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Huawei Mate X2 folding phone patent shows big design change over the original

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The Huawei Mate X2 is rumored to be Huawei’s next major foldable smartphone release, and may potentially arrive toward the end of 2020. Rumors about the phone have been spreading, including some possible standout design features, and how it will differ from the current Huawei Mate X. Let’s take a closer look at the Huawei Mate X2.

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Huawei Mate X2, not the Mate Xs

Huawei is expected to launch a revised version of the original Mate X folding phone during Mobile World Congress 2020. It’s currently known as the Huawei Mate Xs, and isn’t the Mate X2. The Mate Xs is likely to be very similar to the first Mate X on the outside, but with the new Kirin 990 processor inside, an improved hinge, and a tougher folding display.

Huawei Mate X2 announcement and release

The Huawei Mate X2 has been rumored for release after summer this year, sometime between July and September, making it possible the phone will arrive soon after the IFA 2020 technology trade show. The timing may mean the Mate X2’s announcement will come at the same time as a Mate 40 phone from Huawei.

Huawei Mate X2 design

What will the Huawei Mate X2 look like? Unlike the Mate X, a patent filed by Huawei shows what could be the Mate X2 with a screen that folds inward, like the Samsung Galaxy Fold. However, the design will allow for a side bar down one edge, which makes the phone easier to hold with one hand, something we noted about the current Mate X. This bar has a display on one side, which could be used to show notifications. There doesn’t seem to be any other outer display.

The side bar also contains the camera lens array, which consists of four cutouts on the outside, and two on the inside. All six lenses would be usable with the device closed, but the lack of outer screen makes it uncertain how they would function. The other standout feature is a stylus, which slots into a hole at the bottom of the side bar. Adding a stylus could make the Mate X2 more versatile, but questions remain over how the stylus would feel to use against a non-glass folding screen.

Another patent was discovered in September 2019, showing a Huawei folding phone with a stylus, and a similar inwardly folding design to the latest patent. All patents show the Mate X2 with rounded corners, like the Galaxy Fold, and unlike the squared-off corners of the Mate X.

Huawei Mate X2 specification

The Huawei Mate X2 may be one of the first phones to use a new Huawei Kirin processor, which traditionally arrives at the IFA technology show held in Berlin every September. This chip would succeed the current Kirin 990 processor. The device having a 5G connection seems almost certain. Otherwise, there are no rumors yet about the Mate X2’s specification.

That’s all we have on the Huawei Mate X2 for now, but we’ll be keeping a very close watch on this model, and will bring you more news when it comes.

Andy Boxall
Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.
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