A person uses the Huawei Mate X, the first 5G foldable smartphone from Huawei, during the 17th China Digital Entertainment Expo, also known as ChinaJoy 2019, in Shanghai, in August, 2019. Photo: IC

Huawei's Mate Xs smartphone, the next-generation foldable version of its flagship Mate X, hit the market days ago but customers have found it difficult to purchase, with its price has nearly doubled on second-hand trading platforms.

The product hit t online market on March 5 with a 16,999 yuan ($2,435) price tag, but could be re-served on Huawei Mall, JD.com and Tmall platforms from March 4. 

Reservations have exceeded 1 million units, and the devices available online sold out in a couple of  seconds. 

The Global Times found that prices have risen to 30,000 yuan now, nearly twice Huawei's official price, on some second-hand platforms including xianyu.com. The phone is currently Huawei's most expensive. Its price is set at roughly 2,499 euros (approximately 19,000 yuan) in the European countries.

In addition to its elevated price tag, users have noted the new device has its advantages and disad-vantages.

"The phone is heavy, but it is acceptable," a user surnamed Kong told the Global Times.

The screen is "extremely big", he said. Especially when one watches videos and open files, he or she can see at a glance. The battery goes fast, but it charges fast too. 

Powered by the Kirin 990 5G chipset, the intelligent Multi Window 2 function divides the 8-inch-wide screen into two independent interfaces, and the Dual-Core plus Tiny-Core NPU creates a solid foundation for the explosive development of future AI capabilities, according to Huawei's official website.

The Huawei Mate Xs shortage is due to a problem in the company's supply chain, as the hinge de-sign is very complicated, making the yield low, Xiang Ligang, a veteran industry insider told the Global Times. But he believes the foldable phone will see good sales.