Due to the peculiarities of the technology, as well as its relative newness, foldable smartphones usually cost significantly more than classic flagships. Nevertheless, it is impossible to say that for their 100+ thousand rubles they offer an exclusively premium experience. Huawei decided to fix it. Brilliant edges, elegant pattern, top-end cameras… Let’s see if Huawei P50 Pocket managed to fill this niche.
Design
One of the most unusual smartphones
Let’s start right away with the trump cards of the device. The body of Huawei P50 is made of glass and metal, polished to a high gloss, which gives a unique tactile experience. The smartphone not only looks premium, but it also feels like it. True, the smooth surface has one drawback: the P50 Pocket strives to slip out of your hands, which, given the complexity of the glass surface, can seriously hit the budget.
By the way, about the lid – as you can see, it has a pattern on it. He here is not just hiding under the glass, as is usually the case, but protrudes above the surface of the smartphone. Personally, it evokes associations with expensive crystal for me. Considering how the back of the P50 Pocket gleams in the sun, sometimes reminiscent of chromed metal, there are no words to describe it other than “wow”.
It is also impossible not to note the design of the camera module and the additional display. Both in this case have a round shape, which looks quite bold, but obviously not for everyone. In my opinion, those circles on the back definitely add personality to the smartphone.
In terms of usability, the P50 Pocket brings nothing new. When folded, this is a rather plump design (15.2 mm), when unfolded, it is a thin smartphone (7.2 mm). I would like to point out only two things. Firstly, the bundled plastic case turned out to be even more slippery than the device itself, which is why I question the safety of its use. Secondly, the hinge of the device does not reach the current generation of analogues from competitors. The fact is that in addition to the completely closed position, it is not fixed in any other, which is why the smartphone feels flimsy when unfolded. After Samsung clamshells, here I lacked rigidity.
Display
Quality OLED and 120Hz
The main display of Huawei P50 Pocket has a diagonal of 6.9 inches and a resolution of 2790 × 1188 pixels. Together with the presence of 120 Hz, excellent colors and decent brightness, we can confidently say that the screen here meets flagship standards. Traditionally, Huawei emphasizes the work done to reduce the PWM level. According to my measurements, the flickering of the display is really at a decent level: a maximum of 16.4% (the lower the better) was noted at the lowest brightness – this is especially impressive against the background of competitors, flagship smartphones that have this value exceeded 100%.
In addition to the main display, the Huawei P50 Pocket also has an external one, which is needed to control the smartphone when folded. It has few functions, but this is enough for comfortable use. In particular, it can be used to watch the weather, events on the calendar, as well as take selfies and switch tracks. The wallpaper and color of the external display can be changed.
Iron
Snapdragon 888 and 12 GB of RAM
The smartphone is based on a bunch of Snapdragon 888 processor and 12 GB of RAM. Despite the fact that a new generation of flagship chipsets from Qualcomm has already been released, the 888-I is still one of the most powerful solutions on the market. This is felt both in everyday work and in games at maximum settings. The smartphone literally flies in the hands of the owner, which is only complemented by the high frequency of reading the sensor.
However, the lack of Google services can stop users from unrestrained gaming. Some games (such as Genshin Impact) are still not in the AppGallery app store. Of course, this is a matter of habit, and perhaps someone is already used to using devices on HarmonyOS, but such digital asceticism is still new to me, so I could not help focusing on this.
Camera
Reference quality from all cameras
On the back of the Huawei P50 Pocket are 3 cameras:
- the main one is 40 megapixels with an aperture of f / 1.8;
- ultra wide-angle 13 megapixels with f / 2.2 aperture;
- 32MP Ultra Spectrum Depth Sensor.
Let’s start, as expected, with the main one. The main camera of the smartphone takes sharp pictures with the right white balance and accurate HDR performance in absolutely any conditions, whether it is bright sunshine or a dimly lit room. At the same time, even during shooting in night mode, Huawei P50 Pocket does not think for a few seconds – the whole process takes a matter of moments. Separately, I praise the moderate work of algorithms that do not destroy the details in the photo, adding sharpness, but only imperceptibly improve them. Against the background of the iPhone 13 with its ruthless Deep Fusion, these shots look much more detailed. In general, the camera here is a solid five.
Huawei has another reason to be proud – ultra-wide. Without a twinge of conscience, I will say that this is the best ultra-wide-angle module in smartphones at the moment among those that I have ever tested. In addition to the almost complete absence of blurring of the edges in the photo and excellent color reproduction, which here does not differ at all from the main module, the camera boasts autofocus. The presence of the latter allows you to take pictures at close range (for example, a night photo with a laptop).
Finally, a selfie. The 10.7 megapixel front camera has a wide viewing angle and good sharpness, but even this fades against the background of the ability to take portraits on the main module using an external screen as a viewfinder. In this mode of use (the last shot in the gallery above), the quality of the selfie goes to a new level.
autonomy
4000 mAh for the sake of a thin body
Trashbox.ru battery test results:
27:47
26:19
24:54
23:29
23:10
19:30
19:10
19:07
17:07
15:25
14:18
13:45
13:03
13:00
11:31
11:28
11:21
11:08
10:27
10:18
9:32
All battery test results and test methodology description
Huawei P50 Pocket is definitely not a champion in terms of autonomy, but it still outperforms its main competitor in the form of Z Flip 3 from Samsung in this field. In the Trashbox.ru battery test, the smartphone lasted 11 hours, which is 2 hours more than the opponent. However, when comparing the device with rigid flagships, the result will clearly not be in favor of Huawei. In simple words, the average users of the P50 Pocket will most likely live until the evening, but the active ones will not.
I am glad that the smartphone comes with a fast 40-watt charger, which replenishes about 65-70% of the charge in just half an hour and finishes off the remaining 30% in the same amount of time. It’s disappointing that this is the only supported standard – Huawei P50 Pocket cannot be charged wirelessly.
Review
After a week of use
Huawei P50 Pocket is a unique smartphone. It gives a feeling of real “premium” and fascinates with its elegance. Of course, most of the flagships on the market are also made of glass and metal, but how many manufacturers pay attention to surface texture? Does anyone do it at all? It should also be noted that powerful hardware and some of the best cameras in smartphones are hidden in a beautiful case – a rare combination. However, there are also disadvantages (perhaps for someone only nit-picking) here: P50 Pocket does not support wireless charging and Google services.
pros
- Unique design with 3D texture.
- Superb main and ultra-wide cameras.
- Powerful hardware suitable for gaming.
- Display without PWM.
- Fast charging included.
Minuses
- Wireless charging is not supported.
- Hinge not tight enough.
Might not like it
- No Google services.
Source: Trash Box
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
