If you ask me, HONOR’s attempt at a foldable last year was a little… underwhelming. Last year’s HONOR Magic V2 was boasted as the thinnest and lightest foldable on the market, and that, while true, was just about all it had to its name.
But this year, though, HONOR is back with a new foldable, the HONOR Magic V3, and boy, is it impressive. In fact, I would call it the best foldable phone I’ve used so far, and here’s why.
Editor
Jennifer chevron_right
Table of Contents
Build & Design
Once again, HONOR builds its foldable phone around the “thinnest and lightest” tagline, and just like its predecessor, it really lives up to it. At just 9.2mm when folded, the Magic V3 feels very much like a regular phone than a foldable phone.
Open up the phone, and you get a large screen measuring only 4.4mm thick. Despite the thinnest, the Magic V3 feels solid and durable, its weight well-balanced and not at all heavy—at only 225g, it’s only a smidge heavier than my regular iPhone 15.
The most important and worrisome part of any foldable is perhaps the hinge, but we’ve really come a long way in foldable hinge design. At any rate, the HONOR Magic V3’s hinge feels much more smooth and solid than last year’s model.
While we’re on the subject of the hinge, the crease on the inside screen is pretty much non-existent, which I found really impressive. On most foldables, despite whatever the manufacturer claims, the crease is always there and especially prominent when the light hits it just the right way; on the Magic V3, I can say that it’s really barely noticeable.
Our review unit came in the subtle and elegant Mossy Green. The Magic V3 also comes in Silk Brown and Classic Black. I would like to just give an honourable (hehe) mention to the Silk Brown, which is absolutely stunning with its golden sides.
Like last year, the Magic V3 came with a case in the box. This time, HONOR has chosen to place the kickstand on the camera module instead of right smack in the middle of the back of the phone, which is a smart choice. It’s likely that they did this because the Magic V3 has wireless charging, but that’s a matter for another section.
However, the kickstand that came with the free cover feels a little too flimsy for my liking. It’s plastic and a little thin, so placing the phone against the stand feels quite precarious, especially when the phone is unfolded into its full size.
Display
The HONOR Magic V3 features a 6.43” cover display and a 7.92” inner display. Both displays are AMOLED, sporting dynamic refresh rates of up to 120Hz, a huge improvement from last year’s model. And when I say huge improvement, it really shows. The Magic V3’s displays, both cover and inner, are stunning, vibrant, and smooth, with vivid colours across the board.
The cover display still retains the same slightly curved screen as the Magic V2. On the V2, I had bubbling issues with the screen protector due to the curved screen and my preference for swipe gestures; I’m hoping that the same issue won’t happen with the Magic V3, but that’s something we’ll only find out with long-term usage.
Performance
The Magic V3 is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, the flagship processor of the year. Combined with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage, it delivers a rather smooth performance across the board, whether it be gaming or multitasking.
I had issues with gaming on the Magic V2, but I’m glad to report that the Magic V3 had no issues even with high-intensity gaming, including Genshin Impact at Medium settings. The graphics do look a little bit gritty when I turned the graphic settings up to high, but not so much that it affects playability.
Like most other flagship phones launched this year, the HONOR Magic V3 is an AI smartphone. In case you missed it, AI smartphones are all the rage now, and the Magic V3 certainly doesn’t lack in that department. It has a whole bunch of AI capabilities that, to my surprise, aren’t just gimmicks that you pull out every so often like a magic trick!
One of the most useful features is perhaps the Face-to-Face Translation feature that uses the phone’s unique form factor to provide real-time translation to both speakers in real-time. Basically, the AI listens to both sides of a conversation, detects the language, and instantly translates it, displaying the results on the screen.
Then there’s the Magic Portal, also another feature that makes working on the HONOR Magic V3 as streamlined as possible. Basically, the Magic Portal allows you to transfer information between apps without having to switch back and forth, like copying text from one app to another or dragging images directly into messaging apps.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 has Circle to Search with Google; the HONOR Magic V3 has a similar thing called Circle to Do More, and Do More you will. This feature enables the AI to recognise text, images, and more so that you can either look up, post, share, or even shop the item you just circled!
Having a larger screen would be a complete waste if you didn’t multitask. Another one of HONOR’s AI features is Parallel Space, which allows for dual-app operation at the same time, side-by-side, on the same screen. Trust me, this is really useful when you have to manage multiple social media accounts at the same time.
The AI features are amazing and all, but unfortunately, HONOR still has some ways to go with regard to their software. One of the biggest issues I came across was how most apps still aren’t smoothly optimised for the foldable, requiring me to restart the app every time I switch from folded to unfolded and vice versa. I understand the need to do that for certain games, but even for reading apps? Come on, HONOR.
Camera
The camera setup in the HONOR Magic V3 is also vastly improved. It sports a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP periscope telephoto lens with up to 100x digital zoom, and a 40MP ultrawide camera.
The main and periscope lenses perform well in various conditions, including low light, and produce sharp, detailed photos. Besides that, the camera system is also Harcourt-supported, like the HONOR 200 Pro, so you can get the various artistic Harcourt Portrait Styles and colour presets for an artistic flair on all your photos.
AI in the HONOR Magic V3 extends to creative tools as well. The AI Eraser allows users to remove unwanted objects from images with precision and use generative AI to fill in the gaps seamlessly, resulting in professional-grade photo edits.
Battery Life & Charging
The HONOR Magic V3 sports a 5,150-mAh battery that offers impressive longevity, easily lasting up to two days of moderate use on a single charge.
With support for 66W wired and 50W wireless charging, the Magic V3 can be recharged fully in just a little over an hour.
Overall, I think that HONOR has truly succeeded in producing a foldable smartphone that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing. It feels just like a normal smartphone in both weight and dimension, yet unfolded, you can get twice the screen area. Combined with the smooth performance and AI capabilities, it’s certainly one of the best foldable smartphones I’ve seen in 2024.