Huawei updated the design of its first 5G-enabled foldable smartphone to ensure the product will be sellable and commercially viable once it becomes available in the market.
Postponed Market Launch
New photos of the Huawei Mate X suggest the Chinese technology company made subtle changes to its device ahead of its anticipated market launch happening later this year.
Huawei was supposed to make the device available for sale in June but the launch of the Huawei Mate X was pushed to September.
The company wanted to make sure the device was ready for consumers before it will be made available for sale following reviews that Samsung's Galaxy Fold broke in a matter of days, prompting the South Korean company and some of the carriers selling the Fold to cancel pre-orders.
"We don't want to launch a product to destroy our reputation," the spokesperson said.
Huawei Mate X Updated Design
Huawei has now apparently updated the design of the foldable device.
Chinese journalist Li Wei ran into Huawei CEO Richard Yu at an airport and the latter happened to be using the Mate X at the time.
Wei took some photos of the Mate X while talking with Yu, and the images revealed several design updates that Huawei has recently made.
One of the most obvious changes is the carbon fiber look around the camera sensors and the hinge. It is not clear if this carbon fiber uses a faux material, but given the foldable's price, the company could be using the real material.
A fourth camera sensor is also clearly visible along the device's back. The Mate X that Huawei presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February only showed three cameras, but the company confirmed on its website of a fourth sensor, which is Time-of-Flight depth sensor.
The button used to unfold the Mate X also saw some changes. It is now larger in size and features a red accent in the center.
It isn't clear from the pictures though if Huawei updated the OLED display, particularly if it has addressed the issue of a "crease" in the center of the display.
