I bear in mind again when skinny telephones had been all the fashion a decade in the past — Vivo, Gionee, and different Chinese language manufacturers had been intent on creating gadgets that had been ultra-sleek, and the following insanity led to telephones just like the Vivo X5 Max, which was simply 5.1mm thick. To place that into context, the Galaxy S24 is available in at 7.6mm. Whereas these gadgets ticked quite a lot of containers on the styling entrance, that they had poor thermal administration, and tiny batteries.
Fortunately, this pattern fizzled away after just a few years, and types began specializing in issues prospects truly cared about: bigger batteries, higher cameras, and so forth. Why am I dredging up obscure telephone info, you ask? Nicely, utilizing the Magic V2 jogs my memory of these ultra-thin gadgets from years previous; Honor in some way managed to create a tool that is roughly the identical measurement as an everyday telephone, and that takes away quite a lot of the friction in utilizing a foldable.
The Magic V2 is simply 4.7mm thick when unfolded, going as much as 9.9mm while you fold the gadget. The OnePlus Open is 5.8mm unfolded, and 11.7mm when folded, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is positively chunky, coming in at 6.1mm unfolded, and 13.4mm whereas it is folded. Heck, the Magic V2 is only a smidgen thicker than the OnePlus 12.
Basically, the Magic V2 modified my view of foldables, and one of the best reward I may give the gadget is that I did not wish to return to an everyday telephone after utilizing it. That stated, it has its share of points; the Chinese language model debuted final July, and whereas Honor launched the Magic V2 globally at IFA, it is solely occurring sale now. Which means you are principally getting a mid-2023 telephone, and it is nonetheless working Android 13 out of the field.
It is lacking just a few extras, and the software program wants quite a lot of work — the OnePlus Open has helpful multitasking options that you just simply do not get right here, and there is not any mud or water resistance. So must you nonetheless contemplate the Magic V2, or did Honor wait too lengthy to launch the gadget exterior China? Let’s have a look.
Honor Magic V2: Worth and launch date
Honor unveiled the Magic V2 foldable in China again in July 2023, and introduced international availability at IFA on September 1. Though the foldable was introduced on the present, Honor solely kicked off international gross sales beginning January 26. Fortunately, the Magic V2 is now out there in choose European markets, debuting at £1,699 within the U.Okay. and €1,999 in different international locations within the area.
Honor is promoting a single version of the Magic V2 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Honor can also be bringing the Porsche Design variant of the Magic V2 to international markets, however there is not any data on what that may price but — the launch is at Cellular World Congress on the finish of February, in order that’s once we’ll get to know extra concerning the gadget.
Honor Magic V2: Design
One of the best half concerning the Magic V2 is that it does not really feel like a foldable. It has roughly the identical dimensions as a big telephone — just like the Galaxy S24 Extremely — and at 231g, it truly weighs 3g much less. Greater than anything, it’s the svelte design that makes utilizing the Magic V2 so gratifying; I used all of the foldables launched within the final 18 months, and I hold coming again to this telephone.
That is down to 2 causes: the thickness of the telephone, and the scale of the outer display. The svelte design means the Magic V2 is simply as simple to carry and use as an everyday telephone, and that completely makes a distinction in each day use. The Open is on the smaller aspect as foldables go, however even that’s significantly bigger than what Honor is providing right here.
Honor additionally did a superb job with the outer display, and the 6.43-inch measurement is ideal. It has a typical 21:9 ratio, so it is not awkward to make use of just like the too-narrow cowl display of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Actually, I discovered myself utilizing the outer display for many mundane duties, solely unfolding the gadget to play video games, browse Reddit, or learn books.
The hinge additionally contributes to the gadget’s total attract. It does not want a lot pressure to open, and it has a clean articulation. You may also simply prop up the foldable at any angle between 45 to 130 levels, supplying you with loads of flexibility when capturing pictures or enjoying video games. Identical to with Samsung’s gadgets, the digital camera controls swap to the underside half of the display while you’re on this Hover mode.
