The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 used to be one of the revelations of 2021, combining a stylish but compact foldable design with an attainable price tag to produce the first absolutely mass-market foldable phone.
This makes the Galaxy Z Flip 3 the compact foldable phone to beat, and that’s a challenge the Huawei P50 Pocket unexpectedly took up.
So how does the P50 Pocket fare against its popular rival? Let’s take a closer seem to be at what Huawei’s phone has to offer, and whether or not it’s exact enough to take the foldable pinnacle spot.
Huawei P50 Pocket vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 price and availability
The Huawei P50 Pocket was announced in China on December 23, while it commenced its global rollout on January 26.
a regular model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is priced at €1,299, which works out to around $1,470. The P50 Pocket Premium Edition with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is priced at €1,599, which equates to roughly $1,810.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 went on sale on August 27, 2021. The 128GB model costs $999, while the 256GB model sets you back $1,049.
Even taking just the cheapest model, the Huawei P50 Pocket is a more expensive handset than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Design
Both of these phones are distinct with the aid of their clamshell designs, which see them folding out from a compact square to a typically proportioned smartphone.
The Huawei P50 Pocket arguably does this better, at least insure key respects. Its two display screen elements lie completely flat subsequent to every other, with no sign of the hole that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 exhibits. Huawei’s ‘Multi-Dimensional’ hinge additionally serves to produce a slightly smaller crease than Samsung’s effort as soon as the phone is thoroughly open.
Conversely, solely the Galaxy Z Flip 3 can hold itself open at various angles. Samsung’s phone manages to gain an IPX8 water-resistance rating too, which the Huawei phone can’t match.
the Huawei P50 Pocket is a large phone at 170 x 75.5 x 7.2mm and 190g. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 measures 166 x 72.2 x 6.9mm and 183g.
Huawei honestly goes out with the flashy design, particularly with the greater expensive Premium Edition with its embossed gold finish. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, for its part, represents a welcome refinement of the preceding Flip phones, with a slicker and greater attractive aesthetic. We particularly like the two-toned impact of the rear cover.
Both phones place their fingerprint sensors in their power buttons instead of below their displays.
Display
Both phones function as larger fold-out displays and secondary external displays.
With the Huawei P50 Pocket, the essential display screen is a 6.9-inch OLED, with a 2790 x 1188 resolution. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, the most important display screen is a 6.7-inch AMOLED with a 2640 x 1080 resolution.
Huawei’s show is slightly large and sharper, then, however, there really isn’t lots in it. Both displays can hit 120Hz refresh rates, too.
As for those external displays, the Huawei P50 Pocket offers you a circular 1.04-inch OLED with a 340 x 340 resolution, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 elements a rectangular 1.9-inch AMOLED with a 512 x 260 resolution. Samsung wins in this regard, with some distance large and thus greater practically useful external screen.
To be clear, each of these external screens is typically used for showing the time and simplified notification details when closed. But Samsung seems to marry function with shape a little better.
Camera
The Huawei P50 Pocket ostensibly offers you a triple-camera system, whilst the Galaxy Z Flip 3 makes do with a dual-camera setup. But in practice, they’re each dual-camera phones.
Huawei’s system appears to be extra impressive than Samsung’s, led with the aid of a 40MP wide sensor and accompanied by means of a 13MP ultra-wide. But the unexpected provision is a 32MP ultra-spectrum camera, which apparently captures invisible wavelengths.
Why would you want to capture invisible wavelengths in your shots? Mainly for creative fluorescent shots of plants and foliage, it seems, even though it additionally gives depth and color info to the different two sensors.
Galaxy Z Flip 3’s part, you’re getting a pair of 12MP sensors – one for wide, the different for ultra-wide. It’s no longer massively compelling, although Samsung’s camera knowledge is nonetheless ample to produce shots that our reviewer found were “nicely detailed and colorful.”
We nonetheless want to spend some proper time with Huawei to be sure, however, it seems to have a superior camera system here.
Specs and performance
there’s a new Snapdragon in the city in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The Huawei P50 Pro’s latest international launch and significantly greater pricing don’t appear too well in that context.
You’re getting 8GB of RAM as standard with each phone, although the Premium Edition of the Huawei P50 Pocket offers you 12GB.
There’s one first-rate spec difference here, and it’s seemingly related to Huawei’s ongoing political troubles. The P50 Pro doesn’t support 5G, not like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Whether you care about 5G connectivity or not, it’s most likely reached a point where the feature can be considered a given for all however the cheapest phones. We certainly assume it in our flagships via now.
On the storage front, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 gives you both 128GB or 256GB, whilst the Huawei P50 Pocket supplies either 256GB or 512GB.
Perhaps the largest win for Samsung is the standard one when comparing it with a Huawei phone. Huawei’s ongoing troubles with western governments mean that you don’t get access to Google Play Services, which means no Google apps and no Google Play Store.
Huawei has worked hard on workarounds, however, it’s undeniably a suboptimal situation. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has no such worries, and Samsung’s One UI is quite a pleasant and totally featured interface these days.
Battery
the Huawei P50 Pocket just about comes out on top.
Huawei has managed to pack in a 4,000mAh battery, whilst the Galaxy Z Flip 3 offers you a 3,300mAh cell.
It remains to be considered how this will affect the Huawei P50 Pocket’s stamina, however, we already know about the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and it’s now not too hot. Our reviewer struggled to get via a full day of extra intensive usage on a single charge.
The Huawei P50 Pocket supports 40W wired charging to Samsung’s 25W, which is an advantage for the newer phone. However, Huawei’s foldable doesn’t support wireless charging at all, whilst Samsung supports up to 11W.
Like 5G, whilst you may no longer consider wireless charging essential, it’s certainly something you expect to see in a flagship phone.
