Huawei unveils new foldable online amid coronavirus scare

Huawei unveiled its second foldable smartphone, the Mate Xs, in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, in an online broadcast to prevent spreading the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The out-folding Mate Xs has a display the same size as that of its predecessor -- 8 inches diagonally when unfolded -- but features an improved hinge mechanism, called a “falcon-wing hinge,” and a stronger wraparound screen.

Huawei’s mobile business head, Richard Yu, said during the launch presentation that the new device offered faster download speeds and a longer battery life than its rival the Samsung Galaxy Fold.

Unlike Samsung’s second clamshell foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip, which uses ultrathin glass for durability, Huawei said its phone still used polyamide film. But it said the display was more robust thanks to quad-layer construction -- two layers of polyamide film on top of a flexible organic light-emitting diode display and a softer polymer layer below.

The Mate Xs will be available outside China next month for 2,499 euros ($2,714) which is about $730 more expensive than the Galaxy Fold.

Due to US sanctions, the Huawei device won’t have any Google apps or services.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)