At this year’s Mobile World Congress, a lot of new devices were introduced and impressed with their technology, but one seemed to rise above the rest. Rated “Best In Show AND “Best Foldable Phone” by The Verge, the Huawei Mate X seems to be the mobile phone to beat for 2019.
It’s difficult to overstate the splash that the Huawei Mate X made upon its debut at MWC. Even with an unfortunate leak the day before its official announcement, this phone-tablet hybrid still grabbed the spotlight with its polished, ultra-thin design and handsome display. Huawei asserted its design credentials with a device that folds without a gap to a very reasonable thickness of 11mm, while measuring just 5.4mm when opened up. With minimal bezels around the screen and a triple camera system integrated into a grip on the side, the Mate X looks like a terrific first draft for the foldable phone future.
With a hefty price tag and a release date set for June, the Mate X is a distinctly premium, distinctly of-the-future device. The big bummer for everyone in the U.S.: since it’s made by Huawei, it’s also not going to be sold on the American market at all. So unless you’re an international traveling sort with a chunk of spare change to lay down, you’re going to have a tough time getting your hands on one.
There’s no disputing the fact that, when the history of foldables is written, the Huawei Mate X will loom large. This has been the device that converted hundreds and thousands skeptics to the idea that foldables might indeed have a future. This has been the device that showed Huawei can lead on design instead of merely copying and iterating on existing forms.
For its transformative and symbolic powers — as a brand halo device and as an Android innovation ambassador — the Huawei Mate X deserves the title of being both the most important and the most impressive device of Mobile World Congress 2019.
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