If you're keen on foldable phones but aren't fully convinced by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, then there should soon be another of these innovative devices available to buy: the Huawei Mate X3 is apparently now ready for mass production and should show up soon.
That's according to tipster Wangzai Knows Everything (via Notebookcheck), and the word is that it will follow the design aesthetic laid down by Samsung quite closely – as well as potentially cost significantly less than its rival.
There may be some compromises along the way, with rumors that the handset will have to make do with 4G rather than 5G. It should come running the latest high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor though.
What we know so far
We don't actually know much at all about what the Huawei Mate X3 is going to bring with it, though some clues might be offered up by what we've previously seen on the Huawei Mate X2, which made its debut in February 2021.
That's nearly two years ago, so the Mate X3 follow up is somewhat overdue at this point. The Mate X2 came with an 8-inch screen for its main display, and carried the Kirin 9000 processor as well as up to 12GB of RAM and a quad-lens rear camera.
Those are premium-level specs and it looks as though the Mate X3 will continue that trend, apart from, perhaps, the absence of 5G connectivity. Based on the new leak, the phone might appear at some point in the first half of 2023.
Analysis: more competition please
While we really like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and indeed the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, we would also like to see a few more options out there for consumers who want to pick up a foldable phone without having to part with a significant chunk of their savings.
There are of course decent alternatives out there already – like the Motorola Razr and the Xiaomi Mix Fold – but no one else seems to be prepared to invest quite so much into the future of foldables as Samsung are at the moment.
The Huawei Mate X3 could well go some way to giving Samsung more to contend with in the foldables space, but Huawei needs to improve in terms of its international distribution. The Mate X2 isn't easy to get if you live outside of China.
We're hoping that the foldable iPhone and the Pixel Fold show up sooner rather than later, which will go a long way to improve the choice available. There's a good chance that both of these high-profile handsets will make an appearance in 2023.
