10 T3 APRIL 2020
Horizon
MEGA STORAGE
Folded out, the
2480x
display is a dream
for getting stuff
done. And with
512GB of built-in
storage, plus a
card slot for up
to 256GB more,
you’ll have loads
of space for
hoarding your
favourites.Edited by Claire DaviesThe best new tech heading your way
“The lack of Google
apps is a shame, but
we love the design and
tech on offer here”
Matt Bolton, EditorTECH-O-METER
HUAWEI
MATE XS
£2,100 (approx.), consumer.huawei.comIf you looked on in envy as Huawei launched its
beautiful folding 5G phone the Mate X in China
last year, we have some good news for you. A
second edition of the handset, called the Xs, is
coming to Europe – and it’s even better than
the original. Okay, in many ways it’s the same:
there are still two exterior OLED screens – 6.
inches at the front and 6.4 inches at the back
- that fold out to make a 5.4mm-thick, almost-
 square eight-inch tablet; and also present and
 correct is the Mate X’s quad camera set-up
 (40MP wide-angle, 16MP ultra-wide-angle, 8MP
 telephoto, TOF lens), designed in conjunction
 with Leica. However, Huawei has improved the
 Falcon Wing hinge, making it more robust and
 protective against dirt and debris; upgraded
 the Mate X’s Kirin 980 processor with the
 faster, more powerful Kirin 990 (which also
 supports a greater number of 5G bands); and
 introduced an innovative new cooling system
 that’ll enable you to stream videos and play
 the latest games without fear of overheating.
 Finally, though the phone still doesn’t have any
 Google apps due to trade restrictions imposed
 by the USA, Huawei has installed its very latest
 EMUI 10 operating system – which, lest we
 forget, runs on an open source version of
 Android 10. But the very best thing about this
 new handset? You’ll be able to own it, although
 the price has gone up even further from the
 already-expensive first version. Given that cost,
 is the all-round screen a durability concern?
 Well, not if you don’t drop it. But it will also
 come with the fetching leather folio case
 pictured to the right, if you want to protect
 it when it’s in a bag with your keys.
