Huawei, like its competitors, has become easy to predict. The company’s new folding Mate X7 had a Chinese unveiling, followed by its extremely recent EMEA reveal in Dubai. Next up is a South African event where we’ll find out exactly what the folding handset (and its companion devices) will cost.
In the meantime, here’s what’s coming to Africa. Briefly, we can expect the Huawei Mate X7, its newest FreeClip 2 headphones, the MatePad 11.5 S upgrade, and the latest Ultimate Design watch from the Chinese company. Doubtless, we’ll have info on the Mate 80 lineup for Africa in short order as well.
The Mate X7’s got mates
The Huawei Mate X7 shouldn’t have any surprises in store when it lands, with Huawei touting its design, which is inspired by “the 1,600-year-old light-woven brocade tradition, widely regarded as a pinnacle of Chinese silk craftsmanship and part of its cultural heritage.” There’s more to this 8in folding AMOLED handset, of course, and the Chinese outfit isn’t shy about talking those bits up either.
The 6.49in outer display uses Huawei’s own Ultra Durable Crystal Armor Kunlun Glass, proving once again that you can just keep adding words until something sounds awesome. The Kirin 9030 Pro chipset lives in the middle of this one, conferring 5G abilities on the phone. Whether that chipset will make it over here isn’t confirmed yet. At least 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM live in each model, climbing all the way up to a 1TB/20GB model.
Huawei has tweaked the hinges for its Mate X7 foldable, promising more durability, and reckons there’s a 43% improvement in colour accuracy in its upgraded camera tech. A 50MP/50MP/40MP rear array will let us put that to the test. Dual 8MP sensors live up front.
Also inbound are upgrades to the buds we saw the company reveal in 2023, which get a neural processing unit upgrade, an IP57 rating, and a total of 38 hours of battery life (buds and case combined). They still look awfully dorky, but they should do the job.
The major news about the Huawei Watch Ultimate design is the new colourway, which features “an industry-first rare-earth purple ceramic bezel with 18K gold, paired with a zirconium-based liquid metal case and a purple-gold titanium alloy strap.” An improved antenna and AI-powered noise cancelling are also part of the package.
The MatePad 11.5 justifies the ‘S’ appellation with a new M-Pencil Pro stylus and magnetic keyboard, which should pair neatly with the company’s PaperMatte display to create an excellent note-taker. Given that the previous generation still costs around nine grand, it might not be for everyone. Still, they’re all headed to Africa at some point. We’ll keep an eye out for official pricing as and when it appears.
