Huawei rolled out a bit of a surprise this week at the tail end of an event meant to reveal two new phones: A third device, a 7.2-inch smartphone, that the company president said is “the best portable mobile gaming machine” on the market, including the Nintendo Switch. “Today we also want to bring you one more big thing,” Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG said as he held up the Mate 20 X. “We bring you an extra display, extra power and also extra performance.” After walking through the device’s display, design, and battery life, Yu began discussing how much better mobile games are on the device comparing it to other phones like the Galaxy Note9. The device also features both a vapor chamber and graphene film designed to work together to keep the phone’s chips working more efficiently at lower temperatures. After announcing that the phone would also support a gamepad add-on, which clips onto one end of the phone and features a d-pad and thumbstick, he brought up a massive image showing the Mate 20 X alongside the Nintendo Switch. Compared to the Nintendo Switch, he said, the Mate 20 X has a larger screen, 7.2-inch, higher resolution, 1080p, and a larger battery, 5,000mAh. You can read about the full specs of the phone here. Huawei is just the latest smartphone manufacturer to jump into the quickly expanding gaming phone market. Both Asus and Razer has phones designed specifically for gaming on the go, and Apple and Samsung both talked about the strengths of gaming on their decides during the products’ roll-out. Variety spoke with a number of companies about this growing niche earlier this year. Later this month, we’ll delve into some of the best gaming smartphones on the market with an in-depth hands-on with a collection of phones including the ROG Phone and Razer Phone 2.<doc-sep>Huawei Boasts Their New Phone Is Better Than The Switch Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei debuted three new products at a launch event yesterday. The Mate 20 is a slick flagship phone that checks all the existing boxes and then some. Then there’s the Mate 20 Pro, a slightly bigger and even more powerful version of the base phone. And finally, the Mate 20 X, gaming focused phone which Huawei ridiculously positioned as a superior competitor to Nintendo’s Switch. They even showed side-by-side comparisons on stage to prove it. When Richard Yu. the Huawei executive in charge of its smartphone, PC, and tablet business showed a slide comparing the two, people in the audience laughed. Yu also chuckled. Huawei says their new tablet is a "better portable game machine" than Switch pic.twitter.com/OoxQ7pUVip — AllGamesDelta (@AllGamesDelta_) October 16, 2018 He hyped the Mate 20 X on stage not just for its apparent superior cooling technology (gaming makes smartphones get notoriously hot) but also for all the ways it’s apparently better than the Switch. For instance, he pointed out that the Mate 20 X has a 18cm screen as opposed to the Switch’s 15cm one. The Mate 20 X is 1080p whereas the Switch is only 720p in handheld mode. According to Yu, the Mate 20 X’s battery life is also twice that of the Switch’s. But that’s not all! What really makes the Mate 20 X a Switch-killer is apparently it’s gamepad add-on which includes an analogue stick and d-pad and attaches onto the left side of the phone. Screenshot: Huawei, YouTube Look familiar? Image: Nintendo Yea, it’s basically a glorified version of the 3DS’s circle pad pro attachment. Yu was generous not to mention that Switch still only has access to one app, Hulu, and you can’t even make calls on it. Of course, there are two differences between the devices that matter more than anything else: the Mate 20 X costs about $US1,000 ($1,401) (the Switch sells for $469) and doesn’t play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey. As far as its competition among other gaming smartphones, however, it’s harder to say. Razer recently launched the Razer Phone 2 which includes its own vapour cooling chamber and comes in at $US800 ($1,121). Razer’s also selling a separate controller attachment for the device, but it’s basically an Xbox controller with a spot to mount the phone than a Joy-Con-lite. Screenshot: Asus And then there’s Asus’ ROG Phone, which is the most ridiculous looking of them all. It comes in with 8GB of RAM and a price tag of approximately $US1,160 ($1,625). It’s controller attachments are the most like the Switch’s though, just smaller and boxier than the Joy-Con. Asus pitched it as the best phone to play PUBG on, and they may be right, even if it does cost as much as a very nice PC gaming rig. As easy as it is to laugh at all of these smartphone manufacturers trying to ape the Switch’s success, however, it doesn’t seem entirely foolish. With Google, Microsoft, and other companies all pushing forward into the brave new world of video gaming streaming, smartphone gaming feels poised for an evolution. An expensive smartphone with all the bells and whistles might seem like overkill for Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition or even Fortnite, but being able to stream Forza Horizon 4 or the next Halo game to it in the future makes it a lot more tempting.