So far, 2019 has not been a good year for folding phones so far. After the Samsung Galaxy Fold encountered problems with its screen after units were passed to reviewers and was subsequently delayed, it looks like Huawei has to delay their upcoming Mate X folding phone.

Announced in February and due to launch by June, Huawei can’t seem to catch a break as the US export ban in May is hitting hard on its phone, laptop and telecommunications business. The original launch date was to be sometime in June but the new date hinted at is September.

However, a spokesperson from the company said the reason for the delay of the Mate X has nothing to do with the export ban. Instead, the company is “cautious” following the debacle Samsung faced with its Galaxy Fold and Huawei “doesn’t want to a launch a product to destroy their reputation.”

Talk about a sick burn by Huawei. In all seriousness, the future of Huawei’s smartphone business has come into question even though it plans to address this with a ‘plan B’ i.e. developing its own mobile operating system to compete with Android.  But it remains to be seen if this alternative operating system will be its saving grace and alleviate the worries of consumers whether they should buy a new Huawei smartphone in the future.

Only time will tell.