Huawei Pocket 2 is official: A quad-camera flip phone with satellite power to rival Galaxy Z Flip 5
The foldable smartphone market has welcomed another addition, this time from the Chinese company Huawei. Around two years after its predecessor, the P50 Pocket, debuted, the second generation of Huawei's clamshell foldable smartphone, the Huawei Pocket 2, is now here.
The Huawei Pocket 2 features a 6.94-inch foldable OLED inner screen, supporting a 1-120 Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate. It has a maximum screen brightness of 2200 nits.
As with any foldable, you may wonder what the hinge is like. Well, Huawei Pocket 2 features a waterdrop hinge for a seamless fold with no gap. This hinge design not only allows the phone to fold completely flat but also helps minimize the visibility of the screen crease. Huawei claims that even with prolonged use, the screen stays flat and smooth.
The cover screen includes a small 1.15-inch circular display next to the camera island, designed in a dual-circle symmetric pattern. The device is available in four colors: Tahitian Grey, Rococo White, Taro Purple, and Elegant Black.
The Huawei Pocket 2 stands out as the first flip phone to feature four cameras on its exterior. The primary camera on the back of the Pocket 2 is a 50 MP shooter equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and a f/1.6 aperture. The ultra-wide-angle camera boasts a 12 MP sensor and f/2.2 aperture, while the telephoto camera is equipped with an 8 MP sensor, f/2.4 aperture, and OIS. Additionally, the device includes a unique 2 MP hyperspectral camera.
The Huawei Pocket 2 comes with a variety of camera features, including fluorescence photography, super night view, super macro, and more.
The Huawei Pocket 2 runs on HarmonyOS 4, providing a user-friendly experience that allows easy customization of the cover screen. Users can choose various options, such as displaying a clock, setting a mood wallpaper, using a GIF with an animated pet, or even featuring an avatar.
A notable feature of the Huawei Pocket 2 is its support for two-way satellite messaging via Beidou, the Chinese satellite navigation system. This feature enables users to stay connected even in areas without cellular coverage.
Another interesting feature of the Huawei Pocket 2 is its ability to measure UV intensity. This feature allows users to test the ultraviolet intensity when they go outdoors. The external screen displays the intensity of ultraviolet rays in the surrounding environment, providing users with information for better protection when going out.
For convenient control when watching videos from a distance or scrolling through social media, the Huawei Pocket 2 offers a feature where users can wave their hand to slide up or down. This adds a touchless control option for enhanced user experience.
Huawei stopped revealing its chipsets some time ago, but it is believed that the Huawei Pocket 2 is powered by the Kirin 9000S, similar to the Huawei Mate 60 Pro. When it comes to storage and RAM, it offers 12 GB of RAM with storage options of 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB.
The clamshell foldable comes with a sizable 4520mAh battery, supporting 40W wireless charging for the first time. The wired charging is rated at 66W. In comparison, Samsung’s latest clamshell foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 5, features a 3,700mAh battery with support for just 10W wireless charging.
A relatively compact phone like this heats up quickly at these rates, so Huawei is incorporating a Vapor Chamber (VC) conveniently placed in the top half. There are also multiple graphite layers to enhance thermal conductivity.
When it comes to price and availability, things get a bit tricky with Huawei. The Pocket 2 has a starting price of CNY 7,499, which is around $1,040 for the 256GB variant. This price puts Huawei Pocket 2 in the same price range as its main competitors, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Oppo Find N3 Flip.
The Huawei Pocket 2, despite offering features like satellite connectivity, an impressive camera setup (at least on paper), and a substantial battery, could face challenges in competing with other foldable devices due to its limited global availability. For now, it is available only in China, but its availability could be expanded to more countries/regions in the coming months, so stay tuned for updates.
The Huawei Pocket 2 features a 6.94-inch foldable OLED inner screen, supporting a 1-120 Hz LTPO adaptive refresh rate. It has a maximum screen brightness of 2200 nits.
The cover screen includes a small 1.15-inch circular display next to the camera island, designed in a dual-circle symmetric pattern. The device is available in four colors: Tahitian Grey, Rococo White, Taro Purple, and Elegant Black.
Huawei Pocket 2: A look at the camera system
Huawei Pocket 2 quad camera system (Image Credit–Huawei)
The Huawei Pocket 2 stands out as the first flip phone to feature four cameras on its exterior. The primary camera on the back of the Pocket 2 is a 50 MP shooter equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and a f/1.6 aperture. The ultra-wide-angle camera boasts a 12 MP sensor and f/2.2 aperture, while the telephoto camera is equipped with an 8 MP sensor, f/2.4 aperture, and OIS. Additionally, the device includes a unique 2 MP hyperspectral camera.
A hyperspectral camera in a smartphone isn't yet a mainstream feature. The idea of this camera is to capture light across many more spectral bands, providing detailed information beyond just color. Think of it like seeing an object in hundreds of different "lights" instead of just three. Huawei states that the “hyperspectral camera spans the spectrum and captures the beauty of invisible light.”
Huawei Pocket 2: A feature-packed experience
Huawei Pocket 2 cover screen interfaces (Image Credit–Huawei)
The Huawei Pocket 2 runs on HarmonyOS 4, providing a user-friendly experience that allows easy customization of the cover screen. Users can choose various options, such as displaying a clock, setting a mood wallpaper, using a GIF with an animated pet, or even featuring an avatar.
Huawei Pocket 2 offers satellite connectivity (Image Credit–Huawei)
A notable feature of the Huawei Pocket 2 is its support for two-way satellite messaging via Beidou, the Chinese satellite navigation system. This feature enables users to stay connected even in areas without cellular coverage.
Huawei Pocket 2 showing UV intensity on the cover screen (Image Credit–Huawei)
Another interesting feature of the Huawei Pocket 2 is its ability to measure UV intensity. This feature allows users to test the ultraviolet intensity when they go outdoors. The external screen displays the intensity of ultraviolet rays in the surrounding environment, providing users with information for better protection when going out.
Huawei Pocket 2 scrolling from a distance feature (Image Credit–Huawei)
For convenient control when watching videos from a distance or scrolling through social media, the Huawei Pocket 2 offers a feature where users can wave their hand to slide up or down. This adds a touchless control option for enhanced user experience.
A look at the Huawei Pocket 2 performance and battery
Huawei stopped revealing its chipsets some time ago, but it is believed that the Huawei Pocket 2 is powered by the Kirin 9000S, similar to the Huawei Mate 60 Pro. When it comes to storage and RAM, it offers 12 GB of RAM with storage options of 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB.
The clamshell foldable comes with a sizable 4520mAh battery, supporting 40W wireless charging for the first time. The wired charging is rated at 66W. In comparison, Samsung’s latest clamshell foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 5, features a 3,700mAh battery with support for just 10W wireless charging.
A relatively compact phone like this heats up quickly at these rates, so Huawei is incorporating a Vapor Chamber (VC) conveniently placed in the top half. There are also multiple graphite layers to enhance thermal conductivity.
Price and availability details for the Huawei Pocket 2
When it comes to price and availability, things get a bit tricky with Huawei. The Pocket 2 has a starting price of CNY 7,499, which is around $1,040 for the 256GB variant. This price puts Huawei Pocket 2 in the same price range as its main competitors, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Oppo Find N3 Flip.
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