We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Are you ready for the future? Or at least, the next big trend for mobile phones? Samsung and Huawei are busy fighting to become the first company to bring the best foldable phone to market, and both are impressive.
Foldable phones might seem like a gimmick, but you should expect to see them as a regular part of your handset-shopping experience, and with good reason.
A pocket-sized screen that instantly transforms into a tablet and back again? Yeah, sounds great to us.
At the Samsung Unpacked event, we were introduced to the Galaxy Fold, and at MWC 2019, we got the first look at the Huawei Mate X, but which is best? We go through all the stats and spec to help you make the decision.
Huawei Mate X vs Samsung Galaxy Fold price – which is cheaper and where can I buy them?
The Mate X had a big presence at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, as attendees and journalists were able to spend a bit of time looking at the phone up close – something they didn't get to do with the Galaxy Fold.
However, that might have been an attempt to soften the blow for consumers, as the Mate X is DEFINITELY NOT cheap.
What to Read Next
You will be able to pick one up on release day for £1,996 (roughly $2,605). For this astronomical price, you'll get a 512GB storage device with 8GB of RAM, presumably the basic package for the phone.
Huawei has since confirmed that other versions of the phone will be announced closer to release, so this price could inflate in no time.
Can't wait for a foldable? Fancy a Samsung Galaxy S10 instead? Shop now
You'll be able to own a Mate X connected to three networks in the UK: EE, Three, and Vodafone. None of these networks have updated their websites as of writing to add pre-registration, which is unfortunate, but we'll update this page with pre-registration and pre-order links as soon as they're up.
On the flip side – pardon the pun – the Fold is a smidge cheaper, though it may still make your eyes water.
You can put down £1,515 ($1,980) to get the Galaxy Fold, with 512GB of storage 12GB of RAM.
You can pre-register your interest with Samsung here to make sure that you're notified of when you can pre-order, but there is a big problem right now.
Samsung has delayed the release of the Galaxy Fold due to a bit of a PR disaster involving a number of early reviewers breaking the handset.
There were a few issues: first, reviewers were inexplicably tearing off the screen. Yep, there is a layer of plastic on the screen – sort of like a film – that protects the plastic underneath from cracking when you fold the phone.
These journalists were, rather foolishly, peeling this off, thinking it was a screen protector that they just didn't need. They then started folding the phone and absolutely wrecking it.
The next issue is much more on the shoulders of Samsung. It turns out that the folding mechanic was susceptible to picking up debris in your pocket, breaking the locks and snapping the fold in just a few hours.
Samsung is yet to offer a new release date – more than three months later – and, with the upcoming announcement of the Galaxy Note 10 on August 7, it seems we might still be waiting a while to see it on shop shelves.
Huawei Mate X vs Samsung Galaxy Fold display – what does it look like?
A full blown 6.6-inch display in phone mode will automatically transform onto an 8-inch tablet at the push of a button the Huawei Mate X, which is a bonus on the Fold, as it has a full screen covering the entire front of the phone.
The Fold has just a 4.6-inch screen that converts to a 7.3-inch mini-tablet, which might be a better option for those with smaller hands. The Fold does have bezels along the top and side of the screen, which might be a turn-off.
Can't wait for a foldable? Fancy a Huawei Mate 20 Pro instead? Shop now
The screen of the Mate X folds around a clasp spine to be flush across the face which looks very impressive. Huawei claims that the phone has coped with more than 100,000 folds in stress tests without issue, so feel free to keep flipping your £2,000 flip-phone at your leisure.
The Fold by comparison has two separate screens divided by the spine, with the folding part being made up of a complex series of interlocking cogs and gears, which will likely make the Fold a bit more durable with heavy use.
Huawei Mate X vs Samsung Galaxy Fold spec – which is more powerful?
Both foldable phones utilise the oomph of two separate batteries to power them. In this respect, Huawei edges out Samsung, pushing out a whopping 4,500mAh compared to the Fold's 4,380mAh. However, a bigger screen means more power used.
There is some technical wizardry going on inside the spine of each phone to connect two separate batteries, and you'll definitely get a day's worth of use out of each.
Both phones will have 5G capability, the next step in connectivity for your mobile phone. Huawei confirmed that you'll be able to download content incredibly quickly, taking up to 3 seconds to download a 1GB phone to make for scarily fast speeds. Impressive!
The Mate X is packing a Kirin 980 processor under the hood to make your apps and load times incredibly fast, while the Galaxy Fold has an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, so there is very little difference between the two.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagramand Twitter account.
