Here's when we might expect the HUAWEI Mate X 2 to launch

After months of delays, the HUAWEI Mate X foldable smartphone launched in China mid-November. Now a new report from DigiTimes claims the phone’s full-blown successor  — presumably called the HUAWEI Mate X 2 — could ship in the second half of 2020.

There’s no info about the hardware specs for the phone, which we are calling the HUAWEI Mate X 2 just for clarity. However, DigiTimes claims the Taiwan-based part suppliers for HUAWEI have already started to make small numbers of the phone’s display as well as its hinge. Mass production of these parts is not expected to happen until H2 2020.

It’s not exactly a shock that the HUAWEI Mate X 2 might be in the works. The company hyped the original phone throughout much of 2019. However, that phone got hit with several delays. One big reason was likely the US trade ban against HUAWEI. The Mate X launched several months after its planned summer 2019 ship date.

HUAWEI consumer business group CEO Richard Yu recently stated a new version of the Mate X would launch in March 2020. The upgraded version, called the Mate XS, would include the faster Kirin 990 processor, an improved hinge, and a “more resistant” screen. Yu added that the phone would be shown off in February during the MWC 2020 trade show. In addition, Yu said it’s possible the Mate X could launch in Europe in the first quarter of 2020. It’s highly unlikely the phone will ever be released in the US, due to Huawei’s troubles with the US government.