After not using that many folding phones in 2023 , I ’ve ended up using a lot of them in 2024 . I tested theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 6earlier this summertime , have been crack out theOnePlus Open , and most recentlyspent a couple of days with the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold . There ’s been a lot to like about all of them , but there ’s been one other folding phone that ’s stuck out to me more — and it ’s not one I expected at all .
I ’m talking about the Honor Magic V3 . It ’s Honor ’s third major close up headphone in this form cistron ( hence the V3 name ) , but it ’s the first one I ’ve ever used . And as much as I wish this class ’s foldables from Samsung , OnePlus , and Google , Honor ’s finger like something truly special .
I’ve never used a folding phone like this
As much as I wish the contrivance and functionality of a turn up phone , one thing regularly stops me from using them recollective - term : their size / weight . Phones like the Z Fold 6 and OnePlus Open are much more usable than foldable phones from a span of years ago , but they ’re still noticeably thicker and heavier than non - folding headphone .
The Honor Magic V3 does n’t have this trouble , and it ’s the first close up headphone I ’ve ever used that does n’t feel like a folding phone . The Magic V3 valuate an amazing 9.2 millimetre chummy when folded shut , which is better than every other major foldable on the securities industry today . For some context of use :
The Honor Magic V3 is thinner than all of them and by a pretty considerable margin . That difference may not sound like much on composition , but in practice , it ’s kind of unbelievable . The Magic V3 is still technically wooden-headed than non - foldables , but not by much ; theiPhone 15 Pro Maxmeasures 8.3 mm thick .
When I pick up the Magic V3 and use the 6.43 - inch cover covert , it finger like I ’m using any other smartphone — not a foldable that I can unfold up to get at a 7.92 - inch display whenever I want . Part of this is also due to how light the earpiece is . Weighing in at 226 grams , the Honor Magic V3 is six grams lighter than theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra .
It may seem dramatic to pass this much time raving about a phone ’s thinness and weight , but it really is that telling on the Magic V3 . Never before have I used a foldable that ’s this well-off to use . It ’s somethingHonor already did a expectant job at last year with the Honor Magic V2 , and it did an even good occupation this year with the V3 .
All the more telling is how well - built the Magic V3 feels despite being this sparse and abstemious . While not the best I ’ve ever used , the hinge feel tough and reliable . The matte aluminum frame feel great , all of the clit have a skillful click to them , and there ’s an IPX8 weewee resistor military rating to keep the telephone set safe against any accidental splatter . My only bitch is that my review article unit is the fateful coloration and not the more centre - catching red / dark-brown or greenish option that are also available .
A solid all-around foldable
The Honor Magic V3 ’s hardware is a big reason it ’s so telling , but the residual of the phone is also worth talking about — and just as good !
Both of the displays are lovely . The 6.43 - column inch cover projection screen is an OLED panel with a 2376 x 1060 resolution , up to a 120Hz refresh rate , and up to 5,000 nits of peak luminance . It ’s a adorable panel and one I ’m more than happy to employ for quickly answer to content , skimming emails , etc . launch the Magic V3 up , and the 7.92 - in display is another OLED panel with up to 120Hz refresh pace — plus up to 1,600 nits of brightness . It ’s bright , piercing , colorful , and a pure joy .
The Magic V3 is also fast . Powering the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Saratoga chip with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of computer storage . Whether playingMarvel Snap , watching YouTube TV , or jump back and forth between my e-mail , Instagram , and other apps , everything on the Honor Magic V3 is still , snappy , and antiphonal . Even more impressive is that the phone stays nerveless even under acute workloads . It produce warm to the ghost , but much less than I ’d expect for a phone this thin and light .
What about the tv camera ? There ’s a 50 - megapixel primary camera , a 50MP periscope telephotograph camera with 3.5x optical rapid growth , and a 40MP ultrawide camera . It ’s not the most technically telling apparatus you ’ll find on a phone this yr , but I ’d be lying if I said I was n’t happy with it .
Similar to theHonor 200 ProandHonor Magic 6 RSRI used earlier this year , photos from the Magic V3 have a distinct character . Some shot are a short mediocre , but others are downright impressive . The Honor Magic V3 does n’t always take a rattling photo , but it looks like something special when it does . It ’s not as reliable as theGoogle Pixel 9 Pro , but it ’s a fun phone to shoot with , and it ’s one I think most tribe would be happy with .
Frustrating and buggy software
If I have one bone to pick with the Honor Magic V3 , it ’s the software program . This has n’t been a substantial lawsuit of Honor ’s for a while , and the V3 is no different .
Why ? Like other Honor speech sound I ’ve used this class , Honor ’s MagicOS interface has a stack of quirks . The app drawer is n’t enable by nonremittal , intend you have to dig deep into the configurations app to turn it on and have it work like every other Android telephone set . The haptics are wildly discrepant and , for whatever reason , turn down to work with Gboard . Unlike every other Android phone , your Quick configurations and notification are split between two freestanding pages ( à Pelican State iOS ) . If you have the master display open and are using the camera app , rotating the phone put an unworthy grim bar at the top rather than allowing the finder to take the entire screen .
Even more frustrating was a microbe I encountered during my second Clarence Shepard Day Jr. with the Magic V3 . After setting the phone up one night , which include well over an hour of downloading my apps and logging into them , I woke up the come after day to find that the phone had readjust itself in the midsection of the nighttime — completely erase all of my apps , login info , etc .
The phone has n’t done this since , but combined with the other computer software issues , it ’s established that Honor ’s software needs a lot of work . MagicOS is useable , but there are enough little issue here and there that I desperately care it was running another version of Android — be it Google ’s Pixel port , OnePlus ’ OxygenOS , or literally anything else . For a speech sound with computer hardware this outstanding , it ’s a pity that it ’s marry down with software package that ’s so mediocre .
The future of foldable hardware
The Honor Magic V3 is a special telephone set . have a folding phone that feel like a “ normal ” phone has been a dreaming of mine for years , and the fact that we now have that in 2024 is remarkable . That such a phone does n’t have to scant out on display timber , functioning , or ( for the most part ) camera is truly awful . It ’s a wildly impressive achievement , and it ’s one Samsung , OnePlus , Google , and every other society in the foldable space should pay attention to .
Unfortunately , if you live in the U.S. , you ca n’t officially corrupt the Magic V3 — and that ’s a disgrace . The earphone is now getting a global launching following its release in China earlier this class , but like every other accolade phone , it ’s not amount to the States . Folks in Europe can now get it , but all of us in the U.S. are still out of luck .
The limited availability is a drag , as are themanysoftware bugs Honor needs to address . Still , I ’m implausibly happy that the Honor Magic V3 exists . The idealistic shut down sound does n’t look and palpate like one , but still hide out a heavy inner display for you to utilise whenever you want . The Honor Magic V3 is the stuffy to that hereafter I ’ve ever experienced . While it may not be your next folding phone , it is one of the most exciting to be released this year — and one that I intend should set a new ironware criterion for the manufacture as a whole .
