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Introduction
Huawei is now officially on its third generation of foldable display phones with the Mate X2. We've seen major technological strides with these products since the original Mate X came out in 2019. The Mate X2, in particular, marks a whole new take on foldables for the Chinese giant - a move away from the outward-folding design on the Mate X and Mate Xs and on to an inward-folding paradigm, much like what Samsung pioneered with its Fold line.
Well, if the inward fold is the form factor consumers prefer, now that we've seen the industry settle on this common design, we'll also probably see the tech mature faster and become more affordable in the process.
Unfortunately, the Mate X2 is not the foldable for the masses that many of us desire. Instead, it is still very much a halo device, meant to impress and showcase more than anything else. In fact, it might just be even more unattainable than its predecessors, seeing how it is currently only sold in China, with no official intention of expanding availability and that the still ongoing US sanctions mean no Google Play Services and severely handcapped chipset manufacturing capabilities. And this is all before we even start to consider the Mate X2's eye-watering price tag of around EUR 2300.
>We felt like these are important points to make before we start drooling over the Mate X2's exquisite hardware. The Mate X2 is an amazing device, and here's a quick recap of its main specs.
Huawei Mate X2 specs at a glance:
- Body: 161.8x145.8x8.2mm, 295g; Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame.
- Display: 8.00" Foldable OLED, 90Hz, 2200x2480px resolution, 10.15:9 aspect ratio, 413ppi; Cover display: 6.45", OLED, 90Hz, 1160 x 2700 pixels, 456 ppi.
- Chipset: Kirin 9000 5G (5 nm): Octa-core (1x3.13 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.54 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x2.05 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G78 MP24.
- Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.X; NM (Nano Memory), up to 256GB (uses shared SIM slot).
- OS/Software: Android 10, EMUI 11, no Google Play Services.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/1.28", 1.22µm, omnidirectional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Telephoto: 12 MP, f/2.4, 70mm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Telephoto: 8 MP, f/4.4, 240mm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 16 MP, f/2.2, 17mm, AF.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.2, (wide).
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 55W, Huawei SuperCharge.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; Infrared port.
As we already established, the phone we have for review today is a showcase device with limited availability and a ludicrous price tag. An extra word of warning - our device is also running a Chinese ROM. ofc course, none of this is any reason not to explore its next-gen hardware, design and features.
Unboxing
The Huawei Mate X2 ships in a pretty huge and rather fancy box. It is thick all around and has a soft-touch finish. When opened, the magnetic flap at the top reveals the unfolded Mate X2 and its impressive, massive and uninterrupted internal display. All of the foldable display phones we have seen ship in an unfolded state, which justifies the bigger box size.
Huawei did not skimp on the accessory package either. You get a case in the box, or more accurately a "back cover" for lack of a better term, complete with a fancy magnetic kickstand and a leather finish.
While having any level of extra protection is better than nothing, we can't help but recall Samsung's official cases for the Fold line, which do include at least some sort of tiny bumper for the other half of the phone. Also, the official Mate Xs case, for that matter. We kind of wish this was the case with the Mate X2 as well.
The box also contains a pair of white, Type-C wired earbuds in the box. They have a microphone for calls, as well and the same inline control buttons. Beyond that, nothing too fancy. They sound decent, and the buds' Apple-like shape generally provides a lot of comfort without forcing themselves on the ear canals.
The charger bundled with the phone has a USB Type-A adapter is rated at 66W. It arrives with a special, heavy-duty 6A USB Type-A to Type-C cable. This is the same combo offered with the Mate 40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro+.
Besides the fact that you need to hold onto a proprietary cable, there is also the limitation that this is not a PD-compatible charger. Instead, it mostly caters to Huawei's own SuperCharge protocol. It is rated for the following power output modes 5V 2A (10 W), 9V2A(18 W), 10V2.25A(22.5 W), 10V4A(40 W) and 11V6A Max(66 W) and only supports SCP and Quick Charge 2.0 as a fallback. Since neither 10V, nor 11V is within the standard PD spec, the charger can't be used for quick charging other devices.
Looking back at our Mate Xs review, we know for a fact that Huawei shipped that phone with a much more versatile 65W PowerDelivery-compatible and SuperCharge-capable charger, alongside a standard 3.3A Type-C to Type-C cable. We see the new bundle as a downgrade for its lower versatility.
It should be noted that the Mate X2 supports a maximum of 55W of charging, just like the Mate X and Mate Xs, despite the higher-rated charger.
Design
Design is unquestionably a cornerstone for a foldable display handset. Perhaps doubly so on the Mate X2, since it represents a major shift in Huawei's foldable design - moving away from the outside display concept and diving head-first into the more-traditional inside-folding design. And what a majestic dive it is.
Huawei Mate X2 next to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2
Huawei managed to actually find a solution to the air-gap issue, intrinsic to current flexible display tech. Until some major advancement in the field comes along, we are basically stuck with at least some minimum for a curvature radius. Hence, when you go down the straight-forward route, like Samsung has been doing with devices like the Z Fold2 and have two basically symmetrical parts, you inevitably end up with an air gap. Huawei's novel approach consists of a few bits. First off, the two halves of the Mate X2 are not symmetrical in any way. Well, that is to say in terms of depth. Their footprint is pretty identical, but vertically both are wedge-shaped. Like two slices of cheese, fitting one over the other. It is an ingenious, even if particular solution.
Let's talk about the new hingem which is a major part of the puzzle here. The Falcon Wing hinge of the past models has been replaced with a new design called Teardrop as this is the shape the screen is curved into inide the hinge to avoid creasing. Anyway, the hinge's internals employ zirconium-based liquid metal. Huawei claims that the construction is now 2 times stronger than on the Mate Xs.
The hinge motion feels confident, with little flex. However, it isn't a smooth linear action. Circling back to a comparison with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, which will likely come up often, we would say that the hinge is not as sophisticated. Unlike the Z Fold2, which has a smooth motion hinge that can stay fixed at any angle, the one on the Mate X2 has an anchor point in a fully-folded position and a fully-open stable position, with spring-like tension at every other middle state. The hinge is designed to always snap in one of the two positions if left alone. That means that you cannot use the Mate X2 in a propped-up "laptop" style position, nor can it be its own camera stand. Not gracefully, anyway. The kickstand on the case kind of makes it possible.
Another consequence of the magnets holding the two parts closed is that you can't easily open the Mate X2 with one hand. It is possible and, with enough practice, should be doable. Perhaps the hinge tension will eventually decrease with use as well. For what it's worth, everything feels tight and robust out of the box.
Samsung might have the hinge motion down, but Huawei clearly has the advantage in terms of wedge design, as well as panel flatness. At least for now, that is. Once fully opened, the 8-inch foldable display on the Mate X2 is impressively flat. More so than any other foldable panel we have ever experienced, in fact.
This is definitely not a function of the hinge alone, though. The materials and design of the panel itself definitely help. The end result is a crease that you can barely feel with your finger and one that is nearly invisible in most viewing situations.
Very, very impressive engineering work from Huawei all around. The fact that nothing is interrupting the main display also contributes towards its impressive looks.
Materials, handling and ergonomics
If there was any doubt in your mind that the Mate X2 is a truly premium device, you would be happy to learn that its construction is basically entirely of metal. That includes the frame, as well as the hinge.
The back and front are glass. Huawei is not disclosing what kind of scratch and shatter protection it is using.
The back glass is extremely slippery and also a huge fingerprint magnet. Keeping it clean is basically impossible, frankly. Still, it looks nice and also feels good in the hand. Of course, with the obvious caveat of having to handle a 295g device.
Speaking of finishes, the surface of the large foldable display is also impressively smooth. It is still not glass-like. The technology still isn't quite there yet. Even so, traction is good. Swiping on the surface is smooth and fluent. The plastic frame surrounding the foldable display comes off a bit tacky relative to the test of the premium build on the phone.
We aren't sure why nobody is doing said frame in any other material, but since that is the current status quo, we can't complain too much about it either.
Ergonomics on the Huawei Mate X2 are a mixed affair. We really appreciate the asymmetrical wedged design for a few reasons. Chief among these being the eradication of the pocket lick accumulation problem, we've always had with Samsung's foldable and their hinge gaps. However, having two unevenly-sized and different weighing parts has its downsides. If you tend to hold your phone with the left hand, you're going to have a bad time. Using the Mate X2 on a flat surface unfolded is also a no-go for a number of reasons.
