Honor Magic V3: The Slimmest Foldable Smartphone Challenges Samsung's Dominance

Honor Magic V3 (Quick Look) - Slimmer and Stronger

This gadget is the next evolution of Honor's foldable smartphone range, bringing with it improved AI features, a longer battery, and a much tougher and resilient chassis. "Hello everyone and welcome to another Gamereactor Quick Look. It's a big day because the foldable dominance of Samsung's Galaxy Fold series has never been more challenged than it is right now. In almost all of the territories where Samsung initially launched exclusively with a large format foldable, there are now new challengers to the market. Google has launched its Pixel Fold and is now launching the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in more countries. We're also getting the OnePlus Open and now the OnePlus Open Apex Edition. Honor, which we have talked very warmly about in other episodes of Gamereactor Quick Look, they have their brand new Magic V3, which has at least one piece of standout design, which is that this is so thin, this probably won't translate to camera, but this is so thin that it's probably going to be a lot thinner than the majority of single slab style normal smartphones that you'll see on the market. This is so thin that it feels like it's going to snap, but in a good way because it doesn't. It's made with durable materials and all of this comes together in sort of a stiff way that basically you have no doubt as to whether or not this is a comprehensive and sturdy design, and yet it folds. Quite effortlessly, it folds creating a huge canvas that looks absolutely spectacular and particularly when unfolded when it basically halves its C-depth, it becomes so thin that even something like the new iPad Pro can basically just go home because this is absolutely gorgeous. And it might seem like a gimmick because who cares a little bit about extra C-depth in a smartphone like this, even a foldable? Well, imagine, I'm going to make this argument that I think some people are hesitant about updating or basically selling off their old phone and buying a foldable phone because they're afraid of that gold bar ID that the Samsung Galaxy Fold launched with and has hold onto for the majority of time, meaning that it becomes like a brick in your pocket. It doesn't have the smooth, slim edge that an iPhone or a Google Pixel or a Samsung Galaxy Ultra would have, but this does. This might be thinner than the majority of those, and it's a foldable. So this is a markedly step forward in foldable design, and that's great. First and foremost, it is not heavy because of its foldable nature either. It's 226 grams, and it's lovely. It's such a great thing to hold in your hand. It just feels like a regular phone. It really does. And I think that's going to mean a lot to a lot of folks, having a regular phone to use for regular phone things, but then when you have a moment to yourself where you either need to be productive or watch something on Netflix, you unfold and you get this absolutely gorgeous 7.8 inch display." "Now in terms of displays, we have a front display. I'm going to rely a little bit on my handwritten notes, which is slightly off camera here. It's a 5,000 nits, 6.43 inch 1060x2376 front display. It's 100 hertz, again, 5,000 nits. It really is fantastic, and there is no point in mincing words here. It's going to be among the better displays on the market, particularly next to foldables. You also get this major display here, as I said 7.8 inches. It's an LTPO AMOLED. It runs at a slightly higher resolution of 2356x2344." "That's a pixel per inch density of 204 pixels, which is great. This is also 120 hertz. It's 1800 nits, and that's awesome, basically. Inside, you get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. That's a 4 nanometer processor, and basically something that is doubled in the majority of the main competitors to the Magic V3, and I should stress right now because it's relevant, this costs so much less than the majority of those. This is 1,100 euros, a bit more than 1,100 euros, meaning that it is markedly cheaper than a OnePlus Open Apex Edition or a Galaxy Fold 6. That is incredible. You get 256 or 512 gigs of storage. You can get 12 gigs of RAM, but more than that, and there is one more major surprise here on the back. It's a triple camera system. It's a 50 megapixel wide and a 40 megapixel ultra wide, but the top camera here is a periscope zoom assembly. That's awesome. That basically means that it can sit on a tighter plinth. It's still a pretty big camera mesa, and it's only a 3x optical, which is a bit disappointing since you could go 5x. With periscope zooms, you could even go 10x if you want. Samsung used that for a while, but a periscope zoom just means less detail loss, and you can fit a proper manual optical zoom assembly in a smaller space. So that is awesome. Now, the jury is completely out on a couple of different things. How does Honor's software work? Well, already, I think there's a couple of different things that I just don't like about it. For one, it's not, I don't know if you can tell this on the wide camera that we have here. There's just some oddities here that isn't replicated in any other Android device. So for instance, when you swipe down from the main screen, you don't get your quick settings. You get like a search function that Honor themselves have made. And even sort of removing icons from the home screen just proved to be a little bit more cumbersome than I thought. It might be that you can alter this into something that you can really use, but the jury's out on that one. And also, these lenses from a hardware perspective feel cool, but are they? Do they take good photos? We'll have to wait and see. But this, I should stress, has full Google support, meaning that you get the Play Store, you get all of the Google apps that you want. It's perfect in that particular regard, and it's cheaper than almost any large scale, large format foldable. So that is also a big recommendation from here. We'll be reviewing it very soon."

Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: Did Honor beat Samsung? | Digital Trends

Whenever you think of foldable phones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 will likely be one of the first on your mind. Samsung's sixth-generation foldable is slimmer and lighter than previous generations, but it mostly sticks to a tried-and-tested strategy of incremental upgrades that will be familiar to previous Fold users. Samsung doesn't have much competition in the U.S., though the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and OnePlus Open aim to dethrone Samsung. Outside the U.S., however, there's a big fight brewing, and Samsung has serious competition that is slimmer, thinner, and claims to offer better cameras, bigger displays, and better performance. Recommended Videos One of Samsung's biggest competitors in Western Europe is Honor. Last year, the Magic V2 was one of the thinnest foldables, but it's now been surpassed by the Honor Magic V3. It's thinner and lighter on paper, and many of the specs are better, but is it better? Let's see how it compares to the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: specs Honor Magic V3 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Size Unfolded: 156.6 x 145.3 x 4.4 mm Folded: 156.6 x 74.0 x 9.3 mm Unfolded: 153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6 mm Folded: 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1 mm Weight 226 grams (7.97 ounces) 239 grams (8.43 ounces) Screen size Cover screen: 6.43 inch AMOLED Inner screen: 7.92 inch AMOLED Cover screen: 6.3 inch AMOLED Inner screen: 7.6 inch AMOLED Screen resolution Cover screen: 1060 x 2376 pixels (402 pixels per inch), 1-120Hz Inner screen: 2156 x 2344 pixels (402 pixels per inch), 1-120Hz Cover screen: 968 x 2376 pixels (410 ppi), 1-120Hz Inner screen: 1856 x 2160 pixels (374 pixels per inch), 1-120Hz Operating system Android 14 Android 14 Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB MicroSD card slot No No Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 RAM 12GB (256GB) 16GB (512GB, 1TB) 12GB Camera Rear: 50-megapixel wide 50MP periscope (3.5x optical zoom) 40MP ultrawide Selfie: 20MP: Cover Display 20MP: main display Rear: 50MP wide 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) 12MP ultrawide Selfie: 10MP: cover display 4MP: main display Video Up to 4K at 30 frames per second (fps) Up to 4K at 60 frames per second (fps) Bluetooth version Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.3 Ports USB-C 3.1 USB-C 3.2 Fingerprint sensor Yes, embedded in the power button Yes, embedded in the power button Water resistance IP68 IP48 Battery 5,150mAh battery 66W wired charging 50W wireless charging 5W reverse wireless charging Type: Silicon-carbon 4,400mAh battery 25W wired charging 15W wireless charging 4.5W reverse wireless charging Type: Lithium Polymer App marketplace Google Play Store Google Play Store Network support Most major carriers Most major carriers Colors Velvet Black, Snow, Tundra Green, Red Navy, Silver Shadow, Pink, Black, White Price TBD Starting at $1,800 Buy from Most major retailers Most major retailers Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: design The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a solid choice for many reasons, including that it's a fantastic device when moving, but there's no denying that the Magic V3 makes it look and feel bulky. The Magic V3 measures 4.35mm at its thinnest point when unfolded and 9.3mm when folded, and it is noticeably thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at 5.6mm and 12.1mm, respectively. A difference of 1.3mm may not seem that big, but it makes a huge difference in daily usage. The Magic V3 feels like a regular smartphone in your pocket, whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 6 feels like a foldable phone. The Magic V3 is roughly 13 grams lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, enhancing the feeling that it's not a foldable phone. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is more symmetrical, and the Armor Aluminum frame feels slightly more premium than that of the Magic V3. The design of the Magic V3 and its focus on making it as thin as possible also means you can't fix the display at any angle. The thin design also means it won't stand upright when unfolded, whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is ideally suited for these use cases. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 feels fantastic in the hand, and the hinge allows it to be used at different angles. The Honor Magic V3 also feels great in the hand and is impossibly thin, making it ideal for more people. Honor was also able to troll Samsung with an inscription on the phone, which is just the icing on the cake. It's a slim win, but a win nonetheless. Winner: Honor Magic V3 Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: display Both phones have gorgeous displays, but Samsung is renowned for outstanding screens and is widely regarded as having the best smartphone displays. