Chinese tech giant Huawei is delaying the launch of its foldable Mate X smartphone until September.
The 5G-capable Mate X, which starts at around 2,299 euros or roughly $2,600, was previously slated to launch this summer.
However, Huawei said it wants to carry out additional testing of the handset after early reviewers of Samsung’s foldable device, the Galaxy Fold, reported problems with the device.
A Huawei spokesperson told CNBC that the company’s being more “cautious” after reports that the Galaxy Fold began to break when tested by reviewers in April.
“We don’t want to launch a product to destroy our reputation,” the spokesperson told CNBC.
Ben Wood from CCS Insight was quoted by the BBC as saying:
“The Mate X was always going to come later than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, but the Korean phone-maker’s problems have certainly given Huawei more breathing space.”
“There is little doubt Huawei will have learned lessons from Samsung’s problems and – given the extra scrutiny the Mate X will get as a result – Huawei is well advised to ensure it has every eventuality covered,” Wood added.
The company says that the Mate X delay is unrelated to the U.S. sanctions that forced it to abandon plans for a new MateBook earlier this week.
