Huawei to have another crack at foldable phone at MWC 2020

After a year where the foldable phone failed to live up to the expectations, Huawei has said it will have another crack at delivering on the promise at Mobile World Congress 2020.

Each year the annual mobile bonanza in Barcelona is usually dominated by the launch of a ‘quirky’ device. Over the last few years we have seen HMD Global tap into consumer nostalgia with Nokia devices, while snap phones reminiscent of the Matrix franchise flirted with attendees in 2018. This year, Samsung and Huawei splashed their foldable devices over every wall available for advertising, but the concept was a flop.

In short, the devices were too expensive, poorly engineered and impractical. They looked more like concept models than a realistic attempt to innovate in the telco world. But Huawei has not given up.

Speaking to Fandroid, Huawei Consumer CEO Richard Yu stated the foldable device would be showcased at Mobile World Congress 2020 and is expected to be on sale during the first three months of next year.

What this device actually looks like or will feature is unknown for the moment. The Huawei Mate X should be the basis but considering the design will be a year old by February you would hope there are some updates.

Although the devices have been subject of considerable criticism over the course of 2019, you do have to give the manufacturers some credit. Industry and the general public have been demanding innovation, a shift in form-factor first and foremost, and the manufacturers did respond. Admittedly they did not get it right the first time, but this was not for a lack of effort.

The Huawei Mate X eventually made it to the market after several delays, partly thanks to friction with the US. The Samsung Galaxy Fold has been available the longest, though the screen and design have been frequently criticised. LG introduced a device called ‘Bendi’, Xiaomi has ‘Flex’ and Oppo has its own ideas. There is plenty of competition for the attention, but realistically, all these efforts fell short.

Huawei has a reputation for producing excellent devices so we will look forward to seeing this device, but breath will not be held.