Huawei Mate X launch pushed back for totally-not-Android-related reasons

Huawei Mate X
Image credit: TechRadar (Image credit: TechRadar)

After the Samsung Galaxy Fold broke when you folded it, Huawei had a chance to get the Huawei Mate X out as the world's first commercially available foldable phone, but it looks like Huawei has delayed its launch too.

Speaking to CNBC, Huawei said it is pushing the Mate X release date back from the rough June release the company was planning, to September, in order to test the device further and make sure it didn't fall apart after a small amount of use.

A spokesperson for the smartphone company said to CNBC "we don’t want to launch a product to destroy our reputation", apparently unaware that Huawei's reputation is already in the gutter, for a non-hardware-related reason...

Is there another reason for the delay?

There's an elephant in Huawei's folding room in the form of Google's Huawei ban, meaning after August, future Huawei smartphones won't be able to use the Android operating systems if a deal between Huawei and Google (but actually the US and China) can't be struck.

With the future of Huawei up in the air, consumers are going to be wary about buying current Huawei handsets in fear that they won't be supported for very long with app or security updates.

It seems like more than just a simple a coincidence that Huawei is pushing the launch of its newest phone back behind the August deadline.

For better (Huawei reconciling with Google or launching its own, successful operating system) or worse (Huawei stops producing smartphones) the future of the company will be a lot more certain in September.

We'll know more about the Huawei Mate X and its fate towards the end of 2019, so stay tuned to TechRadar to see how this saga unfolds.

Via The Verge

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.