Huawei Mate X6: To resist, despite everything, and to find ideas and resources to stand out from the crowd. This is an extreme summary of the path followed by Huawei after May 2019, the date of the ban imposed by the US government that has since denied the Chinese company the right to do business with American companies. This limitation forced the Shenzhen company to review its plans and invest a lot of money in developing a series of useful in-house services to replace the Google suite. Looking at Huawei smartphones from the perspective of a European user, the lack of apps as popular and useful in everyday life as Gmail, Google Drive and Maps remains the decisive flaw that holds back Huawei’s market share in the Old Continent.
Before the US ban, the Chinese multinationals managed to overtake Apple and Samsung in several European countries, demonstrating the quality of their products. This quality has not been lost; quite the contrary. When I picked up the Mate X6, the foldable that opens like a book, I immediately realised that I was holding a beautiful and elegant device. It stands out for its minimal thickness and the large size of the circular rear camera module. Numbers aside, the design is one of the most convincing aspects of this smartphone, which in the Nebula Red colouring, looks a lot like the OnePlus Open Apex Edition.
Display and design two strengths
The Mate X6’s 6.5-inch OLED external display becomes 7.93-inch once opened in addition to being a diagonal that allows you to enjoy viewing content to the fullest, whether documents, video games, sporting events or concerts, the bright colours and brightness even in the open air make the screen an exceptional selling point. This is also thanks to the 120 Hz refresh rate. I was talking about thickness because 4.6 mm when open and 9.85 mm when folded are significant numbers, as is the feeling of solidity that the smartphone gives when you hold it. Another improvement over the past is the hinge, which is durable and sturdy, even if you can still see the crease on the display. Less so compared to previous models, but it’s there, and this is one of the elements on which Huawei will have to focus its efforts in the future.
If we want to find a point that is not in line with the high quality of materials, display, photo and battery, we have to talk about the processor. Huawei has been using Kirin chips, which are made in-house, for years, but in this case, the European version of the model chosen has not been specified. Although sufficient, the rare bugs and the overall performance show a distance from the latest Snapdragon models produced by Qualcomm. Nothing problematic because the smartphone runs well; it’s fluid and responsive, so it doesn’t cause any concerns in its daily use. This is also facilitated by the 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is the only configuration available in Europe.
The variable camera is cool
In Huawei’s tradition, the photographic sector is one of the elements that stands out the most in terms of smartphones. It’s enough to remember that the Chinese company is responsible for a series of innovations in the sector, such as night mode and computational photography. A trend that has been taken up by the Mate X6, which has three lenses on the back, the main one being a 50MP camera with a variable aperture from f/1.4 to f/4.0 and optical image stabilisation.
The 4x telephoto lens with a 48MP sensor and f/3.0 performs very well, while the 50MP ultra-wide-angle camera completes the profile, guaranteeing good shots even if slightly less qualitative than the other two lenses. A difference is also noticeable in the videos because, in daylight, the result is clearly better than clips recorded at night or in low-light conditions. It should also be said that Huawei offers several creative styles to obtain higher quality shots and videos, such as Light Painting and Story Creator.
Too bad for Google Suite, but there is a solution
Having said that, the Google suite is absent; on a software level, a good job has been done because there are several possibilities to obtain Big G apps. Unlike in the past, these are simpler paths and, therefore, also suitable for the less tech-savvy because there are reliable open-source options such as GBox and Aurora Store with which, through Huawei’s App Gallery, you can remedy gaps that are not the Chinese company’s fault. One aspect in which the Mate X6 has few rivals is multitasking, because the division of space to use two apps at the same time is effective and allows you to work in the best conditions.
The 5,200 mAh battery has a higher capacity than before, thanks to the use of silicon-carbon technology, which represents a step forward compared to lithium-ion batteries. The Mate X6 supports 66W wired and 50W wireless charging; these are good figures in absolute terms and very good when compared to other foldables.
Huawei Mate X6 – Price
Available in Black and Nebula Red, in the 12GB+512GB configuration only, the Mate X6 is foldable with few weak points, with an elegant and resistant design. It guarantees above-average shots for its category and is an excellent companion for those who work with their phone. Among the many roses there is a thorn: it costs 1999 euros. A high price compared to top-of-the-range smartphones but lower than the same configuration of the Samsung Z Fold 6. It’s a purchase that should only be considered in relation to your budget because the rest is all top of the class or almost.
