Is the Huawei Mate X7 the best foldable smartphone in 2026? The recently unveiled foldable device should not compromise on performance, cameras and design and wants to put the competition in its place with modern technology and impressive cameras. In our Huawei Mate X7 test, we find out whether this works and whether it’s worth buying.
Technical data
| The product | Mate X7 |
| Processor | Kirin 9030 Pro |
| Operating system | EMUI 15 |
| Display |
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| Camera |
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| Memory | 16 GB LPDDR5 RAM; 512/1,000 GB flash memory |
| Network | SIM card slot (nano SIM) |
| Connectivity | USB-C; Wi-Fi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 6.0 |
| Dimensions and weight |
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| Battery capacity | 5,300 mAh; 66W charging (cable); 50W charging (wireless) |
| Prices (RRP) | RRP: 2,099 euros |
Huawei Mate X7 Review: Premium design and workmanship
- Impeccable workmanship
- Elegant design; pleasantly thin
- harmonious feel
The Huawei Mate X7 stands out in the premium foldable segment with its remarkable combination of elegance, lightness and technical sophistication. Weighing just 235 g, it is one of the lightest large foldables ever, which offers a noticeable advantage over heavier competitors in everyday use (especially in unfolded tablet format).
The design follows a clear book-fold philosophy, in which two high-quality OLED displays merge seamlessly into one another. When closed, the Mate X7 looks like a classic smartphone. But when you open it up, the elegant 8.0-inch OLED inner display is revealed. Huawei goes the extra mile when it comes to workmanship: The frame is made of a robust metal alloy, which, in combination with a slightly textured, vegan-leather-like back (“Light-Woven Brocade”), not only looks elegant, but is also convincing to the touch. This back surface minimizes fingerprints and ensures a secure grip.
An outstanding feature is the IP58/IP59 protection class, which offers dust and water protection. A truly unique selling point in this device category and a big plus for suitability for everyday use and durability.
The hinge mechanism looks noticeably more advanced compared to previous Huawei foldables: it offers a smoother movement, a reduced bend in the middle of the display and feels extremely stable in use. This revised hinge significantly reduces the “crease effect”, but remains visible on the inside when viewed closely.
Despite its technical complexity, the overall design is amazingly slim and harmoniously proportioned, making the Mate X7 look like a real premium device both when closed and open.
The displays of the Huawei Mate X7
- two excellent 120 Hz displays
- great color reproduction
- up to 3,000 nits
The display experience of the Huawei Mate X7 is undoubtedly one of the device’s strengths and is in many ways a prime example of modern foldable displays. Like most foldables, Huawei also relies on an external cover display with a size of 6.49 inches (120 Hertz fast and 3,000 nits bright), while opening the foldable smartphone reveals the gigantic inner display. The latter is a whopping 8.0 inches in size and, at 2,210 x 2,416 pixels, has an even higher resolution than the Galaxy Z Fold7. It is also 120 Hertz fast, but at 2,500 nits peak, it does not quite reach the brightness of the outer display.
Main display (inside, opened)
The 8.0-inch LTPO OLED panel offers a very high resolution of 2416 × 2210 pixels and an adaptive 120 Hz refresh rate, which displays content very smoothly and increases energy efficiency at the same time. Thanks to LTPO technology, the refresh rate can be dynamically adapted to the content displayed, which brings noticeable benefits in terms of battery management in everyday use.
The color reproduction is rich and vivid with high accuracy, the contrasts are impressive and the peak brightness reaches up to around 2500 nits. A value that ensures excellent readability even in strong ambient light, for example outdoors.
Cover display (outside, closed)
The external display is even more impressive: It measures 6.49 inches with a resolution of 2444 × 1080 pixels and also uses LTPO OLED technology with up to 120 Hz. It is equipped with the resistant Kunlun Glass 2 protective layer, which reduces fragility and is significantly more robust in everyday use than conventional display glass.
