The Huawei Mate X has been a hit during its first week on the market in China. The foldable went on sale last Friday through the online retailer, Vmall, and quickly sold on in two separate sales. The first batch sold out in less than five minutes, while the second sold out in just 60 seconds, according to reports.
Amid the fanfare, many have noted the rather expensive repair costs associated with the Mate X. The display alone will cost users $1,000 in the event of damage, according to GizChina. Meanwhile, issues with the device’s motherboard will take you back $509, a new rear camera costs $99, a new battery cover is $51, and the battery itself $40.
The Huawei Mate X itself is selling for 16,999 yuan or about $2,400 or €2,200. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is selling for $1980 and the recently announced Motorola Razr foldable will sell for $1,499 upon release. Both devices come with an all-inclusive warranty for $250.
Huawei Mate X future availability
Currently, the next Huawei Mate X sale is set for November 29 at 10:08, with Vmall noting that the latest customers will get a 50 percent discount on the display repair service. It remains uncertain whether that will be a permanent price update, but $500 is still quite a repair cost.
The possibility of an international launch seems unlikely at this point, though Huawei has told the media that the idea is still “under review.” While the Huawei remains largely blacklisted by the U.S., the Chinese manufacturer was recently granted a third 90-day reprieve. This allows Huawei to conduct some business with American companies; however, it does not negate the ban on the manufacturer using Google services on its devices. The Huawei Mate X, itself won’t release in the U.S.
Huawei Mate X specs
Features on the Huawei Mate X include an 8-inch unfolded display with a 6.6-inch front display and 6.38-inch back display when folded, a Kirin 980 chip, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of internal storage with expandable storage available through Huawei’s own NM card, a 4500mAh battery with 55W supercharge, and the Android 9 Pie operating system.
The foldable’s triple-camera set up includes a 40-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens.
The device also supports 5G, a Dual SIM, USB Type-C, and a capacitive fingerprint sensor in its power button and is available in an Interstellar Blue color option.
More on the Huawei Mate X
The Huawei Mate X was long delayed after its initial pre-introduction at Mobile World Congress in February. Even then, Huawei deemed the device too fragile for handling by conference attendees, though select media were given limited access to the device.
The foldable was initially supposed to release in June, but Huawei quickly took preemptive damage control after seeing what happened the Samsung Galaxy Fold during its first launch attempt. The media got more hands-on time with the Mate X during IFA in September as well as during an international tour of Huawei’s China headquarters in October.
