Huawei brought the new foldable Mate Xs 2 back in May, and we were reporting on the ground with first impressions and hands-on experience. Back then the device was in limited supply but now Huawei is bringing it to the store shelves and we got our hands on one unit.
The Mate Xs 2 ships in three colors, and our unit is White. The finish on the back is leathery but since the phone folds outwards, the color is more of an afterthought. Still, it feels nice on the hands when the Mate is unfolded.
We love how thin the phone is in its base – it is just 5.4 mm, with the camera bump doubling it to 11.1 mm, which is also the total thickness of the folded phone. The panel is manufactured by BOE and we love the fact it virtually has no creases – we had to look hard to find some.
The unfolded 7.8” screen has no glass to shield it from the elements, but it has a pre-applied plastic protector. It already has some minor scuffs which thankfully are not visible when the device is being used.
When the Huawei Mate Xs 2 is folded, the front side becomes a 6.5” screen, while the back side remains dark. It can be used as a viewfinder for taking selfies with the main cameras, though. We will look deeper in our full review to establish whether HarmonyOS 2.0 has features that enable the second display.
Thankfully, there is a special protective case in the retail box that covers the rear part of the display.
The Huawei ecosystem is getting increasingly feature rich and this phone comes with Petal Search, Petal Maps, and AppGallery and even brings app suggestions to download directly onto the home screen.
Huawei Mate Xs 2 has an attractive form factor and promising cameras. Its foldable design is a bit vulnerable with the whole display being exposed, but there’s no denying its impressive looks and functionality benefits. We’ll go through all the use case scenarios in our review to determine whether it is worth the €1,999 price tag. The tests are already underway, so stay tuned.
