With the introduction of true foldable smartphones at the MWC Barcelona, South Korean giant Samsung and Chinese technology player Huawei have revolutionised the future of handheld devices.Huawei "Mate X" is a 5G-enabled foldable smartphone that costs 2,299 euros whereas Samsung kept the option of 5G capability in its $2,000 4G "Galaxy Fold" which could be put to use as and when 5G rolls out. 

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According to Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu, Mate X is the fastest 5G phone backed by the Balong 5000 modem. Samsung did not reveal modem specifications for Galaxy Fold in particular. 

With a total of six cameras, "Galaxy Fold" comes with the world`s first 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display that folds inwards into a compact device. On the other hand, Huawei`s foldable device features a dual-sided flexible OLED panel and a falcon wing mechanical hinge that bends outwards and converts the 6.6-inch FullView display of the smartphone into an 8-inch tablet. 

For PC-like powerful performance, running Android 9.0 Pie, Galaxy Fold comes equipped with a high-powered, next-generation application processor (AP) chipset and 12GB of RAM while Mate X is fuelled by the company-owned Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled Kirin 980 processor. 

In terms of battery, "Galaxy Fold" hosts two 3,100mAh batteries that makes the device capable of charging itself and a second device simultaneously via "Wireless PowerShare" technology while connected to a regular charger. 

The Huawei device sports a 4,500mAh dual battery with several industry-first features including a new superfast charging capability that claims to reach 85 per cent battery in just 30 minutes.

Both the expensive foldable devices come with a massive 512GB internal storage. Galaxy Fold and Mate X 5G come with 12GB and 8GB RAM, respectively. 

Samsung will ship the first million units of 4G Galaxy Fold globally starting April, the availability of Mate X in India will depend on the 5G network provisions. 

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Huawei has specified that the company is not planning to bring a 4G version of the Mate X anytime soon. The device is likely to hit the shelves in mid-2019.

Although India is targeting 2020 for 5G roll-out, the country is yet to allocate 5G spectrum to operators even for 5G trial of use cases.