Phone Comparisons: Motorola Razr+ vs Huawei P50 Pocket

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This time around we’re comparing two clamshell foldables, the Motorola Razr+ vs Huawei P50 Pocket. The Motorola Razr+ (also known as the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra in markets outside of the US) actually launched rather recently, while the Huawei P50 Pocket has been around since the end of 2021 (though it didn’t arrive to global markets until February 2022). Still, Huawei did not launch a second-gen clamshell foldable, and some of you may be looking into getting the P50 Pocket, so… here’s a direct comparison between these two phones.

These two phones do look similar when they are unfolded, and when you look at the from the front. As soon as we flip them around, though, things change drastically. We’ll first list their specifications, and we’ll then move to compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance.

Specs

Motorola Razr+ Huawei P50 Pocket
Screen size Main: 6.9-inch fullHD+ LTPO AMOLED (foldable, 165Hz)
Secondary (Cover): 3.6-inch AMOLED display (flat, 144Hz)
Main: 6.9-inch Foldable OLED display (foldable, 120Hz)
Secondary (Cover): 1.04-inch OLED display (flat, 60Hz)
Screen resolution Main: 2640 x 1080
Secondary (Cover): 1056 x 1066
Main: 2790 x 1188
Secondary (Cover): 340 x 340
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G
RAM 8GB/12GB 8GB/12GB (LPDDR5)
Storage 256GB/512GB (UFS 3.1), non-expandable 256GB/512GB (UFS 3.1), expandable
Rear cameras 12MP (f/1.5 aperture, 1.4um pixel size, OIS, PDAF)
13MP (f/2.2 aperture, 108-degree FoV, 1.12um pixel size)
40MP (f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle, PDAF, Laser AF)
13MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV)
32MP (f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle, 0.7um pixel size)
Front cameras 32MP (f/2.4 aperture, 0.7um pixel size) 10.7MP (f/2.2 aperture, ultrawide)
Battery 3,800mAh, non-removable, 30W fast wired charging, 5W wireless charging
Charger included (not in the US)
4,000mAh, non-removable, 40W wired charging, 5W reverse wired charging
Charger included
Dimensions Unfolded: 170.8 x 74 x 7mm
Folded: 88.4 x 74 x 15.1mm
Unfolded: 170 x 75.5 x 7.2mm
Folded: 87.3 x 75.5 x 15.2mm
Weight 184.5/188.5 grams 190 grams
Connectivity 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C 4G LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C
Security Side-facing fingerprint scanner Side-facing fingerprint scanner
OS Android 13 Android
EMUI 12 (upgradable)
Price $999 €799
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Motorola Razr+ vs Huawei P50 Pocket: Design

Both of these foldables have a frame made out of metal, and glass backs too. The bezels around their main displays are thin, while both devices also have a centered display camera hole on the main display. That’s basically where similarities end. When you flip them over, you’ll see plenty of differences. The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has a large 3.6-inch cover display back there, which goes around the rear cameras too. The panel on the Huawei P50 Pocket looks minuscule in comparison, as it measures only 1.04 inches.

Having said that, the cover display on the Huawei P50 Pocket is also round, while you’ll notice a round camera island above it, hosting three cameras. There are two cameras on the back of the Motorola Razr+. It is worth noting that the Motorola Razr+ also comes in a variant with vegan leather on the back. The most expensive Huawei P50 Pocket model, the gold one, has an interesting pattern on its glass back, which does protrude on the back. It offers an interesting feeling in the hand thanks to that. The Huawei P50 Pocket is a bit heavier, but the difference is minimal.

The two phones are almost identical in terms of height, while the P50 Pocket is a bit wider. They’re also very similar when it comes to thickness, the difference is negligible. The Motorola Razr+ does come with a water-repellent coating, unlike the Huawei P50 Pocket, which does not offer any type of water protection. Both phones are quite slippery in the hand, but they also feel quite premium at the same time.

Motorola Razr+ vs Huawei P50 Pocket: Display

The Motorola Razr+ has a 6.9-inch fullHD+ (2640 x 1080) Foldable LTPO AMOLED main display. That panel can project up to 1 billion colors, and it has a 165Hz refresh rate. That display can also project HDR10+ content, and it goes up to 1,400 nits of brightness at its peak. The cover display, on the other hand, measures 3.6 inches. It has a resolution of 1056 x 1066, and we’re looking at an AMOLED panel here. It can also project up to 1 billion colors, and has a 144Hz refresh rate. HDR10+ content is supported, and the brightness goes up to 1,100 nits. Gorilla Glass Victus protects this panel.

