Huawei has been making waves in the foldable market for years, and the reveal of the new Mate X3 – along with the conventional P60 candy bar series – has certainly stirred tongues, with specs packed for both.
While the Huawei P60 and its Pro and Art variants look like more traditional smartphones, the Mate X3 seems like it could be another exciting leap in foldable phones. This is thanks to the significant reduction in weight of devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the fact that it offers an impressive specification that is worth paying attention to all tech enthusiasts.
The phone was initially limited to China but has since become available for pre-order in the UK and Europe. So below we’ve gathered everything you need to know about the Huawei Mate X3; including its price, weight credentials, screen refresh rate and much more.
To the point
- What is this? The latest foldable phone from Huawei
- when is it coming out? Announced March 23 (China), on sale April 13. Announced May 9 (UK), on sale May 26.
- How much is it? From CNY12,999 / £1,999.99 / €2,199
Huawei Mate X3: release date and price
Huawei Mate X3 was unveiled on March 23, 2023 in the Chinese market, and its sale in this region began on April 13 at CNY 12,999.
This price is for the 256GB version of the phone, while the 512GB version costs CNY 13,999 and the larger 1TB version costs a whopping CNY 15,999.
The Mate X3 will go on sale in Europe from May 22 and in the UK from May 26, in one memory configuration: 12 GB RAM / 512 GB. This version will cost £1,999 / €2,199. By the way, if you are in the UK and order by phone via Huawei (opens in a new tab) before June 5, the company will also throw in a free Huawei Watch GT 3.
Previous Huawei devices have taken a little less than half a year to arrive in other territories outside of the company’s homeland, so it’s refreshing to see Huawei bringing the Mate X3 to the UK and Europe so soon after the phone’s initial launch in China.
It’s also worth noting that the Mate X3 won’t land in the US, and there’s a good chance it won’t arrive in Australia either.
Huawei Mate X3: design and display
Since the Huawei Mate X3 is a foldable phone, it offers not just one but two displays – and both are impressive in their own right.
Each OLED panel offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz, with a 6.4-inch screen with a resolution of 2504×1080 (20.9:9 aspect ratio). Open the phone and you’re greeted by a 7.85-inch display with a resolution of 2496×2224 and an “so close to square” 8:7.1 aspect ratio.
The ‘cover’ display is reinforced with Kunlun glass to protect against cracks and scratches as well – returning from the Mate 50 Pro (and also found on the P60 lineup).
Huawei calls these displays “X-True” – a not-so-catchy brand name for hard glass with impact resistance as well as certified color accuracy and color projection. All in all, it’s a good way of saying you’re getting an accurate but rugged set of screens, and we’re all for it.
The company promises that the Kunlun Glass protection of the outer display makes it up to ten times more resistant to drops than the equivalent screen in the previous Mate X2, while the main folding display is now four times more resistant to impacts than before.
As for the rest of the design, the Huawei Mate X3 is now waterproof – with its IPX8 certification, this means the Galaxy Z Fold 4 finally has a noteworthy competitor in this department. This ongoing theme of durability also lingers in the hinge of the phone. It’s meant to be more flexible and allow for a flatter open display, but it also allows the phone to open in a laptop style, for video calls and selfies.
In China, there are five color options to choose from, with basic black, white, and gold options, along with attractive purple or dark green trims. The black, gold, and dark green options are made of vegan leather, while other X3 variants have a glass back. The ones in the UK and Europe are limited to the black and dark green versions of the phone.
Huawei Mate X3: camera and battery
We’ve already mentioned the hinge, which makes it easy to take photos on a flat surface or make video calls, but that’s still down to the impressive cameras. From the spec sheet, it certainly looks like the Huawei Mate X3 is set to hold its own in this regard.
There are 8-megapixel selfie cameras on each of its displays, meaning you’ll be able to easily chat with loved ones whether it’s open or closed.
Of course, the rear snapper is impressively powerful, with the 50MP f/1.8 main camera offering plenty of work. There’s also a 13MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture and a 12MP telephoto lens that uses periscope lenses to achieve 5x optical zoom in this relatively slim body.
The usual equipment is also included, and 4K video recording is available at 30 or 60 frames per second.
Perhaps the most notable arrangement of the camera is that it has a rectangular layout, rising from the housing on a circular bulge.
Huawei Mate X3 is equipped with a 4800 mAh Li-Po battery, which is a fraction smaller than the 4815 mAh cell in the P60 and P60 Pro.
While we haven’t checked how long it will last, we do know it supports 66W fast charging over a wired connection, or up to 50W wirelessly.
Once the battery reaches 1%, Low Battery Safe Mode can add up to 12 minutes of talk time or three hours of standby time – something you’ll never want to use, but it’s good to have.
Reverse charging is also available with 7.5W wireless output power for charging other devices.
Huawei Mate X3: specifications and features
While there are three P60 devices, apart from the storage options, the Huawei Mate X3 comes with only one flavor; including Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset.
It’s the same silicon found in the P60, with a 4nm chip paired with 12GB of RAM. Unfortunately, this means no 5G connectivity here, which could be a deal breaker for those looking for the fastest connection.
This layout suggests similar power to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 or Realme GT 3, neither of which is slouched.
Here’s the full breakdown of the specs by model:
| Row 0 – cell 1 | |
| Dimensions (after folding): | 156.9 x 72.4 x 11.8mm |
| Dimensions (unfolded): | 156.9 x 141.5 x 5.3mm |
| Libra: | 239 grams |
| Main Display: | 7.85-inch 120Hz 8:7.1 2504 x 1080 OLED |
| Cover Display: | 6.4-inch, 120Hz, 20.9:9, 1080 x 2504 OLED |
| chipset: | Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 4G |
| ARIES: | 12GB |
| Storage: | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB. Expandable via NM up to 256 GB |
| Operating system: | HarmonyOS 3.1 (China), EMUI 13.1 (Global) |
| main camera: | 50MP, f/1.8 with OIS |
| Ultra Wide Camera: | 13MP, f/2.2 |
| Telephoto: | 12MP, f/3.4 5x periscope optical zoom with OIS |
| Front Cameras: | Two 8 MP, f/2.4 (one on each display) |
| Battery: | 4800mAh |
| Landing: | 65W (wired), 50W (wireless) |
| Coloring: | Black, white, gold, purple, dark green |
The HarmonyOS 3.1 version comes pre-installed on the Chinese versions of the Huawei Mate X3, but the international version offers EMUI.
This means that no matter which version you buy, you will lose access to the Google Play Store and related Google services.
The Chinese variant keeps the Mate 50’s BDS satellite connectivity for messaging and calls, mainly intended for emergencies. However, this is currently not possible internationally.