Huawei introduced the P50 Pocket, featuring a unique folding design, in early 2021. It inherited the XD Fusion Pro original color engine technology and introduced a 32-megapixel hyperspectral camera. With its stylish appearance, compact flip design, and innovative photography features, it achieved tremendous success in the high-end female market.
In the realm of foldable phones, Huawei consistently pursues innovation, continuously exploring new directions while steadfastly adhering to the pursuit of quality, aesthetics, art, and innovation.
Huawei decided to establish the Pocket series as an independent product line, focused on vertical folding screens.
Fast forward to 2024, the Huawei Pocket series makes a strong comeback with the Pocket 2, equipped with a versatile quad-camera system, bidirectional satellite communication capabilities, and the global debut of the 40W wireless fast charging feature. This all-in-one vertical folding phone offers the most comprehensive user experience this year.
- Introducing the industry-first Xuanwu water-drop hinge.
Huawei Pocket 2 features a foldable hinge with the groundbreaking Xuanwu water-drop hinge structure. This design significantly reduces gaps in structural components, claiming a 62% improvement in flatness. In everyday use, you’ll hardly notice any creases, even with prolonged screen usage, as it maintains a smooth surface.
- Vertical folding phone debuts a quad-camera module.
Huawei Pocket 2 makes history as the first vertical folding phone to feature a quad-camera setup. It not only integrates a full-range triple-camera module but also incorporates the well-received hyperspectral camera (second generation) from Huawei’s initial vertical folding phone, the P50 Pocket. This camera captures information from the invisible spectrum in nature, enhancing imaging with clearer and more accurate reproduction of details. Additionally, it brings fluorescence photography capabilities and UV sun protection detection.
- Vertical folding phone pioneers bidirectional satellite communication.
Huawei introduces satellite communication functionality in a vertical folding phone with the Pocket 2, making it the first to pioneer bidirectional satellite communication.
- Vertical folding phone debuts 40W wireless fast charging.
Huawei Pocket 2 leads the way in vertical folding phones with the debut of 40W wireless fast charging. Combined with the highest-wattage 66W wired fast charging for vertical folding phones, it forms the most powerful “dual fast charging” combination to date.
Design
The Huawei Pocket 2 we got comes in a Tahitian gray color. It draws inspiration from Tahitian black pearls, creating a 3D effect that feels incredibly smooth to the touch. Visually and tactilely pleasing, it leaves a strong sensory impact.
For the first time in a vertically foldable phone, the Pocket 2 boasts three full-focus cameras and a hyperspectral camera, forming a powerful four-camera system. It also features a laser focus sensor. Beneath the rear camera module, there’s a 1.15-inch circular secondary screen. This screen, utilizing an LTPO substrate, achieves an adaptive refresh rate of 1-60Hz.
Moving to the front, the Huawei Pocket 2 sports a 6.94-inch OLED screen supporting 10-bit color depth, LTPO substrate, an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz, a 300Hz touch sampling rate, and 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming.
Now, combined with the hinge structure of the two-door version, the phone lays flat like a straight-screen phone when unfolded, eliminating creases felt during daily use. The 10-megapixel front camera is positioned in the middle at the top, accompanied by a micro-slit earpiece with speaker capabilities, forming a stereo field with the bottom speakers.
On the right side of the phone’s body, you’ll find the power fingerprint button and volume adjustment button. The folding hinge of Huawei Pocket 2 adopts the industry’s first basalt water drop hinge structure, significantly reducing gaps in structural parts. Officials claim a 62% increase in flatness, making it “extremely flat.” It’s hardly noticeable in daily use, and the screen stays flat even after extended use, with no creases.
Additionally, the double-arm lever gear design stabilizes the screen at multiple angles, giving the phone the ability to hover at various positions. At the bottom, Huawei Pocket 2 houses a Type-C interface, with the SIM card slot, microphone, and speaker openings on the left and right sides. The 66W fast charging adapter accompanying Huawei Pocket 2 inherits the classic A+C dual-port design.
Hardware
Huawei Pocket 2 boasts a new Kirin chip, coupled with the unique Huawei Ark engine and Harmony OS4 operating system. This combination positions Huawei Pocket 2 on par with flagship phones from competitors, ensuring a seamless and high-performance user experience.
In the detailed testing phase, we first assessed the theoretical performance and gaming capabilities of the Huawei Pocket 2.
Starting with the CPU theoretical test, in GeekBench6.2.2, it outperformed the Kirin 9000 with a 3% higher single-core score of 1328 points and a 12% higher multi-core score of 4309 points.
