Huawei’s foldable phone launch likely pushed out again

The launch of Huawei’s delayed foldable smartphone, the Mate X, looks set to be pushed back further.

According to TechRadar, the Chinese firm will miss its slated September release and it is unlikely to arrive before November.

Huawei had initially hoped to release the device this winter, but decided to spend some time testing it further after rival Samsung suffered issues with its own foldable phone earlier this year.

However, the report claims that the company is “certain” the Mate X will be available by the end of 2019.

“With Huawei pushing the Mate X’s launch date back, Samsung has an opportunity to be the first manufacturer to bring a folding phone to market,” said Rob Baillie, from comparemymobile.com.

“Conversely, there is wisdom in Huawei’s decision to delay the Mate X if it means that when it finally does emerge, it’ll be free of the malfunctions that blighted Samsung’s Galaxy Fold on its initial release.”

Delayed

Both Huawei and Samsung announced their foldable devices in February.

Following several reports from testers of the folding screen breaking, Samsung delayed the launch of the Galaxy Fold — which had been due to go on sale in early May.

Last month, Samsung said the device was now “ready” to be released, after making the “necessary improvements” to the US$1 980 phone.