Honor says the hinge is made out of titanium this time, permitting the producer to avoid wasting weight and measurement, and it is a key think about getting the foldable right down to 9.9mm. The hinge closes totally flat with no seen hole, and the model says it can final 400,000 unlocks. There is not any telling about that, however within the month I used the Magic V2, I did not run into any points in anyway.
One other factor I like concerning the hinge is that the crease is barely seen; you may nonetheless make out a crease in each day use, however it is not wherever as noticeable because the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and it’s nearer to the Open. On that word, the internal display is terrific, and it’s a smidgen bigger than its speedy rivals. However what stands out is that the gadget goes down to simply 4.7mm when unfolded, and it feels futuristic.
There are solely so some ways to design a foldable, however I feel Honor did an excellent job with the foldable; the oblong digital camera housing appears to be like distinctive, and the purple coloration variant appears to be like upmarket. The glass again has a silky texture, and the stainless-steel sides have a shiny coat. I’d have favored a matte texture, however aside from that, I haven’t got any quibbles with the design.
There is a fingerprint sensor baked into the facility button on the aspect, and it does an excellent job with authentication. The one function that is lacking on the gadget is ingress safety; whereas we nonetheless do not get IP68 water resistance on foldables, Samsung has IPX8 as commonplace on its telephones, and that makes them way more resilient to the weather. Honor ought to have added not less than IPX4, as it could have made the gadget maintain up a lot better towards different foldables.
Honor Magic V2: Shows
The largest differentiator for the Magic V2 is that it has a big cowl display that is an identical to what you get on an everyday telephone. The 6.43-inch outer OLED panel has a decision of 2376 x 1080, and like most different telephones, you get a 120Hz refresh with dynamic switching primarily based on context. One of the best half is that it has HDR10+ and goes as much as 2,500 nits, making it one of many brightest on a foldable but.
The internal display is among the many largest of any gadget, with the Magic V2 providing a 7.92-inch OLED show with a decision of 2344 x 2156 and 120Hz refresh. You get HDR10+ right here as effectively, and whereas it does not get as shiny because the outer display — maxing out at 1,600 nits — it’s nonetheless greater than sufficient in each day use. I had zero points with display visibility below harsh daylight with both display.
Each panels additionally sport LTPO, dynamically adjusting the refresh in keeping with the content material on the display, and this makes a distinction on the battery aspect of issues. Honor eschewed Corning’s Gorilla Glass and as an alternative makes use of a customized various, and within the two occasions the foldable took a tumble from a top of 5 toes, it did not choose up any harm, so clearly the protecting layer is doing its job.
Chinese language manufacturers are main the best way on the subject of DC dimming, and the Magic V2 has 3,840Hz PWM dimming on each screens — this makes the foldable an ideal selection in the event you’re delicate to PWM points. You additionally get a typical night time mode that switches the colours on the display to hotter hues at night time.
Each the internal and outer screens have vibrant colours and an excellent quantity of customizability, and as I stated earlier, the dimensions of the outer display meant that I ended up utilizing it much more than on different foldables. Honor nailed the transient on this space, and the outer display is simply nearly as good because the tablet-sized internal panel.
Whereas the outer display is nice for mundane duties, the internal display is excellent for enjoying gaming or streaming content material. The non-standard ratio means there’s some letterboxing, however it’s nonetheless extremely gratifying — the smooth design actually performs into Honor’s palms right here. And in the event you want an absurdly expensive clock, there is a Standby mode that launches a clock when the display is off and the internal display is semi-folded — that is just like Standby mode in iOS 17, however it’s designed to make the most of the foldable panel, and I actually prefer it.