To Huawei's credit, though, holding the Mate X2 with your right hand feels good. There is no proper handle or leverage point, which would have made the experience even better, but handling is way better than on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 with its symmetrical halves. Again, we kind of wish there was a way to prop the phone up in a half-open state.
In the "horizontal" orientation, for lack of a better term, you can get an even tighter grip on the bigger side of the Mate X2. Holding it the other way around is kind of scary since the Mate X2 is top-heavy in that orientation.
Controls
The Mate X2 has a surprisingly standard control layout in its folded state. Let's get the basics out of the way first - a speaker and Type-C port, as well as the main microphone on the bottom side.
On the opposite end - an IR blaster, secondary mic and the hybrid Dual Nano SIM tray. Against what we would say is common sense at this point, Huawei still insists on pushing its proprietary NM (Nano Memory) storage expansion format, and that's what you get here, as well, as an option instead of a second nano-SIM card. No standard microSD.
The second speaker on the Mate X2 is also here and seems to be sharing at least its chamber with the earpiece. Perhaps there is only one driver, as well, though we can't be sure.
Both the top and bottom speaker are mounted on the same "half" of the Mate X2, which means that if you use it unfolded in its "vertical" orientation, sound comes out from the top and bottom. The audio is good enough for casual use, and for any actual multimedia playback, you should probably have the Mate X2 in a horizontal layout, which puts the two speakers on the left and right.
Huawei says that it is using a pair of "ultra-thin large amplitude" speakers on the Mate X2, which should deliver 180% more bass and 40% better high-frequency response performance. We can only assume that these numbers are based off the Mate Xs. We have proper loudspeaker tests later on in the review, but, spoiler alert, the speakers are really, really good.
The volume rocker and power button on the Mate X2 feel great and provide plenty of tactile feedback, and are positioned comfortably for using one-handed when the phone is closed. The power button also doubles as a fingerprint reader. The reader itself works great. It is both snappy and very reliable.
It is worth noting that there is only one selfie camera on the Mate X2, and it is in a quite large and frankly obtrusive punch hole on the cover display. That means no video calls on the big main display.
On the flip side, we do appreciate the lack of any interruption on the glorious 8-inch main display. We are certain that some of you out there might have different priorities in this regard. But, it is what it is.
As for the punch-hole situation, it is a bit of an eye-sore, but we do appreciate that Huawei has still managed to fit a big 6.45-inch display on the cover of the Mate X2, as well as an earpiece.
There is no notification LED, and the Mate X2 also lacks wireless charging. Both apparently didn't fit in either the design or the budget. Just thought we would mention them.
Futuristic foldable 8-inch, 90Hz display
The foldable display on the Mate X2 is undoubtedly the star attraction of the show. We already gushed about it and Huawei's Teardrop hinge design in the design section. It is still worth reiterating just how impressively flat the panel is when unfolded. The crease can barely be felt with a finger, and you'd have to look at the panel at a specific angle to make it out.
The finish on the foldable panel is also one of the smoothest ones we have encountered. It is still far from glass or even smooth plastic in terms of feel, but the touch drag is very low for a display of this kind. Smudges are still an issue on the surface, though, and you will need to frequently and carefully clean it up.
Another thing worth noting about the panel on the Mate X2 is that Huawei includes a magnetically applied nano-optical layer to reduce glares. Looking at the Mate X2 display next to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, we can indeed notice the difference in surface texture. We would say that the Mate X2 handles glare from outside light sources better and with fewer reflections. Any reflection from the display looks like something out of a puddle of motor oil. But that's just par for the course with current foldable display tech.
In terms of brightness, the internal panel of the Mate M2 is quite impressive.
In the default "Vivid" mode, we measured a maximum bightness of 469 nits.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 1023 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 926 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 807 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 760 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 741 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 714 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 682 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 601 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 542 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 538 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 498 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 485 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 475 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 472 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 469 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 461 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 458 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 455 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 448 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 425 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 413 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 333 | ∞ | |
The Mate X2 has a max auto mode, as well. On the main display, we measured a maximum of 542 nits in bright light.
There are just two color modes on the Mate X2 - Normal and Vivid. You can also do custom white point adjustments to fine-tune it to your preference. Generally speaking, Vivid has a wider color gamut but is not meant to be color accurate. Instead, it delivers that "punchy" OLED look. Interestingly enough, Huawei has decided to lean a lot more on colder colors, like blue and cyan and boost those more than reds and greens. You can tell that immediately.
Display color settings
The Normal color mode claims to be able to automatically switch between a color profile meant to be accurate against sRGB and one for DCI-P3, depending on what is being displayed on the screen. We tried our best to test that automatic behavior but never actually managed to get a DCI-P3 profile.
That being said, in Normal mode, the main display on the Mate X2 is color-accurate against sRGB. Not the most color-accurate display we have seen, but still making the cut. Even at its max auto-brightness of 542 nits, the main display managed to remain sRGB color-accurate. Impressive.
The Mate X2 does not advertise any HDR support for its display. The OS reports no HDR either. That is an unfortunate omission, compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 and its HDR10+ certification. Making matters worse, still, with no Google Play Store available, we were forced to sideload the Netflix app, which might explain why it only offers SD playback, even though the Mate X2 has Widevile L1.
Netflix playback support, YouTube HDR
Weirder still, once we did manage to get Google services working, to some extent, with a third-party virtualization application and we installed YouTube, we did get HDR options in the quality menu. And, indeed, the color profile appeared to change when toggling to and from HDR. Colors didn't look washed-out either, which is characteristic of playing back HDR on a non-HDR display. The whole HDR playback situation is pretty-much up in the air. You might be able to get it to work with enough tinkering. We can't say for sure.
Actually, watching content on the main display of the Mate X2 is a glorious experience, but one that isn't devoid of bugs. For instance, some apps seemed to have input issues in "landscape" mode that were not there in "portrait".
We also wished there was an option to shift the image instead of always having it centered in the middle with the crease going down the middle.
On the flip side, you can pretty much choose which device and crease orientation you personally prefer since the panel has an 8:7.1 aspect ratio, and both orientations produce similar actual size images for a standard 16:9 video. Speaking of image size, with a resolution of 2480 x 2200 pixels and 413 ppi, the foldable display looks perfectly sharp and is great for multimedia consumption in that regard.
6.45-inch, 90Hz OLED cover display
Huawei has managed to fit a massive 6.45-inch cover display on the Mate X2. This one has a resolution of 2700 x 1160 pixels, which works out to 456 ppi, on a much more traditional 21:9 aspect ratio. The cover display also matches the main one in terms of refresh rate at 90Hz, with an even higher touch sampling rate - 240Hz on the cover and 180Hz on the main panel.
Just like the main one, this display is also OLED. Quite expectedly, due to its traditional nature and smaller size, it has an even higher max brightness than the foldable panel. We measured a maximum of 472 nits in regular mode and 601 nits in Max Auto. Not chart-topping by any means, but enough for good outside usability in the sun. We have included its measurements in the above table.
The Mate X2 actually lacks a separate setting for its two displays. While this limits the amount of tinkering you can do, it does keep things simple and straightforward. Huawei has done its best to synchronize the brightness sliders as much as possible, and the same goes for the color modes.
Just like the main display, the cover one has a punchy color profile in Vivid mode and gets about as color-accurate against sRGB in Normal mode.
Huawei is not disclosing what kind of protective glass it is using on the outside of the Mate X2, so keeping the factor-preinstalled the protector is great for an extra peace of mind.
This is a good place to mention that transitioning between the main and cover display in both directions is surprisingly smooth and trouble-free for most apps.
The Mate X2 does include a comprehensive menu for managing app scaling on a per-app basis if you do run into any trouble. For the main display, you can choose between full-screen, 4:3 and 16:9 scaling. The cover display just has a toggle for whether to force full-screen mode or not.
App scaling options and hiding the camera cutout
By the way, if you find the selfie camera cutout unsightly, you can choose to disable that portion of the display in software and just leave it black, hiding the hole at the expense of some vertical real estate, of course.
