Huawei Mate X3 Review: Thinnest Foldable Phone, But Reliable?
Huawei, the renowned Chinese manufacturer, has stepped into the foldable smartphone arena with its latest offering, the Huawei Mate X3. Boasting the title of the thinnest foldable device on the market, the Mate X3 aims to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Honor Magic Vs.
One aspect of the Huawei Mate X3 is its fixed storage configuration. Unlike some other devices that offer various storage options, the Mate X3 comes with a standard 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of ROM. While this configuration should be sufficient for most users, it may not cater to those who require higher storage capacities. Unfortunately, expanding the storage using a conventional microSD memory card is not an option. However, Huawei does provide an alternative solution with its proprietary Nano Memory Card (NM Card), allowing users to expand the storage by up to 256 GB.
The Huawei Mate X3 hit the market on May 9, 2023, and is available in dark green and black color options. Priced at 2,199 Euros (approximately $2,360), it offers a premium experience for those willing to invest in the latest foldable technology. However, it is worth noting that Huawei’s devices have faced challenges when it comes to availability in certain markets, including the United States.
Huawei Mate X3: Video Review
Huawei Mate X3: Design
In the realm of slim smartphones, the Huawei Mate X3 stands out as a true champion, boasting a mind-boggling thickness of just 5.3mm. It claims the crown as the thinnest smartphone currently available on the market, a feat Huawei previously achieved with the Huawei P8 back in 2015, which measured a mere 6.4mm in thickness.
Huawei had to re-engineer the USB Type-C module to ensure it could seamlessly fit within the 5.3mm-thin chassis of the device. This attention to detail highlights Huawei’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of design and technology.
Even when folded, the Mate X3 retains its distinction as the thinnest among foldable smartphones, although it does measure a slightly chunkier 11.8mm in thickness.
The Mate X3 employs a dual-track, wing-shaped hinge, complemented by a high-precision cam-drive system. This design ensures smooth and effortless folding and unfolding of the screen, allowing users to flex the device at any desired angle while keeping it securely in place. When folded, the display panels come together seamlessly, leaving no visible gap, providing a visually pleasing experience.
The Mate X3’s Feather-Sand Glass back panel boasts a frosted finish, effectively preventing fingerprint smudges. The camera module at the rear is slightly thicker and encased in stainless steel, featuring a brushed metal finish on top and a glossy texture around the sides.
The device incorporates two large speaker grills on the top and bottom sides, ensuring powerful audio output. The left side houses the SIM tray, while the right side features the volume rocker and power button, which doubles as a fingerprint sensor for added convenience. At the top, you’ll find a noise-canceling microphone and an IR blaster, while the bottom end houses the primary microphone, a secondary microphone, and the Type-C charging port.
The polished metal frame of the Mate X3 incorporates a total of 12 antenna bands, optimizing signal reception whether the phone is folded or unfolded. The slight curvature of the cover display and the tapered edges enhance the ergonomics of the device, making it comfortable to hold and use with just one hand.
Notably, Huawei proudly presents the Mate X3 as the sole foldable phone with an IPX8 rating for splash and water resistance. This rating certifies its ability to withstand immersion in water at depths of up to 1.5 meters for a duration of 30 minutes. This added durability enhances the device’s appeal, offering peace of mind to users who may encounter accidental water exposure.
Huawei Mate X3: Display
The Huawei Mate X3 boasts a 6.4-inch OLED Cover Display with a resolution of 2504 x 1080 pixels. This external display is protected by durable Kunlun Glass, which Huawei claims is five times more drop-resistant than the glass used in its predecessor, the Mate X2. The robust protection ensures that the device can withstand accidental drops and impacts with greater resilience.
On the inside, the Mate X3 features a spacious 7.85-inch foldable OLED Inner Display, offering a resolution of 2496 x 2224 pixels. This expansive display provides users with a visually immersive experience, showcasing vibrant colors, deep contrasts, and excellent brightness. Whether you’re viewing multimedia content or browsing through apps, the Mate X3’s interior display delivers impressive visuals.
The screen refresh rate of the Mate X3 varies depending on the specific application or game being used. The adaptive refresh rate of the LTPO exterior screen can range from as low as 1Hz to as high as 120Hz. On the other hand, the refresh rate of the LTPS interior screen can be set at 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz, allowing users to customize their display experience based on their preferences.
The Mate X3’s display quality shines through with bright and vivid colors, accompanied by deep contrasts. Even the external display offers an excellent viewing experience, with the crease on the inner display being relatively unobtrusive, noticeable only when viewed at certain angles or in the presence of glare.
When it comes to gaming, the Mate X3 provides a distinct experience depending on which display is utilized. Playing games on the Cover Display offers a satisfactory experience, but the real difference can be felt when using the inner display. Games like Mobile Legends benefit from the larger interior screen, offering an expanded field of view. However, some games, such as Genshin Impact, may have their visibility cropped due to the aspect ratio of the display.
Huawei Mate X3: Performance
Huawei, the Chinese company facing a US embargo since 2019, is currently unable to install 5G technology in its smartphones. To compensate for this limitation, the Huawei Mate X3 relies on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, equipped with a 4G modem and an Adreno 730 GPU sourced from the California-based chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
Built on a 4 nm process, the SoC within the Mate X3 boasts a total of eight cores. It features one prime core clocked at 3.2 GHz, three performance cores reaching speeds of up to 2.5 GHz, and four power-saving cores running at 1.8 GHz. This configuration ensures a balance between performance and power efficiency, allowing the device to handle demanding tasks while optimizing battery life.
