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Final Verdict
The Mate 20 X continues Huawei’s trend of putting out phones that are different, exciting and laced with cutting-edge tech. This is a top-tier gorgeous looking phone that’s packed with power and brimming with features, but its size will be a hit or a miss.
The phone can be cumbersome to handle and while, at first, it feels surprisingly light for its size, you can definitely feel the brunt of its weight after a few sessions. It can be a hassle to use for routine tasks or lug about throughout the day and is a stretch to fit in pockets.
Having said that, folks who want to get the most out of their content, probably won’t mind being encumbered in favor of having the extra screen real estate and sheer power. The OLED display, apart from being spacious, is vibrant with decent contrast and excellent for watching videos or working on documents.
Gamers will love the zippy performance and extra screen space not obscured by their thumbs. Moreover, the phone can endure pretty much any power-hungry app you throw at it and still comfortably last a day and then some. To top it all off, the Mate 20 X sports a spectacular camera suite that can take stunning photos and videos under any circumstance imaginable.
The Mate 20 X is not a cheap phone and misses out on features such as wireless charging or waterproofing found in other flagship, but it still offers great value compared to other top flagships that cost the same. And a much welcome premium alternative for large phone and digital media fans.
Who is this for?
The Mate 20 X is clearly geared towards power users and mobile gaming fans who want to make the most out of their content and have the latest and exciting tech. The larger-than-life screen paired with long battery life are perfect for media consumption, the triple camera setup is impressive and the powerful processor keeps things running smooth even in demanding situations.
But it’s size takes some getting used to and will be a turn off for most.
Should you buy it?
At AED 2,499 the Mate 20 X represents great value compared to rivals and a really easy phone to recommend. If you're in the UK though, at £799, it's a tougher sell, with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 currently available for less.
Irrespective, the Mate 20 X is an all-around impressive, immersive phone, ideal for gaming, Netflix and productivity.
The phone delivers snappy performance and can easily last a day and a half with heavy usage. This can be stretched if you apply power saving measures. It also takes excellent pictures too.
Waterproofing would have been great to see on here and lack of wireless charging is a pain point - both available on other comparatively priced phones, but if you can do without them, this phone still gives you a shed load of tech.
Competition
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Samsung’s latest Note is still one of the best phones you can buy today. Its elongated stature makes it more comfortable to hold in hand and for one handed operations than the Mate 20 X and it has a higher resolution screen. Plus it’s been out for a while and has seen a price cut which makes it an appealing alternative.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review
OnePlus 6T
OnePlus 6T - OnePlus’s latest flagship is one of the more impressive releases of 2018. It’s a speedy phone packing in 8GB RAM and 128GB storage with a high quality FHD+ OLED screen that is worthy of competing with top phones. If you can do without wireless charging and a headphone jack, the OnePlus 6T is an appealing alternative to the Mate 20 X.
Read our full OnePlus 6T review
ASUS ROG Phone
ASUS ROG phone - If you’re looking for a gaming phone that screams gamer both in looks and software then you might consider ASUS’s ROG phone. It has a smaller screen but it’s bold design can be paired up with a number of accessories like AirTriggers to help you get the best experience out of mobile gaming.
Read our full ASUS ROG Phone review
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Huawei Mate 20 - If you’re not sold on the Mate 20 X’s size, you might consider the Mate 20 Pro which offers the same excellent camera setup and power under the hood along with some extra features, but in a smaller and more wieldy package.
