Huawei's latest foldable smartphone comes with outdated Snapdragon 888 chipset
What's the story
Huawei has released its new foldable smartphone, the Mate Xs 2, in China. Alongside that, the brand has also introduced a budget tablet, dubbed as MatePad SE. The former starts at CNY 9,999 (nearly Rs. 1.15 lakh) and it will go on sale from May 6 onward. The latter is already up for grabs in the country starting at CNY 1,500 (roughly Rs. 17,300).
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Mate Xs 2 is Huawei's latest attempt to convince people that outward folding smartphones are a viable option. The device comes as the successor to the Mate Xs that went official in 2020. It is a slightly redesigned version with upgraded specifications, a more durable screen, and a refined double rotor hinge mechanism to prevent a visible crease on the display.
Design and display
It sports a 120Hz OLED display
The Mate Xs 2 sports an outward folding design, a metallic frame, a right-aligned punch-hole cut-out, and a side-mounted fingerprint reader. The device provides a 7.8-inch QHD+ (2200x2480 pixels) OLED display in open state. When closed, you get a 6.5-inch Full-HD+ (1176x2480 pixels) OLED screen. The screen offers a 120Hz refresh rate, a 240Hz touch sampling rate, and 424ppi pixel density.
Information
It features a 50MP primary camera
The Mate Xs 2 offers a triple rear camera arrangement that comprises a 50MP (f/1.8) main snapper, a 13MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide sensor, and an 8MP (f/2.4) telephoto lens with OIS and 30x digital zoom. For selfies, it gets a 10MP (f/2.2) front-facing camera.
Internals
A Snapdragon 888 SoC powers the device
The Mate Xs 2 is powered by a Snapdragon 888 processor, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage. It boots HarmonyOS 2 and packs a 4,880mAh battery with 66W fast-charging support. Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, NFC, and a Type-C port. At 255gm, it is 45gm lighter than its predecessor.
Key features
What are the highlights of MatePad SE?
The MatePad SE has a 10.1-inch Full-HD+ (1200x1920 pixels) LCD display with nearly 80% screen-to-body ratio. It packs a 5MP (f/1.8) rear sensor and a 2MP (f/2.0) front-facing camera. The handset is powered by a Kirin 710A chipset, along with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It draws power from a 5,100mAh battery, and comes in Wi-Fi-only and 4G variants.
Pocket-pinch
Huawei Mate Xs 2 and MatePad SE: Pricing and availability
The Mate Xs 2 starts at CNY 9,999 (nearly Rs. 1.15 lakh) for its 8GB/256GB trim and goes up to CNY 12,999 (roughly Rs. 1.5 lakh) for the 12GB/512GB top-tier model. It will go on sale starting May 6. The MatePad SE's 4GB/128GB sole configuration costs CNY 1,500 (roughly Rs. 17,300) for the Wi-Fi-only model and CNY 1,699 (nearly Rs. 19,600) for 4G model.