Moving on to the CPU test using GFXBench’s 1080P six projects, Huawei Pocket 2’s performance surpassed the Snapdragon 888 by approximately 15%. In the single GPU test with the same parameters, it exhibited a performance advantage of about 10% over the Snapdragon 888.
For the flash memory test using Androbench, Huawei Pocket 2 showcased impressive sequential read and write speeds of 1.96GB/s and 1.89GB/s, respectively, with random read and write speeds at 389MB/s and 521MB/s.
In the game testing phase, we selected two mobile games, “Honor of Kings” and “Genshin Impact,” to evaluate performance in an office environment at 25 degrees Celsius.
In the low-load game test of “Honor of Kings,” running at high-definition quality and an extremely high frame rate, the Huawei Pocket 2 maintained a stable average frame rate of 119.7 FPS with minimal fluctuations (0.3). Impressively, the device exhibited an average power consumption of only about 3.9W, showcasing an energy efficiency ratio of 30.45FPS/W.
Temperature control during this test was notable, with the front reaching 38.5 degrees Celsius and the back at 36.6 degrees Celsius. The ability to play a medium and low-load game at 120 FPS without frame drops is a testament to the device’s exceptional energy efficiency.
Moving on to the high-load game test of “Genshin Impact,” running in the highest resolution and 60-frame mode, Huawei Pocket 2 demonstrated a stable average frame rate of 59.3FPS with minimal fluctuations (1). The average power consumption was approximately 4.3W, yielding an impressive energy efficiency ratio of 13.91FPS/W.
Temperature performance during this high-load test showed a maximum of 41.1 degrees Celsius on the front and 40 degrees Celsius on the back. Holding the phone horizontally during gameplay resulted in only a slight amount of heat, with no noticeable impact on the player. Huawei Pocket 2 stands out as one of the best performers among vertical folding machines in handling high-load games.
Cameras
The Huawei Pocket 2 boasts the unique feature of being the world’s only vertically foldable mobile phone equipped with three full-focus cameras and a four-camera module composed of a hyperspectral camera.
Transitioning to the main camera, it’s a 50-megapixel super-sensing lens with a 23mm (actual 27mm) equivalent focal length, an F1.6 aperture, and supports OIS optical image stabilization.
Moving on to the ultra-wide-angle camera, it’s a 12-megapixel lens with a 13mm equivalent focal length and F2.2 aperture.
In contrast, the rare 8-megapixel telephoto camera, unique in a small foldable camera, achieves an equivalent 3x optical zoom compared to the main camera. It has an 80mm (actual 81mm) focal length, F2.4 aperture, and supports OIS optical image stabilization. Additionally, there’s a 2-megapixel hyperspectral camera with an F2.0 aperture for auxiliary functions like fluorescence photography.
Main Photographer
Capturing bright daytime scenes, the 50-megapixel main camera delivers realistic-style photos. Thanks to the XMAGE system adjustment, color saturation is just right, maintaining realism with outstanding detail expression.
Telephoto
The 3x telephoto lens produces clear and clean sample photos, effectively highlighting the subject. Even at more than 5 times zoom, the XD Fusion Pro texture engine optimally processes details, ensuring sharpness and excellent image quality.
The telephoto lens captures images with minimal color difference compared to the main camera, accurately recording light and shadow changes and detailed textures.
Super Wide Angle
The 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens nearly eliminates distortion on both sides of the picture, making it suitable for showing tall buildings. Though the pixel count is not high, it suffices for capturing a wide-angle view.
Night View
In night scenes, Pocket 2 accurately controls light under long exposure, avoiding diffraction and halo phenomena. Precise white balance adjustment ensures color authenticity, resulting in clear and natural photos with realistic light and shadow effects.
Fluorescence Photography
With the hyperspectral camera, Pocket 2 excels in fluorescence photography, capturing novel images in completely dark scenes. It functions like a night vision device, even detecting counterfeit banknotes.
Sunscreen Detection and UV Intensity
Addressing sun protection concerns, Huawei Pocket 2’s super-spectral camera helps check for even sunscreen application, ensuring uniform skin protection. Additionally, it provides accurate ultraviolet intensity measurements within 3 seconds, aiding users in deciding on sunscreen needs.
AI Skin Quality Detection
An interesting feature, AI skin quality detection evaluates skin attributes like sun spots, pores, blackheads, and fine lines. Real-time feedback allows users to adjust lifestyle habits and skincare routines for improved skin health.
Satellite Communication
Xiao Fold now features two-way satellite communication, marking a significant leap in satellite communication technology.
