One year after the premiere of its first folding smartphone, Chinese technology company Huawei Technologies presented an updated version of its folding phone. With the new Huawei Mate XS, the hinge mechanism has been completely redesigned, said Chengdong Yu, head of Huawei Consumer Business Group. Initially, the presentation had to take place at the MWC World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, ​​which was canceled because of the danger of a new coronavirus.

The new device is equipped with a more powerful Kirin 990 5G processor. It costs almost 2,500 EUR – 200 EUR more than the first folding Huawei Mate X smartphone, presented a year ago. The device should be available in major markets from mid-March.

The first generation of the Huawei Mate X folding smartphone has so far been sold mostly in China. This time, Huawei is launching it in Europe, saying the product is more durable than the first version and has a faster processor and 3D graphics.

When folded, the Mate Xs has a 6.6-inch display that is slightly larger than Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. But when opened, the Huawei device turns into an 8-inch tablet.

Huawei Mate Xs comes with a quadruple Leica SuperSensing camera – consisting of a 40MP SuperSensing camera, a 16MP wide-angle camera, an 8MP telephoto camera and a 3D depth-of-field sensor, the Leica system takes advantage of the folding architecture, playing the role of both a front and back camera, which is large convenience in different situations.

However, because of US sanctions, Huawei Mate XS will appear without important Google applications.

Huawei has been blacklisted by President Donald Trump’s administration since May 2019. This means US companies are allowed to maintain business relations with the Chinese group with strict restrictions. For most Huawei smartphone models, there is still a kind of grace period in which Android developer Google can at least partially collaborate.

For new Huawei smartphones that have reached the market since May, access to important Google services remains locked. These include Google Mobile Services, apps like YouTube and Maps, as well as the Play Store infrastructure for downloading apps.

The boycott affects the new top models Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro. The owners of these devices can install the missing applications on their device using the so-called Sideload. However, Google explicitly warned about this procedure over the weekend. Sideload bypasses the official Play Store and installs apps directly using an APK. Google stressed that Sideload threatens the security of the smartphone.

Chengdong Yu emphasized that Huawei’s consumer division continues to grow overall. Sales increased 18 percent last year. The increase in smartphones is 16.8%.

The smartphone market is slowing down and manufacturers are trying to find new ways to convince consumers that they need to upgrade their devices. Folding devices are an increasingly popular strategy tried and tested by some of the largest gadget manufacturers in the world.

Samsung has been selling a folding smartphone for as many months as Huawei, and at a consumer electronics show in Las Vegas in January, Lenovo Group showed an updated prototype of a foldable ThinkPad. Motorola’s Razr brand is also expected to return later this year and it will also have a folding display.

As part of the virtual event, Huawei announced the Gigahome 650 and Kirin W650 chipsets, which are the latest Wi-Fi 6+ chipsets for routers and smartphones, respectively. The new Huawei Wi-Fi AX3 series is based on the Gigahome 650 chipset, providing dual-band work at 3000 Mbps. When used with a Huawei device that also supports Wi-Fi 6+, the Huawei Wi-Fi AX3 routers provide higher speeds and more coverage than Wi-Fi 6 routers.

Huawei also introduced the Huawei 5G CPE Pro 2, a new Wi-Fi 6+ CPE, 30% more compact than its predecessor. Other notable updates include support for up to eleven 5G tapes and Huawei’s exclusive Super Uplink technology, which greatly improves upload speeds and latency.

New Huawei MateBook Laptops models were also shown during the event. The upgraded HUAWEI MateBook X Pro is powered by 10th generation Intel Core processors. Available in the new Emerald Green color, the latest premium laptop retains the FullView Display design with a screen-to-body ratio of 91%.

In the meantime, the new Huawei MateBook D Series is geared toward younger users, offering an innovative, smart design experience in sync with the entire HUAWEI MateBook Series.