Huawei Mate X2 foldable phone leak points to an innie design

There are dire predictions for the future of Huawei's mobile business this year. From restricted access to needed resources and components to the sale of its Honor brand, analysts predict that Huawei's smartphone production will nosedive this year. That makes it sound like an inopportune time for an expensive experiment but Huawei might have no qualms about launching the foldable Mate X2 next month that backtracks on the design the company insisted was the better one.

About two years ago, there were only two foldable phone designs that were battling for supremacy. Samsung's Galaxy Fold was labeled an "innie" because of how it folded in while the Huawei Mate X's "outie" put the flexible display on the outside. Both had their advantages and drawbacks but, considering Samsung has already launched a couple of innie foldables, including the Galaxy Z Flip, it would seem that the winner has already been decided.

The innie's victory might be further cemented by the Huawei Mate X2 which was rumored to ditch Huawei's initial outie design. Tipster Digital Chat Station now confirms that speculation while also giving some specs. The main "inner" screen will measure 8.01 inches and have a resolution of 2480x2200 pixels while the second "outer" display will be 6.45 inches with a 2700x1160 resolution.

The specs themselves are also pretty ambitious, including a quad-camera array led by a 50MP camera. It will be driven by a Kirin 9000, the same chip to be installed on the upcoming Huawei P50 and Mate 50 series, and powered by a 4,400 mAh battery with a 66W Super Flash Charge capability.

It's not surprising that the Huawei Mate X2 would have top of the line specs. What's more surprising is that the company still plans on throwing precious resources as a phone that might not see mass appeal in global markets. If Huawei is really running low on component supplies, especially processors, the last thing it should do is waste those on a high-risk product.