Huawei Mate X2 Review - The Better Foldable

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe year was 2019 When The War of folding phones began it was Huawei versus Samsung and in February of that year I was in Barcelona Spain to see them both Samsung had just announced the Galaxy fold a week prior and at mwc it was displayed behind a glass box right out of the gate Huawei seemed more confident they even allowed to select few journalists some Hands-On time with the mate X but what made their rivalry exciting was their deferring approaches Samsung's phone folded inwards huawei's phone outwards and only time would tell which form factor was the better design Choice fast forward to 2021 and it looks like the debate is settled on its third iteration huawei's mate X2 folds inward just like Samsung's Galaxy zold 2 but it offers a bigger screen and different hinge mechanism but which phone is better hi I'm Michael Josh your Gadget Matchmaker helping you find the right device to match our needs this is our Huawei mate X2 review so let's get right to it what I like most about the Huawei M X2 is that when folded shut its width is about the size of your typical smartphone meaning just like last year's M XS even if you didn't open it up it's just as functional as any Android phone of your choosing albe it thicker this time around a result of this inward folding design I didn't mind the heft or the thickness as much but mileage may vary depending on what you're used to compared to the Samsung Galaxy zold 2 you're getting more screen real estate on the outside and maybe more importantly an aspect ratio that's friendly to more apps the exterior screen measures 6.4 in and is an OLED panel with a 90 HZ refresh rate when it comes to folding phones my stands is this the experience when closed should be as good as the experience when opened so when it comes to the outer screen I like the mate X2 better while larger than its first iteration most apps still feel squished on the front screen of the zold 2 when you open up the phone the second display awaits a foldable OLED panel that measures 8 in diagonally also with a 90 HZ refresh rate one could say because the refresh rates are similar on the outside as in the inside the experience is the same when you switch between the two but on paper the fold two has that super smooth 120 HZ panel Huawei says there is a magnetically controlled Nano layer that reduces reflection and while we're comparing the mate x2's display is slightly larger and there's no punch hole for a selfie camera meaning the experience is uninterrupted but if you prefer to take video calls this way you're out of luck because of its new hinge design too the crease is less pronounced versus the zold 2 despite it's not having an inside selfie camera and a faster refresh rate I still prefer the display on the mate X2 and that has to do with the way the phone is designed when opened the phone shape resembles a wedge it's thicker on one side and this thick side is supposed to be where you hold on to by doing so it shifts the center of gravity so much so that the phone feels lighter I also have a feeling that this new hinge design is stur because it puts less tension on the foldable display when shut but I'm getting ahead of myself because of its completely new form factor Huawei has had to redesign the hinge on the mate X2 they claim that the gears that make up the hinge of the X2 have a tensile strength that's tougher than the world's safest car while they now both fold the same way the hinge design is different to the z-fold 2 when you fold a MX2 shut it's display forms a teardrop shape and Tucks away into this cavity similar to what Motorola does on the razor it seems to be more gentle on the display versus a hard fold and is one of the reasons the crease isn't as pronounced it's also one of the reasons why there is hardly any Gap when closed here compare that to the zold 2 depending on how you see it one possible con of this new design is that the display won't stay put when you prop it up in a 90° angle so no using it like a a mini laptop up front the mate X2 has a capsule size double punch hole for its 16 megapixel selfie camera and depth sensor selfies taken with this front camera look good and the depth sensor does a good job at cutting out subjects as with most Huawei phones your skin comes out looking softer which I think well not 100% all natural makes one look better you can also dial it up with some skin beautification mode one of the reasons why the mate X2 is thinner on one side is because of its camera system it's got a total of four cameras on its back a 50 megap primary camera a 16 megapix Ultra wide and two telephoto cameras one with 3x optical zoom the other with 10x Zoom that 10x Optical telephoto lens uses Periscope technology which takes up a lot of space let's see how these cameras perform on their own and versus some of its competitors I took these photos on a cloudy day by the flat iron District this iconic building is still behind scaffolds but it's still a good spot for this comparison while the photos are similar the MX2 didn't do as good of a job bringing out the highlights notice the tree by the colorful e container is almost black it's the same when you zoom out notice also that the ultra white angle camera on the X2 isn't as wide as the iPhone 12 Pro Max or the Galaxy Z fold 2 taking that 1X camera indoors first at a cafe where there's enough natural light I found the X2 continues to punch up the contrast and saturation notice the Pano chakat looks more natural on the zold 2 and the iPhone indoors with only artificial light the X2 had trouble focusing on these peaches I took three shots and they all came out slightly blurred I wonder if it has to do with Focus distance because in this close-up shot of an orchid Outdoors the X2 also struggled to keep Focus no how sharp the stamans of the Orchid on the shots from the fold 2 and the iPhone I also did this HDR test with a backlit subject these trees notice how the iPhone in particular and to some extent the zold 2 were able to bring out the details in the grass and the trees despite the conditions of course where the mate X2 shines is zoom its 3x optical zoom lens gets further than the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the zold 2 and it also has a 10x Periscope lens for getting even closer like on the previous model you could still use the second screen on the MX2 so that others can see themselves while you're composing the shot you just have to shoot with it unfolded or in tablet mode these were the photos I took of chai and as she was able to see herself in the front screen she was able to adjust her poses to her own liking the M X2 is currently only available in China starting at just under 17,500 Yan you can get it in four colors white black pink and blue each with matching themes so the insides just look like the outside and for everyone else who came here just for the unboxing I'm including this last because I didn't get the box sealed the box is very similar to the m X2 all black and squarish the phone comes unfolded and wrapped you also get this faux leather back cover with an integrated kickstand which is a great way to prop it up while watching videos finally there's a 66 W charger USBC a cable and USBC wired earphones so is the mate X2 your Gadget match that depends on what you're after at its current price foldables aren't really for the average person this phone is for Huawei fans with Deep Pockets techies who need to live on the bleeding edge of tech from an engineering standpoint I believe the design of the mate X2 feels like a refinement of Samsung's Galaxy zold 2 albeit a bit iterative from its improved hinge mechanism to the size of the phone when folded that said we still can't get Google services on the mate X2 so that limits its usefulness and don't forget it's only available in China so if you're looking for a foldable phone for everyday use the fold 2 makes more sense Samsung is also expected to launch the zold 3 in a few weeks and I'm really excited to see what improvements that phone brings and that was our our mate X2 review do you want to see more content like this one and what other videos would you like to see sound off in the comments section below and while you're at it subscribe to this YouTube channel if you haven't already and click that Bell icon so that you get notified as soon as we upload follow me on social media for all the behind the scenes fun stuff and as always make gadgetm match.com your daily habit until the next video I'm Michael Josh thanks for dropping by\n"