Introduction
The Huawei Mate XS is a new foldable phone from the Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei, but it isn't a groundbreaking change from the handset we saw the firm introduce at this stage in 2019. Its predecessor, the Huawei Mate X, announced in February 2019, and the Mate XS is a slightly-updated version of that device with a few changes offering improvements in key features. These upgrades are likely an attempt to keep the foldable phone relevant in light of the recently unveiled competition in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, Motorola Razr, and the now, slightly older Samsung Galaxy Fold. The CEO of Huawei confirmed that the Mate Xs would be available for purchase in global markets from next month.
Design and display
The Huawei Mate Xs unfurls rather than folding together like a book – it's sort of the different design to what the Galaxy Fold does – with two smaller screens that become one big one when you put it into tablet mode.
Unfolded, the screen is a sizable 8 inches (with a 2200 x 2480 resolution and 414ppi pixel density), large enough to do activities you'd usually reserve for a tablet instead of a phone. When folded, you still have part of the display to use - 6.6-inches, in fact - making it far larger (and more useful) than the external display on the Galaxy Fold. When folded in phone mode, it feels like your average smartphone, although it is thicker than most at 11mm. Like many modern smartphones, the Huawei Mate XS doesn't arrive with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The hinge system works well, and it seems to be as durable as we've seen on other phones. Huawei ensured us that the original phone would last for 100,000 folds, according to the company's own testing. Huawei says it has also improved the hinge technology for the Mate XS, allowing it to snap into place with more ease.
Camera
The camera on the Huawei Mate XS is a triple-module system that offers a 40MP wide sensor, 8MP telephoto snapper, and a 16MP ultrawide third option. On top of that is a 3D time of flight (ToF) sensor to monitor depth in your shots. That's similar to a lot of camera systems we've seen on modern flagship phones.
There is no selfie sensor on the front panel, so you can use the cameras on the Mate Xs' rear for taking selfies. You'll use the rear display to be able to do this, and we found this easy to do. It means you won't take selfies when the phone is out in its unfolded mode – so you won't be able to have a full-screen video call on the Mate Xs – but it's a well thought through a decision from Huawei that makes sense. The primary camera of the new foldable phone has f/1.8 aperture, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7", and PDAF technology. It can record 4k and Full HD videos at 30fps.
Chipset, software, and battery
This is where the major upgrades have taken place in the Huawei Mate XS, and the number one difference is that this is a 5G handset. It has the latest Hisilicon Kirin 990 chipset, which we saw perform well in the Huawei Mate 30 Pro. It's a powerful chipset, and we didn't come across any issues during our short time with the Mate XS. The foldable also arrives with 8GB of RAM on-board, and there's 512GB of storage for you to fill up with apps and media. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't have access to Google's mobile services. The Mate XS runs Android 10 OS, but it can't provide Google apps like YouTube, Gmail, or the Play Store due to the US ban. Huawei has its own App Gallery technology and a few other third-party alternatives to allow you to download services. The battery in the Huawei Mate XS is the same as the predecessor. It packs a 4,500 mAh battery that supports up to 55W for fast charging. The 55W fast charging technology can charge the phone battery 85 percent only in 30 minutes.