Huawei Mate X3 launching in South Africa — what to expect

Huawei has confirmed that its Mate X3 smartphone will launch in South Africa in the next few days.

During an announcement for the phone’s rollout in the Middle East and Africa region, Huawei said the Mate X3 delivered an “unparalleled” blend of design, durability, and camera performance.

The Mate X3 is the tech giant’s first attempt at a dual-screen booklet-style foldable.

The previous form factor it used for its Mate X foldables employed a wraparound screen, which could be folded outward for a larger continuous display.

The booklet style is similar to the shape of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold series, the upcoming Google Pixel Fold, and several other large-screen foldables on the market.

Folding the Huawei Mate X3

However, Huawei said its latest foldable set a “new standard” for its slim and lightweight design.

“It is the world’s thinnest and lightest foldable smartphone, with a thickness of just 11.08mm while folded and 5.3mm while unfolded,” Huawei explained.

For reference, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is 14.2-15.8mm thick when folded, depending on where you measure it, and 6.3mm thick when unfolded.

Weighing 239g, the Mate X3 is also around 9% lighter than the Z Fold 4, which tips the scale at 263g.

“It achieves breakthrough weight reduction through the industry’s unique ultra-light and strong aluminium and ultra-light carbon fibre,” Huawei said.

The company also said the Mate X3’s rounded, quad-curve body offered an “unparalleled” comfortable and smooth grip.

For added durability, the exterior screen features Kunlun glass to protect it from falls and other knocks, while the interior display boasts impact resistance.

Back of Huawei Mate X3, showing camera bump and exterior screen

Huawei has also equipped the Mate X3 with powerful photographic capabilities.

Its Vision XMAGE triple camera, similar in appearance to the Mate 50 Pro’s, consists of a 50MP primary lens, 13MP ultra-wide sensor, and 12MP telephoto lens.

The latter supports up to 5x optical zoom.

For video calls and selfies, users get a 13MP camera paired with a time-of-flight sensor for depth and accurate facial recognition biometrics.

Other key hardware specifications include a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, 12GB RAM, and up to 1TB of storage.

It is powered by a 4,700mAh battery with 66W wired and 50W wireless charging speeds.

Specifications and South African launch details

The Huawei Mate X3 is offered in black or dark green vegan leather.

The Mate X3 will officially launch in South Africa in the coming week. Pricing and precise model availability will be confirmed at that time.

The table below summarises the full specifications of the Huawei Mate X3.

Huawei Mate X3

Huawei Mate X 3 unfolded

Huawei Mate X3 folded

Huawei Mate X3 back

Huawei Mate X3 right side

Huawei Mate X3 hinge

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Huawei Mate X3 launching in South Africa — what to expect