Huawei impresses with book-style foldable Mate X6 smartphone [VIDEO]

Huawei’s new Mate X6 book-style foldable phone is going global and has set the benchmark for other brands ahead of 2025 despite further restrictions imposed on the company by the US.

The Mate X6 foldable, unveiled at the Atlantis The Royal in Dubai on Thursday, is the first foldable to receive an international launch.

It is also the sixth-gen version from the Chinese company’s flagship foldable lineup, which debuted back in 2019 with the Mate X.

Restrictions

The launch of the Mate X6 comes after US President Joe Biden’s administration imposed a fresh round of restrictions earlier this month that curbed chip export to 140 Chinese firms, some of which work with Huawei. 

The company hasn’t shared which chips are inside the Mate X6 phone, which has a 6.45-inch outer screen that opens up like a book to reveal a 7.93-inch inner display.

With Honor being a former subsidiary of Huawei, the Mate X6 resembles Honor’s Magic V3’s design, particularly with the design of the camera bump.

This isn’t the first Huawei phone to resemble Honor’s foldable flagship. Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate Design also looks similar to Honor’s foldable.

In addition to the Mate X6, Huawei also introduced the Nova 13 series, FreeBuds Pro 4, FreeClip in Rose Gold, and the MatePad 11.5.

ALSO READ: Huawei reveals new wearables in Barcelona

Features

The Huawei Mate X6 has four rear cameras, including a telephoto camera and a large 5,110-mAh battery complete with support for 66-watt wired and 50-watt wireless charging.

The Mate X6’s cameras consist of a 48-megapixel telephoto camera, a 40-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera. 

With foldable phones still all the rage, Samsung, Honor and Google have a lot of catching up to do as the new Mate X6 is seriously thin, featuring graphene to keep the device cool when gaming and doing heavy tasks.

Cooling

During the launch, The Citizen had the opportunity to test Graphene to slice through a block of ice, which is like a hot knife through butter, and yet, the Graphene remained cool.

Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Consumer Business Group, called the Mate X6: “A breakthrough technology.”

The new Huawei Mate X6 has graphene in the phone to keep it cool when you are gaming, making calls or whatever. Check out this video: @TheCitizen_News

😀 #UnfoldtheClassic #FashionForward #HuaweiLaunch #Dubai @HuaweiZA pic.twitter.com/kp8Nh0jUhh

— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) December 12, 2024

Although, the Mate X6 will be available in three colours: Nebula Gray, Nebula Red, and Black, only the Nebula Gray will be available in South Africa from mid-April 2025. Prices are yet to be revealed.

FreeBuds Pro 4

Competing with Apple’s AirPods Pro, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 sets new benchmarks for wireless audio featuring advanced AI noise cancellation which can intelligently distinguish between human voices and environmental noise, isolating your voice while filtering out distractions.

Nova 13 Series

The Huawei Nova 13 Series introduced Dynamic Plaid Texture Design, multi-focal portrait capabilities, and AI-driven innovations which will be a hit with the younger generation.

One of the standout features is the AI Best Expression, which regenerates a photo to enhance the image including, for example making a person smile in a photo, when they were not smiling when the picture was taken.

While AI use is welcomed, the ethical use of artificial intelligence is yet to be regulated in South Africa.

The Nova 13 series debuts in new Loden Green colourway alongside classic Black and White options.

The Huawei Nova 13 Series will be available in South Africa from the beginning of February 2025. Prices are yet to be revealed.

MatePad 11.5

The Huawei MatePad 11.5 features a PaperMatte Display and productivity-boosting upgrades, designed with students and light-duty office workers in mind.

It will be available in South Africa starting from mid-February 2025.

FreeClip rose gold

The FreeClip could pass for an earing until you look closer. But it incorporates new features like the Dynamic Bass Algorithm, Head Motion Controls, and Drop Reminders.

The Drop Reminders feature provides a gentle alert in the remaining earbud if one slips out during use, accompanied by a notification on your phone which can be very useful if people are prone to losing buds.

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