Honor Magic V3 review: a look at the future of smartphones

No smartphone drew such crowds at IFA as the Honor Magic V3. After the successful V2, Honor has pulled off a real big bang for the second time in a row. The V3 is 0.7 mm thinner and 5 g lighter than its predecessor, has a slightly bigger battery, supports wireless charging and is water resistant for the first time. Those are exactly the points where other manufacturers say they have to cut back on battery and water resistance when they get thinner.

Two full-fledged devices in one

In theory, foldables are supposed to be two devices in one, in the best case even three: smartphone, tablet and, with a keyboard and mouse, a PC. In practice, though, the narrow form factor of some manufacturers meant you didn’t get a complete smartphone. With the Magic V3, for the first time you feel 100% that you have two full-fledged devices.

• Outside: 6.43-inch OLED in the classic 20:9 format with nice bezels.
• Inside: 7.92 inches, with 970 nits half as bright as the outer display, but still easy to read in sunlight.
• Crease: It hasn’t changed all that much, and you stop seeing it after a very short time. The inner display is supposed to be more durable thanks to newer technology, but that can’t be judged for another year or two at the earliest.

In terms of thickness, you have a normal smartphone in your hand, and you can open it up in half. It’s fun to use the device as a map in Google Maps, as an e-reader, for writing emails, browsing or watching movies, and then fold it shut again. For anyone who wants everything in one device on the go, that is truly life changing.

Silicon-carbon battery

The battery has 5,150 mAh and lasts me all day. In such a slim device, that is an innovation. Honor uses the third generation of its silicon-carbon battery, which can store more capacity than a conventional lithium battery. By comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has 4,400 mAh, which is 700 mAh less, and is thicker and heavier because Samsung relies on lithium batteries. We will see batteries like this in many devices and also in electric cars in the future.

Camera and software

On the back, three cameras sit in an octagonal module:

• 40-megapixel ultra-wide
• 50-megapixel wide
• 50-megapixel telephoto

On top of that, there is a 20-megapixel selfie camera on the outside and the inside. Here, too, the hardware says little, because AI does the post-processing. It doesn’t look artificial, quite the opposite: even in dim light, the shots look good, and for me that’s fine as long as they stay realistic. As with the Honor 200 Pro, there is a portrait mode with three filters that optimize color, exposure and contrast. You can judge how good the camera is for yourselves from the shots.

Inside, you’ll find the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Android 14 with MagicOS. Google AI features such as Circle to Search are available. Honor adds Magic Portal as an AI feature. Nothing earth-shattering, but state of the art.

Three points of criticism

1. Face unlock: It works remarkably fast, from almost any angle, but it is less secure than Face ID. The device unlocks constantly as soon as my face is anywhere within reach of the front camera, and it leads to accidental inputs. In the end, I turned it off.
2. Button layout: The volume and power buttons are spread across both sides. When folded, that’s good for screenshots. But the volume button is on the right when folded and on the left when unfolded. I have to think about it and, when in doubt, reach for the wrong side first. Maybe that will wear off with time.
3. Stylus: The Magic V3 supports a stylus on both the inner and the outer display, the Z Fold 6 only on the inside, and the Pixel Fold not at all. But the stylus is not officially available in Germany and would have to be imported, which is a hassle. You pay for the technology but can’t use it.

Price and what’s in the box

The recommended retail price (RRP) is €1,999. That is an incredible amount of money. But rarely can you be as sure as here that you are getting two full-fledged devices in one and the most up-to-date tech.

The box includes a case in a matching color. It has a stand around the camera module, so you can stand the V3 up unfolded and make full use of the large inner display when watching movies.

Verdict

The Honor Magic V3 is extremely well thought out and a preview of what awaits us in the future. Technically, for me it is the most up-to-date thing you could buy for money at the time of the video. If you want everything in one device on the go and accept the high price, you get a foldable that is a full-fledged device even as a normal smartphone.