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is no exception and features a stunning 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED cover display that unfolds to a 7.6-inch display of the same caliber. Both screens support up to 2600 nits peak brightness and a variable refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz, while the cover display also features Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 display is slightly shorter and wider than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. This creates a more traditional smartphone-like experience while solving one of the biggest complaints about previous Samsung foldables. The Honor Magic V3 has a 6.43-inch OLED cover display that's slightly wider than that of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but is the same height. This makes it more ergonomically friendly for many people and closer to the design of phones like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It unfolds to form a 7.92-inch AMOLED display with a variable 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, 1800 nits peak brightness, and Dolby Vision support. The Magic V3 does feature a few nifty software features to improve eye comfort and overall ocular health. The industry's first AI defocus display is designed to help reduce transient myopia by 13 degrees after 25 minutes of screen time. Deliberate software features also help improve eye comfort and filter out blue light for a more pleasant viewing experience. The Magic V3 has an impressive display, but Samsung displays are the best on any smartphone, and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 continues this trend. That said, Honor's eye tech is quite interesting and could benefit those with vision problems. Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: performance and battery You'll be hard-pressed to find many differences in the performance of these two phones. Both are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 -- although the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a slightly tweaked version for Galaxy -- and both feature at least 12GB of RAM. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 offers 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage, all with the same amount of RAM. Meanwhile, the Honor Magic V3 has the same storage options, but 16GB of RAM in all but the 256GB model. The differences are fairly minuscule; both phones are fast, fluid, and smooth and they deliver flagship performance. They are far less even-matched when you consider the battery life. We haven't fully tested the battery on the Honor Magic V3, but it is noticeably bigger and likely much better. Samsung still hasn't embraced the biggest battery sizes or fastest charging, and Honor shows you can have a supremely thin foldable with a big battery. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 features a 4,400mAh battery and supports 25W wired charging, which can charge the phone to 50% in 30 minutes. There's also 15W wired charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. These specs are identical to those of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Samsung hasn't significantly changed its battery technology or sizes in years. It could -- and should -- be much better, as Honor, OnePlus, and Xiaomi have shown. The Honor Magic V3 battery is 17% larger at 5,150mAh and represents an area where Honor is unique. While most phone makers use lithium polymer (Li-Po) batteries, Honor was the first to use silicon-carbon batteries. These have several advantages, as they are lighter and smaller and can store more energy in the same capacity -- though may come with the downside of a lower life expectancy. This enables the Magic V3 to be as thin as possible while supporting 66W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 5W reverse wireless charging. Both phones should deliver similar performance, but battery life isn't Samsung's strong suit, and the Magic V3 should beat the Galaxy Z Fold 6 hands down here. Winner: Honor Magic V3 Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: cameras While many people may have been hoping for improved Galaxy Z Fold 6 cameras, there is no difference from last year, except for improvements delivered by the latest Snapdragon chipset. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 camera is just fine, but fairly underwhelming compared to the competition. On paper, the Honor Magic V3 has a much better camera overall. The 50-megapixel wide sensor has a wider aperture (f/1.6 to f/1.8), letting in more light. It's paired with a 50MP periscope telephoto lens that delivers 3.5x optical zoom and a 40MP ultrawide camera. The photos captured are fantastic. For selfies, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 4MP under-display camera on the main display and a 10MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture on the cover display. The under-display camera is an example of a company sacrificing performance for a more uniform look, so you'll want to use the front selfie camera where possible. The Honor Magic V3 takes much better selfies, with the same 20MP selfie camera found on the main and cover displays. This means you'll get the same performance regardless of which one you use, and the same can't be said for the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Despite the Galaxy S24 Ultra having a fantastic camera, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 doesn't, especially compared to every other foldable phone. Let's hope that Samsung improves the camera next year. However, it's worth noting that while both phones allow you to use the Cover Display as a viewfinder to take selfies with the main cameras, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a