Huawei delays Mate X folding phone launch to avoid same mistakes Samsung made

The folding phone's delay comes amid uncertainty surrounding the rival Samsung Galaxy Fold

(REUTERS)

Huawei has been forced to delay the launch of its highly-anticipated Mate X folding phone in order to avoid the same issues that have plagued Samsung.

Both smartphone companies unveiled their folding phones earlier this year, though issues with the innovative folding mechanism recently forced Samsung to delay the release date of its Galaxy Fold.

The Mate X was set for a mid-2019 launch but this has now been pushed back to September so that Huawei can carry out further tests on the device.

Beyond potential issues with the screen, Huawei said the extra time would allow developers to conduct their own tests to make sure their apps work properly with the new screen layout.

Huawei told CNBC and The Wall Street Journal that it was taking a “cautious” approach to the release of the Mate X.

“We don’t want to launch a product to destroy our reputation,” a company spokesperson said.

The Chinese tech giant also addressed the difficulties it has faced after being placed on the a US trade blacklist following spying concerns raised by the Trump administration.

Huawei’s place on the Entity List means US firms like Google are forbidden from doing business with the company unless it has special permission.

The business relationship with the US tech giant is fundamental to Huawei’s current smartphone business, as all of its devices run off Google’s Android operating system.

Huawei is expected to launch its own mobile operating system in the coming weeks if a solution with Google cannot be reached.

“We don’t want to go for our own systems, we still very much like the cooperation with Google in the past few years,” the spokesperson said.

“If we are forced to do it by ourselves, we are ready. We can do [it] in the next six-to-nine months.”