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I’m a foldable phone convert. Having recently switched to the Samsung Z Fold6 as my primary device, I’ve grown to love the flexibility of one-handed use when folded and access to acres of screen real estate when opened.
There are problems, though. The inevitable crease that comes with a foldable display is too much for some folk to bear, and the price of these devices is still astronomically high compared to most of the ‘normal’ phone competition.
Despite these concerns, niggles, and compromises, foldable phones are hard to let go of once you begin relying on their many up sides.
Our attention must now switch to Honor, who have just launched the Magic V3 at IFA in Berlin. I’ve been using it for the last week or so and have many thoughts already. This is very much a first impressions Magic V3 review – a deeper dive will follow soon.
Specs and pricing
The Honor Magic V3 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, with Honor promising a 30% uplift in CPU performance and 25% increase in GPU prowess. Energy efficiency is boosted, too, by 20% and 25%, respectively.
The displays have received a boost, as well, with the 7.9-inch internal display hitting a peak of 1,600-nits, and the 6.4-inch cover display stretching to a frankly bonkers 5,000 nits. Both have an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and the industry’s first defocus display (more on that in my follow up review).
The Magic V3, mercifully, now has a water resistance rating (IPx8), which means it’s good for submerges of up to 2.5m. It’s also the first foldable phone at the time of writing to pass ‘the submerge test’, apparently.
The 5,150mAh battery is the slimmest and strongest Honor has ever placed into a phone, and promises all-day use, thanks to dual E1 chips and some fancy AI assistance. There’s also 66w wired and 50w wireless charging.
Honor Magic V3 design
It’s hard to convey just how thin the Magic V3 is. At just 9.2mm folded, it’s actually slimmer than a lot of regular phones. Unfolded, it’s 4.35mm, which, once again, is ludicrously thin.
When I first held the Magic V3 at a hands-on press conference, I was concerned that it seemed a bit too thin. However, now that I’ve been using it for a decent amount of time, I can confirm that Honor’s latest foldable inspires lots of confidence during everyday operation.
This is probably due to the material Honor has used. They’ve called it Aerospace Special Fiber (everything needs to be branded now, eh?) and it is apparently 100% stronger than steel. The hinge is made from Honor Super Steel and rated at 500,000 folds. The Magic V3 also offers up to 40x more drop resistance than the Samsung S24 Ultra.
It is, basically, a pretty tough device, and the inclusion of the aforementioned water resistance rating is very welcome indeed (it was absent from the Magic V2).
The Magic V3 comes in three colours – ‘Reddish Brown’, green (my review unit colour) and black. It’s a handsome device; understated yet unique enough to stand out from the rest of the foldable crowd. I’m a big fan.
Performance and battery life
Smartphone performance is an increasingly moot point for me. Every phone I’ve tested over the last two years, regardless of price point, has felt buttery smooth in everyday operation. The Honor Magic V3 is, obviously, no different.
MagicOS remains fun to use and feels perfectly Android-like, once you’ve tweaked a couple of the settings. I don’t run benchmarks, but the inclusion of the latest Snapdragon chip means you’re in for a good ride, whatever you’re doing with this thing.
As for battery life, I’m going to save my full judgement on that for the follow-up review next week, but initial impressions are very positive indeed. My one complaint with the Z Fold6 is the sub-par battery performance against the ‘normal phone’ competition. During these early days of use, the Magic V3 feels like a step up from Samsung’s offering. I’ll report back.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about the camera performance, I’ll report back on that, too!
Magic V3 vs Samsung Z Fold6
The Samsung Z Fold6 has a very loyal fan base. Trust me – I’ve reviewed enough of Samsung’s foldables to have encountered that crowd multiple times. They will defend that device if you say anything they constitute as unfair or unnecessary.
Samsung People are like this – I get it, but it also means that Samsung, understandably, can’t move quite as quickly as brands that are newer to the foldable game, like Honor. Any big changes made to the Z Fold line could result in pissing off the existing user base, and it would take a brave (stupid?) manufacturer to do that.
As a result, the Magic V3 looks a lot more modern than the Z Fold6. That slim profile, whether opened or closed and the near absence of a crease is genuinely impressive and sets Honor’s offering apart. It’ll certainly make it a more tempting proposition for Non-Samsung People.
The other big point of differentiation between these two devices is the cover display. I’ve grown to love the one-handed nature of the Z Fold6 – something you don’t get with the Magic V3, which feels far more like a regular-sized phone when folded. Your preference for this will be entirely personal, but I’d almost like something in between the two. Again, more testing is required on my part before settling on a conclusion there.
Conclusion (for now)
I’m enjoying the Honor Magic V3. It is, hands down, the best foldable device I’ve tested from a technical perspective, and in terms of the overall user experience.
There’s more to explore, including the camera system and a more thorough understanding of the battery life on offer, but I’m very impressed so far.
Honor sure knows how to make its mark with these devices.
Before you go
