Huawei’s Mate X Foldable Phone

Way more compelling design than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold. Because it folds outward rather than inward, you don’t need an extra display. It sounds like a better design and it looks like a better design. But at €2,299 (that’s $2,600) it’s clearly not priced to sell in serious quantities, and the crease doesn’t seem to exactly disappear. And what about cases? Most people use a case with their phone already, and surely people will be even more apprehensive about using a phone where both the front and back are part of the main display. Plus, the Mate X (gee, wonder why they called it the “X”?) display is plastic, not glass, so it’s probably more prone to scratching than most of today’s phones.

Even ignoring the price, it seems clear to me we’re still not close to a good practical design for a foldable phone. (Or should we be thinking of them as foldable tablets?)

★ Monday, 25 February 2019