Huawei Mate 20 X review

Introduction

Arriving a few months after the rest of the Mate 20 series phones, but considered by many as the best phone in the family, the Mate 20 X is finally stepping in by offering all the screen real estate you could possibly want in a phone.

Better late than never, as the old saying goes. The Mate 20 X was among the most interesting Mate 20 phones, but it never really saw the light of day outside of a few Southeast Asian countries. Not until recently, that is.

The Mate 20 X has now launched in a few European markets and while the chances are that the P30 is already around the corner, the Mate 20 X has niche of its own.

The 20 X is indeed the most memorable device of the Mate quartet - it has the largest of screens, the best of cameras, the fastest of processors, and the beefiest of batteries. It supports a Huwaei's M-Pen stylus and the gigantic OLED screen has the smallest of them notches.

The Full HD resolution isn't what we'd call exactly 'best', but it is the one to have if you are a gamer. And among other things, the Mate 20 X was indeed praised for its potential gaming prowess. You can even opt for a special hardware controller for a more immersive gaming experience.

We were eager to get this beast of a phone for a spin since its announcement, and here it is - finally in our hands. But before we dig into its productivity, gaming and photography skills, let's take a closer look at its specs.

Huawei Mate 20 X specs

• Body: dual-glass with metal frame; IP53-rated for dust and splash resistance
• Screen: 7.2" HDR OLED, 1080 x 2244 px resolution (346ppi); waterdrop notch
• Chipset: Kirin 980 chipset, octa-core processor (2xA76 @2.6GHz + 2xA76 @1.92GHz +4xA55 @1.8GHz), Mali-G76 MP10 GPU
• Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB storage (expandable via Nano Memory - hybrid slot)
• OS: Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9;
• Camera: 40MP f/1.8 + 8MP f/2.4 OIS telephoto (80mm) + 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (16mm); 4K video capture, 720@960fps slow-mo, Leica branding
• Camera features: 1/1.7" 40MP sensor, up to ISO 102,400, 5x optical zoom, OIS + EIS, Variable Aperture, Portrait Mode, can shoot long-exposure without a tripod
• Selfie cam: 24MP, f/2.0 Leica lens, Portrait Mode with live bokeh effects
• Battery: 5,000mAh; Super Charge 22.5W
• Security: Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted)
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5 + LE, NFC, USB Type-C
• Misc: IR blaster, stereo speakers, M-Pen support

What a specs sheet - but that goes without saying as it's shaering the Mate 20 Pro's DNA through and through! The Huawei Mate 20 X enjoys a large AMOLED, larger than the Huawei Mate 20 Pro but has a more game-friendly resolution and notch size. Then, it also has the same Kirin chipset, the same triple-camera with 3x optical zoom, and a massive 5,000 mAh battery with Super Charge. What's not to like, right?

Well, the lack of water-proofing might be an issue, but the Mate 20 X does have proper stereo speakers and an audio jack.

But before we dig into any of that, let's do some unboxing.

Unboxing the Huawei Mate 20 X

The Mate 20 X, just like the star of the series - the Mate 20 Pro - comes packed within a black paper box. Inside you'd find the 22.5W charging brick, the special USB Type-C cable you'd need to fast charge the X, and a pair of earbuds.

The box also contains a transparent rubber case in some regions outside the EU, but we didn't get one along with ours. There was a factory preapplied screen protector, though.