Folding smartphone Huawei Mate Xs 2 in the test: 2000 euros, no 5G, no Google Huawei’s latest folding approach is the Mate Xs 2, which is really good, but costs 2000 euros. If only it had google services… 3:42pm techstage

Otherwise there is only positive to report. Colors can be displayed naturally or very intensely if desired. The white balance is okay and can be adjusted by the user. As is usual with OLEDs, the viewing angle dependency is exemplary and the brightness has been increased further in the new model. We measured 465 cd/m² in manual mode and a maximum of 675 candelas in automatic mode in direct sunlight. This is by no means at the level of the best models with a rigid panel, but it is decent in everyday use. The always-on display offers numerous customization options. Overall, the screen convinces both folded and unfolded. In full format, you can actually see the fold less or not at all, as advertised by Huawei. The fold always seems to need some time,

Not only is the added front camera with 10.7 megapixels and f/2.2 new, Huawei has also lent a hand with other lenses – or adopted them from the Huawei P50 Pro (test report) . The main camera now offers 50 instead of 40 megapixels, the aperture remains the same at f/1.8 and again laser autofocus and unfortunately no optical image stabilizer (OIS) are used here – too bad, we would have liked to see the latter in the new model. The wide-angle lens is now even missing 3 megapixels, shots are taken with 13 instead of 16 megapixels and still f/2.2. The telephoto lens seems borrowed from the predecessor, it again offers 8 megapixels, f/2.4 and an OIS. Huawei has omitted the ToF sensor as the fourth lens.

Overall, the photo quality is very decent, but it doesn’t quite come close to the high-end competition. Unfortunately, that was already the case with the P50 Pro and is particularly sad because Huawei has been the leader in smartphone cameras for a number of years with its (most recently) Leica cameras. This collaboration no longer exists, regardless of which there is always a lack of that last bit of sharpness and brilliance in direct comparison shots. When shooting at night, the level of sharpness drops faster than with other models and image noise becomes increasingly visible. Image dynamics and color reproduction are decent overall. With its 3x magnification, the zoom snaps good pictures, provided the light is right. This is hardly different with the competition. Photos with the selfie cam are okay – not overly sharp, but sufficient,

Videos can be recorded smoothly with 4K/60 and then not only offer jerk-free panning, but also, thanks to good stabilization, pleasant-to-view recordings with general movement of the subject and camera user. Here, too, there are differences to the market leader Samsung, but overall the video function is quite acceptable. We think it’s a shame that Huawei didn’t make more of the “double-sided” display when closed. An additional live viewfinder can be activated on the “other side” so that the recorded person sees himself. However, if you want to use this to take selfies with the main camera, all the setting options that the smartphone actually offers are missing. All in all, the camera equipment of the Mate Xs 2 is absolutely fine, as long as you don’t expect top-quality images.

When it comes to equipment, those interested in the Huawei Mate Xs 2 have to swallow toads again. Because the folding smartphone does not come to the customer with the strongest chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but with the predecessor Snapdragon 888. It is also limited to 4G, i.e. LTE, and there is not an overwhelming amount of RAM either: 8 GB – the end. And before the question comes: Yes, the Mate Xs 2 also comes without Google services. That sounds somehow like a sham, especially in view of the high price of the cell phone. In fact, some of it is not relevant in everyday life.

Let’s take the point “old” chipset. Of course, the newer chipset is even more powerful, but in fact it still suffers from heat issues and is ultimately not more power efficient. At least in these points, reaching for the SD888 doesn’t do anything, especially since it also has more than enough power. The Huawei Mate Xs 2 achieves 8900 points in PCmark’s Work 3.0, and 5900 points in 3Dmark Wildlife. Of course, smartphones with the new chip – such as the Sony Xperia 1 IV (test report)– easily 5000 points more in PCmark and Wildlife is blown up, so Wildlife Extreme has to be used. But the Mate Xs 2 is anything but slow. You don’t notice anything about the “old chips” in everyday use, there’s no jerking anywhere and you won’t find any commemorative seconds either. The new 120 Hz display is now even more impressive and if you don’t know anything about the “old” hardware, you won’t even think about it. This also applies to games that look great on the giant panel. The smartphone gets warm, but not hot.

5G is not included – Huawei can’t do anything about that, because that goes back to the US ban on the manufacturer, but that’s a shame. Although 5G has still not been developed nationwide in Germany, 5G can become a last resort, especially in areas without LTE – and here it is simply missing. Buyers have to decide for themselves how important that is. We are still of the opinion that 5G does not have to be a purchase criterion in this country for years to come. And what about memory? Of course, customers could basically expect more than 8 GB of RAM for just under 2000 euros, but that is not necessary in everyday life anyway. To compensate, there is at least a whopping 512 GB of internal memory in the version of the smartphone officially sold in Germany – even expandable, albeit only with a comparatively expensive NM (nano memory) card instead of a micro SD card. The rest of the hardware is exemplary, as a look at our table shows. What it doesn’t say: The fingerprint does its job quickly and well and the speakers are in a class of their own. They even get a little depth!