Huawei’s foldable P50 Pocket has a round exterior display screen that’s excellent for notifications

Huawei has formally introduced the P50 Pocket, a clamshell-style folding smartphone that has a round, 1-inch exterior show for fast entry to notifications and widgets. The system launches in China as we speak, although US sanctions (which imply Huawei can’t use key tech like Google’s Android OS) imply the P50 Pocket received’t make any impression within the West.

Huawei teased the handset earlier this month with a photoshoot centered on the P50 Pocket Premium Edition that appeared in Harper’s Bazaar China. This model of the system was created with Dutch designer Iris van Herpen. It has a gold or silver end, and a 3D sample on the outside floor that’s typical of van Herpen’s work, resembling feathers or leaves.

When unfolded, the Pocket’s OLED display screen is 6.9-inches in dimension, with a 21:9 ratio and 120Hz refresh fee. The system weighs 190 grams and is simply 7.2mm thick (Huawei in contrast it to the iPhone 13 Pro Max which weighs 238 grams and is 7.65mm thick). It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G SoC, a 4,000mAh battery, and runs Huawei’s Harmony OS 2.

The P50 Pocket’s principal digicam array has a 40-megapixel principal sensor, 13-megapixel extensive angle lens, and 32-megapixel “super spectrum” lens which Huawei says captures a larger vary of colour. There’s a hole-punch digicam constructed into the primary show, however Huawei notes that the cellphone’s foldable design makes it extra handy to make use of the primary digicam for taking selfies, with the 1-inch cowl display screen doubling up as a viewfinder.

Huawei is positioning that very same “cover screen” as an enormous a part of the P50 Pocket’s enchantment. As effectively as displaying notifications or the time, the display screen can be utilized for widgets, letting customers management music, observe instructions, and so forth. So, for instance, if you happen to’re utilizing your cellphone to navigate in a brand new metropolis, the quilt display screen will present discreet, turn-by-turn instructions, fairly than forcing you to open up the big 6.9-inch principal show to test your place.

The P50 Pocket additionally has a brand new hinge which leaves zero hole between the screens when folded. This compares favorably to units just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, which is one other clamshell however has a slight tapering hole when folded. The P50 Pocket additionally has face unlock on each the primary and canopy display screen, and a side-mounted fingerprint unlock sensor — useful when many individuals are nonetheless generally carrying masks in the course of the pandemic.

A normal version of the P50 Pocket has gone on sale in China as we speak with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for ¥8,988 (round $1,400), whereas the premium model, with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, sells for ¥10,988 (round $1,700). The normal version is on the market in black and white, whereas the premium version is available in silver or gold.

During a presentation, the CEO of Huawei’s client enterprise group, Richard Yu stated the clamshell design supplied a extra refined tackle folding units. “It’s very delicate and exquisite,” stated Yu. “We want to bring elegance to you, on the go.”