Huawei Mate X2 folding phone arrives to go head-to-head with the Samsung Galaxy Fold

If you're on the lookout for the best folding phone of 2021, you'll want to watch the Huawei Mate X2 Launch live at 12:30pm GMT (13:30 CEST / 7:30 EST / 20:30 CST) today, where Huawei will show off the successor to the Huawei Mate X, the Huawei Mate X2, in its Imagine What Unfolds event, and it's certainly a contender.

Huawei streamed the event on its YouTube channel and we've embedded the video below so you can re-watch it if you missed it earlier.

We knew very little about the handset ahead of the launch, although it was rumoured that it would feature its folding screen on the inside – like the Samsung Galaxy Fold – rather than the outside, like the original Huawei Mate X.

Watch the video below (with English subtitles) for all the details of the new phone or scroll down for the specs and prices.

• Massive OnePlus 9 leak reveals all the specs ahead of its March release date
• Best Android phones: Superb Android smartphones

Huawei Mate X2 specs, price and release date

As expected, the Huawei Mate X2 features its folding screen on the inside. It measures 8 inches diagonally. There's a second, smaller 6.45-inch OLED display on one side of the outside. If you're familiar with the screen layout of the Samsung Galaxy Fold then congratulations – you're now familiar with the screen layout of the Huawei Mate X2!

Camera-wise, the phone features a 50MP Ultra Vision Leica Quad Cameram, and a 10x Telephoto Camera which features a periscope optics design, and supports 10 times optical zoom, 20 times hybrid zoom and 100 times digital zoom. The 16MP Ultra Wide Camera also supports macro mode for shooting objects as close as 2.5cm from the lens.

The handset is powered by the Kirin 9000 5G chipset, which Huawei says is the most integrated and versatile 5G system-on-a-chip (SoC) with the most transistors to date. Inside, there's also a massive 4500mAh battery and the phone supports 55W Huawei SuperCharge.

"Huawei Mate X2 represents a giant leap forward and sets the bar for future foldable devices," said Richard Yu, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Consumer BG. "While the Huawei Mate Xs was largely regarded as the best-in-class foldable device, we continued to push for new ways to further improve the foldable experience. The Huawei Mate X2 represents the future of smartphone technology, with pioneering innovations and a truly fantastic user experience across the board."

Available in White, Black, Crystal Blue and Crystal Pink, Huawei Mate X2 will arrive in stores in China starting 25 February 2021 for suggested retail prices of RMB 17,999 for the 256GB models and RMB 18,999 for the 512GB models.

We don't have any details as to when the handset will be available to buy in other markets. That said, as it's a Huawei handset, it will run Huawei's own app gallery instead of Google Play Services, which may rather dent its appeal outside of China.