Huawei’s P50 Pro and foldable P50 Pocket are getting pricey Google-free launches outside of China

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Huawei, the embattled Chinese tech giant that remains the target of tight US sanctions, has announced that its flagship P50 Pro and foldable P50 Pocket will be sold outside of China. The P50 Pro will cost €1,199 (about $1,353), while the P50 Pocket will start at €1,299 (about $1,466). Huawei’s press release says the two phones will be available in “key markets in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Latin America,” but declined to say exactly when and where.

However, at those prices and without access to key Google apps and services like the Google Play Store, both devices will represent interesting tidbits rather than something you should seriously consider buying. The sanctions have also affected Huawei’s ability to include 5G support in its products, so both phones are also firmly stuck in the 4G generation.

The P50 Pocket uses a clamshell form factor similar to Samsung’s Z Flip devices. Inside is a foldable 6.9-inch 2700 x 1228 OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. Huawei says the internal display uses ultra-thin glass in its construction and can be folded flat for a total thickness of just 15.2mm (the Z Flip 3 is 15.9mm thick at its thinnest when folded). ).

Externally, the P50 Pocket has an additional small circular display, sitting above a trio of cameras: a 40-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 32-megapixel “ultra-spectrum camera.” Interestingly, Huawei says these cameras are capable of detecting and showing where you’re using sunscreen on your face, to help you apply it evenly.

The P50 Pro is a more traditional flagship smartphone, featuring a 6.6-inch 2700 x 1228 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It has four rear cameras, including a 50-megapixel main camera, an ultra 13-megapixel wide-angle, a 64-megapixel telephoto lens with a 3.5x zoom, and a 40-megapixel mono sensor that Huawei says can help increase light intake in low-light environments. clear shots, as well as enhance black and white photos.

Instead of running on Huawei’s in-house chipsets, both phones use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor. Importantly, for end users, the US sanctions mean you won’t find any pre-installed Google apps or services here, which means no Google Maps, Google Calendar, and most importantly, Google Play. Store.

Regarding the operating system, Huawei says that both international devices run EMUI 12. “Although EMUI was developed on AOSP [Android’s open-source version], has integrated Huawei’s self-developed distributed technology since EMUI 10,” says Huawei International Media Communications Director Mark Lappin. “This technology is also included in HarmonyOS.”

Yesterday GSMArena reported that both phones have been pre-ordered in Bulgaria, with the P50 Pro pre-order period ending on February 6, hinting at when they might ship.

Update January 26, 6:01 am ET: Added a statement about the phones EMUI software.