Huawei's latest foldable smartphone comes with outdated Snapdragon 888 chipset
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
