Very few countries worldwide have been racing to bring 5G networks online; the Middle East has already made the push to deploying it. The only issue has been availability of compatible devices and Huawei isn’t sitting around idly. The time has come for the Huawei Mate 20 X 5G to be released into the world.
5G packed into Huawei Mate 20 series
Although the Mate 20 series debuted in October 2018, they supported 4G/LTE connectivity. The foldable Huawei Mate X would have been the first 5G-powered smartphone by Huawei. However, its release has been delayed for other reasons.
The Mate 20 X 5G has the honour of being the first 5G smartphone to be released by Huawei. The Huawei Balong 5000 modem makes it consumer debut with the Huawei Mate 20 X 5G, supporting both standalone and non-standalone 5G networks. That should give you a peace of mind for 5G coverage.
There have been some significant changes for this model to bring it towards the 5G realm:
- The battery capacity has been reduced to 4200 mAh, due to the space occupied by the 5G circuitry
- There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, but they’ve bundled a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter
- The base RAM and storage have been increased
- Faster SuperCharge has been added, given the power consumption for 5G components
Note that the 5G version will have the logo on the back below the fingerprint sensor. The device will also come pre-installed with the new EMUI 9.1 update based off Android 9 (it’s also releasing for other Huawei compatible devices in the coming weeks).
| Mate 20 X 5G | Mate 20 X | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 7.2-inch OLED FullHD | 7.2-inch OLED FullHD |
| Rear Camera | 40 MP (Wide Angle Lens, f/1.8) + 20 MP (Ultra Wide Angle Lens, f/2.2) + 8 MP (Telephoto, f/2.4) | 40 MP (Wide Angle Lens, f/1.8) + 20 MP (Ultra Wide Angle Lens, f/2.2) + 8 MP (Telephoto, f/2.4) |
| Front Camera | 24MP (f/2.0) | 24MP (f/2.0) |
| Battery | 4,200 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Memory | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB | 128 GB |
| Connectivity | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz); NFC, Bluetooth 5.0; USB3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz); NFC; Bluetooth 5.0; USB3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector; headphone jack |
| Biometrics | Rear-mounted fingerprint reader | Rear-mounted fingerprint reader |
| Colours | Emerald Green | Midnight Blue and Phantom Silver |
| Additional notes | Liquid multi-dimensional cooling system with Vapour Chamber (VC) and Graphene Film for improved cooling; GPU Turbo 2.0 for improved gameplay performance; Supports HUAWEI SuperCharge (Max 40 W) | Liquid multi-dimensional cooling system with Vapour Chamber (VC) and Graphene Film for improved cooling; GPU Turbo 2.0 for improved gameplay performance |
Given the high-profile priority for releasing 5G-supported devices in the Middle East, Qatar and the UAE are racing to have compatible devices ready to purchase.
Vodafone Qatar and Etisalat will be releasing them in their respective markets for QAR/Dhs 3,699. For those who pre-order the device between July 9 and 17, you’ll also receive the Huawei Watch GT for free.
Photo credit: Huawei Arabia on Twitter
