Huawei Mate Xs 2: Would you pay RM7,999 for an outdated, 4G-only foldable?

Earlier this month, Huawei had revealed the Mate Xs 2, their latest foldable smartphone that returned to the idea of the outward folding design. Huawei Malaysia has now announced that it will be coming to Malaysia after all, making it their second foldable smartphone available here since the P50 Pocket.

Huawei Mate Xs 2 Malaysia pricing and availability

The Huawei Mate Xs 2 will be made available in Malaysia in just one configuration with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, priced at a hefty RM7,999. If you pre-order it from 3 June till 23 June on the Huawei Malaysia eStore and their official Lazada and Shopee stores, you’ll also be able to snag yourself a free Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro.

While perhaps not as ridiculous as the RM11,111 it cost to buy the original Mate Xs back in 2020, the Mate Xs 2 is still more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, arguably its biggest rival in the foldable scene right now. For context, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 starts at RM6,699 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB, while for RM7,099 you can double the storage to 512GB. Furthermore, as we’ll get to in a second, despite the Mate Xs 2 launching here almost a year after the Galaxy Z Fold 3, it’s not packing much of an improvement in terms of hardware.

Huawei Mate Xs 2 specs

With the Huawei Mate Xs 2 using an outward folding design, you’ll find a single 7.8-inch OLED display with a 2,480 x 2,200p resolution capable of a 120Hz refresh rate. You can then fold the device, turning the display into a more traditional 6.5-inch display with a 19:9, 2,480 x 1,176p resolution. However, unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 3, there’s no IP rating on the Mate Xs 2 nor is there any mention of ultra-thin glass being used in the display.

Under the hood meanwhile the Huawei Mate Xs 2 is stuck with last generation’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, which in turn has been limited to just 4G as well. This is mated to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for local models, and runs EMUI 12 with no Google Mobile Services of course. Expandable storage is possible with Huawei’s NM memory cards. Keeping the lights on is a 4,600mAh battery with 66W fast charging too.

As for cameras meanwhile, you’ll find a triple rear camera setup with a 50MP main camera, a 13MP ultrawide camera and an 8MP 3x telephoto lens. There’s also a 10.7MP front facing camera in a punch hole cutout on the display but realistically for selfies you’re better off folding the Mate Xs 2 and using the rear cameras with the rear half of the display.

Elsewhere, there’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers as well as support for the Huawei M-Pen 2s stylus for when you want to use the device as a tablet. Unfortunately, unless someone makes a 5G-enabling case for the Mate Xs 2 like how they did for the P50 Pro, the Mate Xs 2 is limited to 4G, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi 6 connectivity. There’s even a textured 3D micro-fiber finish to the back of the phone one you’ve folded it out.

The Huawei Mate Xs 2 comes in just black and white colourways for Malaysians interested in buying it. However, like we mentioned earlier it’ll likely be tough for Huawei to convince Malaysians that it’s worth picking up over the Galaxy Z Fold 3.