equivalent of $2,400. That’s a little over $400 more than the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which after its own set of problems, is currently available to buy in the U.S., the U.K., and a few other select locations around the world.

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

Your $1,000 flagship may not have faster 5G speeds than a budget phone

Moto Edge 20 Lite, OnePlus Nord 2, Oppo Find X3 Lite, and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.

After spending over $1,000 on a flagship 5G phone, you might think you're getting the fastest network speeds possible. After all, isn't that what you're paying for? But our recent network testing shows that may very well not be the case, with 5G performance on flagship phones being minimally better than budget phones, and in some cases, actually worse.

To give you some context, earlier this year, we put the 5G-capable MediaTek Dimensity 700 against the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 in a test to see which processor delivered the best 5G performance and had the best daily user experience. Six months on, we’re going to take a look at four new 5G phones with different chips to see how they compare to answer this question: Does paying more for a smartphone with a flagship processor inside give you the fastest network connection, or is it all pumped-up marketing?
Understanding 5G
Before going into the details, we received some very interesting feedback from MediaTek after our last test, which is also relevant to this one. MediaTek contacted Digital Trends to discuss the 5G speed test results, as the Dimensity 700-powered Realme 8 5G couldn’t match the Oppo A54 5G with a Qualcomm chip inside. The company then took its own test equipment to the area where I had tested the phones, and in conversations afterwards, it gave plenty of insight into how 5G varies across phones, networks, and location.

Mobile

Nokia’s new, cheap X100 gives T-Mobile customers 5G for just $252

The Nokia X100 on a table

HMD Global is launching a new cheap 5G phone exclusively for T-Mobile and Metro, the company announced on Tuesday. Known as the Nokia X100, this phone combines 5G, a big screen, and great speakers for the low price of $252 for the 6GB RAM/128GB storage configuration.

Like most of Nokia's new phones, it's a big one. There's a 6.67-inch Full HD screen (no 90Hz at this price range) with Nokia's OZO Audio technology for an immersive audiovisual experience. There's a quad-lens camera with a 48-megapixel main camera and three other cameras that'll probably disappoint you, and all-day battery life brought by a combination of Android 11's adaptive battery and a 4,470mAh cell.

Mobile

Not all Pixel 6 phones have mmWave 5G, but here’s why it doesn’t matter

Pixel 6 Pro in the pocket

Google released its Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones at its Fall Pixel Launch Event. The new Pixel 6 comes with a Tensor chip for enhanced AI/ML and computational photography capabilities, significantly better cameras that let in more light and allow for better photos in low lighting, better battery performance, and new features and upgrades all around.

The Pixel 6 has 5G, which provides faster speeds than 4G. But depending on the model you get, your new Pixel 6 may or may not have the most optimal 5G speeds available. Why? Because some Pixel 6 models have a network technology called mmWave and others don’t. They use a different 5G technology called Sub-6. In other words, all the Pixel 6 models are 5G, but the type you get will be different depending on where you buy it from.
What is 5G and why does it matter for the Pixel 6?