Huawei will release a folding smartphone in 2019, and it will connect to a 5G mobile network. This we know, because the company has already spoken about its plans; but it has not gone into detail about what the phone will look like, how it will operate, or exactly when it will come out.
We’ve gathered together all the news and rumors surrounding Huawei’s 5G phone right here.
Name, price, and release date
Huawei will launch its folding smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, at the end of February. This was announced by CEO Richard Yu during the unveiling of Huawei’s new 5G chipset, which is likely to be part of the device. On February 1, Huawei began teasing the device through its social media accounts. On Twitter, it shared the following image:
We’re revealing the unprecedented at @MWCapital. Will you be with us as we’re #ConnectingTheFuture LIVE? pic.twitter.com/DI0nvwTB6a
— Huawei Mobile UK (@HuaweiMobileUK) February 1, 2019
The details show Huawei will hold a press conference on February 24 at 2 p.m. local time. The image strongly hints at a folding smartphone being revealed, through the use of a V-shape motif. The “Connecting the Future” tagline links the event to 5G, too. Previously, we knew the Huawei folding smartphone would arrive in 2019.
The device is then expected to go on sale in June, according to ETNews and a South Korean network official who saw the device in November, and who called it more complete than expected. Rumors have also spread that the folding phone would come in a small production run at first, indicating it will be complicated to produce. This exclusivity and manufacturing complexity may make the device expensive.
Huawei’s folding phone does not have a name yet, or at least none has been leaked ahead of the launch.
Design
Yes, the Huawei folding smartphone will fold, which means it will look like a regular smartphone and open out into a larger, tablet-style device. LetsGoDigital has created a render of what the phone could look like based on patents that have been filed by Huawei. It’s important to note that LetsGoDigital has taken some artistic liberties with the design, so it’s possible the Huawei folding phone could end up looking completely different than this.
Ultimately, we do not know what Huawei will do with the design. It has produced some superb looking phones over the past year, though, so we expect it to bring some of that flair to its folding smartphone.
A concept video, which you can see above, claims to show what Huawei’s device may look like, based on information taken from patents.
Specification
The Huawei folding smartphone will be a 5G device, and come with both the Kirin 980 processor and Huawei’s new Balong 5000 5G chipset, according to CEO Richard Yu. Yu had also previously stated the device would have 5G connectivity. Huawei has apparently shown the folding smartphone to networks in South Korea, where 5G is expected to launch in the early part of 2019, suggesting tests are already underway.
It may have a folded screen size of 5 inches, and an open screen size of 8 inches, according to ETNews, based on details from a South Korean network official. The resolutions are unknown, as are the overall dimensions of the device. The software may make use of Google’s specially designed Android interface made for foldable smartphones; but we’d still expect it to use Huawei’s own EMUI interface over the top.
Competition
Huawei is not the only company working on a folding smartphone. Samsung has been developing its own folding smartphone over several years, and is expected to show that phone off with the Galaxy S10 on February 20, 2019. LG may also have a folding smartphone, as does Oppo, and Xiaomi.
That’s all we know about the Huawei folding smartphone so far, but we’ll keep you updated here.
Updated on February 1, 2019: Huawei has started teasing the arrival of its folding smartphone
