introduction
The Huawei Mate X3 is a truly impressive if engineering piece. Huawei has managed to create an amazing device on several levels. First, the X3 is thin and light. Weighs right 239 g (Feathered Sand model weighs 241g), which is 24g less than the Galaxy Z Fold4. When unfolded, even the Mate X3 barely measures 5.3mm thick. Meanwhile, the Mate X3 still packs a big 4,800mAh battery.
Despite its relatively small size, the Mate X3 has a pair of very large displays. The coverage screen measures 6.4 inches and offers a resolution of 2504×1080 px and a 20.9:9 aspect ratio. Inside is a 7.85-inch panel with 2496x2224px resolution and an almost square 8:7.1 aspect ratio.
The Huawei Mate X3 specifications at a glance:
- Body: 156.9×141.5×5.3mm, 239g; Glass front, glass back or eco-leather back, aluminum frame; IPX8.
- Screen: 7.85″ foldable OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2224x2496px resolution, 10.1:9 aspect ratio, 426ppi; Display cover:, OLED, 120Hz, 6.4 inch, 1080 x 2504 pixels.
- chipsets: Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4G (4nm): Octa-core (1×3.19GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×2.0GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM; UFS; NM (Nano Memory), up to 256GB (uses a shared SIM slot).
- Operating system/software: HarmonyOS 3.1 (China), EMUI (Europe), no Google Play Services.
- Rear camera: Broad (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Telephoto: 12 MP, f/3.4, 125mm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 13MP, f/2.2, 13mm, AF.
- Front camera: Broad (main): 8MP, f/2.4; Wide (cover): 8MP, f/2.4.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, Gyro EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
- Drums: 4800mAh; 66W wired, 50W wireless, 7.5W reverse wireless.
- Connectivity: LTE; Hybrid Dual SIM; WiFi 6; BT 5.2; NFC; Infrared port.
- Various: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers; BDS satellite message.
The Mate X3 also feels incredibly well made, with virtually no flex to speak of. Its hinged design is very impressive, allowing the display to fold back on itself and the entire assembly to fold flat. While there is still a crease on the folding panel, it is very well contained and hard to notice in practice.
Additionally, the Mate X3 is the first non-Samsung foldable to achieve an ingress protection rating. Just like the Galaxy Z Fold4, the Mate X3 is IPX8 rated.
Of course, we’d be remiss, not to mention the camera setup on the Mate X3. The Huawei Mate X3 packs a triple camera setup on the back and two 8MP selfie cameras, one on each screen. The 50 MP f/1.8 wide-angle camera is joined by a 13 MP f/2.2 ultrawide and 12 MP f/3.4 5x telephoto camera.
Unfortunately, being a Huawei device, the Mate X3 also has some glaring flaws. The Chinese giant is still not allowed to use 5G modems, so the Mate X3 comes with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 with 4G connectivity only. The phone also runs on Harmony OS 3.1, which is based on Android, but it’s not the same and crucially lacks Google services and apps and access to the Google Play Store.
None of this is a new development, however, and any prospective buyers of the Mate X3, which has just hit international markets, should be well aware of these limitations by now. The real question is whether the rest of the phone’s impressive hardware is enough to sway people.
Unpacking
Before we get into any of that, we need to take a look at the Mate X3’s retail box. The phone ships in a very thick and sturdy two-piece box. It also has an additional cradle inside to house the Mate X3 in an unfolded state.
One of the boxes below it contains the proprietary 66W wall charger for the Mate X3 along with a proprietary 6A USB Type-A to Type-C cable. Huawei also provides a snap-on clear plastic case for the Mate X3 in the box. It kind of protects half of the phone, but it’s still something.
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