The Chinese company already offers what could be considered the most powerful and premium foldable currently out there – the Mate X2 – but this is something different. Similar to Samsung’s Z Fold and Z Flip dual foldable strategy, the P50 Pocket takes a fashion-forward approach, without skimping on standout hardware. If you want to know what we think of the phone, then read our P50 Pocket review to find out – or just watch us review it on this episode of our weekly podcast Fast Charge. Otherwise, carry on reading to find out everything you need to know about the Pocket’s price, availability, and specs.
When does the Huawei P50 Pocket release globally?
Huawei officially unveiled the P50 Pocket in China on 23 December 2021, where it’s on sale now. Originally thought to be a Chinese exclusive, as of 26 January 2022 the phone has in fact now been given an international release alongside the Huawei P50 Pro, rolling out across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America – though don’t expect it to ever officially reach the US.
How much is the Huawei P50 Pocket?
Now that the P50 Pocket has launched worldwide, we have international pricing for the phone, which comes in two variants:
P50 Pocket: €1,299 (around £1,100/$1,450)P50 Pocket Premium Edition: €1,599 (around £1,350/$1,800)
The regular edition comes in a white finish (as well as a China-only black model) with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The Premium Edition comes in a special gold finish, designed in collaboration with Iris Van Herpen, but also offers a spec bump up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The most prominent competitor to the P50 Pocket is Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3, though it may be joined by a new Motorola Razr later this year. Samsung has worked hard to refine the hardware and cost of its foldable clamshell, with 2021’s Z Flip 3 clocking in at a surprisingly competitive £949/€1,049/$999. As such, even the base model P50 Pocket is priced higher than the Z Flip 3, positioned as a premium, design-led entry in Huawei’s foldable line-up.
What are the Huawei P50 Pocket specs?
The P50 Pocket sports a similar design to the P50 Pro, with two circular elements on the outer face: one plays host to the Pocket’s main triple “Ultra Spectrum Camera Matrix”, while the other features a circular 1.04in touch cover display that, like the Razr and Z Flip before it, shows things like the time, notifications and can operate as a camera viewfinder.
The display is a 6.9in OLED which supports up to 120Hz refresh rate. The ‘Multi-Dimensional Hinge’ is designed to lift the screen as it folds, in theory reducing how visible and noticeable the central display crease is. That unusual rear camera setup is led by a 40Mp main camera, which Huawei calls a ‘True-Chroma’ sensor. It’s backed up by a 13Mp 120° ultrawide sensor and a 32Mp ‘Ultra Spectrum Camera’, along with a ’10-Channel Multi-Spectrum Sensor’ and ‘Ultra Spectrum Illuminator’. There’s a lot of technical jargon there, but essentially Huawei claims that this camera can capture and record a larger colour range than most rivals, producing richer, more vibrant, and more accurate images at the end of it all. This system also offers an unusual sunscreen mode, which can highlight where sunscreen has and hasn’t been applied to your face more clearly. It’s a little unexpected but you can see the appeal. Beyond the camera, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 888, but a 4G version of the chip, as Huawei remains banned from buying certain 5G components. The battery is 4000mAh – larger than Samsung has squeezed into its Z Flip phones – and the 40W wired charging is also pretty nippy. It is a shame there’s no wireless charging however. As for software, sadly this will of course ship without support for the suite of Google apps or Google Mobile Services. Here’s the full Huawei P50 Pocket spec sheet, based on the device being released in China:
Folding 6.9in 21:9 Full HD+ OLED display120Hz refresh rate1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming300Hz touch sampling rate442ppi pixel densityCircular 1.04in 340×340 60Hz OLED cover displayQualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G SoC8GB or 12GB RAM256GB or 512GB storageRear cameras:40Mp f/1.8 “True Chroma” primary camera13Mp f/2.2 120° ultrawide camera32Mp f/1.8 “Ultra Spectrum” camera“10-Channel Multi-Spectrum Sensor”Laser autofocus10.7Mp f/2.2 hole-punch selfie cameraEMUI 12Side-mounted fingerprint sensorFace unlockUSB-CDual-SIMBluetooth 5.2NFC4000mAh battery40W fast charging190 grams170mm (unfolded)/87.3mm (folded) x 75.5mm x 7.2mm (unfolded)/15.2mm (folded)Colours: White, Premium Gold
