History Of The Huawei Mate Flagships

Huawei had introduced quite a few Mate-branded smartphones over the years. This lineup of smartphones was kicked off back in January 2013 with the Ascend Mate. In time, Huawei dropped the “Ascend” branding, while “Mate” branding prevailed.

The company’s Mate-branded smartphones are mostly high-end devices, with the exception of several “Mate Lite” models that were announced over the years. The Huawei Mate lineup of smartphones is basically the company’s second flagship lineup of devices, a counterpart to the Huawei P series smartphones that usually get announced earlier in the year.

Having said that, the company had introduced quite a few compelling Mate-branded smartphones over the years, and in this article, we will go down the memory lane, and check out all of the company’s Mate-branded flagships. Do note that new Mate-branded flagships will be added to the list as Huawei introduces them.

Huawei Ascend Mate

The Huawei Ascend Mate was the very first Mate-branded flagship that the company announced. This phone got introduced back in January 2013, and it sports a 6.1-inch HD (1280 x 720) IPS+ LCD display, which was considered to be quite large back in the day. The phone includes a set of three capacitive buttons below the display, while it is quite boxy, as you can see in the provided image.

This smartphone is fueled by the Huawei K3V2 quad-core processor, and it includes 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage (expandable up to 64GB). A single 8-megapixel camera is located on the back of the phone, while a 1-megapixel unit sits on the phone’s front side. A 4,050mAh non-removable battery is also included in the package, while Android 4.1 Jelly Bean originally shipped on the phone, though Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean did arrive later on. Just to be clear, Huawei’s Emotion UI (EMUI) skin came pre-installed here as well, and the same goes for this phone’s successors.

Huawei Ascend Mate2 4G

The Huawei Ascend Mate2 4G was introduced in January 2014, a year after the first-gen model. This phone had the “4G” branding as it supported 4G connectivity, and it was the first smartphone in the lineup to offer such a feature. This phone includes thinner bezels than the Ascend Mate, and it comes with on-screen buttons, which replaced capacitive buttons included on the first-gen model.

The Ascend Mate2 4G originally shipped with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, while Android 5.1 Lollipop did arrive on the device eventually. The phone features a 6.1-inch HD IPS+ LCD display, just like the Ascend Mate, and it is fueled by the Snapdragon 400 (MSM8928) quad-core processor from Qualcomm. The device includes 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage, while a single 13-megapixel camera sits on its back. This phone includes a large 4,050mAh battery on the inside.

https://youtu.be/4bMka8MDwYs

Huawei Ascend Mate7

The Huawei Ascend Mate7 was the third phone in the Mate lineup, and the last one to include Huawei’s “Ascend” branding, while it arrived in September 2014. This smartphone offers even thinner bezels than its predecessor, and it actually looks way more refined than the Ascend Mate2 4G. Unlike the Ascend Mate2 4G, this handset offers a metal unibody build, and it is also the first smartphone in the series to offer a fingerprint scanner. That fingerprint scanner lies below the phone’s main camera.

This smartphone includes a smaller display than its predecessor, but that display offers higher resolution. We’re looking at a 6-inch fullHD IPS LCD panel here, while the phone is fueled by the Kirin 925 octa-core chip, which makes it the first Kirin-fueled smartphone. A 13-megapixel camera is included on the back of this phone, while the device originally shipped with Android 4.4.2 KitKat, though Android 6.0 Marshmallow did arrive later on.

https://youtu.be/nWR7KNa4JnE

Huawei Mate S

The Huawei Mate S was kind of an in-between phone, it got announced in September 2015, only a couple of months before the Huawei Mate 8. This phone is made out of metal, and it sports a rear-facing fingerprint scanner on the back. Its design is similar to the design on the Huawei Ascend Mate7, and this is technically the very first Mate-branded phone to ship without the “Ascend” branding.

The Mate S includes a 5.5-inch fullHD OLED display, and it is the first smartphone in the series to ship with an OLED panel. The device is fueled by the Kirin 935 octa-core processor, and it originally shipped with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, while Android 6.0 Marshmallow landed later on. A 13-megapixel camera is included on the back of this phone, while an 8-megapixel unit can be found on its front side.

https://youtu.be/i7pLyruHJDQ

Huawei Mate 8

The Huawei Mate 8 was announced in November 2015, and it is somewhat similar to its predecessor in terms of the design. A fingerprint scanner is yet again located on the back of the phone, while bezels are similar in thickness as on the Ascend Mate7. The Mate 8 is made out of metal, same as its predecessor, the Ascend Mate7, and also the Mate S which got announced only a couple of months before the Mate 8.

The Mate 8 features a 6-inch fullHD IPS-NEO LCD display, while it is fueled by the Kirin 950 octa-core processor. The phone arrived in 3GB and 4GB RAM variants which include 32GB and 64GB of storage, respectively. A 16-megapixel camera sits on the back of this phone, while an 8-megapixel unit is included on its front side. Android 6.0 Marshmallow came pre-installed on the phone, while Android 7.0 Nougat is the last major update that this phone received, at least as far as official updates are concerned.

https://youtu.be/rgBF6CCc_rM

Huawei Mate 9

Huawei had introduced three smartphones as part of the Mate 9 series of devices, and all three were introduced back in November 2016. The devices in question are the Mate 9, Mate 9 Pro, and Mate 9 Porsche Design. The Mate 9 Porsche Design is actually identical to the Mate 9 Pro in terms of the design, but it comes with a different paint job. This is a special edition phone, actually, and its specs are almost identical to the Mate 9 Pro as well.

