Product test
Two lenses, one sensor: Huawei Pura 80 Ultra tested
by Jan Johannsen
Huawei Mate X7 review: Google apps easily accessible at last
29/1/2026
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Huawei’s latest foldable takes nice photos and stands out with its design. And installing Google apps is now easier than ever.
Huawei smartphones over the past few years have been like sports cars without an ignition key: nice to look at, technically impressive – but unusable for most people due to the lack of Google services.
The new Mate X7 has removed this obstacle in large part. The foldable doesn’t just score with high-end cameras and a premium design – you can finally download Google Maps and the like without needing a degree in computer science!
Software: installing Google is finally easier
Huawei isn’t allowed to offer Google services directly. Until now, you had to use a workaround to install them on your phone. Huawei has now significantly simplified the process, paving the way for Gmail, Google Maps and more.
You can now download Aurora Store, an alternative app store, directly from the Huawei App Gallery. After granting it installation permissions, you can install all future apps straight from Aurora Store. Whether it’s the SBB app, e-banking or Spotify – installing apps works without hicks. Apps from Aurora Store also take the form factor into account, allowing you to game using the full inner display or prop the phone half-folded on a table. With the latter option, you can also watch YouTube on the upper screen only.
All that being said, you’ll need to tidy up some of the preinstalled apps. Huawei not only provides its own app store, but also a proprietary browser, e-mail app and the like. On top of that, you’re saddled with way more bloatware (like Temu) than I’d like.
The Mate X7 runs on Huawei’s EMUI 15.0. Huawei was forced to part ways with Android some time ago. The operating system is still based on Android, but no longer on the latest versions. Little is known about the period of guaranteed updates. Under EU regulation, Huawei must provide at least four years of software updates.
The AI features aren’t pushed on you as aggressively as I’ve come to expect from other manufacturers. On that note, there are a couple of handy tools for editing images. One thing stands out: they don’t have that annoying lag I’ve come to expect. When I want to remove an object from an image, I click on it – and it’s immediately gone. Mind you, the results are nowhere near what you get with Samsung, but decent enough for smaller edits.
Display and design: very slick
With the Mate X7, Huawei has opted for extravagance. The reddish-brown faux leather back feels premium and is resistant to fingerprints. The camera module is the dominant design element.
I like the design overall, except for the heavily rounded edges. Still, the smartphone sits comfortably in my hand. The included case matches the colours of the back and hinge and barely adds any bulk. The rotating kickstand is a nice touch. It lets me prop up the foldable horizontally or vertically.
Size-wise, the Huawei Mate X7 lies between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The displays are roughly the same size on all three – around 8 inches inside and about 6.5 inches outside.
Both the inner and outer displays on the Mate X7 are OLED panels with an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 hertz. Depending on how you use it, the device saves power while still providing smooth scrolling. Both displays deliver rich colours and deep blacks. With a peak brightness of 1,200 nits (at brief moments up to 3,000 nits), everything is easy to read, even in bright sunlight.
The smartphone is IP59 certified, meaning it’s protected against small amounts of dust and prolonged immersion in fresh water.
The hinge is on par with the competition and feels solidly built. It opens and closes well; it doesn’t feel like you have to force it open, and there’s no wobble.
Hardware: processing power could be better
Huawei equips the Mate X7 with its own chip – the Kirin 9030 Pro. In benchmarks, it performs worse than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Opening and using apps is smooth. I didn’t notice any shortcomings in everyday use.
That changes when gaming. My benchmark game, Genshin Impact, only runs smoothly at low graphics settings. At this price point, that’s a real let-down. On the huge 8-inch panel, the Mate X7 could have been the ultimate handheld gaming device. Unfortunately, the Kirin chip puts the brakes on the fun.
The Mate X7 comes with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of memory for apps and data. That’s a lot – and a good thing, too, as there’s no microSD slot.
Despite its sizeable 5,600 mAh battery, the Mate X7 is no endurance fiend. With a runtime of around 11 to 12 hours when folded, it performs better than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, but overall sits in the middle of the pack. The upside is its fast charging: at 66 watts, the battery gets back to 100 per cent in under an hour. Wirelessly, it charges at 50 watts.
Cameras: high dynamic range
Huawei pulls out all the stops with the cameras. Thanks to HDR technology, the main camera captures extreme contrasts without losing detail in shadows or blowing out highlights. The sharpness is typical Huawei – sometimes a touch too much – but the dynamic range is impressive.
- Main camera: 50 MP, HDR (f1.49)
- Ultra-wide angle: 40 MP (f2.2)
- Telephoto and macro camera: 50 MP (f2.2) with 3.5x optical zoom
- Outer selfie camera: 8 MP (f2.4)
- Inner selfie camera: 8 MP (f2.2)
The main camera consistently takes pretty photos. In dim indoor settings, the quality remains good. Even at night, it delivers solid results.
The ultra-wide camera also delivers very good photos. This is likely down to pixel binning, where the device combines multiple pixels into one. This improves image quality in low light, but reduces the resolution to 12 megapixels. That said, colours are slightly punchier on the ultra-wide, which I personally prefer in the tested scenarios.
When it comes to selfies, I notice stark differences, which doesn’t surprise me given the specs. The outer selfie camera delivers a very punchy result. I especially like the photo where my pink hair really pops. With the main camera, the images are less saturated, but I like the more muted look as well.
The foldable automatically detects when you flip the phone and switches to the outer mode.
The telephoto camera delivers good results both in terms of macro shots and at up to 3.5x zoom. At 10x zoom, small text is actually more legible, albeit with some compromises in quality. From there all the way up to 100x zoom, things quickly go south.
In a nutshell
An elegant camera-focused foldable
The Huawei Mate X7 is a premium piece of tech that stands out above all with its quality camera. The fact that Huawei has made Google apps easily accessible through Aurora Store is a plus – it makes the device feel almost like a «normal» smartphone. If you enjoy photography and value a snappy display as well as fast charging, the Mate X7 could be the right choice for you.
However, the performance of the Kirin chip clouds the overall picture for power users. If you want to enjoy graphically demanding games like Genshin Impact on a large screen, you’ll be disappointed. At this price point, the lacking performance is hard to swallow.
Ultimately, the Mate X7 remains a device for individualists who love the distinctive folding design and are willing to accept compromises in processing power. Huawei is also too vague when it comes to the update period.
Currently, only the Mate X6 is available in our shop. With this predecessor model, you still have to deal with cumbersome workarounds for Google apps. If performance is more important to you than the camera, I recommend going for a different foldable. Samsung, Google and Honor all offer solid options.
Pro
- Snappy, bright OLED displays
- Powerful main camera with high dynamic range
- Simpler workaround for Google services
- Fast charging (66 watts wired/50 watts wireless)
- Handy kickstand case included
Contra
- Weak GPU performance
- Lots of bloatware
- Imprecise AI image editing compared to the competition
Header image: Michelle Brändle
Ever since I learned how to hold a pen, I've been doodling away in bright colours. Thanks to my iPad, digital art has also become part of my life. That's why I love testing tablets – from the graphic design range to the regular kind. When I feel the urge to express my creativity without lugging lots of equipment, I go for the latest smartphones and start snapping away.
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