Honor Magic V2: Efficiency and battery
Provided that the Magic V2 launched practically seven months in the past, it does not fairly have the most recent {hardware}. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, however you continue to get 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Having used the foldable towards the likes of the OnePlus 12 and iQOO 12, I do not suppose final yr’s {hardware} is a limitation — the 8 Gen 2 is simply as quick and fluid as its successor, and it holds up extremely effectively in demanding video games.
| Class | Honor Magic V2 | OnePlus 12 |
|---|---|---|
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Total) | 13625 | 12542 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Internet Searching) | 11956 | 10157 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Enhancing) | 7482 | 6057 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) | 14847 | 16945 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Photograph Enhancing) | 29590 | 23586 |
| Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 1426 | 936 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 4231 | 4729 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) | 2943 | 4062 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) | 17.625 | 24.325 |
| 3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (rating) | 4173 | 7826 |
| 3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (FPS) | 15.87 | 29.76 |
I used the Magic V2 for a month, and I did not see any slowdowns or lag. I wasn’t positive about its thermal administration given the svelte design, however the foldable does an astonishingly good job in prolonged gaming periods, and whereas it throttles after the 30-minute mark, you continue to get playable framerates with none jitter.
On that word, the telephone did an ideal job in 3DMark’s demanding Photo voltaic Bay stress check, selecting up a stability rating of 54.2%. The thermals did not exceed 40 levels, and that is decrease than most 2024 telephones.
There are not any points with overheating in each day use, and on the entire, the Magic V2 is simply as performant as an everyday telephone in — and that is an excellent factor. Relating to connectivity, you get Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, AptX HD, and DisplayPort 1.2 over USB-C, supplying you with the power to attach the gadget to an exterior monitor.
There’s quite a bit to love on the battery aspect as effectively, and the 5,000mAh battery ensures the Magic V2 lasts a day with none points. Even with heavy use, I did not should cost the foldable earlier than the top of the day, and it’s the finest foldable telephone you should purchase proper now in the event you want all-day battery life.
I am working PCMark’s Work 3.0 battery life check on all gadgets this yr, and the Magic V2 lasted 15 hours and 41 minutes, a really respectable rating that is a lot better than every other foldable. With the identical check carried out over the internal panel, it delivered a rating simply shy of ten hours — once more, an ideal displaying.
Once you finally have to cost it, there’s 66W charging tech. It takes simply over an hour to cost the battery, and there are the same old options to make sure you maximize battery longevity.
Honor Magic V2: Cameras
The Magic V2 has upgraded cameras, together with a 50MP major digital camera with OIS, and a 20MP zoom lens that has OIS and goes as much as 2.5x optical zoom. The 50MP wide-angle lens is similar because the Magic Vs, however modifications to the tuning means you get higher pictures. There is a 16MP digital camera situated on the entrance.
Honor retained the identical digital camera interface as final time, however you now get the power to separate the viewfinder and controls between the 2 halves of the folding display, and this ends in a lot better versatility. The function is an identical to what you get on Samsung telephones (Flex Mode), and it enables you to shoot pictures and movies in distinctive angles.
The capturing modes are unchanged, and also you get a Professional mode that allows you to tweak numerous parameters, dual-view choice that means that you can take movies from each the entrance and rear cameras on the identical time, Film mode, and all the same old choices. What’s fascinating this time is that there is AI-assisted movement sensing, and the Magic V2 is ready to lock in on a topic with relative ease. It could additionally take respectable pictures of fast-moving objects, one thing that almost all telephones wrestle with — together with flagships.
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The Magic V2 takes good pictures in daylight situations, producing pictures with nice dynamic vary, vibrant colours, and many element. Honor’s coloration tuning tends to skew towards saturated colours, so whereas the resultant pictures look nice when sharing on social media, you do not essentially get correct colours.
Portrait pictures are respectable as effectively, and whereas you do not get the identical high quality because the likes of the OnePlus 12, they’re on the identical stage as different foldables. The wide-angle lens is respectable in its personal proper, and whereas you do not get photographs which can be fairly as detailed or vibrant as the primary digital camera, they’re sufficient for sharing on social media.
The foldable does an ideal job in low-light situations as effectively, delivering low noise ranges and preserving intricate particulars. The OnePlus Open nonetheless has an edge on this explicit space, however the Magic V2 is not far behind.
