While Samsung and Motorola have already delivered clamshell foldables, Huawei decided to wait a bit longer (about 2 years) before it felt ready to enter the space. The P50 Pocket which originally launched in China back in December has now made its way internationally and we got a review unit here at HQ. While our team is busy working on the full review let’s take a look at what’s so special about the P50 Pocket in this quick hands-on.
First stop – design. P50 Pocket has its own look and feel which sets it apart from the other clamshell foldables we’ve come across. Huawei went with its own 3D structured glass design which has grooves laid out in a pattern that makes it feel more premium and also helps with the grip.
You can see the two ring design of the P50 series is carried over here with the bottom circle housing the cameras setup while the one above it has the 1-inch OLED outer screen. P50 Pocket is both taller and a bit wider than the Z Flip3. The box includes a two-piece plastic case, 40W charger and cable.
Flipping the device open reveals a massive 6.9-inch FHD+ OLED display with a tall 21:9 aspect ratio. This is the largest screen fitted on a foldable of this type and its pretty remarkable how Huawei managed to achieve all this without a visible gap in the middle thanks to its proprietary hinge mechanism.
The refresh rate is a snappy 120Hz which makes everything feel zippy and smooth. The outside circle screen is also quite handy as it can display detailed app information from third-party apps with its own service widgets allowing for QR codes, music players and even maps navigation.
While we’re here let’s examine the cameras – you get a 40MP main cam with a 26mm equivalent lens alongside a 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide snapper and a 32MP f/1.8 ultra spectrum camera which should boost color rendering. That’s a potent combo on paper though it would have been even better if a telephoto module was somehow fitted.
Huawei went with last year’s flagship Snapdragon 888 (limited to 4G speeds) and paired it with 8GB RAM and 256/512GB storage depending on which trim you go for. The software front is covered by EMUI 12 which looks and functions just like the P50 Pro.
On the battery front we have a 4,000 mAh cell which charges at 40W speeds both aspects which are ahead of rival clamshell foldables. That’s all we have for now but stay tuned for our full review which will cover all the details.
