Reuters
- Huawei has delayed the launch of its Mate X foldable smartphone for the second time, according to TechRadar.
- The phone was believed to be launching in September, but the report indicates that it isn’t likely to launch before November.
- This marks the second time Huawei has delayed the release of the Mate X, which was initially intended to debut in June.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Chinese tech giant Huawei is delaying the launch of its foldable smartphone, the Mate X, according to a new report from TechRadar.
The phone is unlikely to be released before November but is expected to debut by the end of the year, according to the publication, which learned about the delay at a press event at the company’s headquarters in Shenzen, China.
This marks the second time Huawei has delayed the release of the Mate X. The foldable smartphone, which the company unveiled in February, was originally intended to be released in June. But the company said during that month that it was pushing back the phone’s launch because it was still running certification tests with carriers. Now, the launch is being delayed once again, although the reason is unclear.
The setback comes as Huawei has been placed on a blacklist in the United States that prevents American companies, such as Google parent Alphabet, from working with the firm without a license. That means Huawei’s future smartphones might not be able to use Google’s Android operating system, which powers most smartphones around the world.
Huawei and Samsung generated buzz in February when they both unveiled their first foldable smartphones, the Mate X and Galaxy Fold, a milestone these companies positioned as being the next major evolution of the smartphone. Yet both of these devices have failed to launch on time.
Samsung initially intended to release the Galaxy Fold back in April, but the South Korean electronics maker pushed back the release date after a small number of reviewers reported that the screen on their device had malfunctioned. Now, the phone is expected to be released in September, meaning Samsung will likely beat Huawei to the market.
The Huawei Mate X and Samsung Galaxy Fold both feature a foldable design that makes it possible to expand the size of the device’s screen when necessary, but they’ve taken different approaches in doing so. The Mate X’s screen is located on the outside of the device, which results in a 6.6-inch display when in phone mode and an 8-inch tablet display when unfolded. The Galaxy Fold, by comparison, has a 4.6-inch cover screen and opens up like a book to reveal a 7.3-inch display on the inside.
In addition to the Mate X’s delayed launch date, TechRadar also reports that the next version of the Mate X could have additional screens.
NOW WATCH: Why Apple’s Mac Pro ‘trash can’ was a colossal failure
See Also:
- Samsung just unveiled the first smartphone camera that goes beyond 100 megapixels
- The biggest differences between Samsung’s giant new Galaxy Note 10 and Apple’s iPhone XS
- Everything to know about HarmonyOS, Huawei’s answer to Android as the trade war between the US and China rages on
SEE ALSO: The biggest differences between Samsung’s giant new Galaxy Note 10 and Apple’s iPhone XS
Source: Business Insider – leadicicco@businessinsider.com (Lisa Eadicicco)