The Huawei Mate 9 includes rather thin bezels, and two vertically-aligned cameras on the back, which are placed right above the fingerprint scanner. The Mate 9 lineup actually premiered dual camera setups for the Mate lineup of devices. The Mate 9 is made out of metal, and it features a 5.9-inch fullHD IPS LCD display, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. The phone includes 12 and 20-megapixel cameras on the back, with Leica’s lenses

The Mate 9 Pro, on the other hand, includes a 5.5-inch QHD OLED curved display, 4GB / 6GB of RAM and 64GB / 128GB of storage. The device is fueled by the Kirin 960 octa-core processor, just like all the other Mate 9 flagships. This is the first smartphone in the lineup with a curved display, and it sports a capacitive fingerprint scanner below the display, while that button also doubles as a home key. The Huawei Mate 9 flagships were actually the company’s first Mate-branded devices to ship with Leica’s lenses

https://youtu.be/vAODDeVYNOU

Huawei Mate 10

Huawei had introduced three smartphones as part of the Mate 10 series, the Huawei Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, and Mate 10 Porsche Design Those three phones arrived in October 2017. The Porsche Design variant is once again basically identical to the Pro model in terms of the design though it comes with a different paint job. Specifications between the two phones are also identical, well, for the most part, so we’ll focus on the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro.

Both the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro are made out of metal and glass, though they do not look the same. Both devices are fueled by the Kirin 970 SoC. The Mate 10 includes a fingerprint scanner below its display, and that button doubles as a home key. The Mate 10 Pro, on the other hand, includes a rear-facing fingerprint scanner. Both devices feature two cameras on the back, and those two cameras are vertically-aligned.

The Huawei Mate 10 features a 5.9-inch QHD IPS LCD display, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The Mate 10 Pro, on the other hand, features a 6-inch fullHD+ OLED display. The Mate 10 includes IP53 certification for water and dust resistance, while its Pro counterpart sports IP67 certification. Both phones include a 4,000mAh battery, and both ship with 20 and 12-megapixel cameras on the back, with Leica’s lenses, of course. Android 8.0 Oreo came pre-installed on the Mate 10 flagships.

https://youtu.be/0Js4X_et70w

Huawei Mate 20

The Huawei Mate 20 series looks quite a bit different compared to the Mate 10 series of devices, and it consists out of four phone, which were announced in October 2018. The Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 X and Mate 20 RS Porsche Design handsets are a part of this series. The Porsche Design unit is once again modeled after the Mate 20 Pro, though it is a bit thicker. In any case, more or less everything we say about the Mate 20 Pro applies for the Mate 20 RS Porsche Edition as well.

The Huawei Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro are made out of metal and glass, and Huawei actually opted to arrange their cameras differently this time around, as both phones include three cameras on the back, though those are different sensors. The Mate 20 sports a considerably smaller display than the Mate 20 Pro, as it has a teardrop notch, while the Mate 20 Pro includes a rather wide notch to accommodate additional sensors. Bezels are extremely thin on both of these devices.

The Huawei Mate 20 features a 6.53-inch fullHD+ IPS LCD display, while the Mate 20 Pro includes a 6.39-inch QHD+ OLED panel. The Mate 20 has IP53 certification, while the Mate 20 Pro offers IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. Both phones are fueled by the Kirin 980 SoC, the Mate 20 offers 4GB / 6GB of RAM, while the Mate 20 Pro includes 6GB / 8GB of RAM. The Mate 20 Pro also has a slightly larger battery, a 4,200mAh unit compared to a 4,000mAh battery in the Mate 20. Android 9 Pie comes pre-installed on all Mate 20 flagships.

The Huawei Mate 20 X also shared some of its internals with the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro, but we’ve decided to talk about it separately as it basically stands on its own, mainly due to its size. This phone features a 7.2-inch fullHD+ OLED display, while it comes with 6GB / 8GB of RAM. The phone is fueled by the Kirin 980, same as the other Mate 20 flagships, while the device includes a teardrop display notch. This phone has the same camera setup as the Mate 20 Pro, and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner.

https://youtu.be/6z4KbVfLly0

Huawei Mate X

The Huawei Mate X is the very first foldable smartphone that Huawei announced. This phone became official in February 2019, during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The Huawei Mate X is made out of metal and glass, and it actually folds outwards, which means that nearly half of its display serves as a back side of the phone when the device is folded. When unfolded, the phone has a place to grip it on one side, a protrusion where its cameras are located.

The Huawei Mate X features an 8-inch 2480 x 2200 OLED display when unfolded, while you end up with a 6.6-inch panel when the device is folded. The phone includes 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while there are three cameras included on its back. 48, 16, and 8-megapixel cameras (+ToF camera sensor) sit on the back of the Mate X, and on top of them, Huawei included Leica’s lenses. Those three cameras actually serve as front-facing shooters as well. Android 9 Pie comes pre-installed on this smartphone, with the company’s Emotion UI (EMUI) 9.1 Android overlay.