Weibo video indicates that Mate X might be another fragile foldable

Last year was big in terms of smartphone design. Industry giants Samsung and Huawei introduced foldable devices at sky-high price-points. The Galaxy Fold made it first to market. However, critical design flaws meant that many early Fold units broke within days or weeks of purchase. Samsung redesigned the Fold for greater resilience. The damage was done, though, with regards to customer confidence.

Now, evidence from China indicates that the China-exclusive Mate X might be just as fragile. Twitter user @Samsung_News_ (Max J), shared a video found on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. In the video, we can see what appears to be a Mate X with a broken display. The original Google-translated Weibo post reads "Huawei Mate X, lack of protection of the outer screen." "Outer screen" in this context appears to refer to the Mate X's fold type.

The Galaxy Fold closes inwards, protecting the foldable displays and crease from damage to a certain extent. The Mate X, on the other hand, folds outwards. This, together with the fact that the display is made of plastic mean that the Mate X is very susceptible to damage. Small objects like keys or coins could cause the kind of damage seen in the video.

As with the Galaxy Fold, the Mate X appears to be a fragile, expensive demo of the smartphone industry's foldable future. Speaking to press in France, however, Huawei's CEO announced that a more durable successor, the Mate Xs could arrive in Europe next year. Foldable smartphone tech is clearly in its infancy. Despite the obvious issues presented by both the Galaxy Fold and the Mate X, the form factor presents exciting possibilities for the future.