Samsung Galaxy Fold’s recall is a very good example of why making foldables is not an easy task. Huawei was expected to beat Samsung to become the first top-tier company to release a commercial foldable smartphone in the market. However, according to a new report, that likely won’t happen as the Huawei Mate X foldable launch is said to be delayed till November 2019.
Huawei Mate X has been one of the favorite foldables in the market especially because of its out-fold design. However, TechRadar learned at a Huawei press event in Shenzhen today that the company won’t be able to honor the earlier mentioned September release date. In fact, it is very unlikely that we would see the phone launch before November this year. The exact reason for the delay is not mentioned but it could be anything from production complications, additional testing, or even supplier issues due to the ongoing trade war.
However, the report states that the company is confident that the Mate X will be announced before the end of 2019. This time frame could be to ensure that the phone is available to purchase for the holiday season before the Chinese New Year, which kicks off early next year.
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The report also adds that the company is planning an even better design for the next generation Mate X model. The new generation Mate X could launch as early as next year and could swap out the rear steel back for a glass-covered touch-enabled display. That would mean that the next generation Mate X could feature an all-display design with only a few bits of non-display elements.
However, it remains to be seen how the company plans to implement a glass design on a foldable smartphone. If you recall, the front display of the existing Mate X still features a plastic covering, mainly because plastic is flexible. So in order for the company to use a glass back with a display, it would have to make the glass foldable and it won’t be easy to make it mass production-friendly.
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Another question is the durability of a glass-covered back instead of the current steel back. Techradar’s report mentioned that the company’s attempt to replace the current generation Mate X’s steel back with a lighter aluminum body failed as it wasn’t strong enough. So, it remains to be seen how Huawei plans to make a glass-covered design possible on the next-generation version.
The final version of the Mate X is said to come with a slimmer power button and an improved ‘Falcon-hinge’. Unfortunately, if you want to be an early adopter you will have to go for the Galaxy Fold because it will be available a couple of months before the Mate X.
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