much better implementation. The Magic V3 has an option to do so, but in testing, it was much harder to actually take a photo using this mode. Better hardware, almost as good software tuning, and outstanding zoom performance make this an easy win for the Honor Magic V3. Winner: Honor Magic V3 Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: software and updates If there's one area where Samsung has an almost unassailable lead, it is software. In particular, it is in One UI's approach to multitasking, which Samsung has been building and perfecting for over a decade. Despite many of these features also being present in the core Android OS -- and, therefore, on the Magic V3 -- the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a productivity champion. The Honor Magic V3 also features support for a stylus. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which limits the S Pen to the main display, the Magic V3 supports stylus input on both displays. It's unclear whether there are any software features designed for the stylus like the S Pen has, but it's nice to see another foldable that supports a stylus. It also proves that Samsung should enable S Pen support on both displays. Both companies have deployed AI as part of the software experience. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has all the Galaxy AI features you would expect, while Honor has built similar versions with a few tweaks. Instead of Circle to Search, you have Magic Portal, which elevates the experience by making it effortless to find something and quickly buy it. The Magic V3 also comes with two particularly unique AI features. First, it helps reduce call noise by using AI for two-way noise cancellation. This means audio from both sides of the call is filtered for noise. Second, a nifty AI Deepfake Detection feature kicks in when you're on a video call, then identifies the person on the call and checks whether their face has been deep-faked or swapped. This provides reassurance that the person you're talking to is not an imposter and is a unique way of using AI to improve the overall smartphone experience. Despite these unique features, the Magic V3 does have a distinct disadvantage: it won't last as long. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 will receive software and security updates for seven years, while the Honor Magic V3 will receive four years of software updates and five years of security updates. Both phones run Android 14 out of the box, but timely long-term updates aren't Honor's strong point, even though the company continues to improve in this area. Samsung has a strong advantage due to the S Pen, One UI's incredible multitasking, and seven years of updates. Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: price and availability Buying a foldable phone requires a significant investment, and neither of these phones bucks that trend. At the time of writing, it is unclear how much the Magic V3 will retail for, but the Magic V2 was slightly cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and we'd expect this trend to continue. The Magic V3 comes in three fantastic colors: Black, Green, and a gorgeous Orange. The latter is the only one with a faux leather textured finish. Regardless of color, you'll also get a case in the box and the 66W-enabled SuperCharger brick. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has several color choices, including Navy, Silver, Pink, White, and Black. The latter is exclusive to Samsung's website and features a textured carbon fiber finish. The box includes no case or charger, although the best Galaxy Z Fold 6 cases list is plentiful. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 retails at $1,800, but Samsung always offers promotional trade-in offers. The best Z Fold 6 deals discount the phone by up to $1,000 with a trade-in, and you can also buy the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at most retailers and carriers. The Honor Magic V3 will likely have much more limited availability, with no official release in the U.S. However, it will be available via Amazon in many countries and likely via European carriers. Honor Magic V3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 6: verdict Deciding between these two flagship foldable phones ultimately depends on your priorities. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is widely available via most carriers, so you don't need to pay for it outright. It has better software, and while it isn't the best phone overall, it is the most convenient to buy and get support for. The Honor Magic V3 has much better hardware, a fantastic camera, and is supremely thin. If you live in a country where it's available from your carrier, it's a great phone that won't disappoint. However, you'll need to buy it outright if you live in the U.S. or where Honor doesn't have a carrier partnership. Honor usually offers discounts and trade-in deals, making it cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but it will almost certainly mean paying more upfront. If money is no object, the Honor Magic V3 ticks almost every box. It proves you can have a thin foldable with a big battery, fast charging, and stylus support on both displays. The cameras are much better than those on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, providing a playbook for Samsung to imitate in its future foldables.