High refresh rate handling
The Mate X2 just has what we would consider "basic" high refresh rate, for lack of a better term, maxing-out at 90Hz. In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 goes up to 120Hz on its main panel, but just 60Hz on the cover display. The Mate X2 has 90Hz all-around and just like the rest of the display settings, you can only set refresh rate system-wide. There are no per-display controls. Again, good for simplicity, but perhaps not ideal for battery conservation.
Refresh rate selection
On the plus side, Huawei has a solid and versatile set of refresh rate options. Standard and High are simple and straight-forward. They just set both displays to 60Hz or 90Hz, respectively and just leave it there. No automatic adjustment, no funny business. Well, except for some apps, notably Google Maps and the Camera app and those that use the maps UI or camera viewfinder that require 60Hz to function properly. High refresh rate mode still drops down to 60Hz in those particular edge cases to ensure proper operation.
The third option is Dynamic. This is how you get Huawei's automatic switching logic. For the most part, said logic makes sense. Generally, the phone will try to stick to 90Hz for the UI itself and the majority of apps.
Running at 90Hz: UI • UI • Huawei Music • AppGallery • Phone • Messages
Huawei Video works at 60Hz throughout, which is more energy-efficient than leaving it at 90Hz, even if the menus could have benefited from 90Hz, with just actual video playback done at 60Hz. The Netflix app we managed to sideload also runs at 60Hz.
Running at 60Hz: Netflix • Huawei Video
The default Gallery app has a more sophisticated and neat logic for its refresh rate - sticking to 90Hz for extra smoothness throughout and only toggling down to 60Hz when you play a video. This is the ultimate behavior for such an app.
Automatic refresh rate switching in Gallery
For many other apps, the refresh rate situation is kind of a wash and a bit inconsistent app to app. All of the browsers we tested ran at 90Hz. So did the File manager, Weather app, WPS office, IR remote control app and the major social networks we tried, like Facebook and Instagram.
Running at 90Hz: Browser • File manager • Weather app • WPS office • Remote control • Facebook
Then there were quite a few apps that inexplicably ran at 60Hz, like the default Peral search, the Calculator and our own GSMArena app, which we know behaves perfectly fine running at high refresh rates on other devices.
Running at 60Hz: Petal search • Calculator • GSMArena app
Despite these idiosyncrasies, it is fair to say that Huawei's automatic high refresh rate behavior is solid where it matters - dropping down to 60Hz for video playback. We can't complain too much. Plus, in case you were wondering, the exact same behavior is also present on the main foldable display, which is a nice extra layer of consistency to have and not worry about.
The main display has the same automatic refresh rate behavior as the cover one
Battery life
Thanks in part to its asymmetrical wedge design, the Mate X2 only has a single 4,500 mAh battery and doesn't have to rely on a complicated split battery design. We're going to count that as a plus since a single battery solution will likely be more reliable, plus one larger battery has better longevity than two smaller ones.
A capacity of 4,500mAh is not a lot in absolute terms, especially so on a device with a huge 8-inch foldable display. Still, we'd call it decent for this particular form factor.
Testing the battery endurance of the Mate X2 was no easy task, particularly the on-screen tests since those had to be run on both the main and the cover display at both 60Hz and 90Hz for the sake of thoroughness.
At least the off-screen portion of the testing was straightforward. We went into the review expecting to get call and standby performance similar to those on the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, since that phone also uses the Kirin 9000 5G chipset and a similar 4,400 mAh battery. Indeed, we got nice and consistent numbers from the Mate X2. Always great to see.
Looking at the on-screen tests, two things become instantly obvious. First and foremost, just how much more power-hungry the internal foldable display is, compared to the cover one. The difference is quite significant. Even so, we have to say that 74 hours is a respectable endurance rating for running the main display at 90Hz.
The other observation is that the jump up from 60Hz to 90Hz is not really costly in terms of battery life. This is a pretty well-documented thing with most high refresh rate panel we have encountered. It is still interesting to note the relative difference in the battery delta between the two displays. 90Hz is clearly costlier on the bigger and more complicated foldable panel. Makes sense.
Finally, it is worth noting that it is unlikely that any one of these four tests will be exactly representative of a typical usage scenario for the Mate X2. Some combination of the two displays and 60Hz and 90Hz will probably be the norm. Hence, you might say we're roughly looking at a mixed endurance score in the 90h range. A very respectable number for such a device.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Huawei Mate X2 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Charging speed
The Mate X2 comes with one of Huawei's 66W SuperCharge chargers. The slightly disappointing bit is that it is the Type-A model, as offered with the Mate 40 Pro and Mate 40 Pro+. It comes with a beefed-up USB Type-A to Type-C cable, rated at up to 6A of current. We would have much rather preferred to get the USB Type-C charger that shipped with the Mate Xs. That one was rated for 65W of PD, making it versatile even as a laptop charger, while also being able to supply the Mate Xs with its 55W of SuperCharge charging.
Just like its predecessor, the Mate X2 caps out at 55W of charging via Huawei SuperCharge. It is a speedy setup that managed to get our review unit from dead to 80% in just 30 minutes, with a full charge taking just under an hour.
30min charging test (from 0%)
- Huawei Mate 40 Pro (66W)
87% - Xiaomi Mi 11
83% - Huawei Mate Xs
80% - Huawei Mate X2
80% - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
57% - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
54% - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (65W PD)
33% - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
30%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
- Huawei Mate 40 Pro (66W)
0:45h - Xiaomi Mi 11
0:50h - Huawei Mate Xs
0:57h - Huawei Mate X2
0:58h - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
1:11h - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
1:13h - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (65W PD)
1:42h - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
1:55h
Coincidentally, or rather not at all, this is almost exactly the charging rate we managed on the Huawei mate Xs. Unfortunately, unlike its Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 competitor, the Mate X2 does not have wireless charging.
Speaker test
The Huawei Mate X2 has an amazing stereo speaker setup. Once again, the two speakers on the device are quoting the marketing material what Huawei calls "ultra-thin large-amplitude dual speakers". Apparently, they offer 180% more bass and 40% more high-frequency response. Presumable compared to the setup on the Mate Xs.
Whatever Huawei did to the hardware, it worked out nicely. The frequency response on the Mate X2 is truly impressive, especially in the low-end.
At -26.8 LUFS, the speakers get plenty loud as well. Even at full blast, the sound remains clear with minimal distortion.
There isn't anything fancy in the way of software improvements and equalizers on the Mate X2. In fact, we failed to even find a basic equalizer. Huawei Histen sound effects is just for headphones and not the speakers. Still, with a rich sound stage like this, we can't say we miss eq settings all that much.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
EMUI 11 on top of Android 10, without Google Services
Despite its particular form factor, the Mate X2 is actually quite consistent with the current Huawei software experience from a software standpoint. There aren't nearly as many "folding-phone-specific" software accommodations here as you may think. At least not on the surface, that is. Whatever is there is mostly neatly hidden away under the hood and is seamlessly doing its job, handling things like pass-off from one display to the other as it should. But, we digress.
The brunt of the UI at play here is EMUI 11. It is still running on top of Android 10, which might sound like a specific, fringe quirk of the Mate X2, but it is actually the case with all current Huawei phones. We won't get into that particular saga and all of its geopolitical aspects, but we will mention that we may be currently on the precipice of a major OS shift for Huawei - one towards its own Harmony OS. An OS that, as far as we currently know, is still set to launch this month (April 2021), with the Mate X2 slated as among the first devices to get it.
If this does come to pass, we expect some major software experience changes. Or at the very least, some turbulence in the transition, potentially aided by the alleged Android compatibility baked into Harmony OS. However, for the time being, EMUI on top of Android 10 is what we have on the Mate X2, and it's what we are going to review.
Starting from the lock screen experience first, we find an optional AOD implementation, but it's rather basic. You only get a small selection of watch widget styles and a scheduler.
AOD settings
There is plenty of lock screen and home screen customization to be done beyond AOD, as well. For the lock screen, you get Huawei's long-standing Magazine Unlock platform, as well as a signature and shortcut customization. For the home screen - layout adjustments and a toggle for the Huawei Assistant TODAY home pane.
