Take two: Huawei has second try at folding phone

Huawei is having a second try at folding phones.

The Mate XS was unveiled Monday (February 24).

It's got a stronger screen and improved hinge compared to its predecessor.

The Chinese phonemaker hopes that will convince consumers to try the new design.

It will go head-to-head with Samsung's folding handset, unveiled earlier this month.

But with Huawei still facing U.S. restrictions, the Mate will lack the full, licensed version of Google's Android operating system.

Its launch was livestreamed from Barcelona.

This week it should have been hosting Mobile World Congress.

That's the phone industry's big event of the year.

But the 2020 installment was canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus.

The coming days should still see a blizzard of new product launches though.

On Monday morning Sony was among the first out of the gate.

The confusingly named Xperia 1 II is its first 5G smartphone.

It's intended to help the Japanese maker close the gap with the market's bigger players.