What you need to know
- Huawei is pushing back the global launch of Mate X from June to September.
- The company is conducting additional tests to ensure the phone is ready for consumers.
- The Mate X will launch with Android as it was announced before the U.S. trade ban.
Huawei has pushed back the global launch of its foldable phone. The Mate X was slated to make its debut sometime this month, but is now expected to launch in the month of September. According to CNBC, Huawei is conducting “extra tests” to ensure its foldable phone doesn’t suffer from the same issues that plagued Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.
According to a statement provided by a Huawei spokesperson, the manufacturer is doing additional testing with mobile carriers around the world as well as app developers. The Mate X is Huawei’s first 5G-enabled phone, so it stands to reason that the company is testing compatibility with global carriers before launching the device. Same goes for developers: with the phone featuring a foldable display, Huawei will want to make sure apps work as intended when the device is unfolded.
With everything else that’s going on with Huawei, it’s understandable that the company is being cautious with its upcoming phone, as noted by the spokesperson:
We don’t want to launch a product to destroy our reputation.
On the subject of apps, Huawei has clarified that the Mate X will come with Android out of the box as the device was announced before the company was put on the Entity List. That said, it remains to be seen if the device will receive software updates after it goes on sale. For now, Huawei has managed to secure a 90-day stay order on the ban that allows Google to roll out updates to its devices.
Huawei is working on its own OS that is said to take over from Android should the ban come into full effect, with the company set to roll it out within six to nine months:
We don’t want to go for our own systems; we still very much like the co-operation with Google in the past few years. If we are forced to do it by ourselves, we are ready. We can do in the next six-to-nine months.
Once the Mate X does go on sale, it’ll be available for €2,299 ($2,600).
