Huawei Mate X6 Review: Is It Worth It?
Is the Huawei Mate X6 worth the price? Discover its design, performance, cameras, and drawbacks in this detailed review.
Huawei has launched the Huawei Mate X6, a foldable smartphone with an elegant design, premium build, and advanced features. It includes a 7.93-inch LTPO foldable OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz and HDR compatibility, as well as a 6.45-inch cover screen. Powered by Kirin 9020 chipset and 12GB RAM, Mate X6 comes with a triple rear camera setup: a 50MP main camera, 48MP telephoto with 10x zoom and a 48MP ultrawide. 5,110mAh battery supports fast wired and wireless charging. It is equipped with IPX8 water resistance and operates on HarmonyOS 4.3.
Key Specs:
- Dimensions: 156.6 x 141.1 x 4.6 mm, 239g
- Display: 7.93-inch foldable OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1800 nits.
- Chipset: Kirin 9020
- Memory: 512GB + 12GB RAM
- Cameras: 50MP main, 48MP telephoto, 40MP ultrawide
- Battery: 5110mAh, 66W wired, 50W wireless charging
- OS: HarmonyOS 4.3 (EMUI 15)
Huawei Mate X6 is one of the most expensive foldables, with outstanding features for consumers seeking a high-end device.
Table of Contents
Huawei Mate X6 Specification
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Network | 📶 5G, LTE, GSM, CDMA |
| Launch | 📅 Announced: Nov 26, 2024; Released: Dec 19, 2024 |
| Dimensions | 📏 Unfolded: 156.6 x 144.1 x 4.6 mm, Folded: 156.6 x 73.8 x 9.9 mm |
| Weight | ⚖️ 239 g (8.43 oz) |
| Build | 🏗️ Glass front, nylon or silicone back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | 📱 Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM, IPX8 water-resistant |
| Display | 📱 7.93″ Foldable OLED, 120Hz, 1800 nits (peak) |
| Cover Display | 📱 6.45″ OLED, 120Hz, 2500 nits (peak) |
| OS & Chipset | 🖥️ HarmonyOS 4.3, Kirin 9020, Octa-core CPU |
| Memory | 💾 256GB/512GB/1TB, 12GB/16GB RAM |
| Main Camera | 📸 50 MP (wide), 48 MP (telephoto), 40 MP (ultrawide) |
| Selfie Camera | 🤳 8 MP (wide) |
| Sound | 🔊 Stereo speakers, no 3.5mm jack |
| Connectivity | 🌐 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C |
| Sensors | 🧭 Fingerprint, accelerometer, compass, barometer |
| Battery | 🔋 5110/5200 mAh, 66W wired charging, 50W wireless |
| Colors | 🎨 Black, White, Gray, Blue, Red |
| Price | 💶 Around 1700 EUR |
| Performance | 🚀 AnTuTu: 1.3M, GeekBench: 5218 |
| Battery Life | ⏳ 8:56 hours active use |
Huawei Mate X6 Design, build quality, handling
Huawei Mate X6 is a sleek, ultra-thin foldable phone with a large camera module and stunning displays. It’s IPX8-rated, meaning it can withstand water up to 2m deep for 30 minutes but isn’t resistant to dust or sand.
The phone features a durable aerospace-grade aluminum frame and 2nd-gen Kunlun glass for better drop protection. The rear panel comes in vegan fiber (Nebula Gray) or eco-leather (Black and Red) finishes, adding a textured, premium feel.
Its design resembles the Honor Magic V3 but offers a better handling experience compared to rivals like the Galaxy Z Fold6. The cover screen has thin bezels, a centered punch-hole selfie camera, 1080p resolution, and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The inner foldable display is immersive, though it has a slight, noticeable crease.
The large camera module houses three lenses, laser sensors, and a dual-LED flash, adding bulk but promising excellent image quality. Despite the size of the camera island, the Mate X6 offers a comfortable grip and an overall premium experience.
Huawei Mate X6 Displays, battery life, charging speed, speakers
Huawei Mate X6 features two displays: a 6.45-inch cover screen and a 7.93-inch foldable inner screen, both with a smooth 1Hz-120Hz refresh rate and HDR Vivid.
The cover screen has 2,440 x 1,080 resolution and 2,500 nits brightness. The inner screen has 2,240 x 2,440 resolution and 1,800 nits brightness.
Huawei Mate X6 has a 5,110mAh battery. It lasts about 9 hours on the foldable screen and 11.5 hours on the cover screen with regular use.
Phone charges quickly with 66W fast charging and supports 50W wireless charging. It reaches 83% in 30 minutes and fully charges in 50 minutes.
Mate X6 has stereo speakers with good sound quality but not very loud. The setup is even when the phone is closed and uneven when open.
Huawei Mate X6 Software, performance and benchmarks
EMUI 15 is the global version of Harmony OS 4.3. It has a customizable lock screen, improved multitasking, new gestures, and emojis. It also improves security and the Health app.
EMUI 15 runs on Android 12. You can install apps from the AppGallery or other sources, and use Google apps with a tool called GBox. It includes Huawei apps like Gallery, Music, Health, and File Manager, plus Petal Maps and Browser. Ads in the AppGallery are now fewer.
Multitasking is smooth, with support for multiple windows. AI features include clearer calls with AI Noise Cancellation and smart notifications.
Mate X6 uses the Kirin 9020 chip with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. It performs well but doesn’t have top-tier graphics. The phone slows down when closed to avoid heat but works well overall.
Huawei Mate X6 Camera, photo and video quality
Huawei Mate X6 has a great camera system, with a 50MP main camera, 48MP telephoto (4x zoom), and 40MP ultrawide cameras. The main camera has a variable aperture, letting you adjust the focus and depth of field for different effects, like beautiful background blur (bokeh). It also supports macro photography, and the telephoto lens is excellent for close-ups. The camera’s AI enhances your photos, adjusting settings automatically for various scenes.
For selfies, the Mate X6 features two 8MP cameras. It’s also equipped with a spectrum sensor for more accurate color reproduction. Overall, photos are sharp, natural-looking, and have vibrant colors.
The Mate X6 supports up to 10x zoom, though zoomed-in photos may lose detail. The 40MP ultrawide camera works well for landscapes, offering high detail and natural colors. It can also do macro shots, though the telephoto camera excels in this area.
Portraits taken with the Mate X6 are impressive, with good color and detail, though sometimes the saturation can be high.
Pros and Cons of Huawei Mate X6
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 💪 Durable and thin design, IPX8 rating | 🚫 No Google Mobile Services (GMS) |
| 🌟 Bright 120Hz LTPO OLED screens | ⚙️ EMUI lacks AI productivity features |
| ⚡ Fast charging | 🚫 No 5G |
| 📸 Excellent photo quality | 🔋 Average battery life |
| 🎥 Great video stabilization | 🖥️ Mediocre GPU performance |
| 🔄 Can use workarounds for unsupported apps | 🎥 Average video recording quality |
| 💪 | 💸 Expensive at launch |
Conclusion
Huawei Mate X6 is expected to cost over €1999 which is quite high for a phone without 5G and with average gaming performance. However, it has a slim, premium design, bright screens and great cameras.
Cameras, both front and back, take excellent photos especially with the zoom camera. Video quality isn’t great but the video stabilization works well.
Mate X6 has impressive screens, good speakers, and fast charging. However, its lack of high-end hardware and software limitations may not be worth the price for everyone.
If you enjoy Huawei, Mate X6 is an excellent pick. If not, you may pick foldable phones from Samsung, Google, or Honor.
