Huawei Pocket S vs Samsung Galaxy S23: The Ultimate Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 emerges as the overall winner thanks to its superior performance, camera capabilities, and longer software support. However, the Huawei Pocket S offers a more compact and stylish foldable design, appealing to those prioritizing portability and aesthetics, despite limitations in software and global availability.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Huawei Pocket S | Samsung Galaxy S23 |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1x | 1, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, November 02 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, November 11 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 170 x 75.5 x 7.2 mmFolded: 87.3 x 75.5 x 15.2 mm | 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm (5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 190 g (6.70 oz) | 168 g (5.93 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1188 x 2790 pixels, 21:9 ratio (~442 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.9 inches, 109.2 cm2 (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Foldable OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| Cover display: OLED, 1.04 inch, 340 x 340 pixels, 328 ppi | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Kryo 670 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 670) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 4G (6 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 642L | Adreno 740 |
| OS | HarmonyOS 3.0 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | Nano Memory (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.1 - 128GB only UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | 40 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF 13 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), AF | - |
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 10.7 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | - | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Video | 4K, 1080p | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR, panorama | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 10.7 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K, 1080p | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), gyro, accelerometer, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 40W wired, 52% in 20 min 5W reverse wired | 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 4000 mAh | Li-Ion 3900 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Blue, Pink, Gren, Silver, Gold, Black | Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime |
| Models | BAL-AL60 | SM-S911B, SM-S911B/DS, SM-S911U, SM-S911U1, SM-S911W, SM-S911N, SM-S9110, SM-S911E, SM-S911E/DS |
| Price | About 830 EUR | $ 237.95 / C$ 336.75 / £ 255.00 / € 322.41 / ₹ 49,990 |
| SAR | - | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.88 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.30 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 101h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -27.0 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1231075 (v9) GeekBench: 4950 (v5.1) GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Huawei Pocket S
- Compact and pocketable foldable design
- Stylish aesthetics
- 40W fast charging
- Reverse wired charging
- Limited software support (no Google services)
- Less powerful chipset
- Potentially shorter battery life compared to S23
- Availability limitations
Samsung Galaxy S23
- Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance
- Excellent camera system
- Bright and vibrant display
- Long software support
- Wireless charging
- Higher price point
- Less compact than Pocket S
- 25W wired charging is slower than Pocket S
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 boasts a significantly brighter display (1198 nits) with an infinite contrast ratio, offering a more vibrant and immersive viewing experience. The Pocket S's display is smaller and likely less bright, prioritizing compactness over raw display performance. While the Pocket S's foldable screen is a unique selling point, the S23's panel is arguably more refined.
Camera Comparison
The Galaxy S23's camera system is a clear winner. While the Pocket S has a capable camera, the S23 offers superior image quality, more advanced features, and better low-light performance. Samsung's image processing is also generally considered to be more refined.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Galaxy S23 provides a substantial performance advantage over the Snapdragon 778G in the Pocket S. Expect smoother multitasking, faster app loading times, and better gaming performance on the S23. The S23's chipset is simply in a different league.
Battery Life
Both phones offer impressive battery life, with the Galaxy S23 demonstrating exceptional endurance (101h endurance rating). The Pocket S's battery life is respectable, but the S23's larger battery and more efficient chipset give it a noticeable edge.
Buying Guide
The Huawei Pocket S is ideal for fashion-conscious users who want a compact, pocketable foldable and don't heavily rely on Google services. The Samsung Galaxy S23 is perfect for power users, photographers, and those who value a premium experience with top-tier performance and extensive software features.