Why Deutschland was not a pocket battleship

Were the Deutschland-class ships battleships or battlecruisers?

Neither; they were heavy or armored cruisers, while 'pocket battleship' was a press label.

'Pocket battleship' was a vivid newspaper phrase, not a useful technical category. German terminology and intended employment place the Deutschland class among armored or heavy cruisers. Their commerce-raiding role belonged at the cruiser end of the spectrum, away from a battle line built to fight peer capital ships. Large guns and a memorable press label did not turn the design into either a battleship or a battlecruiser.