Huawei Mate X foldable launch pushed to November, successor model may get more screens

Despite all the bans imposed by the U.S. government, Huawei is still alive and kicking, and it is now back on track to become the world’s second smartphone maker. The company had to manage its priorities and a few highly anticipated models like the foldable Mate X had to be delayed in the process.

Initially expected to launch this May, the Mate X had to be rescheduled for a September release, but a recent Shenzhen press event revealed that November is now the target launch month. This would allow Samsung to become the first company to market a foldable model, if the Galaxy Fold does indeed launch in September. Additionally, Huawei shared some design changes that were approved for the first version, plus some possible designs that could make it in the successor model.

According to TechRadar, the Mate X model that is now supposed to launch in November has a slimmer lock button and a refined ‘Falcon hinge.’ The rumored carbon fiber hinge will not make it into this year’s model, however. Apparently, the design team also tried to replace the steel back with an aluminum one to shave off 20 g, but the aluminum material just was not strong enough.

As for the Mate X successor, the design team is hoping to fit even more displays by replacing the metal back with glass surfaces that support touchscreens. This may prove a bit tricky, since Huawei has not yet figured out how to turn glass into a foldable material. This is mainll why the initial Mate X will ship with plastic protective layers for the foldable display.

Huawei is now trying to launch the Mate X no later than November in order to benefit from the Holiday shopping spree, while the successor is expected to hit the markets in late 2020.