Lock screen and home screen customization
Huawei's theming engine is also quite powerful and allows plenty of fine adjustment for things like icons. Those can be downloaded from the online repository. The same goes for AOD styles.
For biometrically unlocking the Mate X2, you have a choice between face recognition and the side-mounted fingerprint reader, which we already praised for its speed and accuracy. On a side note, we have to say that the inward-folding design of the Mate X2 is a lot less restrictive in this respect than the outward-folding one on the Mate Xs, which didn't have a selfie camera in a convenient spot to do face unlock.
Biometric security: Face unlock and fingerprint ID
Back to EMUI 11 and its more tangible aspects. Unlocking the device lands you on a familiar home page. The only really notable omission here, though, is the lack of Huawei's long-standing Home screen style selection menu. That means you are stuck without an app drawer on the Mate X2.
Home screen • Folder view • Huawei Assistant TODAY
Seeing how, for the time being, the Mate X2 is only available in China, it makes sense to see plenty of Chinese scattered all over the UI. For instance, within the Huawei Assistant TODAY page. To Huawei's credit, however, as soon as we logged in with a UK-region Huawei account, pretty much all of Huawei's online-resource-based apps and interfaces seamlessly switched to that region and English as well.
Looking around at the base UI, we continue to find familiar interfaces. Huawei has had plenty of time and a large number of iterations to gradually polish out EMUI. There are plenty of subtleties at play here, things like the color choice, animations. Overall, EMUI is a mature and polished platform.
Notification shade • Quick toggles • App switcher
System-wide dark mode is pretty great to have on a device with such a big 8-inch OLED panel, accompanied by a whole second cover display. Running all of that in dark mode offers a clear boost to battery endurance.
System-wide dark mode
Large screen experience, multi-tasking and productivity
Before we finish the software section off with an overview of some of the important additional settings in EMUI, we should definitely explore what using the Mate X2 unfolded is like. After all, that's what it all boils down to - having the big 8-inch screen at your disposal, as needed and leveraging it to achieve more than is possible on a smaller panel.
Unfolded UI scaling
Graceful app scaling is not something you tend to worry about on a traditional smartphone, but it suddenly becomes a major consideration on a foldable. That being said, this time around, Huawei only has to worry about two displays and aspect ratios instead of what were essentially three panels on the Mate Xs. You can also take the cover display mostly out of this particular consideration since its standard 21:9 aspect ratio is a perfect canvas for displaying modern Android apps.
While unfolded, the full 8-inch display has a slightly more awkward 8:7.1 aspect ratio. In practice, however, it appears to play equally nicely with most apps. Most apps that have a dedicated tablet UI variant simply switch over to it automatically. The latter might require an app restart if you decide to leave the app open while folding and unfolding, but that should change gradually, as developers start widely adopting the foldable display facilities, which are already baked into Android 10.
App scaling options
In order to keep compatibility as high as possible, Huawei has included a nifty App scaling menu in the Display settings menu. This is separated out into a setting for the folded and the unfolded display on a per-app basis. If you experience any issues with an app on the folded display, you can tell it not to span the full height of the display and instead, maintain a retro 9:16 aspect.
For the unfolded display, you have three app scaling options to force - Full Screen, which is the default, as well as 4:3 and 16:9. This whole system works quite well in practice and is even smart enough to analyze the Manifest files of apps and extrapolate any obvious requirements from older-style scaling, like 16:9 and apply that automatically.
It is worth noting that some Android games do not respond particularly well when scaled to the awkward 8:7.1 aspect. Most often, these misbehaving titles have issues with misaligned touch controls. For those, you may be forced to apply some manual scaling.
Of course, one of the main allures of a larger display is multi-tasking. Huawei revamped its Multi-window and multi-tasking system a while back. We are happy to report that in most aspects, Huawei got this functionality right.
Multi-window settings
Spawning apps into a split-screen view is generally done via a side menu, accessible by swiping from the right edge of the display. Tapping an app from here spawns a floating window of it. From what we can tell, you can only have one of these open at a time.
Floating window
To initiate the split-screen view, you have to long-press the app and then drag it on top of another app, which is already open. You can add any app you choose into this Multi-Window menu, and most seem to work and scale pretty effortlessly.
Something worth noting is that you can't change the sizes of the two app sides in unfolded mode. Perhaps it's a conscious limitation to keep everything working well.
Multi window: Side menu • Adding apps to Side menu • Main display • Cover display
Adjusting the app split is possible with Multi-Window while the Mate X2 is folded, though. This looks and behaves a lot like we are used to on any regular phone. Also, in case you were wondering, you can do floating windows on the cover display, too.
Floating window on cover display
There are at least a few nifty features in Huawei's Multi-Window, which are a boon for usability. First, you can drag and drop certain content between two apps. Another nifty trick is having an app pair remain bundled together as one entry in the recent apps view, so you can easily close both of them or return to that particular side-by-side workflow.
Before we wrap up the multi-tasking and window hand-off section, we should note that we found no way to actually have both displays on the Mate X2 work simultaneously. We thought our best bet would be an option in the camera to mirror the viewfinder on the cover display, so your subject can see themselves. This is a thing on other devices with a rear-panel display. Unfortunately, the Mate X2 lacks any such option. Or at least we didn't manage to find one.
Generally, when the phone is folded, the cover display is active; when it is unfolded, the main one takes over, which definitely keeps things simple. The only exception to this rule seems to occur when you activate the "selfie" mode from an unfolded Mate X2. That disables the main display and enables the rear one. You are then expected to start taking selfies with the main cameras. However, nothing is preventing you from closing out of the camera app and just gaining access to the UI on the cover display with the mate X2 unfolded. If for some reason you find that a useful thing to do.
Other EMUI settings and features
Some of the other curious features on the Mate X2 include the App assistant. Despite its slightly confusing name, it is, more or less, a game accelerator and assistant, complete with its own slide-out menu and interface.
App assistant
While App assistant and its game acceleration features have been around for a while, Game Space - a relatively newer addition to EMUI. Like the name suggests, it a dedicated game launcher with access to all of the app assistant features, as well as some other nifty tricks. Chief among these is support for some control mapping with a controller, game case or keyboard and mouse combo. Nothing too crazy like what Asus has going with the ROG line, but still appreciated.
Game Space
There are plenty of security and privacy options available. Including a Password vault for logins, App lock, a Safe for files, as well as a full-fledged Private Space, which is a complete separate UI with apps and files.
Security features
Digital Balance is Huawei's direct answer to Google's Digital Wellbeing. It also includes parental control features.
Digital Balance
The Mate X2' default OS navigation is an iPhone-like gesture - swipe up for Home, swipe up and stop midway for Task switcher, or swipe from the left or right edge of the screen for Back. You can opt for the classic virtual buttons, of course. Beyond that, there are plenty of other gestures to explore, as well.
Huawei gestures
Huawei has a long-standing habit of including a plethora of its own apps in EMUI. That's especially true now when there is hardly any involvement of Google in this phone.
From the phone manager app, called Optimizer, you can access shortcuts for storage cleanup, battery settings, blocked numbers, Virus scan powered by Avast, and mobile data usage.
Optimizer • Huawei Music • Huawei Video • Files
Huawei's Music app offers a way to listen to stored MP3s, and it also includes Huawei's own music services incompatible regions. Same goes for the proprietary Video app - it plays your local videos, but it also includes Huawei's video streaming service similar to YouTube.
Huawei's Health app is pre-installed, and it offers step counting, among many other things. There's a file manager app and a note-taking app. In fact, an entire folder titled "Tools" is chock-full of useful things. There is also a "Popular apps" folder, which we are a bit less enthused about. It only contains app recommendations that you still have to click to download and install instead of pre-installed apps. Even so, the amount of bloatware is a bit higher than average on the Mate X2.
Tools and other additional apps and suggestions
Speaking of the more "China" approach to software and services on the Mate X2, it is worth noting that Petal search is the default on our unit. It has a home page and news feed of its own as well, and just like most other Huawei apps and services, automatically switched to the UK region once we logged in our UK Huawei ID. Nifty!
Petal search
The Gallery is an entirely custom job, too, but it has the usual chronological and albums views plus an AI-powered highlights selection. The editing functionality is quite powerful, as well.
