For people in the United States, it's excusable if Huawei has not been on your radar for several years now. Ever since the mess they found themselves in with the Trump administration and the loss of Google Mobile Services, they've lost appeal to Android users outside China, who rely heavily on Google services daily.
Regardless, the company hasn't stopped making excellent smartphones, and today, the incredibly attractive Huawei Pocket 2 has launched, marking its third attempt at a clamshell foldable. It brings major upgrades over the previous generation, making it a solid device if you don't mind the issues that come with a Huawei phone in 2024.
The Fashionable Huawei Pocket 2 Foldable Is Camera-Crazy
The Huawei Pocket 2 clamshell foldable has just launched in China, and it does a lot to be eye-catching — both in person and on the spec sheet. Physically, this phone looks like a fashion piece and it'll draw attention wherever it is seen. It comes in two colors with pearl-like finishes: Tahitian Grey and Rococo White; and two colors with textured leather-like finishes: Taro Purple and Ya Black. It also comes in an even more premium Art Custom Edition.
Just like the P50 Pocket and the Pocket S, the cover has two circular cutouts of identical size: one is a 1.15-inch LTPO OLED screen and the other holds four cameras and a flash, which is a first for a clamshell foldable. Inside, you'll find a 6.94-inch 120Hz LTPO FHD+ OLED display with a peak brightness of 2200 nits. It is also the first of its lineup to have IPX8 water resistance.
Huawei doesn't list the processor in its marketing material, but we know it uses a 7nm process and is likely to be the Kirin 9000S. You can have it specced as high as 1TB/16GB of RAM. This all runs on a 4520 mAh battery that can be juiced up at up to 66W when wired.
The selfie camera is a 10.7 MP ultrawide lens, and the four cameras on the outside are a 50MP primary, 8MP 3x telephoto, a 12MP ultrawide, and a curiously-titled 2MP UV sensor that the company says can be used to assess UV intensity and view sunspots on your skin. Very gimmicky, but for the fashionistas who use this phone and are religious about their sunscreen application, it might be useful.
China-Only And The Google Situation; But Are You Still Interested?
Normally, this phone would be one getting a lot of hype outside China, but ever since their addition to the Entity List in 2019 affected their relationship with chipmakers like TSMC and software giants like Google, their devices have become less appealing to a foreign audience. The Huawei Pocket 2 is only launching in China for about $1040, without any Google services, and a global launch is uncertain.
You can get one if you want, but it's going to require a lot of compromise. Shipping the phone over will certainly add a pretty penny to its price tag, and unlike people who live in China who have gotten used to life without Google services, you might find it pretty hard not having access to YouTube, Google, Maps, and the Play Store. You need to make sure this won't be a dealbreaker for you, as gorgeous as the device might be.
Huawei Is Still One Of The Most Exciting Mobile Manufacturers
Despite the setbacks they've faced, Huawei remains one of the most exciting smartphone makers still in business. They aren't afraid to experiment design-wise, with their flagships rarely resting on a specific design language.
Before their ban, they made some of the most innovative phones in the industry, and while I think it is very unlikely they'll ever be welcomed back into business with the US companies, I still hold out a little hope that their competition will return to the global stage one day.
