Camera
Huawei announces foldable Mate X2 smartphone with Leica-branded cameras
Foldable phones are becoming more commonplace. Competing against the Samsung Galaxy Fold, Huawei’s new Mate X2 builds upon Huawei’s two previous foldable phones while incorporating a refreshed design.
The Mate X2 opens from the inside rather than the outside, and Huawei claims that the phone’s hinge is practically imperceptible. When folded, the Mate X2 looks quite like a traditional smartphone. The outside of the device includes a 6.45″ OLED screen with a 2700×1160 pixel resolution, 456 ppi. When you open the folding device, you see its 8″ inner display. This screen has a 2480×2200 pixel resolution or, put in another way, 413 ppi. Both displays have 90Hz refresh rates. However, the displays have different touch sampling rates, with the internal screen offering a 180Hz touch sampling rate and the external display delivering 240Hz sampling.
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| The Huawei Mate X2 features an external 6.45″ OLED screen. The internal display is 8″ when the smartphone is unfolded. Image credit: Huawei |
The Huawei Mate X2 is co-engineered with Leica, building upon an existing relationship between the two companies. The rear of the device features a Leica-branded camera array. The smartphone includes a 50MP Ultra Vision Camera, RYYB telephoto, 100x digital zoom, and a 2.5cm macro lens. The Ultra Vision camera is wide-angle, includes optical image stabilization, and has a maximum aperture of F1.9. The 16MP Cine Camera (ultra-wide angle) has an F2.4 aperture and includes OIS. The 3x camera has a 12MP sensor, an F2.4 aperture, and OIS. The 10x optical zoom camera, dubbed SuperZoom, has an F4.4 aperture, OIS, and additional support autofocus.
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In terms of additional features, there is 100x digital zoom and hybrid zoom. Autofocus is phase focus and contrast focus. The camera includes numerous photography modes, such as Night, Macro, Portrait, Pro, Slow-Mo, Panorama, Light painting, HDR, and much more. The Mate X2 records 4K UHD video. The device can also record Full HD video at up to 960 frames per second.
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| Macro image captured with the Huawei Mate X2. Image credit: Huawei |
Huawei writes, ‘Huawei Mate X2’s Ultra Vision Leica Quad Camera pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in a photo.’ Lofty promises, to be sure, but the specs and image samples are impressive.
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| 1x optical zoom image |
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| 10x optical zoom image |
Powered by an in-house chipset, dubbed Kirin 9000, the 5G device promises speed and performance. The CPU has eight cores, and the GPU comprises 24 cores. The device has 8GB of RAM and has available internal storage of 256GB and 512GB.
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A potential shortcoming of the Huawei Mate X2 for prospective customers is its lack of Google apps. At launch, the smartphone will run EMUI 11.0 based on Android 10. Huawei announced during the device’s launch live stream that it will be one of Huawei’s first phones to be updated to its HarmonyOS in April.
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The Huawei Mate X2 will go on sale in China later this week. The 256GB model will cost 17,999 yuan (which is just under $2,800 USD). The 512GB version will cost 18,999 yuan (around $2,950). The Mate X2 will be available in black, white, blue and pink color options. There’s no word yet on availability outside of China. To learn more about the Mate X2,