Samsung's Galaxy Fold 2 may face increased competition from Huawei's upcoming foldable phone, possibly the Mate X2.

This is based on Huawei's newly discovered patent (PDF), rendered by LetsGoDigital; it was just awarded in April 2020, but this application was filed in July 2019, so Huawei had time to work on improving this design, have had ample time to build a physical prototype.

Huawei's Mate X and Mate Xs feature a unique "falcon wing" design, where the integrated display wraps around the outside of the device when folded. However, Samsung, Motorola, and other foldable phones have opted for a more bookish approach, hiding the main display inside the fold.

Of particular note here is the camera. Only one is visible on the front next to the outer display, and there is no sign of a punch hole or notch on the inside; the Mate X had only one camera array that could be either a front or rear camera, depending on how it was held.

The sensors themselves are four in total, one more than on the Mate X. The bottom lens is square shaped, most likely a new periscope zoom lens, and the fourth is most likely a time-of-flight sensor. We speculate this because the recently released Huawei P40 Pro also has a zoom sensor in this shape, which uses a mirror to reduce the height of the camera while still allowing for a higher quality optical zoom.

Note that patents are not a reliable indicator of a company's future direction. Many companies claim rights to ideas they may never use, and even if one of these ideas is created, it could still be years before we see it in a retail product.

However, there are some supporting factors. Huawei's new foldable is expected to arrive this October, along with the Mate 40, the successor to the Huawei Mate 30.

Samsung's Galaxy Fold 2 is the Korean company's second attempt at a large foldable device. After the problems that plagued the original Galaxy Fold after the Galaxy Z Flip was well received earlier this year, this time it is likely to nail it, and will also add new features like a 120Hz refresh rate display and S Pen Stylus.