Huawei on Sunday announced the launch of its 5G smartphone – Huawei Mate X — with a foldable screen.
Huawei Mate X foldable phone, the world’s fastest 5G smartphone, is priced at 2299 euros or $2604 or Rs 185,000 in India. The company says it’s trying to bring down the cost of the 5G smartphone.

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled a nearly $2,000 folding smartphone in a bid to top the technology of Apple and Chinese rivals and reignite consumer interest amid slumping sales.

Huawei Mate X foldable phone will be available from mid-2019. Samsung said Galaxy Fold will go on sale on April 26.

Huawei did not reveal its partnership with telecom operators. BT-owned EE said it will bring Huawei Mate X to its 5G network once it is ready. Samsung has partnerships with 8 telecom operators for selling its 5G smartphone.

Huawei’s first 5G smartphone is powered by Kirin 980 processor. Huawei Mate X foldable phone comes with dual-SIM support. Users can also use the slot to add a microSD card. It comes with dual batteries along with ultra 55W fast charging capacity.

Huawei says it can charge 600 percent faster than Apple’s iPhone XS Max. The charger can be used to charge other PCs including Macbooks.

The Huawei Mate X is a 2-in-1 smartphone and tablet, featuring a flexible OLED panel. The device comes with the world’s first 7nm 5G multi-mode modem chipset Balong 5000, and a 4,500mAh battery.

Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, has revealed that the China-based devices major has shipped 206 million units in 2018.

Huawei, the number one telecom equipment maker, said The Mate X has an advantage over other companies launching 5G devices because it provides the full-range of equipment needed to get wireless networks up and running.

Huawei’s consumer business unit reported 50 percent growth in sales to $52 billion in 2018 due to strong demand for its premium smartphones. Huawei overtook Apple as the world’s second largest smartphone maker last year, behind Samsung.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi early in the day unveiled Mi Mix 3 5G smartphone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. Priced at $680, Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 3 with 5G will be available in European markets first.

Baburajan K