Hands-on: How the ridiculously thin Honor Magic V3 compared to Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Honor just announced the Magic V3, setting a new record for the thinnest foldable on the market. We've had some time to test the Magic V3 out, so here's how it compares to Google's newest foldable, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The Magic V3 is not only a spectacular device in terms of build; it's packed to the teeth with some of the newest components available. For an SoC, Honor went with the Snapdragon 8 Gen. That CPU and GPU system are paired with 12GB of RAM, which comes in handy for multitasking - something every foldable needs to prioritize. Honor also equipped the Magic V3 with a 5,150mAh battery. I've been more than thrilled with the battery life I can get out of each day. On standby, the phone barely uses any power, even with the wallpaper displayed in AOD mode. One of the major drawbacks of this device, however, is the OS that it runs. The foldable carries MagicOS 8.0.1, which is the company's latest skin on top of Android. However, there are a lot of nuances I just don't find particularly inviting compared to something like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which runs Google's version of Android 14. For instance, the control panel drives me insane. Where other foldables will showcase both the control panel and notifications entered on the same screen when the device is open, the Magic V3 will only show one or the other. To get the notifications, you need to either swipe from the correct spot on the top of the screen or swipe across where the panel acts as a second page. There are other little design choices made that don't seem to mesh well, though it's something someone could get used to. Another small gripe I had was with the haptic motor. I would not be shocked if there was a hidden setting that has the haptics set to "super low." Actions like typing my PIN in to unlock the phone offer next to no feedback, and it's incredibly unnerving. That being said, the phone runs incredibly fast at 120Hz on both displays. Each panel is gorgeous and easy to look at, and Honor has even patented some eye-saving tech to alleviate screen fatigue. Not only that, but the phone takes on a lot of proprietary AI features like Face to Face Translation and AI-driven notes transcription. All of that is packed within a body that comes in at just 9.2mm thick. For reference, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 12.1mm in height. With that profile, the phone feels massive and visually, there is a ton of real estate, but the phone is actually pocketable and not much bigger than a slab device. The fact that it's this thin and able to operate at the level it does is honestly astounding. The inner crease also plays a big role in easing the pain points of the foldable niche since it's genuinely minimal. Holding the phone while it's unfolded actually feels weird. It's essentially like holding a field notes journal. Remember, it sits only 4.35mm off its supporting surface when unfolded. Of course, the camera bump does well enough to almost double that. Still, it's impressive. In truth, if you were to hold the Honor Magic V3 and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold separately on different days, you'd essentially forget the differences. As incredible as a 9.2mm thick device is, the current state of foldables in 2024 offers options that are more than comparable. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes in at 10.5mm thick. That added 1.3mm doesn't do a whole lot to make me, personally, prefer one device over the other. In fact, both are built really well. The Magic V3 obviously feels much more sleek, but as you might know from the Pixel 9 review I wrote, I truly love the boxy and modern feel of the devices both Google and Samsung have recently released. In the hands, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels fantastic. Those boxy edges look and feel great to hold, and in reality, Google's latest foldable is remarkably thin - at least for being the company's second attempt. The Magic V3 is slightly large in terms of display, with a 6.43-inch panel on the outside. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold utilizes a 6.3-inch screen. That being said, the internal displays are slightly different as well, with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold being slightly more boxy in its aspect ratio. The difference in reality is negligible. Both devices feel excellent to hold, but if it came down to software experience, I'd choose the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The Magic V3 has all the right physical attributes of a sturdy foldable that's incredibly comfortable to use, but it doesn't offer the smoothest experience.