Introduction
Huawei has recently launched its next flagship foldable phone Mate X7. It arrives a full year after the Mate X6 and brings improvements in design, screen, performance, camera and battery. Huawei has managed to shorten the chip manufacturing process, which is perhaps the most significant upgrade, reportedly bridging the gap between Kirins and US-designed chips.
The Mate It is now given IP58 and IP59 ratings for dust resistance and waterproofing. International versions are offered with an eco-leather back cover.
The internal screen is now slightly larger – it’s an 8-inch foldable LTPO OLED with 2,210 x 2,416 pixels, 1B color, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The cover screen relies on a 6.49-inch LTPO OLED with an expanded 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It is protected by Huawei’s Kunlun Glass version 2.
The most interesting thing about the Huawei Mate X7 is the new Kirin 9030 Pro chip, which is now manufactured on the 6nm node. It has a proprietary 9-core processor with multi-threaded support for prime and high-speed cores (so apps often read it as 14-core). The Snapdragon 935 GPU should also bring significant improvements over the older generation.
Huawei has always put a lot of effort into the camera department. The main camera features a large 1/1.26″ RYYB sensor with variable aperture, followed by a 50MP telephoto and telemacro camera with native 3.5x magnification and 10x hybrid zoom, and a 40MP ultrawide-angle camera.
Lastly, the Mate X7 is powered by a 5,600mAh battery with up to 66W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Huawei Mate X7 specifications at a glance:
- Body: 156.8×144.2×4.5mm, 235g; Glass front, nylon fiber or silicone polymer back (eco leather), aluminum frame; IP58/IP59 dust-proof and water-resistant (high-pressure water jets; submersible up to 2 meters for 30 minutes), aerospace-grade aluminum.
- Display: 8.00″ Folded LTPO OLED, 1B Color, 120Hz, 1440Hz PWM, HDR Vivid, 2500 Nits (peak), 2210x2416px Resolution, 9.84:9 Aspect Ratio, 409ppi; Cover Display:, LTPO OLED, 120Hz, 1440Hz PWM, HDR, 3000 Nits (peak), 6.49 inches, 1080 x 2444 pixels, Kunlun Glass 2.
- Chipset: Kirin 9030 Pro (6 nm): 9-core (1×2.75 GHz & 4×2.27 GHz & 4×1.72 GHz); Maloon 935.
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM, 1TB 20GB RAM; UFS.
- OS/Software: HarmonyOS 6.0, EMUI 12.
- rear camera: wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.4-f/4.0, 24mm, PDAF, OIS*; telephoto: 50 MP, f/2.2, 81 mm, PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom; ultra wide angle: 40 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚, PDAF;
- Front Camera: wide (main): 8 MP, F/2.2; Cover Camera:; wide (main): 8 MP, F/2.2.
- video capture: rear camera: 4K, 1080p, 1080p@960fps, HDR, Gyro-EIS, OIS, HDR Vivid; front camera: 4K, 1080p.
- Battery: 5525mAh; 66W wired, 50W wireless, 7.5W reverse wireless, 5W reverse wired.
- Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 7; BT 6.0, L2HC; NFC; Infrared port.
- various: fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Stereo speaker.
Some of the usual limitations of Huawei phones due to the US ban are still valid here too. The Mate X7 boots EMUI 15, which is the latest EMUI, but it’s essentially based on Android 12 AOSP core. There are no Google Mobile Services pre-installed, but you can add them and the Google Play Store with varying degrees of success. Also, it does not have 5G support.
Unboxing the Huawei Mate X7
The Mate X7 comes inside a large black box, with the phone completely exposed inside.
Apart from the phone, you also get a matching protective case made of metal with an integrated kickstand. The case only protects the back, not the cover screen.
The other thing found inside the box is a 6A-rated USB-C cable. There is no charger. The Mate
