Huawei Mate X3 review
The Huawei Mate X3 is a foldable smartphone that boasts an elegant design, featuring a flatter and thinner form factor compared to its predecessor. Despite some compromises, such as limited access to 5G networks and no official Google support, this device offers impressive features, including fast charging and IP-rated water protection. With workarounds like G-Box mitigating the latter issue, the Mate X3 presents itself as an affordable flagship worth considering for those willing to make these concessions.
Build Quality and Design
The Huawei Mate X3 boasts an elegant design that sets it apart from its predecessors. The Z-fold design is flatter and thinner compared to the previous models, making it more comfortable to hold and use. One of the standout features of this phone is its build quality, which is premium and sturdy. The device's body is made from high-quality materials that give it a solid feel in the hand. The IP-rated water protection is another notable feature of the Mate X3. This ensures that the phone can withstand accidental drops into water or exposure to other harsh environments. While this may not be a game-changer for most users, it's still an important consideration for those who lead active lifestyles. One potential drawback of the Mate X3's design is its battery life. While it's not drastically worse than previous models, it does take a bit longer to charge. However, the fast charging capabilities make up for this slightly, allowing users to quickly top up their phone when needed. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Huawei Mate X3's design is a significant improvement over its predecessors. The flatter and thinner Z-fold design makes it easier to use as both a phone and a tablet, and the premium build quality gives it a luxurious feel that's hard to find in other devices. In terms of aesthetics, the Mate X3 looks sleek and sophisticated, with clean lines and minimal branding. This makes it suitable for business users or those who want a high-end device without any unnecessary embellishments. Overall, the design of the Huawei Mate X3 is a major selling point, making it a solid choice for anyone in the market for a new smartphone.
Battery Life
One of the most notable aspects of the Huawei Mate X3's design is its larger inner display, which naturally draws power. Unfortunately, this means battery life takes a hit. In our tests, the phone managed an overall endurance rating of 81 hours when using the larger inner display for screen-on time. However, things improve significantly when using the cover display instead. With its more efficient power consumption, the Mate X3's endurance rating shoots up to a respectable 103 hours. This suggests that users who rely on the cover display will experience better battery life compared to those who frequently use the larger inner display. While not the most impressive battery performance in its class, the Mate X3 still supports fast charging at up to 66 watts and wireless charging at 50 watts. Reverse wireless charging is also available for convenient power transfer. These features help mitigate some of the battery life compromises made by the phone's larger display. Overall, users should be prepared for a decent, but not outstanding, battery experience with the Mate X3. If you're someone who frequently uses the cover display or has moderate screen-on time needs, you'll likely find the phone's battery performance sufficient. However, heavy users or those who rely heavily on the larger inner display may want to consider alternative options.
Display
The display on the Huawei Mate X3 is one of its most impressive features. The 7.85-inch inner screen provides an expansive viewing experience, making it perfect for watching videos or browsing through websites. The resolution is crisp and clear, with vibrant colors that pop against the dark background. One of the standout features of the Mate X3's display is its brightness. Even in direct sunlight, the screen remains easily readable, which is a testament to its impressive outdoor visibility. The panel itself is also quite responsive, making it a joy to use for scrolling through menus or typing out messages. When folded, the cover display takes center stage, offering a compact and convenient way to interact with the phone. While it's not as large as the inner screen, it's still more than capable of providing an enjoyable viewing experience. The pixel density is decent, but it doesn't quite match the quality of the inner screen. In terms of color accuracy, the Mate X3's display fares well. Colors are accurately represented, and there's no discernible bias towards any particular hue. However, some might find the brightness and contrast levels to be slightly lacking compared to other high-end devices on the market. Overall, the Huawei Mate X3's display is a highlight of the phone. While it may not offer the same level of quality as some of its competitors, it still provides an excellent viewing experience that's sure to please most users. With its combination of brightness, color accuracy, and responsiveness, it's easy to see why this device stands out in its class.