Gallery and image editor
Themes are definitely a thing in EMUI 11. You can download whole creations or just parts and customize individual aspects, like icon packs and wallpapers separately.
Huawei Themes store
Beyond the things we already covered, there are a few other particularly useful apps and platforms Huawei has developed on its own to keep up with Google's offerings. Most of these naturally cater to Asian markets, where Google's services have never really been a major presence. Recently, Huawei has been adapting some said software to fill the growing gaps in its Western offerings too.
Huawei Wallet • MeeTime • Ai Life • IR remote control app
Look hard enough, though, and it's not easy to spot some glaring holes. For instance, there is no default or pre-installed Maps and navigation app. The AppGallery is more than happy to recommend Petal Maps, which is an upgrade from not having any viable navigation option, which was the case at some point in the past.
Huawei AppGallery, third-party apps and Google Services situation
The whole Google-Huawei and, in a broader sense, Huawei/China-US situation doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon. Even now, a few months into a new US administration, things aren't exactly looking up. And with a major move away from Android and on to HarmonyOS allegedly right around the corner, it is safe to assume that Huawei has not only accepted the current state of things but is also quite a long way along on the path to app ecosystem independence. At least as far as that's even possible.
Anyway, Huawei's own AppGallery, as well as its HMS suite of Google Service replacements, are developing quickly. In no small part thanks to the enormous involvement and financial investment from Huawei themselves, both internally and towards third-party developers.
Huawei AppGallery
The app selection is constantly growing, and more and more familiar names are starting to pop up. Here is the UK store selection for some popular search queries as of writing this review.
Growing app selection in AppGallery
Of course, the most notable omission is at least a subset of Google's own apps that either require Google Play Services to function at all or with a full feature set. Some of these are easier to compensate for than others, like YouTube. You can get very competent third-party clients. Google maps also work, for the most part, in a web app form, and the same goes for Drive and Gmail. In fact, you might notice that AppGallery suggests "installing" these as Instant apps when you search for them.
Google apps working as Instant Apps
Get a couple of these, and EMUI automatically suggests putting a nifty Instant Apps space on your home screen. This is just a launcher for web apps but can still get some tasks done. Of course, there are plenty of limitations, like some notifications and any sort of sync functionality, be it for your photos or contacts.
By the way, that notification limitation is also in play for many third-party apps that use Firebase notifications. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to just look at an app or its store listing on Google Play and determine whether it has some vital Google Services dependencies, so you just have to find out what works through trial and error and then substitute anything that doesn't if you are moving from a phone with Google Services. The Phone clone app does make such a transition a bit easier.
Phone clone
Beyond that, you are still mostly left to fend for yourself when it comes to potentially risky endeavors such as sideloading apps. There are many sketchy APK sources online and a growing number of malware for Android. You have to be vigilant. Some of our suggestions include looking into open-source app alternatives when you can - F-Droid is a great source, complete with its own app store with app update functionality. Amazon still has its awesome app store that can also keep your apps up to date. We have also taken a liking to the APKPure app for sideloading lately. Though, we don't believe that one can update your apps automatically.
APKPure app
Finally, if you are really feeling adventurous and simply can't live without a specific app from Google's roster or one that requires Play Services to function, there are sketchy ways to do that as well. Most involve an "emulated" sandbox environment. We don't feel comfortable giving any recommendations in this regard but search around online, and you will find a working solution. At least working for now, that is.
At the end of the day, despite Huawei's immense efforts and investment in its own software ecosystem, the lack of Google Play Services on its devices remains a sore spot for Western users. One that continues to hamper Android usability, at least in the casual everyday user sense, enough to merit constant warnings on our part prior to purchase. An unfortunate situation for sure, but one that we have to deal with.
Kirin 9000 5G pushing pixels on two different panels
The Kirin 9000 5G is still the top-god in Huawei's in-house chipset roster. The 5nm chip has a 1x3.13 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.54 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x2.05 GHz Cortex-A55 processor setup, alongside a potent Mali-G78 MP24 GPU. On top of that, there is the excellent Da Vinci NPU in its full-featured state, with two Big Cores and one Tiny Core. It chews through machine learning tasks.
The Mate X2 has a fast UFS 3.X controller, hooked up to either 256GB or 512GB of storage (256GB on our review unit) and 8GB of RAM. For connectivity, the Balong 5000 modem is baked into the chip and has a versatile Sub-6 5G support, both SA and NSA.
The thing about the Kirin 9000 5G, however, is that its ultimate fate is rather unclear. It is one of the most unfortunate victims of the US sanctions against Huawei. If industry chatter is to be believed, Huawei still somehow has sufficient supplies of the chip and even intends to use it in the upcoming Huawei P50 flagship device line. Perhaps even the next Mate 50 one as well. Availability concerns are not really much of a consideration for the Mate X2, though, seeing how it is a very limited-run device as a whole anyway.
Properly benchmarking the Mate X2 was no easy task, since we had to cover all of our bases and run all of the benchmarks on both the main big foldable display, as well as the cover one. We actually discovered a few interesting things, so you might want to keep on reading. Let's kick things off with some pure-CPU loads and GeekBench 5.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
3704 - OnePlus 9 Pro
3636 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
3518 - Xiaomi Mi 11
3489 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
3389 - Huawei Mate X2
3389 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
3294 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
3275 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
3244 - Huawei P40 Pro+
3203 - Realme X7 Pro
2997 - Huawei Mate Xs
2980 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
2715
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 9 Pro
1126 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
1109 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
1107 - Xiaomi Mi 11
1085 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
1020 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
988 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
956 - Huawei Mate X2
956 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
950 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
920 - Huawei P40 Pro+
781 - Realme X7 Pro
756 - Huawei Mate Xs
751
Unsurprisingly, the CPU setup in the Kirin 9000 5G gets outperformed by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 888 and Samsung's Exynos 2100. It is trading blows with the Snapdragon 865+. It outpaces the Dimensity 1000+ and, naturally, the Kirin 990 5G. Though not by a whole lot, mind you.
It does seem that the Mate X2 is leaving a bit of CPU performance on the table compared to the Mate 40 Pro, which runs the same chipset. We didn't find an option for enabling Performance mode on the Mate X2.
On the positive side, the Mate X2 has good thermal management, does not throttle in any major way and does not get overly hot under load.
On to AnTuTu and its more compound testing runs that take into account things like display resolution as well as memory and storage speed. It seems to be more favorable towards the Mate X2 overall. This is also the first test that showcases the delta between testing on the main and the cover display.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- OnePlus 9 Pro
691055 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
686835 - Xiaomi Mi 11
668722 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
657273 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
657150 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
639914 - Huawei Mate X2
632818 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
571312 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
564907 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (cover display)
562403 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (inside 60Hz)
555340 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
531270 - Huawei P40 Pro+
529687 - Realme X7 Pro
510317 - Huawei Mate Xs (Unfolded)
461406 - Huawei Mate Xs
459274
Continuing the same train of thought, we can move on to GPU tests and GFX where some other interesting observations can be made.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 9 Pro
174 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
166 - Xiaomi Mi 11
155 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
142 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
141 - Huawei Mate X2
140 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
136 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
135 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
128 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (inside 60Hz)
128 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (cover display)
128 - Realme X7 Pro
119 - Huawei P40 Pro+
118 - Huawei Mate Xs
115 - Huawei Mate Xs (Unfolded)
115 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
92
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
114 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
102 - Xiaomi Mi 11
88 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
86 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
84 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
83 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
78 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
70 - Huawei P40 Pro+
67 - Realme X7 Pro
64 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (inside 60Hz)
60 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (cover display)
60 - OnePlus 9 Pro
60 - Huawei Mate Xs
59 - Huawei Mate X2
57 - Huawei Mate Xs (Unfolded)
51
May we direct your attention to the off-screen tests where a huge variance can be observed between running on the main and cover display. This is a scenario where the display resolution is not at play. Looking at the numbers, our best guess is that Huawei is pushing the GPU and perhaps even the entire Kirin 9000 chipset less hard in certain scenarios. This is likely a strategic step to save on battery, and the behavior does persist in other off-screen runs.
