Huawei Mate X7 hands-on review

Camera

The camera hardware is perhaps one of the most sophisticated setups on a foldable phone. The main camera remains unchanged from last year, which shouldn't be an issue since the main RYYB sensor is a great, well-known performer.

The main sensor is quite large, measuring 1/1.28" in size and is paired with a lens with variable aperture - f/1.49-f/4.0 with 10 stops in between. Notably, not all Mate X7 variants are made equal. The larger 1/1.28" sensor ships with 512GB/1TB units with 16 or 20GB of RAM, while the 256GB/512GB configurations with 12GB of RAM get a significantly smaller 1/1.56". The unit we have for review is paired with 16GB/512GB memory, hence with the bigger sensor.

The 40MP ultrawide shooter along with the two 8MP selfie cameras remain the same as well.

• Wide (main): 50MP, 1/1/28" (1/1.56" for the 12GB RAM options) 0.89µm, f/1.4 - f/4.0, 24mm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 4K@60fps
• Ultrawide: 40MP, f/2.2, 13mm, PDAF; 4K@60fps
• Telephoto/macro 3.5x: 50MP, 1/2.51" f/2.2, 84mm, PDAF, OIS; 4K@60fps
• Spectrum sensor (Ultra Chroma Camera): 1.5 million spectral channels
• Cover selfie camera: 8MP, f/2.4, 26mm, fixed focus; 4K@30fps
• Internal selfie camera: 8MP, f/2.2, 26mm, fixed focus; 4K@30fps

However, the telephoto unit gets a proper upgrade. It uses a 1/2.51-inch sensor with 50MP resolution, and it's also RYYB. The optical zoom has been reduced to 3.5x from 4x last year, but it has a much larger aperture at f/2.2 and new focus and OIS motors.

The interesting bit about the new telephoto camera is that it uses a vertical periscope structure that improves the light intake and reduces the size of the module by 44%, allowing Huawei to use a larger sensor. Notably, Huawei doesn't explicitly say the telephoto uses a bigger sensor, but we suspect it does. Telemacro photography is still supported.

Thanks to the second-generation LOFIC CMOS sensor and second-generation XMAGE camera system, the phone can record Ultra HDR videos.

Now let's take a look at some photo samples. But do keep in mind that these photos are taken with an early firmware, so we will likely see some changes to the processing before launching internationally.

Main camera photos

Here are some good-looking 2x crops from the main camera.

2x crop zoom photos

Some stills taken with the 3.5x telephoto camera.

3.5x telephoto camera photos

There's a dedicated 10x zoom toggle in the viewfinder, so we took some 10x photo samples as well.

10x crop zoom photos

Of course, we have some ultrawide photo samples to examine as well.

Ultrawide camera photos

Can't go without some videos, so check out the video playlist below.

Early verdict

With the Mate X7, Huawei proves that it can hold the top spot in the foldable market in China, and it also has the chance to capture the attention of many other buyers worldwide looking for a new foldable device. The Mate X7 shapes up to be a solid all-rounder in the world of foldables, having solid displays, exceptional durability, lightweight and thin design, potent camera setup and snappy charging.

Still, it's hard to fight against the Android-reigning competition outside of China, and the obvious HarmonyOS limitations are holding back Huawei's otherwise excellent flagship phones. Sure, HarmonyOS made some significant strides over the past few years, but it still has a long way to go.