Transitioning to Huawei Pocket 2, this compact foldable device stands out as the pioneer in integrating satellite communications. Specifically, it supports Beidou two-way satellite communications, providing a sense of security in areas without ground networks.
Utilizing the Changlian APP, Huawei Pocket 2 enables location sharing in non-network environments. This feature facilitates the sending and receiving of short messages and location information to and from the external world.
To enhance the accuracy of message delivery, device calibration becomes essential. Within the message interface, users can select from various built-in message contents. The mobile phone guides users to the optimal position for star search during message transmission. The star search process typically takes 6 to 7 seconds, followed by a 15-second wait before the successful dispatch of the message.
Upon entering the message-sending interface, users gain visibility into the content of the just-sent message and detailed location information.
When receiving a message, a similar protocol unfolds. Users initiate a star search, position the device according to phone instructions, and maintain the posture for around 10 seconds to ensure successful message reception.
In emergencies, sending distress information promptly and accurately is crucial for rescuers to comprehend the location and condition of the person in need. The quick help function plays a pivotal role in this context.
Situated in the lower right corner of the sending interface, Huawei has incorporated a quick help button. A simple click on this button swiftly transmits details of emergencies and physical conditions to the external world.
This function proves invaluable, allowing rescuers to prepare adequate medical facilities in advance, ensuring foolproof execution of rescue operations.
Battery
Huawei Pocket 2 boasts a built-in 4520mAh battery, supporting 66W Huawei Super Fast Charging and 40W Huawei Super Wireless Fast Charging. It holds the record for the highest wireless charging power in vertical folding phones and is also compatible with 7.5W wireless charging, including reverse charging.
We evaluated Huawei Pocket 2’s battery performance.
Charging Test
Eliminating creases! In our comprehensive review of Huawei Pocket 2, an all-encompassing foldable gem without regrets.
Results revealed that the battery charged from 1% to 31% in 10 minutes with the screen off, reaching 59% in 20 minutes, 83% in half an hour, and ultimately fully charging in just 44 minutes.
Now, moving on to the endurance test, where we examined the battery life using the Battery Dog tool by Kuai Technology.
During the test, defaulting to a 20% power test, we assessed various scenarios such as CPU high voltage, CPU multi-threading, AI recognition, picture browsing, video playback, and web browsing to simulate real-life user usage.
To maintain consistency in environmental variables across all models and ensure test accuracy, Battery Dog automatically adjusted the screen brightness to 50%, turned off automatic brightness, and set the volume to 30%.
After Battery Dog’s continuous battery life test, Huawei Pocket 2 demonstrated impressive endurance, consuming only 80% of its power in 6 hours and 8 minutes. In practical terms, the full-power battery life can extend to nearly 7.5 hours.
Verdict
Huawei Pocket 2, the most comprehensive and powerful small foldable to date, boasts several advantages, including four full-focus cameras, 40W wireless charging, two-way satellite communication, and a perfect crease-free screen.
This power is evident in its appearance.
Thanks to the enhanced water drop hinge technology and the industry’s first Xuanwu water drop hinge structure, Huawei Pocket 2 unfolds the phone as flat as a straight-screen phone, achieving a seamless folding form. Additionally, there are no creases at all in our experience, laying the foundation for hovering at multiple angles. With the double-arm lever gear, it remains nearly crease-free even after 3 years of use, making it the smoothest small fold.
Furthermore, Huawei Pocket 2’s strength lies in the all-round improvement of its product features, with each function reaching the industry’s top level.
The full-focus triple camera + hyperspectral camera equips the small fold with the ability to capture long-distance images and offers a new fluorescent photography experience. This unique function captures the fluorescence spectrum unseen by the human eye, enabling users to explore hidden beauty at night or under special lighting conditions.
In terms of imaging capabilities, Huawei Pocket 2 surpasses all small foldables to date.
Moreover, the introduction of the two-way satellite communication function by small folding mobile phones breaks the exclusivity of traditional direct-screen flagships for satellite messaging. Coupled with super Lingxi communication, it ensures smooth communication in remote areas or signal blind spots, making communication omnipresent.
Finally, the Xiao Fold’s 40W wireless fast charging enhances the unique experience of folding-screen mobile phones while providing charging efficiency comparable to traditional smartphones.
In conclusion, Huawei Pocket 2 stands out as the most comprehensive vertical folding mobile phone, offering the strongest product power and a holistic user experience. With its outstanding appearance, communication capabilities spanning heaven and earth, full-focus images, and diverse photography methods, Huawei Pocket 2 redefines the concept of traditional mobile phones. It transcends being just a phone, emerging as a super practical, trendy, and affordable luxury product.
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