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 9 Pro
70 - Xiaomi Mi 11
67 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
66 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
64 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
64 - Huawei Mate X2
61 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
57 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
56 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
56 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
55 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (inside 60Hz)
55 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (cover display)
55 - Realme X7 Pro
46 - Huawei P40 Pro+
44 - Huawei Mate Xs
36 - Huawei Mate Xs (Unfolded)
36
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
51 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
46 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (cover display)
46 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
43 - Realme X7 Pro
40 - OnePlus 9 Pro
36 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
33 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
33 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
33 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (inside 60Hz)
33 - Xiaomi Mi 11
33 - Huawei P40 Pro+
31 - Huawei Mate Xs
30 - Huawei Mate X2
29 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
25 - Huawei Mate Xs (Unfolded)
16
However, in the GFXBench Car chase test (OpenGL 3.1), we can see a smaller variance in the off-screen test and a massive one in the on-screen scenario. Mind you, we ran all of these tests multiple times to verify the results.
Here is our best guess as to what is happening - we are still not giving up on our guess about the strategic power-saving strategy. Perhaps it's only active when rendering exceeds a certain FPS threshold (60fps or something else). As for the on-screen gap in frames, which we also confirmed, we believe that it's just a case of bad compatibility with the weird aspect of the internal display.
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
34 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (cover display)
33 - OnePlus 9 Pro
27 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
25 - Xiaomi Mi 11
24 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
23 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
22 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (inside 60Hz)
22 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
21 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
19 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
17 - Huawei Mate Xs
16 - Huawei P40 Pro+
16 - Huawei Mate X2
12 - Huawei Mate Xs (Unfolded)
10
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
36 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
34 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (cover display)
33 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
32 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
26 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
24 - OnePlus 9 Pro
24 - Huawei Mate Xs
23 - Huawei P40 Pro+
23 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
23 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
22 - Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G (inside 60Hz)
22 - Xiaomi Mi 11
22 - Huawei Mate X2
20 - Huawei Mate Xs (Unfolded)
12
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Huawei Mate X2
31 - OnePlus 9 Pro
31 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
29 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
28 - Xiaomi Mi 11
28 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
25 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
23
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
29 - Huawei Mate X2
29 - OnePlus 9 Pro
28 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
26 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
25 - Xiaomi Mi 11
25 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
22
It is far from uncommon to experience graphics issues on the main display of the Mate X2 with certain games we tried, especially when in their default state where they are left to themselves to scale on to the entire display.
As far as our benchmarks go, in particular, AnTuTu 8's 3D portion clearly looked bugged, and so did Car Chase run in GFXBench. And before you ask, we did try to run AnTuTu 9, and that one failed to start the 3D portion altogether, further proving our point that many apps are simply not able to cope with the aspect ratio of the Mate X2. It's just a fact right now.
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Huawei Mate 40 Pro (perf. mode)
6679 - Huawei Mate 40 Pro
6170 - Huawei Mate X2 (cover display)
5751 - OnePlus 9 Pro
5701 - Huawei Mate X2
5693 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
5691 - Xiaomi Mi 11
5673 - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
5547 - Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
4194 - Realme X7 Pro
3938
Generally, the newer a game and its rendering engine is, the less problems we seemed to experience with it in full-screen mode on the main display. For any app that did have rendering issues, Huawei's built-in App scaling feature fixed things right up. We are counting that as a win.
Taking all of that into consideration, we would say that the Mate X2 is far from the best mobile gaming device out there. The allure of the huge display is real, and indeed when a game works without issues, it is a glorious experience. However, many games had at least some minor issues scaling. Even if they are not functional in nature, graphics often end up looking stretched and weird. You can mitigate all of that, most of the time, by forcing scaling, but then a big portion of the 8-inch display gaming experience is lost.
The Mate X2 really shines in productivity, which is its raison d'etre. The raw performance for gaming is there, but in our experience, gaming has its ups and downs here.
Mostly familiar Huawei quad-snapper setup
Last year's Huawei Mate Xs was no slouch in the camera department. With that design, however, engineers had very little space to actually work with. The inward-folding Mate X2 offers much more freedom and the ability to "tack on" a far more conventional camera bump to the back of the phone. Hence, the Mate X2 steps up camera prowess in a noticeable way.
The primary camera on the Mate X2 is the 50MP Sony IMX700 module, also available in the Huawei P40 and Mate 40 families. It packs a large 1/1.28" sensor with an RYYB Quad Bayer type color filter with 1.22µm individual pixel size - or 2.44µm for a 4-in-1 binned pixel. The lens in front has an f/1.9 aperture and a 23mm equivalent focal length, though, for one reason or another, the default 12MP pictures come out with a small crop to 27mm. The particular implementation on the Mate X2 also has Laser AF and OIS, which makes it identical to that inside the Mate 40 Pro+.
In fact, almost the entire main camera setup on the Mate X2 is borrowed from the Mate 40 Pro+. This includes a 12MP, f/2.4 telephoto, with PDAF, OIS and 3x optical zoom (70mm). Plus, another telephoto, this time a 10x optical zoom (240mm) periscope unit. Just like the other two, it has PDAF and OIS. It sits behind a pretty dim f/4.4 lens.
Finally, the Mate X2 also has an ultrawide, which does differ from the one on the Mate 40 Pro+. It is a lower-resolution 16MP snapper but one that sits behind a relatively brighter f/2.2 lens. It lacks the fancy PDAF from the Mate 40 Pro+ but still includes autofocus, which is leveraged for macro shots.
On the selfie side, there is just a 16MP snapper with an f/2.2 aperture. Nothing too fancy.
Camera interface
Before we move on to camera quality, we should look at the camera app, its UI, and its features. Nothing is really out of the Huawei ordinary here. A shutter key on the right, alongside a switch to enable selfie mode.
Unlike the Mate Xs, which requires the phone to be folded and then turned around, so you can use the main camera and the part of the display next to it, selfies on the Mate X2 can be done in a traditional way. That is to say, with the selfie cam on the cover display, without unfolding the phone.
There is still a way to get selfies with the main camera on the Mate X2, though. It requires unfolding the device, and clicking the selfie mode button. The app then instructs you to leave the phone open and just flip it around, so you can use the cover display as a viewfinder while looking at the main camera. This generally works, but not all orientations and holding methods work well. You also likely need to use both hands to hold the phone.
Back to the rest of the camera UI. The mode selector/slider is pretty straight-forward. Its final entry houses a few additional modes. Things like Slow-MO, Panorama, Monochrome, Documents, AR Lens, Light painting, Time lapse, Stickers etc.
Main camera UI
Some of the modes worth pointing out here include HDR, which Huawei decided, for some reason, should be a dedicated mode, instead of a toggle in settings or on the main camera UI. We will still test it all the same, though. High res is quite self-explanatory. It allows you to shoot at the full 50-ish MP resolution of the main camera and actually has a regular and a 50MP Ai mode. We made sure to test these as well. Super Macro can be triggered manually from here, or you can actually just let the Mate X2 decide that it is necessary and trigger it automatically, which it does a surprisingly good job of. Macro photos are done with the ultrawide camera, thanks to its autofocus capabilities. Dual-view lets you capture footage with the selfie and main camera together. It's a nifty feature.
Some of the toggles on the left-hand side of the camera UI are self-explanatory, like the settings shortcut and the flash controls. The film-strip-looking button actually brings up filters. The Ai button toggles Huawei's MASTER AI system. It is enabled by default, so we left it that way for our sample photos. The circular icon on the second row toggles Moving picture and the one above it enters a visual assistant mode, of sorts. It offers object recognition for shopping purposes, as well as barcode scanning.
There is a Pro mode available. ISO controls range from 50 to 409,600, and shutter speed goes from 1/4000 to 30 seconds. You also get control over white balance and focus, as well as exposure compensation. And near the top of the UI - a format selector that includes JPG, JPG-L and RAW, plus a toggle for the autofocus assist light.
Pro mode
The Settings menus are slightly different, depending on which camera and mode you enter them from. Video resolution only goes up to 4K. No high frame rate options beyond 60fps are available either. There is no way we found to turn off stabilization in video. While that has been the Huawei norm for a while now, we would still like to see it change, eventually.
There is no obvious way to get the cover display to work as a secondary viewfinder for the subject to see themselves. A feature that was present on the Mate Xs.
