Huawei debuts cheapest foldable smartphone yet - enter the Huawei Pocket S

Foldables have really come a long way since the original Samsung Galaxy Fold made its debut way back in 2019. The technology is no longer considered a gimmick and has matured to the point where it is a viable alternative (and more) to a traditional high-end smartphone.

That is not to say that foldables are not still plagued by a myriad of problems such as durability concerns and poor software optimisation. Nevertheless, one aspect in which foldables have struggled to make greater advancements is pricing.

Foldables remain some of the most expensive devices on the smartphone market, easily surpassing most (if not all) premium flagship handsets. The current iteration of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is more than twice as expensive as the latest iPhone 14.

Now, however, the cheapest, yet in now way budget-friendly, foldable has made its debut - the Huawei Pocket S. The device starts at CNY5,988 (the equivalent of about $830) for the base 128GB model.

This is still more than the entry-level iPhone 14, but given just how expensive foldable technology is and how much the viable alternatives cost, it almost seems like a bargain. The Galaxy Z Flip 4, the undisputed king of foldables, costs almost $200 more.

The Huawei Pocket S, although reasonably-priced, boasts an impressive spec sheet. It comes with a gorgeous OLED display equipped with a 120Hz refresh rate, a big 4000 mAh battery, a 40MP main shooter backed up by a 13MP ultra wide camera, and 8GB of RAM.

One of the few compromises is the processor - the Pocket S is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G - and the lack of 5G connectivity. Neither break the device per se, especially given what it intends to be.

All in all, price is the biggest deterrent that is driving the sales of foldables down. Only once that hurdle is overcome can they truly become mainstream. The Huawei Pocket S might be the first of many that seeks to do just that.