Huawei will launch the folding P50 Pocket (and P50 Pro) globally

Last year we got several good looks at Huawei’s Chinese smartphone launch roster. The P50 Pro and the new folding P50 Pocket were arguably the most interesting of the lot. The problem was, launch anywhere outside China was doubtful.

Well, not anymore. Huawei has revealed that the P50 Pro and Pocket are getting international releases. Initial countries are limited to the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand France, Italy and Portugal, but more countries will be revealed at a later date.

In Huawei’s Pocket

Just when that date is, and whether South Africa is one of the new countries, isn’t known. Yet. But we’re hopeful, if only to see what Huawei’s P50 Pocket looks like stacked against Samsung’s Flip 3. As with Samsung’s handset, the Pocket is a true clamshell design. That means no proper exterior display when it’s folded. Just the camera bump and a small circular space for notifications.

Inside, there’s a 6.9in, 2,700 x 1,228 flexible display that runs at 120Hz. It supports 1.07. billion colours and the P3 wide colour gamut, a point Huawei absolutely loves to hammer on about. There’s a Snapdragon 888 inside, but it’s lacking 5G. Which is a little weird, but okay. The Pocket can be specced with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, but a local launch probably involves a serious lack of choice in that regard. And that might be a good thing.

See, pricing for the P50 Pocket starts at €1,300, which is about R22,500 in South Africa before any of our markups are taken into account. It’ll likely make the Pocket more expensive than the Galaxy Z Flip 3. That might be fine if you’re a Huawei stan, but you have to know that Google services aren’t present on this handset, or on the P50 Pro.

Time to go Pro?

What the P50 Pro does have is a 6.6in 120Hz display and a resolution of 2,700 x 1,228. It has the same colour range as the Pocket, and also packs the same 4G Snapdragon 888 processor. There’s 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an IP68 rating for the phone, so it should handle itself on the power and feature fronts. It’s just the software that’s an issue.

Huawei may make up for it a little with the camera loadout. There’s a 50MP True-Chroma main sensor, a 40MP monochrome option, a 64MP telephoto, a 13MP ultra-wide to play with around the back, and another 13MP camera on the front end. 66W fast-charging is present, if you’ve got the charge block for it.

The price? €1,200, or a little under R20,800. But that’s not official for SA. Huawei might go a little higher, or come in a little lower, if these devices are launched in the country. We should have confirmation in a couple of weeks, so stick around.