Mate X is finally on sale... without Google. Will it survive? (Image via Android Central)

Huawei sells out 5G-powered, foldable smartphone Mate X 5G

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Business & Industry
Electronic Device
Nov 17, 2019
1996
On Friday, the Chinese tech giant, Huawei Technologies, finally released its foldable smartphone, Mate X, into the market. Mate X is Huawei’s latest trump card to stand toe-to-toe with Samsung’s Galaxy Fold. Recently, Motorola also released its nostalgic, foldable Motorola Razr.

Huawei sold Mate X for ¥16,999 online through VMall. While the price was astronomical, Huawei stated that the smartphone was sold out despite the obscurity of how many units were sold at that time.

It was later revealed that the first buyers will get a 50 percent discount for first-time screen replacement. It sounds fishy and shady like Huawei is trying to cover things up with a discount.

Not vertical nor inward, Huawei’s Mate X smartphone folds outward with a 6.6-inch, 1,148 x 2,480, AMOLED front display and a 6.4-inch, 892 x 2,480, AMOLED back display. If the screen blooms, it will form an 8-inch screen with a resolution of 2200 x 2480. For your ease, the size is tablet-like.

For its specification, the Mate X runs on the chipset made by Huawei-owned HiSilicon, Kirin 980 SoC. The ultimate weapon of the foldable smartphone is the 5G network supported by Balong 5G modem. Mate X stores 8GM of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.

For the camera(s), it has three rear cameras: 40MP wide lens, 16MP ultra-wide lens, and 8MP telephoto lens.

Mate X offers a long-lasting battery of 4,500 mAh. With the 55W SuperCharge feature, Mate X’s battery is charged to 85 percent in only half an hour.

Shockingly, Huawei revealed that it will release a brother for Mate X in March 2020, called Mate Xs. What is the difference? The difference will be quite significant as Mate Xs will run on Kirin 990 SoC. While it has a 5G modem, it also stores 10.3 billion transistors.

ROLLOUT TO OTHER COUNTRIES

While it reaps huge success in its homeland, Huawei is considering the plan to release Mate X to other countries. The Chinese tech giant said that the rollout depends on the availability of 5G networks in those countries.

However, with Google’s influence nowadays, it will be difficult for Huawei’s Mate X to compete in the global tech market. Since May 2019, the United States (U.S) Department of Commerce put Huawei into its “Entity List”, causing the smartphone to run without Android.

While Huawei stands so sure about running without Android, it might be ineffective in some regions where Google has almost total dominion such as Europe and North America. Therefore, it might be difficult to have a device without Gmail, YouTube, Google Assistant, and other Google services when you need one.

Huawei may have suffered sales blows on a global scale. But, when it comes to patriotism, the Chinese have the best way to show it. In China, Huawei’s gadgets are sold like hotcakes! Huawei recorded 66 percent shipment to China. It means, other brands such as Apple stood no chance at all.

Even Oppo, the second-biggest phone brand in China, only booked 17.9 percent of market share, while Huawei has 42.4 percent.

Source: https://bit.ly/2XmjB0A

Business , Electronic , Device , Gadget , China , Huawei , Mate-X , 5G