You apparently won’t be folding Huawei’s Mate X in September after all.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Huawei already pushed back the launch of its Mate X from summer to September, but it seems the $2,600 foldable phone is being delayed again. The Chinese company told TechRadar we’re unlikely to see the phone before November, but is confident it’ll be out before the end of 2019.
The report doesn’t give a reason for the delay. Foldable phones have been the subject of much hype and struggled with technical issues this year. Samsung’s $1,980 Galaxy Fold was meant to go on sale in the US on April 26, but the Korean phone maker hit the brakes right before the phone’s launch due to numerous screen problems on review units.
The redesigned Galaxy Fold is expected to arrive in September, so it’ll likely beat Huawei to the market.
Huawei didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Watch this:
Galaxy Fold vs. Huawei Mate X: CNET editors react
9:54
The Mate X delays seem like secondary concern for Huawei, which has been a target of US lawmakers over concerns about its coziness with the Chinese government and fears that its equipment could be used to spy on other countries and companies. US President Donald Trump blacklisted the company in May, stopping American companies from selling equipment to it, but he’s since said he’ll reverse the ban.
Last week, Huawei unveiled HarmonyOS, an operating system for smart devices, which the company says can be used in its phones if the US blocks it from Google’s Android.
First published at 2:32 a.m. PT.
Updated at 3:25 a.m. PT: Adds more detail.