Huawei's foldable Mate X smartphone won't launch this September after all, as the Chinese smartphone just pushed back the release date to November. It did not explain the reason behind the delay, but speculation says it has to do with technical difficulties Huawei still needs to iron out.
After all, the Galaxy Fold was also delayed due to a number of quality deficiencies. Earlier this year, Samsung sent out early review units to a handful of publications and most of them reported back with issues, including screens that blacked out, flickered, or downright didn't work. The company promptly retrieved the units, started an investigation, and withdrew the original release date. Then, in July, Samsung said it had fixed the issues and was going to begin selling the phone "soon."
Huawei Delays Mate X
Foldability is a new innovation, which is to say the delays shouldn't be surprising. As companies grapple with the new technology, there's bound to be some hiccups. The report comes from TechRadar, which attended a press event at Huawei's Shenzhen headquarters just recently.
TechRadar says there's no possibility of a September launch anymore. Instead, Huawei is aiming for November, though this is far from certain. Should it miss November, Huawei ensures its foldable smartphone will still come out before 2020, which is to say the worst-case scenario is the phone gets pushed back to December at the very latest.
Samsung Galaxy Fold
Because of this delay, it turns out Samsung will be the first company to launch a major foldable smartphone on the market. Several reports point to a September release for Samsung's flagship device, and as mentioned, Samsung seems confident it's fixed all the issues and improved the phone's overall build quality.
Of course, just how strong foldable phones are remains uncertain. This is, again, novel technology. There are a handful of stress testers out there who will surely get a kick out of seeing what kinds of torture the phone will be able to stand.
It's clear both companies are aiming to release their respective foldable devices before the year ends. Whether or not foldable phones are the next big thing in smartphones or shrivel down to gimmick status after the initial wow factor dries out — as some others think it will — remains uncertain. However, it's clear the company wants to make a good first impression — or, in Samsung's case, a good second impression.
Are you interested in getting a foldable device? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound them off in the comments section below!
