Huawei Mate Xs 2 Smartphone Review

Huawei Mate Xs 2 Smartphone Review – Huawei smartphones are usually known for unique features and amazing innovation with their latest devices. The company releases the Huawei Mate Xs 2 in April 2022, the successor of the Mate X2. Being a foldable phone, it falls in the flagship range without a doubt. Although, there is some downside with this phone which will be covered in the following review.

Our first impression of the Mate Xs 2 is astounding whether you talk about the design, display, performance, or battery life. Everything looks great at the first glance. However, it’s quite underwhelming that the handset doesn’t support 5G connectivity, but still, it provides a pretty fanaticizing foldable phone feel. Although, it’s just the tip of the iceberg and there are a lot of things that need to cover, so without any further ado, let’s head to the in-depth review of the Huawei Mate Xs 2 smartphone.

Huawei Mate Xs 2 Smartphone Review

Highlights

1. The device comes with 7.8-inches foldable OLED screen, while when you fold the screen it will become a 6.5-inches display.
2. As for the software layering, the software interface of the HarmonyOS 2.0 presents various custom features.
3. Moving to the hardware section, you are getting the 5nm Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 4G chipset that handles the overall performance aspect.
4. In terms of the camera module, the phone houses a 50MP triple camera with a 10.7MP selfie.
5. Aside from this, you will attain a Li-Po 4600 mAh battery inside this phone.

Design and Display

Unlike other flagship foldable phones, you are getting a pretty sleek and slim foldable phone here. Huawei is usually known for its slender phones and the same thing applies to the Mate Xs 2 too. At first glance, you will notice that the handset is not your regular foldable phone. It has a class with an immersive design layout. Besides this, you can pick Black, White, and Purple.

Aside from this, you are not getting a dual-screen like the Samsung phone. Instead of that, Huawei is utilize is a super durable material for the display so that half of the display can rotate to the back panel. Mate Xs 2 don’t use single hinges, instead, it utilizes wing-shaped hinges that easily rotate the screen. Due to this, the device comes ultra-thin and flat.

So nothing to worry about on the screen. The colors and resolution from the OLED display are worth noting, while the 120Hz refresh rate improves the overall viewing experience. Although, you are not getting most gesture and custom UI elements. But still, you can unfold the screen for multitasking and fold the screen to use it as a regular phone. The folded cover offers a 6.5-inches display, while the full display is around 7.8-inches.

Memory and Internal

Qualcomm isn’t able to sell its latest chipset to Huawei due to the US ban. So, Huawei has last resort to using the previous-gen chipset in their smartphone. That’s why the Mate Xs 2 arrives with the 5nm Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 4G chipset and Adreno 660 GPU. Though you won’t notice any performance backlash, still, the phone should have a better chipset according to the price tag. As for many users, the processor is one of the key reasons to purchase the phone.

On the other hand, the interactive OS gives something refreshing feel and you will discover new apps with this ecosystem. As for the downside, you will be stuck in the HarmonyOS 2.0 ecosystem. Indeed, you won’t get access to the Google-centric app support here. But, you can take an alternative route and download the Gspace app in which you will receive Google ecosystem apps.

Besides this, most of the apps are optimized for foldable screens, so you won’t face any problems using the phones. On top of that, the phone arrives with a fluid refresh rate that will improve the gameplay experience. But, few games are not optimized for the whole screen. Anyway, you can choose 256GB to 512GB of internal space which is offered by 8GB to 12GB RAM. With these combos, you won’t run out of storage anytime soon.

Camera

The camera module on the Mate Xs 2 smartphone brings a 50MP primary lens which is granted a subtle photography experience with the native camera app. Following this, there’s also a 13MP ultra-wide lens and an 8MP telephoto lens that enhance the zooming in and out ability while taking pictures. Aside from this, the phone also offers a 10.7MP selfie lens at the end of the foldable screen.

As for the camera attributes, the Huawei Mate Xs 2 is offering decent camera quality, which will increase the overall lowlight and daylight photography. The portrait photos are great and the macro shot is appealing to some extent. But due to Leica’s partnership with Huawei, there are several instances where users will find flaws with the image processing.

Anyway, the smartphone makers come with their in-house camera tech that will provide colors, saturation, and contrast, while providing fine details at the same time. In terms of the video recording, you can easily go up to 4K video with this camera setup.

Battery and Others

The battery life of the Huawei Mate Xs 2 is astounding as you are getting more than 7+ hours worth of screen time with the Li-Po 4600 mAh battery, while if you are using the 7.8-inches display, the screen time will be reduced to a few hours. But it can be solved with a higher variant (12GB/512GB) as it offers a Li-Po 4880 mAh battery. Following this, you will receive a 66W fast charger inside the box.

With that, you can refuel the Mate Xs 2 in less than hours using the Type C 3.1 port. The battery is divided into two parts so that phone will charge fast. Apart from this, the phone renders a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and advanced Face ID unlock features as security traits. However, the price tag of $2000 (Rs 1,55,000 in India) approx doesn’t justify the worth.

Huawei Mate Xs 2 Pros and Cons

Huawei Mate Xs 2 Specifications Detail

Down below you can see the full specifications of the Huawei Mate Xs 2 Smartphone.

Conclusion

Huawei Mate Xs 2 smartphone is not for everybody nor does have appealing flagship features like other flagship features. Despite this, the phone is for those people who desire a foldable phone without the very distracting crease across the middle. Alongside this, the 5G connectivity will take a few years to roll out around the work, and till then it can be considered a great choice.

However, the processor and software do feel underwhelming compared to the price tag. Aside from this, there are a few handfuls of downsides that aren’t able to justify the aggressive price point of Mate Xs 2. Instead of that, you can check out the Samsung Galaxy Z fold3 5G which is slightly less and offers a great value for money, while offering an optimized UI experience.