<doc-sep>Huawei is a titan of the tech world and after squaring off against the likes of Samsung and Apple, it’s going for Nintendo. The Chinese company compared its new gaming phone, the Huawei Mate 20 X, to a Nintendo Switch at a global event in London this week. Skating neatly over the fact it doesn’t have access to the likes of Mario or Zelda, the Huawei phone is indeed a powerhouse gadget built for gaming. Huawei compares its new phone to the Nintendo Switch (Image: Huawei) There’s a 7.2-inch screen with a 1080p OLED display compared to the 6.2-inch 720p screen on the Nintendo. Huawei also showed off a little clip-on accessory that gives the phone physical controls so gamers don’t have to rely on a touchscreen. A bit like one of Nintendo’s Joy-Cons. REALLY, Huawei? Throwing shade at Nintendo? pic.twitter.com/WoK8EQ4vHh — Joshua Vergara (@jvtechtea) October 16, 2018 DID HUAWEI JUST COMPARED THEMSELVES TO NINTENDO???? — Keegs (@ItsJustKeegs) October 16, 2018 Huawei being a complete joke comparing its Smartphone to a Nintendo Switch, and they actually think the Smartphone is better. pic.twitter.com/vi1NhTiwnc — FakeSlurpuff (@FakeSlurpuff) October 16, 2018 Part of the reason the Huawei Mate 20 X is so gigantic is that there’s a 5,000mAh battery tucked inside it. For comparison, the iPhone XS has a 2658mAh battery. However, for all Huawei’s bravado in taking on Nintendo, we can’t really see the clutch of games available on Android’s Google Play store outshining some of the recent gems on the Switch. The Mate 20 X also has a stylus (Image: Huawei) The other thing to bear in mind is the price. Huawei hasn’t yet revealed the UK pricing for the Mate 20 X, but the European pricing is listed as €899 – roughly £790 compared to the Switch which can be had for £280. The Mate 20 X was one variant of several other Mate 20 devices announced at the event alongside a new smartwatch and a wireless charging pad.<doc-sep>
Nintendo dominated the portable gaming market for many, many years. Time and time again, companies have tried to come out with products that rival Nintendo’s handheld devices. While some competing products have succeeded (Sony PSP, for instance), none have been able to knock Nintendo off its throne. Chinese telecommunications company Huawei thinks it has a Nintendo Switch kingslayer in the Huawei Mate 20 X, a gaming phone that was revealed during a Huawei event. During the surprise reveal, Huawei’s president made a rather bold proclamation, calling the Mate 20 X “the best portable gaming machine.” He proceeded to show the Mate 20 X and the Switch side by side to explain. You can watch the reveal event here (go to the 1 hour, 53 minute, 20 second mark to see and hear the comparison). The Mate 20 X has a 7.2 inch OLED screen with 1080p resolution. That is better than the 6.2-inch 720p LCD screen the Switch boasts. The phone also has 6.67 hours of battery life. Huawei claimed the Switch only had 3.03 hours of battery life, which is mostly true for intensive games, but the Switch can get in the five-to-six-hour range when playing less elaborate games. The Mate 20 X also has an attachable gamepad (sold separately) that has a thumbstick and D-pad but no face buttons. Based on the specs listed on Huawei’s site, the Mate 20 X is indeed more powerful than the average smartphone. Additionally, from a surface-level comparison, it has better specs than the Switch. There are obvious downsides to the Mate 20 X though. First, its astronomical cost. It will go for just north of $1,000, which means it’s more than 300 percent more expensive than the $300 Switch. Of course, you also have to pay your monthly bill for text, calls, and data usage with the Mate 20 X. Smartphones are inherently more expensive than dedicated gaming devices like the Switch. That’s a given, really. The real question here is the software. The Mate 20 X is an Android device, which means Android gaming. While there is no denying mobile games have evolved over the years to feature some truly great experiences, the potential library simply doesn’t compare to the first- and third-party options available on Switch. Huawei’s strong statement about having the “best portable gaming machine” is naturally a marketing tactic, but the Switch should be safe here. Still, it will be interesting to see how the Mate 20 X performs. Smartphones specifically tailored toward gamers could become an actual threat down the line, provided that software support improves and prices drop. Editors' Recommendations