Honor Magic V2: Software program
Whereas Honor nailed the transient close to the {hardware}, the Magic V2 does not fairly measure up on the software program entrance — it nonetheless runs MagicOS 7.2 primarily based on Android 13 out of the field. The interface does not look fairly as polished, and it nonetheless has too many similarities to older variations of EMUI. That stated, the worldwide model now has a Management Middle as commonplace, with the notification pane break up in two — the toggles are situated on one web page, and the toggles getting their very own web page.
Xiaomi makes use of the same system in MIUI, and OPPO additionally gives this function in Chinese language ColorOS builds. However each manufacturers allow you to swap to a typical notification pane, and you do not get that right here. The settings web page is in want of an overhaul as effectively, and the design of Honor’s inventory apps is outdated to place it mildly.
You get just a few foldable options, however they don’t seem to be as intensive as different gadgets. MagicOS 7.2 enables you to simply launch multi-window mode — nice for maximizing the display actual property — and you may simply regulate app scaling. You get a dock on the backside of the display that reveals not too long ago used apps, however you miss out on an app drawer icon that allows you to pull up all put in apps with out having to enter the drawer itself.
Additionally lacking is the persistent dock that stays on the backside of the display on the OnePlus Open and Samsung foldables; that is my favourite foldable function because it lets me seamlessly bounce between apps, and it is annoying that it’s not out there on the Magic V2. Honor wants so as to add just a few options to make the Magic V2 on par with its rivals, and the UI is unquestionably in want of an overhaul.
As for updates, the Magic V2 will choose up 4 Android OS updates together with 5 years of safety updates. That is in keeping with different foldables, however Honor is not the quickest at rolling out updates, and the model hasn’t detailed when it can ship Android 14 to the Magic V2.
Honor Magic V2: The competitors
The OnePlus Open continues to be among the finest foldables you will get for the time being. It is not fairly as smooth because the Magic V2, however it additionally has highly effective {hardware}, battery that lasts all day, a big outer display with an internal display that has the least seen crease on this section, loads of helpful software program options, and a stellar digital camera bundle that is on par with flagships. That stated, the Open remains to be on Android 13, and my unit did not get the replace to OxygenOS 14 as of writing.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 can also be a contender, however the foldable does not have wherever near the identical stage of refinement because the Magic V2. The design appears to be like outdated, the crease is definitely noticeable, and I am consistently irritated by the tall-and-narrow outer display that simply does not serve a lot utility. Samsung’s solely benefit is that it gives IPX8 water resistance and customized software program options, however the model now not has the benefit on this class.
Honor Magic V2: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You need a foldable that is simply as simple to make use of as an everyday telephone
- You want a foldable with one of the best battery life and quick charging tech
- You are on the lookout for a tool with a usable outer display and tablet-sized internal display
- You want high-end {hardware} that is nice for gaming
You should not purchase this if:
- You want one of the best software program options on a foldable
- You want all of the extras
I am unable to assist however really feel that Honor shot itself within the foot by delaying the worldwide launch of the Magic V2 by greater than six months. The Magic V2 had the potential to dominate the foldable dialog due to its svelte design and {hardware}, however in 2024, it’s overshadowed by the likes of OnePlus.
The delay additionally highlights Honor’s software program foibles, with the Magic V2 debuting with Android 13 out of the field — that is simply not excusable on this class. That stated, the Magic V2 isn’t any much less spectacular as we speak, and even subsequent to the Open, it clearly has quite a bit to supply.
What I like essentially the most concerning the gadget is the smooth design — I’ve stated it just a few occasions on this evaluation, however the Magic V2 genuinely appears like an everyday telephone more often than not, and that places it in a league of its personal. The internal display can also be among the finest on this class, as are the cameras, and the {hardware}. Battery life is healthier than every other foldable I used to this point, and Honor deserves quite a lot of credit score for cramming a 5000mAh battery into such a skinny design.
From a {hardware} viewpoint, the Magic V2 is faultless; that is one of the best showcase for a foldable but. The software program wants work, but when what I’ve seen of MagicOS 8.0 is any indication, Honor is lastly making amends on this space, modernizing the interface and rolling out much-needed tweaks. In case you just like the look of the {hardware} and do not thoughts ready for Android 14, it is best to get the Magic V2.