Thanks to this dual-display configuration, the use of the device remains flexible: whether compact in smartphone mode or large as a tablet – the display quality always remains at a high level, with excellent color reproduction, high viewing angles and very good dynamics. Overall, the Mate X7 offers one of the best display experiences in this category in the current foldable market.
Huawei Mate X7: Features and performance
- Kirin 9030 Pro chip
- Good everyday performance; moderate gaming performance
- 16 GB RAM, 512 GB system memory (minimum)
Under the hood of the Mate X7 is Huawei’s own, highly integrated Kirin 9030 Pro chip, a processor that has been specially optimized for the requirements of large displays and multitasking workflows. In everyday use, this chip delivers a very balanced mix of efficiency and performance: apps launch quickly, multitasking with several open windows runs smoothly and the general system response always remains agile. While dedicated benchmark figures may differ, everyday measurements show that users rarely experience performance bottlenecks – even when using productivity apps or media playback intensively.
The graphics performance of the Kirin Pro SoC is solid, but not absolutely leading: games run smoothly on medium to high settings, but frame rates are rather moderate in extremely graphics-intensive titles – not surprising given the current chipsets from other manufacturers. Nevertheless, the gaming experience remains satisfactory overall, especially in the context of larger displays and adapted operation.
| Benchmark | Result |
| Geekbench 6 Single-Core | 985 pts. |
| Geekbench 6 Multi-Core | 4,972 pts. |
| Geekbench 6 GPU | 5,643 pts. |
| Geekbench AI | 1,112 pts. / 1,089 pts. / 1,791 pts. |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 9,883 pts. |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme | 2,725 pts. |
| 3DMark Solar Bay | 3,419 pts. |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light | not possible |
| 3DMark Solar Bay Stress | 98.7 percent |
The Mate X7 offers up to 20 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of internal UFS memory, which leaves plenty of scope for multitasking and memory-intensive tasks. The combination of fast memory access and massive RAM ensures that even many open tabs or complex workflows continue to run smoothly.
In terms of connectivity, Huawei remains at the cutting edge: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and modern mobile communications standards are included, even if access to Google services is limited due to known restrictions (more on this in Software). Overall, the hardware platform appears very solid, robust and future-proof, even if it is not always the absolute top performer in synthetic benchmarks.
Battery life of the Huawei Mate X7
- 5,300 mAh
- 66 watt charging speed, 50W wireless
- Very good battery life
The Huawei Mate X7 is equipped with a large battery of around 5,300 mAh, which puts it well above many other foldables in terms of capacity. For comparison: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 only has 4,400 mAh.
In practice, this battery shows excellent endurance: with mixed use, including intensive display time, multitasking and media consumption, the device easily lasts a full day. Often even far beyond that. Just under 12 to 14 hours of use are possible, beating the competitor from South Korea by a good hour. A mixture of energy-efficient display technology, adaptive refresh rate and optimized system software results in a convincing runtime that does not require a constant search for a power socket in everyday life.
Huawei integrates 66 W wired fast charging and 50 W wireless charging, which are very practical in everyday life. In ideal conditions, the battery can be fully charged within around 30-40 minutes, which offers a noticeable convenience advantage, especially on longer days.
Huawei’s intelligent charging management, which protects the battery from overcharging and supports the long-term health of the battery, should also be emphasized. A small but important quality for long-term use. The manufacturer only omits a charger from the scope of delivery.
Software
- Clear EMUI 15
- Good system performance
- Google apps only via detours
Huawei relies on its own EMUI 15 software for the Mate X7, which is based on Android but continues to replace and expand it with its own services. The interface is fluid, customizable and optimized for large displays: split-screen modes, freely scalable windows, drag-and-drop functionalities and intelligent multitasking gestures make using the device in tablet mode comfortable and productive.
