Huawei Mate Xs

Great level of usability, feels familiar in both its folded and unfolded states.

The screen is very exposed and is hard to clean.

All that being said, would we buy one for ourselves? No. The practical and financial realities are still stacked firmly against it. But still, we think the Mate Xs is insanely cool and an important milestone for the future of the smartphone industry.

Superbly engineered ; Usable both folded and unfolded ; Beautiful screen ; Fast charging ; Useful multi-tasking features ; Excellent camera

Unreliable software ; No Google Mobile Services ; Poor audio ; Very expensive ; Durability is an unknown

The best foldable phone design Flagship level performance and features Excellent camera

No access to Google Apps Very expensive Uncertainty about the longevity of the screen

A foldable phone that expands into a tablet has been thought of as the next form factor for mobile devices. Huawei has thrown conventional design out of the window with Mate Xs by placing the foldable screen on the outside and we think this design...

Beautiful fold-out display ; Sturdier hinge ; 55W charging ; Proven camera system

Expensive ; Not very pocketable ; Needs protection ; Battery potentially limiting

The Mate Xs is a marginal improvement on the Mate X we saw last year and is a very expensive device. Even so, it still has a lot of potential and there's no doubt it's an impressive device.

As with the Mate 30 Pro, that’ll likely present very real problems that aren’t what you’d want to experience with a device that costs upwards of £1,000. That’s a real shame as in all other respects we’re really excited to put this innovative phone...

'Out-folding' design keeps the big-screen-phone-to-tablet promise best among foldable form factors; A joy to read, browse and Instagram on; Sturdy hinge; Hearty 512GB storage; Good battery life and 65W charger in the box; Versatile camera uses the main...

Hefty and thick with the official bumper case; Apps and games that check for Google services run in limited state; Tight hinge is relatively hard to push open; Square displays feel underutilized with the typical video aspect ratios; The slight 'bump'...

My Music Origin – NTU ; 2 ; Vinyl Record Shopping in Taipei ; 3 ; Mi WiFi Router and Amplifier: Detailed Review ; 4 ; Creative Pebble Plus Review: USB 2.1 Speakers with Subwoofer Delivers Better Audio for Desktop ; 5 ; Hands-On Experience: Samsung...

My Music Origin – NTU ; 2 ; Vinyl Record Shopping in Taipei ; 3 ; Mi WiFi Router and Amplifier: Detailed Review ; 4 ; Creative Pebble Plus Review: USB 2.1 Speakers with Subwoofer Delivers Better Audio for Desktop ; 5 ; Hands-On Experience: Samsung...

The Huawei Mate Xs is not for everyone. The design offers the best visual experience but challenging to protect the fragile screen. The square display delivers immersive interaction but current content is not optimised for that. What it excels is the...

Impressive design and engineering ; Remarkable screen quality ; Excellent onboard speakers ; Fold and unfolds easily

No Google Play Store ; Delicate screen that could be easiy scratched ; Really expensive

The Huawei Mate Xs is an amazing feat of engineering and a truly remarkable smartphone. It needs to be treated with care but it provides an amazing experience especially for commuters and travellers – what a shame we’re not commuting and travelling...