Unfolded camera UI
Main camera image quality
The main camera on the Mate X2 has proven its salt already on the P40 line, as well as the Mate 40 one. In daylight, shots come out with a wide dynamic range and pleasing colors. They are a bit on the warmer side. Fine detail is rendered naturally, and random textures have a true-to-life look. There's little noise to speak of, but if we do have to complain about something on a pixel level, it would be the relatively pronounced aliasing of straight sloping lines.
Huawei Mate X2 main camera (1x) 12MP, daylight samples
Also, color fringing around fine patterns is often noticeable, though hardly a dealbreaker.
Like we mentioned, there is a separate HDR photo mode on the Mate X2, instead of offering that as a setting or UI toggle. Looking at some shots from it closely next to the regular ones seems to show only marginal differences. HDR seems to be handling highlights a tad bit better and perhaps crushing a little less detail in the shadows. But, both are very minor in terms of differences, and we can only guess that Master AI is already applying plenty of HDR correction to the regular shots to begin with.
Huawei Mate X2 main camera (1x) 12MP, HDR mode daylight samples
The main camera's default output on the Mate X2 is in 12MP after all of the binning has taken place. There is still a way to capture still in the full 50MP resolution of the main camera. These shots are wider than the 27mm 12MP ones at around 23mm equivalent. The High res camera mode actually has two modes of its own. One is the regular 50MP one, which takes nearly instant shots.
Huawei Mate X2 main camera (1x) 50MP, daylight samples
You naturally get some extra detail from these shots, but at the expense of noticeable color fringing and distortions around the fine geometrical pattern. Enter the other AI 50MP mode. It takes a good few seconds to capture a phone this way. Still, the results look noticeably better, with the color fringing issue mitigated and typically better sharpness across the frame.
Huawei Mate X2 main camera (1x) AI 50MP, daylight samples
The Mate X2 has a pretty in-depth Portrait mode. There are plenty of effects to choose form, most complete with "blur" intensity sliders.
Huawei Mate X2 portrait samples
The bokeh effect itself looks good in most cases, and so does subject separation. However, the latter isn't all that impressive. Faced with a more complicated background or at higher blur strength levels, mistakes are ample.
Beyond a selection of more or less standard background blur effects, portrait mode can also pull off some interesting color filter effects, as well as studio-style shots.
Huawei Mate X2 portrait samples
Moving on to some telephoto shots, starting with the conventional 3x optical zoom snapper. Just like the main camera, it churns out 12MP stills. These look great with a lot of detail and close to perfect sharpness. Noise is kept well at bay too. The only real nitpick we have with this excellent snapper is that its color reproduction seems a bit more subdued than that of the main camera.
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto camera (3x) 12MP, daylight samples
You can use HDR mode on any of the cameras on the Mate X2, including the telephoto.
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto camera (3x) 12MP, HDR daylight samples
Moving on to the next party trick the Mate X2 has and its periscope, 10x telephoto camera. Despite its native resolution of 8MP, it also produces stills in 12MP, which means that some interpolation is at play. Even so, we were impressed with the detail and sharpness of the images. Colors look great too. At such high zoom levels, OIS is pulling its weight. However, not even it is enough to perfectly stabilize the frame. You still need to be extra careful not to ruin your shots.
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto camera (10x) 12MP, daylight samples
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto camera (10x) 12MP, HDR daylight samples
Even though there is autofocus on this camera as well, it struggles with subjects less than a meter away. To be fair, that's not really the use case it is meant to fill.
If you don't mind some digital zoom and sharpening artifacts, the Mate X2 can push way past 10x and zoom to as much as 100x. Shots at anything beyond 30x or so require plenty of work to get right, lots of trial and error and perhaps even a tripod.
Huawei Mate X2 zoom test: 0.6x • 1x • 3x • 10x • 50x • 100x
Huawei Mate X2 zoom test: 0.6x • 1x • 3x • 10x • 50x • 100x
At higher zoom levels, photos start to look more like an art project, courtesy of the sharpening and pattern recognition algorithms, but that's perfectly expected.
Last but not least, on the main camera list, we have the 16MP ultrawide. It is not as fancy as the 20MP one on the Mate 40 Pro+, but still has AF at its disposal. Shots from the ultrawide are good but not particularly impressive in any way. These often come out looking a bit soft. The colors are more washed-out than the main camera. The ultrawide tends to overexpose more often than the other cameras.
Huawei Mate X2 ultrawide camera (0.6x) 16MP, daylight samples
Huawei Mate X2 ultrawide camera (0.6x) 16MP, HDR daylight samples
The Mate X2 pulls off its macro shots using the ultrawide camera and its autofocus. This offers a great level of flexibility, and while the shots themselves still exhibit some of the issues of the ultrawide snapper itself, like softness, they look great for macro shots.
Huawei Mate X2 ultrawide camera 16MP, macro shots
You can do zoomed-in macro shots as well - again, by the ultrawide camera. This allows you to get up close without actually having to be close to the subject.
Huawei Mate X2 ultrawide camera 16MP, zoomed-in macro shots
Closing off the main camera section, we made sure to shoot our standard studio posters with the Mate X2. Here they are in our extensive camera comparison database at both the default 12MP and AI 50MP for your pixel-peeping pleasure.
Huawei Mate X2 against the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 and the Huawei Mate Xs in our Photo compare tool
50MP: Huawei Mate X2 against the Huawei P40 Pro+ and the Oppo Find X3 Pro in our Photo compare tool
Selfie camera quality
The Huawei Mate X2 has a nifty 16MP selfies snapper at its disposal. It's not particularly fancy since it is a fixed-focus unit, but with an aperture of f/2.2 it is still a bit brighter and has more pixels than the 13MP, f/2.4 unit on the Mate 40 Pro+.
Regular selfies with this camera come out looking great. There is plenty of detail, the dynamic range is good, and we like the colors. The focus plane is fairly wide, so you don't have to worry too much about how far you are from the lens.
Huawei Mate X2 selfie camera (1x) 16MP, daylight samples
Portrait mode is available on the selfie cam, with its full set of effects and tweaking options.
Huawei Mate X2 selfie camera (1x) 16MP, Portrait mode samples
Beauty filters are present, as well.
Huawei Mate X2 selfie camera (1x) 16MP, Beauty mode samples
Like we already mentioned, the rear cameras on the Mate X2 can also be used to take selfies. This is achieved by pressing the flip camera button from an unfolded state, which then instructs you to flip over the phone and enables the cover display. Of course, except for all those times that it doesn't and offers up an instruction for the Mate Xs method of doing the main camera selfies instead, which is clearly some random camera bug.
Once you do get it to work, you can use any of the four cameras on the back for selfies.
Huawei Mate X2 main camera (1x) 12MP, selfie daylight samples
You probably just want to stick to the main and the ultrawide, though.
Huawei Mate X2 ultrawide camera (0.6x) 16MP, selfie daylight samples
The 3x telephoto is already a bit too close for comfort in terms of framing at an arm's length.
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto (3x) 12MP, selfie daylight samples
And the 10x periscope can't even focus at such a close distance, producing basically throwaway shots.
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto (10x) 12MP, selfie daylight samples
Kind of makes us wonder why Huawei decided to leave the 10x camera available in this mode, all the while clearly tinkering with the option selection since Night mode is notably missing when shooting with the main cameras and the cover display.
Video quality
The Mate X2 can record video at up to 4K@60 fps across pretty much all of its cameras. Except for the selfie cam, which tops out at 1080p and the typical limitation of the ultrawide to 30fps. There is no 8K support whatsoever, which we frankly don't see as a real downside, given that in its current state, 8K is mostly a useless flex on a smartphone that brings about extra inconvenience with little to no benefit.
Anyway, options are kept to a minimum as far as video recording goes. You only get a set of resolution and aspect ratio selectors, as well as a frame rate one. Plus, a toggle to enable HEVC and same on some storage space with more efficient compression, if that is your thing. We do wish that there was a way to disable stabilization in some way.
Anyway, starting with the main camera - its 4K video output is crisp and clean. Definitely flagship-grade. Colors are on point, and it's all recorded at a bit over 40 Mb/s on an AVC stream, with stereo 48kHz AAC-LC audio.
