The Huawei Mate X6 folding phone is officially going global, adding a new competitor to Samsung's well-regarded Galaxy Z Fold 6.
However, Huawei's HarmonyOS doesn't offer full Google Play Services, such as Play Store, and may therefore – despite very elegant hardware – be of niche appeal.
Say hello to the Huawei Mate X6: the latest and greatest foldable from the tech giant – and a new competitor for the likes of Samsung's best foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
The folding Huawei handset was officially unveiled last month, but this update marks the global release plans for the company's latest – so you can get your hands on one in the near future (albeit certainly not in the US).
The Mate X6 is a very elegant piece of hardware, which is one of its greatest assets. At just 4.6mm thin (when unfolded), Huawei's slender foldable design isn't far behind the Honor Magic V3 (at just 4.4mm unfolded).
However, the physical robustness of the Mate X6 has been improved compared to its X5 predecessor, with a tougher aluminium alloy middle frame and second-gen Kunlun Glass for shatter-proof and scratch-resistant hardiness.
A major part of any folding phone is the internal display, which here is a massive 7.93-inches across the diagonal – but is now sat upon an inner screen plate for enhanced material stiffness, providing a better feel in use and helping to negate the crease.
A big area where the Huawei Mate X6 outshines its Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 competitor, however, is in the cameras department. The rear houses a 50-megapixel main, along with a 40MP wide-angle and 48MP 4x optical zoom.
Interestingly, that periscope zoom lens features a mechanical adjustable aperture (f/1.4-f/4.0) – which controls how much light enters to the sensor, giving depth-of-field control in images – and the first time this has been seen in a foldable.
Much like the recent Oppo Find X6 Pro, Huawei has opted for a silicon-carbon battery in the Mate X6. That means its 5110mAh capacity offers greater density in a smaller form – which is ideal in a design like this.
However, it's worth noting that Huawei's HarmonyOS software is a little different to what you'll find in the best Android phones, because it doesn't have full access to Google Play Services, so there's no Play Store here. There's also no word on the processor that'll be featured inside the global edition, but assume it'll be a Kirin 9100 chip.
There's no word on price or exact release date in which regions just yet either – but that ought to be coming live and direct from the 12 December global event. We'll bring that information as we have it – and get an understanding of how price-effective Huawei's new folding prospect will compare to the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold.
