Huawei Mate X 5G smartphone with folding screen launched at MWC 2019 - Price, specifications and features

Much to the delight of gadget freaks, Chinese telecom gear maker Huawei has just unveiled its first foldable smartphone Huawei Mate X on the eve of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. The exclusive 5G smartphone is another addition to the latest trend for bendable devices and expected to give tough challenges to other dominant players - Apple and Samsung. Huawei Mate X has been launched amid US allegations against the Chinese company that it is a cybersecurity risk.

Apart from Huawei, other top smartphone companies, including Nokia, Xiaomi and others showcased their latest additions at the global summit on Sunday. Device makers are looking to folding screens as the industry's next big thing to help them break out of an innovation malaise, although most analysts think the market is limited, at least in the early days.

Moving on to Huawei Mate X, the 5G smartphone functions just like Samsung's Galaxy Fold but has a few subtle changes. Priced at Rs 1,85,000, Huawei Mate X is expected to hit the Indian market in mid-2019. However, before you get your hands on this expensive device, let's have e quick look at the specifications and features.

Specifications and features:

Display: Initially laucnhed in a single Interstellar Blue colour option, Huawei Mate X is a combination of three displays. The flexible fullview cover OLED display panels help the device offer a large 8-inch screen like a tablet. When foled up, there is a 6.6-inch front display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and a 6.38-inch back display. Being touted as the biggest competitior of the Samsung model, the foldable smartphone sports a borderless design with no notch or punch-hole camera. Huawei Mate X uses 'Falcon Wing' design and has an attractive 5.4 mm thin body.

Whatever way you look at it, the flexible FullView OLED Display gives you an unparalleled view. #HUAWEIMateX #ConnectingTheFuture #MWC2019 pic.twitter.com/6ktzyivsWg

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) February 24, 2019

Camera: The cameras on the Mate X are plant on the corner bezel along with a USB Type-C port at the bottom corner and speaker grille at the centre. The foldable design makes it possible for the camera system to play the role of both front and rear cameras, resulting in a revolutionary photography experience. The mirror shooting feature allows you to see your picture as it's being clicked. The power button and fingerprint sensor are placed on the side.

Battery, storage, conenctivity and more: The mouth-watering device is powered by in-house Balong 5000 modem for 5G support. Under the hood, it runs on Kirin 980 chipset. Huawei says its 5G modem offers double the speed than industry rivals. It claims that one 1GB movie can be downloaded in just 3 seconds.

Multi-tasking made easy. The #HUAWEIMateX allows two column browsing, side by side or multi-window use for so you can double down on work or entertainment. #ConnectingTheFuture #MWC2019 pic.twitter.com/HrZ8BESUIv

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) February 24, 2019

The smartphone which runs Android 9 Pie on top of EMUI 9.1.1, comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. It also offers dual SIM (5G + LTE) support and expandable storage via microSD card. It is fuelled by a 4,500mAh battery along with support for 55W charging.