Videos from the ultrawide have a bit more to criticize. Most notably, the extra noise in the frame. Their color profile is tangibly different from that of the main camera, as well. Everything is a bit less vibrant. We don't necessarily hate the look, though. It is a bit more natural.
The 3x telephoto camera honestly managed to blow us away. Its video output is crisp and very detailed. The colors are also amazing. The frame is very stable, and noise is kept to a minimum.
In contrast, the 10x periscope was rather challenging to use for video. Not only because of the wobbliness, despite the presence of OIS, but also due to its generally less-impressive capture quality. It is still usable, though.
We might not like that there is no way to disable stabilization on any of the cameras, but it does come in handy for walking shots. Again, the main and ultrawide cameras are the two that are usable in this scenario. The 3x and 10x zoom cameras are still wobbly when walking, especially the latter. Then again, we aren't quite sure why anyone would want to walk and shoot at a 10x zoom.
Here is a playlist of stabilization samples from the Mate X2:
Selfie video looks good at 1080p. Dynamic range is a bit limited, but nothing outrageous for the hardware at hand. Definitely usable for vlogging.
Plus, if you are motivated enough, you can use the main cameras on the Mate X2 for vlogging as well. You do have to mount the unfolded behemoth on some kind of rig to achieve that, though.
Rounding off the video quality section, we have some frames from the Mate X2 shooting our studio posters in the video compare database.
Huawei Mate X2 against the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 and the Huawei Mate Xs in our Video compare tool
Low-light camera quality
The Huawei Mate X2 is overall a competent low-light photographer. Starting with the main camera, in particular, we get low noise, plenty of detail and solid light-source and glare handling. A flagship-grade experience.
Huawei Mate X2 main camera (1x) 12MP, low-light samples
There is also a dedicated Night mode on top of that. It generally succeeds in brightening up the scene a bit, but that often comes the cost of a noticeable amount of added noise. Plus, results are quite inconsistent from shot to shot, with some ending up outright unusable. That's gets extra annoying since the Mate X2 takes a long time to capture Night mode shots. The phone automatically sets its exposure time based on the surrounding lighting conditions and often tends to go pretty high, in the 7 to 10-second range. Especially on the ultrawide cam. There are a few good seconds of processing and saving at the end of that exposure time as well.
Huawei Mate X2 main camera (1x) 12MP, Night mode low-light samples
Overall, Night mode can be beneficial at times but needs extra work to improve its consistency and usability.
Huawei Mate X2 main camera (1x) 12MP, selfies low-light
Speaking of the ultrawide camera, it really shows its limitations in low-light conditions. To be fair, though, at least the shots aren't overly noisy.
Huawei Mate X2 ultrawide camera (0.6x) 16MP, low-light samples
The ultrawide hence stands to gain a lot more through Night mode and indeed does net a nice overall boost in detail and clarity if it all works fine.
Huawei Mate X2 ultrawide camera (0.6x) 16MP, Night mode low-light samples
The 3x telephoto continues to impress even in tough light conditions. You can definitely see the sharpening algorithm working extra hard in some of the shots, but the results are still very pleasing.
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto camera (3x) 12MP, low-light samples
The 10x telephoto does struggle quite a bit with both getting and maintaining focus. If you put in the effort to get the right shot, though, it generally holds up, considering the zoom level.
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto camera (10x) 12MP, low-light samples
Here is Night mode on the two telephoto cameras as well.
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto camera (3x) 12MP, Night mode low-light samples
Huawei Mate X2 telephoto camera (10x) 12MP, Night mode low-light samples
Selfies in low-light often come out a bit soft for our taste. Luckily, Night mode does improve on them quite a bit. It also doesn't take nearly as long to get a Night mode selfie as it does a regular photo.
Huawei Mate X2 selfie camera (1x) 16MP, low-light samples
Huawei Mate X2 selfie camera (1x) 16MP, Night mode low-light samples
Finally, we recorded a few low-light 4K video samples with the Mate X2, which you can check out in the below playlist.
As far as observations go, the main camera, as well as the 3x telephoto, put out solid performance once again. The ultrawide holds up well, too, except for the elevated noise levels.
The 10x periscope camera struggles for a number of reasons. It struggles to get focus, deal with noise and light within its limited dynamic range and even when balanced on a rai, its footage is shaky due to the sheer level of zoom at play.
Alternatives
Typically, we close off our reviews with what we strive to be a comprehensive overlook on the market competitors and alternatives for the reviewed device. This usually includes things like price and feature matching.
As things currently stand, we see little reason to do this for the Mate X2. On the one hand, it is a device with very limited availability, currently locked in China, with no wider release plans. Then there is the question of price. With an eye-watering MSRP set at about EUR 2300, the Mate X2 is nothing short of a top one-percenter price-wise. Hence, even if you could buy one, money would have to basically be no object. And at that point, finding an alternative device to it is clearly not limited by price. Everything becomes a viable option.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
How about feature-matching then? Well, that's yet another problem. The foldable display smartphone niche is still very tiny and not exactly sprawling. The only really viable contender would have to be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. The constant parallel between it and the Mate X2 is blatantly obvious and hardly news to anyone. Perhaps the only point worth making in that regard is that you can buy the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in many markets worldwide and at just around half the exuberant and frankly unrealistic price of the Mate X2.
Also, if you are at the point of actually considering the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, why not hold off a bit, at least until June, just to see if the rumors about a Galaxy Z Fold3 come to fruition and get that one instead.
Verdict
We consider the Mate X2 a "halo" showcase device with very limited availability and a deliberately prohibitive price tag around EUR 2300. It is not a device anyone is going to physically be owning or daily-driving any time soon. At least not as reviewed, in its current form.
With that in mind, all we can do is judge whether it is a good device or not in general and more importantly, does it bear any important indication of the future of the foldable market?
It is hard not to fall in love with the Mate X2's hardware and the masterful engineering work that has gone into it making it a reality.
In one big and bold swoop, Huawei has managed to totally move past its original outward-folding design and not just adopt the more traditional inward-folding one but also advance it forward.
The new asymmetrical "wedge" or "teardrop" design, as Huawei calls it, in combination with the excellent Falcon Wing hinge and advancements in foldable panel tech as a whole, all add up to make for a next-gen device.
The annoying air-gap issue is essentially eradicated, and the crease problem is improved in a major and noticeable way. Sweetening the deal even further, Huawei has gone ahead and has also included an exquisite and versatile flagship camera system into the mix, as well as a solid battery setup.
Of course, no device is perfect. Especially ones that are borderline concept products, like the Mate X2. We can't exactly say that Huawei has the software side of the modern foldable experience all figured out. The foundation is there, but bugs and issues are abundant and easy to spot.
And that's without even touching the ongoing elephant in the room - Huawei's lack of Google Play Services and the questions surrounding it. Like, HarmonyOS, which has the potential to absolutely turn Huawei's software experience on its head for better or worse or, at the very least, change it drastically.
All things considered, the Mate X2 definitely raises more questions for the future than it answers. Especially within Huawei's own camp. If there is one positive takeaway to be had from our experience with the Mate X2, though, it is that the future of foldable smartphone hardware and design is looking brighter and brighter by the day.
Pros
- Ingenious wedge design and new Teardrop hinge effectively solve the air gap issue.
- Display is impressively flat when unfolded and the crease is notably decreased.
- Both panels are big, refresh at 90Hz, impressively bright and color-accurate.
- Solid battery life. Fast 55W SuperCharge.
- Huawei's automatic high refresh rate handling is solid.
- Amazing stereo speaker setup.
- Versatile and flagship-grade quad-camera setup with autofocus on all snappers and OIS on every one, but the ultrawide.
- 4K video recording with every camera and at every zoom level.
- Performance from the Kirin 9000 5G is very good
Cons
- No official HDR certification on either display.
- Hinge does not provide linear motion and cannot be fixed at a random angle.
- Huawei insists on using its proprietary NM storage expansion card format.
- Bundled 66W charger is not PowerDelivery compliant and requires a proprietary 6A Type-A to Type-C USB cable.
- No wireless charging support.
- EMUI 11 is still based on Android 10, lacks Google Services and its future is uncertain, as the switch to HarmonyOS is around the corner.
- Using the main cameras for selfies is rather buggy. There is no way to have both displays active at the same time and use the cover display as a mirrored viewfinder.
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