Install Google apps on Huawei smartphones: Via the Aurora Store, for example, the most important Android apps such as YouTube, Gmail & Co. can be easily installed and used. The AppGallery, Huawei’s own store, is now very extensive, so you don’t really have to do without anything here.
Cameras of the Huawei Mate X7 in the test
- Three cameras with excellent image quality
- good 8 MP selfie cam
- 4K/60 videos
The camera system of the Huawei Mate X7 is one of the device’s outstanding strengths and sets new standards in the foldable segment. Especially with the Pura model series such as the Pura 80 Pro (our test), the manufacturer impressively proves time and time again that it delivers some of the best smartphone cameras around.
The Mate X7 also relies on a camera setup at absolute flagship level: at its heart is the new true-to-color camera, which, according to the manufacturer, enables significantly improved color fidelity and a greatly increased incidence of light. Particularly in difficult lighting conditions, color casts are to be intelligently compensated so that subjects appear more natural and detailed. The setup is complemented by a specially developed Ultra Lighting HDR camera with a quad-lens system and extremely thin glass lens.
A 50-megapixel telephoto macro camera with 3.5x optical zoom is used for longer distances and detailed shots, which could be integrated despite the slim housing thanks to the periscope module.
Image quality of the Huawei Mate X7
The rear camera consists of a 50 MP main sensor with variable aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS), a 50 MP periscope telephoto lens with 3.5× optical zoom and a 40 MP ultra-wide-angle lens. This setup enables enormous flexibility in photographic use, from very detailed close-ups to impressive telephoto shots.
The color reproduction is vivid and very natural, and the image processing produces a high level of detail – even in difficult lighting conditions. Especially in daylight, the main images shine with high sharpness, pleasant color tones and a wide dynamic range.
The system also delivers amazing results in low light: The large sensor and optimized image processing effectively reduce noise, and dynamic exposure control ensures clear, natural night shots. The video function supports 4K recording at 60 fps, with OIS stabilization and software optimizations smoothing out most movements.
The Mate X7 offers 8 MP front cameras in both the inner and outer display – ideal for selfies, video chats or spontaneous portraits. The results are generally natural and clear, even if not quite at the level of the main camera – which is normal for a front camera. Overall, the camera equipment of the Mate X7 is one of the best in the current foldable segment. It delivers impressively versatile, true-color results in almost all everyday scenarios.
Huawei Mate X7 Review: Conclusion
With the Huawei Mate X7, the manufacturer delivers an absolute premium foldable that impresses almost across the board. The design and workmanship are incredibly high-quality and thanks to its low weight and artificial leather cover, the device is also very comfortable to hold.
Combined with two excellent displays, a strong battery life, good speakers and a smooth operating system, the result is a thoroughly coherent overall package that is complemented by a truly excellent camera setup. No folding smartphone currently offers better cameras.
However, the Mate X7 is not free of criticism. There is no 5G and the manufacturer has so far offered virtually no AI features. However, the charging costs due to the trade dispute are much more serious, as the device lags noticeably behind the competition in terms of performance due to the lack of the latest chips, despite the high-performance Kirin chip. You hardly notice this in everyday use, but it is very noticeable in more intensive games. The fact that the Mate X7 lacks Google apps as standard is now largely bearable. After all, these can be installed quickly and easily via the Aurora Store.
Ultimately, I really liked the Huawei Mate X7 in the test. It looks classy, is excellent to use and takes outstanding photos. Gaming performance is not really decisive for me, but it can tip the scales for you. However, the starting price is really steep, even though it is on a par with the competition.
- Elegant design; great feel
- Impeccable workmanship
- Outstanding cameras
- Strong battery life
- Fast charging
- Great displays
- Very expensive
- No 5G
- Google apps only via detours
Huawei Mate X7
Workmanship
Hardware
Multimedia
Performance
Battery
Value For Money
87/100
Elegant and high-quality foldable with excellent cameras, good features and a long-lasting battery. However, the performance could be better and the price is hefty.