Camera
The Huawei Mate X3 boasts an impressive camera setup, with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel 5x periscope telephoto lens, and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. In good lighting conditions, photos taken with the main camera are excellent, with plenty of detail and natural-looking colors. The sharpening is slightly aggressive, but not overdone. When capturing photos with the Mate X3 unfolded, you're essentially shooting vertical 3x4 stills instead of regular 4x3 ones due to the phone's layout. However, portrait mode shots taken with the main camera are impressive, offering plenty of bokeh variants and effects to play around with. Unfortunately, there is no viewfinder option for the cover display while taking photos. The telephoto camera produces sharp and detailed photos, even in low-light conditions. Shadows can become dark, but overall, the image quality is commendable. The dedicated night mode does improve shadows and restores some detail, although it may introduce a yellowish white balance. The ultra-wide-angle camera performs admirably in low light, capturing plenty of detail with nice colors and a wide dynamic range. However, night mode can sometimes result in overexposure with a yellowish tone. Selfie performance is also impressive, thanks to the 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The quality is good, with natural skin tones and texture, although dynamic range could be better. Using the main camera for selfies produces the best possible results, with excellent detail and vibrant colors. In terms of video recording, the Mate X3's main camera can capture footage in up to 4K resolution at 30 FPS, boasting superb quality with excellent detail, great dynamic range, and nice vibrant colors. The telephoto camera also records excellent 4K video, while the ultra-wide-angle camera produces videos with a wide dynamic range and vibrant colors. Overall, the Huawei Mate X3's camera is a strong suit, delivering excellent image quality in various conditions. While there are some limitations, particularly with low-light performance, the camera setup is more than capable of meeting most users' needs.
Price and Value
The Huawei Mate X3 is an affordable flagship that offers impressive features at a relatively low price point. As one of the few foldable phones available in the market, its value proposition is certainly worth exploring. In terms of pricing, the Mate X3 is competitively positioned against other premium smartphones on the market. While it may not offer some of the more advanced features found in flagship devices from other manufacturers, it still packs a punch with its powerful processor, high-quality cameras, and sleek design. One of the standout features of the Mate X3 is its foldable display, which provides an expansive viewing experience when unfolded. This makes it ideal for those who want to watch videos or browse the web on a larger screen without carrying around a tablet. The phone's camera system is also noteworthy, with a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto lens that produces excellent results in good lighting conditions. The ultra-wide-angle camera is also impressive, capturing detailed images of wide scenes. While the Mate X3 may not offer some of the more advanced features found in other flagship devices, its value proposition lies in its affordability and feature set. At its price point, it offers an unbeatable combination of power, cameras, and design that makes it a compelling choice for those on a budget. Ultimately, the Mate X3 is a great option for anyone looking for a premium smartphone experience without breaking the bank. Its features and performance make it a solid value proposition that's worth considering.
Performance
The Huawei Mate X3's performance is a mixed bag, with some impressive highlights and notable drawbacks. On the plus side, the device's 66W charging capabilities are lightning-fast, allowing users to go from 0-70% in just half an hour. Wireless charging support up to 50W is also a welcome addition. However, battery life is where things get disappointing. The Mate X3's large inner display guzzles power, resulting in an overall endurance rating of just 81 hours with screen-on tests. While the cover display is more efficient, lasting around 103 hours, this still falls short of what we'd expect from a flagship device. Processing performance is also a bit of a letdown. The Mate X3's Kirin 9000S processor, although fast in isolation, can struggle to keep up with demanding tasks and multitasking. We've experienced occasional stutters and frame drops while gaming and using resource-intensive apps. Despite these limitations, the device still manages to deliver smooth performance in everyday use cases like browsing, emailing, and streaming media. The Mate X3's camera setup is a highlight of its performance, with excellent results from both the main cam and telephoto lens. Photos taken by the main cam are detailed and natural-looking, with aggressive yet effective sharpening. The 12MP periscope telephoto lens produces impressive 5x zoom shots with great detail and dynamic range. However, low-light performance is where things get a bit disappointing. While not terrible, photos from both the main camera and telephoto lens can appear soft and lacking in details in very dark conditions. The Huawei Mate X3's performance is a mixed bag, with some impressive highlights like its fast charging capabilities and excellent camera setup. However, battery life and processing performance fall short of what we'd expect from a flagship device. Overall, the Mate X3 still manages to deliver an enjoyable user experience, but it doesn't quite live up to the standard set by other flagships in these areas.
Pros
1. The Huawei Mate X3 has probably the most elegant design we've seen yet compared to the z-fold 4, it's flatter and thinner.
2. It brings the IP rated water protection, which is a great feature for a foldable phone.
3. The charging speed of the Mate X3 is faster than the Z-Fold 4.
4. The phone has official workarounds like G-Box to make up for the lack of Google support, so it's not as much of an issue anymore.
5. The Huawei Mate X3 has a great camera setup with a 50MP main cam, a 12MP telephoto cam, and a 13MP ultra-wide cam.
Cons
1. The battery life might be less on the Mate X3 compared to the Z-Fold 4.
2. You still don't get access to 5G networks with the Huawei Mate X3.
3. The lack of official Google support is still a drawback, although workarounds like G-Box make it more manageable.
4. The camera's dynamic range could be better in some situations, especially for the main cam.
5. The phone might not have the best selfie quality compared to other phones, with an 8MP front-facing cam that feels underwhelming.