Huawei has announced the global release of its latest flagship folding phone, the Mate X6. It comes hot on the heels of the massive dual-hinged Mate XT, and while this one keeps things a little more traditional, it’s clear that the two phones share some DNA.

This phone is also incredibly slim, measuring just 4.6mm thick when unfolded. It’s not quite as slim as Honor’s Magic V3 (4.4mm when closed), but it’s pretty close. The overall design is very reminiscent of Huawei’s tri-fold behemoth too, especially in the signature red vegan leather finish.

If the red model is a little too bold for your tastes, there’s also a more subtle black version with a similar vegan leather finish, or a unique grey option that comes with a swirly pattern on its composite fibre rear. They all look rather fetching, in my opinion, and they feel very premium in the hand.

Huawei says its goal with this phone is to create a foldable without the usual drawbacks. That means including a stunning camera system, long-lasting battery, class-leading durability and great performance.

Everything but the kitchen sink

In the camera department, we get a trio of lenses on the rear. There’s a 40Mp ultrawide, 48Mp 4x telephoto with macro shooting capabilities, and a 50Mp main camera with variable aperture.

The latter can switch from f/1.4 to f/4.0 in ten increments, just like the Pura 70 Ultra, and it’s the first folding phone to launch globally with an adjustable aperture. The only other phone to boast one is the aforementioned Mate XT – which is exclusively available in China. 

There’s another first here: the addition of an Ultra Chroma colour sensor. Essentially, this new sensor aims to greatly improve the colour accuracy of photos, making them look more like what you see in real life. Huawei showed us some examples next to shots from an iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra, and the difference was immediately noticeable.

Luke Baker

Of course, they were cherry-picked examples, and we’ll need to test for ourselves to see how much of a difference it makes in the real world. As it stands, I’ve only had the chance to snap a couple of photos in an office environment.

One thing I was able to test was the macro-focusing capabilities of the telephoto lens. I couldn’t take the photos away with me, so you’ll have to take my word for it, but this thing is like a microscope. It’s the only phone I’ve tried that comes close to matching the Pura 70 Ultra with its close-focusing capabilities, and it’s really impressive to see this tech arrive on a foldable.

Huawei also has a trick up its sleeve for avid macro shooters. They’re calling it eDOF (extended depth of field), which is basically a quick and easy version of the focus stacking technique that professional macro photographers use. 

Luke Baker

Normally, when you take an extreme close-up, your focal plane will be extremely narrow. So part of your subject will be pin sharp, while the rest becomes blurry and defocused. The eDOF mode can make the entire object sharp by combining photos taken at different focus points. It all happens in an instant, at the touch of a button, and seems to work flawlessly.

When it comes to displays, you get a 6.4-inch 120Hz LTPO panel on the outside with a 2.4k resolution and a peak brightness of 2500 nits. On the inside, the 7.93-inch foldable display has almost the same specs but it’s not quite as bright, topping out at 1800 nits. The crease is impressively shallow too, easily rivalling the likes of Honor and Vivo.

Powering the device is a sizable 5110 mAh battery, and it supports very fast charging. You can juice it up at 66W with a wire or at a staggering 50W wirelessly, though you’ll need a special Huawei wireless charger for the latter.

The big drawback

So, this phone sounds like a bit of a winner, right? Well, unfortunately, it’s not all good news. Huawei hasn’t mentioned the processor, which almost certainly means it’s using an SMIC-produced Kirin chip. It won’t be bad, I’m sure, but it’s very unlikely to rival the latest chips from MediaTek and Qualcomm.

Luke Baker

Then there’s the software. If you’ve been keeping up with Huawei for the last few years, this won’t be news to you, but US sanctions mean that there’s no support for Google services on Huawei’s EMUI operating system. Of course, there are workarounds, but most people aren’t going to want the hassle.

So, does that mean the Mate X6 is a non-starter? That’s the burning question, and it’s hard to say right now. The Pura 70 Ultra blew my mind with its photographic capabilities earlier this year, and it looks like the Mate X6 could be set to do the same. I’m looking forward to spending some more time with this device and finding out for myself.

Alongside the Mate X6, Huawei also unveiled its new flagship earbuds, the FreeBuds Pro 4, which boast impressive AI noise cancellation for phone calls as well as 24-bit lossless audio support (but only when paired with a Huawei phone).

It also showed off the Nova 13 upper mid-range handsets, which come with dual selfie snappers for social media addicts. The year may be drawing to a close, but Huawei is still firing on all cylinders.

All three products are expected to be available in the UK and Europe, but not the US as usual. However, pricing and release date information is yet to be revealed.

Will the Mate X6 be a genuine contender for the best foldable phone? Time will tell.