Motorola Razr plus 2023 review AM AH1

The Huawei P50 Pocket, on the flip side, has a 6.9-inch fullHD+ (2790 x 1188) Foldable OLED display. That panel has a 120Hz refresh rate, and can show up to 1 billion colors. It has a 21:9 aspect ratio. There is a second display on the back, a 1.04-inch panel. That display has a resolution of 340 x 340, and it’s quite small in comparison to the Razr+’s.

The main panels on both smartphones are great. The Razr+’s does have a higher refresh rate, but you won’t be able to use it in most situations, nor should you. Both displays are more than sharp enough, have good viewing angles, and have good touch response. The colors are vivid on both, and the blacks are deep. The cover panel on the Motorola Razr+ is much better than the one on the Huawei P50 Pocket. It is much larger, sharper, and has a higher refresh rate. That display also allows you to use any app on it, while you’re limited to only some widgets on the P50 Pocket, in addition to some system functions.

Motorola Razr+ vs Huawei P50 Pocket: Performance

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 fuels the Motorola Razr+, while the Snapdragon 888 is included inside the Huawei P50 Pocket. The former is a 4nm chip, while the latter is a 5nm processor that is a bit older Both companies included LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage in these smartphones. Both of them actually come with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.

The Motorola Razr+ does have a more powerful processor, but the performance is really good on both smartphones. For the majority of tasks, they’ll offer rather similar performance. You may notice slightly faster app launches on the Motorola Razr+, but for the most part, they’re quite similar in that. The difference in the SoC strength does come to show during gaming, though. Only if you’re playing more demanding titles, however. The Motorola Razr+ will have the edge in such cases. The Huawei P50 Pocket still holds its own, though, the Snapdragon 888 is still a great chip.

Motorola Razr+ vs Huawei P50 Pocket: Battery

There is a 3,800mAh battery inside the Motorola Razr+, while the Huawei P50 Pocket includes a 4,000mAh battery pack. Despite the fact the Huawei P50 Pocket has a larger battery, and a smaller outer display, it still cannot beat the Motorola Razr+. That’s mainly due to its SoC, probably. The Motorola Razr+ delivered well over 7 hours of screen-on-time during our testing, it even showed to be capable of pushing that to 8 hours. The Huawei P50 Pocket was closer to 6-6.5 hours.

One thing to note is that I was forced to use the Huawei P50 Pocket’s main display a lot more often. The cover display doesn’t allow you to do much, unlike the one on the Motorola Razr+. Also, your mileage may vary, as per usual. Your usage will likely differ quite a bit, plus you’ll use different apps, and have different signal strengths. If you’re a gamer, that will have a considerable impact on battery life too.

The Motorola Razr+ supports 30W wired and 5W wireless charging. The Huawei P50 Pocket offers 40W wired, and 5W reverse wired charging. Both smartphones do come with a charger in the box, but that doesn’t apply to all countries in the case of Motorola Razr+. In the US, for example, you won’t get a charger.

Motorola Razr+ vs Huawei P50 Pocket: Cameras

The Motorola Razr+ includes a 12-megapixel main camera, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide unit (108-degree FoV). The Huawei P50 Pocket, on the other hand, has a 40-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 32-megapixel wide-angle camera.

AH Huawei P50 Pocket 308

During the day, these two phones did provide rather different photos. The ones from the Motorola Razr+ were a bit more muted in terms of representation, while the Huawei P50 Pocket balanced things out really nicely, without turning up the saturation too high. Neither phone goes too far with sharpening, while the Huawei P50 Pocket did better with HDR during the day, most of the time. It did misrepresent colors at times, though. Both ultrawide cameras did a good job, but the ones on the P50 Pocket did offer a bit more lively photos, and a wider FoV.

In low light, both do a good job, actually. The Motorola Razr+ fared better when it comes to neon signs and street lights, but other than that, both were really good. They managed to light up scenes quite a bit, while not allowing noise to creep in. They’re nowhere near the best out there for low light photography, but both are good enough.

Audio

Both the Motorola Razr+ and Huawei P50 Pocket have a set of stereo speakers. The ones on the Motorola Razr+ are considerably better, however. They are quite a bit louder, while the sound quality does come out more too.

Neither phone offers a 3.5mm headphone jack. If you want to connect your headphones via a cable, you’ll need to use a Type-C port. That goes for both phones. The Motorola Razr+ is equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, while the Huawei P50 Pocket supports Bluetooth 5.2.

2023-06-29 15:12:31