The combination of the powerful Snapdragon chip, 12 GB of RAM, and the generous 512 GB of super-fast storage equips the Mate X3 to operate smoothly and flawlessly. Users can expect a seamless experience, whether they are multitasking, running resource-intensive applications, or enjoying graphically demanding games. Although occasional dropped frames may occur due to the large 7.86-inch display, overall gaming performance remains impressive.
The Mate X3 demonstrates a fast and snappy performance, even when engaging in multitasking activities with split windows running multiple apps simultaneously. The device handles these tasks with ease, allowing users to efficiently navigate through various applications without experiencing significant lag or slowdowns.
The Huawei Mate X3 operates on EMUI 13.1, which is based on the Android 12 operating system. As expected, the device runs on Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) rather than Google Mobile Services (GMS). Consequently, users can enjoy native Huawei apps such as Petal Maps, Petal Search, Huawei Health, Huawei Cloud, and many more, providing a comprehensive ecosystem of applications and services.
The primary source for downloading apps and games on the Mate X3 is the Huawei AppGallery, which offers a wide selection of applications optimized for Huawei devices.
The Mate X3 also boasts impressive stereo speakers, delivering loud and well-balanced audio. The speakers offer a noticeable emphasis on treble, while still providing a decent amount of bass. This ensures an enjoyable audio experience, whether you’re watching movies, playing games, or listening to music.
In terms of biometric security, the Mate X3 offers a standard fingerprint sensor embedded within the power button on the right side of the device. Additionally, users can activate Face Recognition for an alternative unlocking method. Huawei also introduces the Smart Unlock feature, which allows users to unlock their phone using a trusted Bluetooth wearable device within the vicinity. This feature enhances convenience and security, making it easier for users to access their device seamlessly.
Huawei Mate X3: Camera
The Huawei Mate X3 features a versatile camera system that includes a 50MP Ultra Vision main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture, and a 12MP periscope telephoto camera with an f/3.4 aperture, capable of 5x optical zoom.
Despite the Mate X3’s ultra-thin 5.3mm body, Huawei managed to incorporate the telephoto lens by utilizing an extended camera module that protrudes from the back. This design choice allows for the inclusion of stacked lenses and ensures sufficient space for the camera components.
Within the native camera app, users have the option to choose between three XMAGE styles: Original, Vivid, and Bright. These styles offer different presets for capturing photos, allowing users to select their preferred aesthetic.
Photos taken with the Mate X3’s camera system generally turn out great, albeit with a tendency towards vibrant colors and some sharpening on the edges. The camera excels in highlighting contrast in the skies and saturating shots of food, flowers, and greenery. The Night Mode also impresses, enabling users to capture clear and detailed photos even in low-light conditions.
However, the SuperMacro Mode, which received praise on previous Huawei models such as the P60 Pro, does not deliver the same level of performance on the Mate X3. Macro shots taken with the device often turn out blurry, indicating a limitation in capturing sharp close-up details.
Video recording capabilities of the Mate X3 reach a maximum resolution of 4k at 60fps, providing users with high-quality footage. While the device does not support 8K recording at 24fps, this omission is unlikely to be a significant concern for most users.
For selfies, the Mate X3 offers two camera options—one when folded and another when unfolded. Both cameras feature an identical 8MP resolution and an f/2.4 aperture, allowing users to capture self-portraits with ease.
Huawei Mate X3: Battery
The Huawei Mate X3 is equipped with a 4,800mAh Li-Po battery, providing users with ample power to fuel their daily activities. The device supports 66W SuperCharge technology for wired charging and 50W wireless charging, ensuring quick and convenient replenishment of battery life.
Given the unique nature of a foldable device, battery life can vary significantly depending on usage and how frequently the device is unfolded. In synthetic benchmark tests, the Mate X3 demonstrated a folded battery life of 14 hours and 49 minutes, indicating a commendable duration for typical day-to-day use. However, when the device is unfolded, the battery life is reduced to approximately half, lasting 7 hours and 42 minutes. It is worth noting that actual battery life may vary depending on individual usage patterns and settings.
In a video loop test, the Mate X3 exhibited a battery life of 12 hours and 53 minutes when unfolded and 17 hours and 13 minutes when folded. These results showcase the device’s capability to endure extended multimedia consumption, such as watching videos, movies, or TV shows, for an extended period. The tests were conducted with the screen set to 50% brightness, zero volume, and in airplane mode, providing a standardized scenario for evaluating battery performance.
Huawei Mate X3: Conclusion
The Huawei Mate X3 is a foldable smartphone that boasts several notable features and capabilities. With its incredibly thin design, measuring just 5.3mm, the Mate X3 stands out as one of the thinnest smartphones on the market. The use of a dual-track, wing-shaped hinge ensures a smooth folding and unfolding experience, while the display seamlessly touches each other when folded, eliminating any noticeable gap.
The Mate X3 offers a stunning visual experience with its 6.4-inch OLED Cover Display and a large 7.85-inch foldable OLED Inner Display.
The device is equipped with a powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, 12 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage, ensuring smooth and seamless performance.
Overall, the Huawei Mate X3 offers a combination of cutting-edge technology, sleek design, and impressive performance. While it may face limitations due to the absence of 5G technology and certain software restrictions, the Mate X3 is a compelling option for those seeking a high-quality foldable smartphone experience.
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