During the Huawei Mate Xs reveal in lieu of an MWC 2020 debut, a Huawei executive spoke to TrustedReviews and noted that the Chinese tech company had, indeed, thought about making its own Samsung Z Flip-style clamshell foldable.
But Huawei rejected it for not providing more display real estate, it seems.If you open it up and there [isnt] more smartphone, why do [a] foldable? Huawei UK MD Anson Zhang told TrustedReviews.
You do the foldable in order to enhance the user experience.
Why do people [want] a foldable? They want a device with a bigger screen but pocketable that is the reason behind [it].The company instead opted for a foldable phone design that would unfold into a larger display to give users a better experience, which became the Huawei Mate X series.
You do foldable in order to have better views reading, video, even multi-task as Richard [Yu] showed, Zhang said, referring to Huaweis CEO, who debuted the Mate Xs on stage at the event.The Z Flip unfolds to a 6.7-inch FHD+ (2,636x1,080) display thats rather narrow, with a 21.9:9 ratio.
While the Huawei Mate Xs is a bit shorter, its more than twice as wide, with an 8-inch (2,480x2,200) display.Turns out Huawei had explored foldable glass like that seen in the Z Flip, too:At the beginning, we have also another solution similar to the glass fold.
That way its more, lets say, secured when you see that one, theres a gap at the edge.
That is a more simple way to do the hardware design, Zhang said.Flexibility has been a key issue in foldable displays, which is why the first generation opted for plastic displays, which bend but are nowhere near as durable as glass, often getting scored by simple fingernail pressure.But even the ultra-thin glass used in the Z Flip might be suspect.
Teardowns like those by JerryRigEverything reveal the devices display gets scratched up just as easily as plastic displays.