Huawei has pulled the wraps off the Mate XS, a bendy smartphone that looks more than a little like last year’s Mate X.
The new device looks entirely similar to the last one, but Huawei says it has a more durable display and redesigned hinge. It also gets a faster Kirin 990 processor.
In phone mode, expect a 6.6-inch screen that unwraps to an 8-inch when in tablet mode.
Unfortunately, due to the current spat with the US – the new Mate XS will not launch with any Google Apps or services.
The new phone is destined to launch here in the UAE sometime late March (pre-orders will go live on March 15).
There is no word on local prices, globally, it’s expected to sell for US$2,710 (AED9,960).
The screen itself is made of flexible OLED. There is a soft polymer layer on top that acts as a final cushion to the device, meaning it will be more durable than the previous version.
The Mate XS has a quad-camera array (40-megapixel main, 8-meg telephoto, 16-meg ultrawide and 3D depth-sensing cam) that can also be used for selfies (when the phone is held in phone mode).
On the software side, the Mate XS can run three apps at the same time – one of the left, one on the right and a third as a floating window.
A few more improvements include a new 5G modem, and the cooling system has been improved to bridge the folding of the device.
Elsewhere, the battery remains the same (4,500mAh battery) as well
