After Samsung and its Galaxy Fold, it is the turn of the Chinese manufacturer to postpone the launch of its foldable screen smartphone. Presented at the Mobile World Congress in February, in Barcelona, the Mate X will be released at best in September.
Stars of Mobile World Congress 2019 (MWC), foldable smartphones shine by their absence in store. After the Galaxy Fold, whose launch is postponed sine die after test models have shown serious problems with the fold of the screen, it is the turn of the Mate X to be stored in the closet. Officially, this is not related to Huawei’s current setbacks with the US administration; it would simply be a measure of caution.
” We do not want to launch a product that would destroy our reputation, ” a spokesman told CNBC, saying the Chinese firm had decided to perform ” additional tests ” after seeing Samsung’s problems.
New reliability and connection tests
Initially, the Mate X should have been released mid-April, then in June, and now Huawei evokes September for the marketing of the most expensive smartphones: 2,600 dollars (about 2,300 euros)! A delay that will also allow performing new tests with operators who will offer 5G subscriptions from the end of the year, but also to have a return of developers who will have to adapt their applications to this new screen format.
Whether Mate X will be affected by the US embargo and Google’s decision to stop granting license Android, the same spokesman said the Mate X was designed before the US government’s actions, and that it was not included in the “blacklist” of banished products.