Our review of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 3 ranked it on our list of best folding phones for its neat design, solid specs, and decent camera. But if you're looking for something "more luxurious," Huawei may have the answer.
The P50 Pocket, which Huawei teased on Weibo via a photo shoot at Harper's Bazaar China, seems to take the foldable flip phone design and turn it up to 11. The gold-like textured back as well as the circular external screen are attractive.
Just as the Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a small rectangular external screen built into the camera module to display notifications and bits of information, the P50 Pocket's circular display seems to do the same, but looks more flashy and Wear OS reminiscent of the face of a smartwatch.
Huawei's Weibo post, translated from English with the help of Google, seems to suggest that the design is inspired by "the interplay of light and shadow, where everything is symbiotic." I'm not sure if I agree with that hyperbole, but it is certainly eye-catching, and there are hints of symbiosis between the camera module and the external display.
The small display is almost beneath the circular camera module and appears to feature three or four cameras (one of which may be a flash). This follows the design of the Huawei P50's dual circular camera module, only the second module is a screen.
It is unclear how practical this circular external display will be. However, it certainly looks neat and suggests a direction for future foldable cell phones.
One might say that the Huawei P50 Pocket is little more than a slightly flashier version of the Galaxy Z Flip 3. But even small steps in foldable phone design can be intriguing. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is an obvious competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, but it is more compact and suggests a direction for foldable phones.
However, the Huawei P50 is not designed to land in the US, thanks to the Huawei ban in the US. It is also unclear whether it will be available in the UK or Europe, and the Find N is also limited to China.
However, it does show that foldable phones are here to stay, not just a fad. That's not a bad thing, given that foldable phones can increase productivity when on the go. However, devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 3 are still quite thick, so expect to see slimmer, pocketable phones as the technology matures.
And following Huawei's P50 Pocket, the Honor Magic V may join the foldable fray
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