Ultra-slim Huawei Mate X3 foldable heads to Europe
Waterproof book-style folder is seriously light, too
Foldable fans in Europe will soon finally be able to get their hands on the Huawei Mate X3, as the firm gears up to launch it outside of its home territory for the first time. Announced alongside the more traditional P60 phone line-up, the Mate X3 is about as thin and light as book-style folding phones get.
At just 239g it weighs less than any rival foldable, and even undercuts traditional rivals like the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max. It’s 11.08mm while folded and 5.3mm unfolded, besting Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 by a considerable margin. That’s largely thanks to a dual wing hinge which folds completely shut, then opens with no visible crease. It’ll also open part-way at any point between 45 and 100 degrees. The whole thing is IPX8 water resistant, too.
Both the internal and external displays use OLED panels, with the 6.4in outer screen being protected by Huawei’s own Kunlun reinforced glass. It has a 2504×1080 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Inside, the folding OLED panel is protected by shock resistant non-Newtonian fluid material. It opens to 7.58in, with a 2496×2224 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate to match the outer display.
The Huawei Mate X3 isn’t the camera king that the P60 Pro claims to be, but doesn’t skimp on hardware either. There’s a 50MP main snapper with laser autofocus, a 13MP ultrawide and a 12MP periscope telephoto at the rear, plus two 8MP selfie cameras – one for each display. That telephoto lens is good for 5x optical zoom, with optical image stabilisation to cut down on camera wobble.
Power comes from a 4G-only Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 CPU and 12GB of RAM, as US trade bans prevent Huawei from using newer CPUs or anything with 5G connectivity. The 4800mAh battery supports 66W wired and 50W wireless charging, and smartly uses the phone’s internal hinge structure for heat dissipation. A full top-up should take a little under 40 minutes.
It’ll go on sale in Europe from the 22nd of May, followed by the UK on the 26th of May, through Huawei’s web store and other retail partners. Prices will start from £2000/€2199, putting it at the upper echelons of the folding phone world. Pre-orders are open right now, with a free Huawei Watch GT 3 on offer for anyone buying before the 5th of June.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor