After not using that many folding phones in 2023, I’ve ended up using a lot of them in 2024. I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 earlier this summer, have been checking out the OnePlus Open, and most recently spent 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 folding phone in this form factor (hence the V3 name), but it’s the first one I’ve ever used. And as much as I like this year’s foldables from Samsung, OnePlus, and Google, Honor’s feels like something truly special.
I’ve never used a folding phone like this
As much as I like the convenience and functionality of a folding phone, one thing regularly stops me from using them long-term: their size/weight. Phones like the Z Fold 6 and OnePlus Open are much more usable than foldable phones from a couple of years ago, but they’re still noticeably thicker and heavier than non-folding phones.
The Honor Magic V3 doesn’t have this problem, and it’s the first folding phone I’ve ever used that doesn’t feel like a folding phone. The Magic V3 measures an amazing 9.2mm thick when folded shut, which is better than every other major foldable on the market today. For some context:
- The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 12.1mm
- The OnePlus Open is 11.7mm
- The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is 10.5mm
The Honor Magic V3 is thinner than all of them and by a pretty considerable margin. That difference may not sound like much on paper, but in practice, it’s kind of unbelievable. The Magic V3 is still technically thicker than non-foldables, but not by much; the iPhone 15 Pro Max measures 8.3mm thick.
When I pick up the Magic V3 and use the 6.43-inch cover screen, it feels like I’m using any other smartphone — not a foldable that I can open up to access a 7.92-inch display whenever I want. Part of this is also due to how light the phone is. Weighing in at 226 grams, the Honor Magic V3 is six grams lighter than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
It may seem dramatic to spend this much time raving about a phone’s thinness and weight, but it really is that impressive on the Magic V3. Never before have I used a foldable that’s this comfortable to use. It’s something Honor already did a great job at last year with the Honor Magic V2, and it did an even better job this year with the V3.
All the more impressive is how well-built the Magic V3 feels despite being this thin and light. While not the best I’ve ever used, the hinge feels sturdy and reliable. The matte aluminum frame feels great, all of the buttons have a nice click to them, and there’s an IPX8 water resistance rating to keep the phone safe against any accidental splashes. My only gripe is that my review unit is the black color and not the more eye-catching red/brown or green options that are also available.
A solid all-around foldable
The Honor Magic V3’s hardware is a big reason it’s so impressive, but the rest of the phone is also worth talking about — and just as good!
Both of the displays are lovely. The 6.43-inch cover 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 brightness. It’s a lovely panel and one I’m more than happy to use for quickly replying to messages, skimming emails, etc. Open the Magic V3 up, and the 7.92-inch display is another OLED panel with up to 120Hz refresh rate — plus up to 1,600 nits of brightness. It’s bright, sharp, colorful, and a pure joy.
The Magic V3 is also fast. Powering the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Whether playing Marvel Snap, watching YouTube TV, or jumping back and forth between my email, Instagram, and other apps, everything on the Honor Magic V3 is smooth, snappy, and responsive. Even more impressive is that the phone stays cool even under intense workloads. It gets warm to the touch, but much less than I’d expect for a phone this thin and light.
What about the cameras? There’s a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom, and a 40MP ultrawide camera. It’s not the most technically impressive setup you’ll find on a phone this year, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy with it.
Similar to the Honor 200 Pro and Honor Magic 6 RSR I used earlier this year, photos from the Magic V3 have a distinct character. Some shots are a little mediocre, but others are downright impressive. The Honor Magic V3 doesn’t always take a fantastic photo, but it looks like something special when it does. It’s not as reliable as the Google Pixel 9 Pro, but it’s a fun phone to shoot with, and it’s one I think most folks would be happy with.
Frustrating and buggy software
If I have one bone to pick with the Honor Magic V3, it’s the software. This hasn’t been a strong suit of Honor’s for a while, and the V3 is no different.
Why? Like other Honor phones I’ve used this year, Honor’s MagicOS interface has a lot of quirks. The app drawer isn’t enabled by default, meaning you have to dig deep into the Settings app to turn it on and have it work like every other Android phone. The haptics are wildly inconsistent and, for whatever reason, refuse to work with Gboard. Unlike every other Android phone, your Quick Settings and notifications are split between two separate pages (à la iOS). If you have the main display open and are using the camera app, rotating the phone puts an ugly black bar at the top rather than allowing the viewfinder to fill the entire screen.
Even more frustrating was a bug I encountered during my second day with the Magic V3. After setting the phone up one night, which included well over an hour of downloading my apps and logging into them, I woke up the following day to find that the phone had reset itself in the middle of the night — completely erasing all of my apps, login info, etc.
The phone hasn’t done this since, but combined with the other software issues, it’s established that Honor’s software needs a lot of work. MagicOS is usable, but there are enough little issues here and there that I desperately wish it was running another version of Android — be it Google’s Pixel interface, OnePlus’ OxygenOS, or literally anything else. For a phone with hardware this outstanding, it’s a shame that it’s tied down with software that’s so mediocre.
The future of foldable hardware
The Honor Magic V3 is a special phone. Having a folding phone that feels like a “normal” phone has been a dream of mine for years, and the fact that we now have that in 2024 is remarkable. That such a phone doesn’t have to skimp out on display quality, performance, or (for the most part) cameras is truly amazing. It’s a wildly impressive achievement, and it’s one Samsung, OnePlus, Google, and every other company in the foldable space should pay attention to.
Unfortunately, if you live in the U.S., you can’t officially buy the Magic V3 — and that’s a shame. The phone is now getting a global launch following its release in China earlier this year, but like every other Honor phone, it’s not coming 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 the many software bugs Honor needs to address. Still, I’m incredibly happy that the Honor Magic V3 exists. The ideal folding phone doesn’t look and feel like one, but still hides a large inner display for you to use whenever you want. The Honor Magic V3 is the closest to that future 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 think should set a new hardware standard for the industry as a whole.
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