I’ve by no means used a folding cellphone like this one earlier than

Honor took its candy time to carry the Magic V2 out of China – six months, to be exact. Given the superb {hardware}, it’s been an extended wait.

I’ve had a check unit since July 2023, which didn’t have the software program and cameras prepared till earlier this month. After utilizing it as my main machine for a couple of weeks, I can confidently say that the Honor Magic V2 is essentially the most snug foldable cellphone I’ve used thus far.

Completely bridging the hole between an everyday and foldable cellphone

For a very long time, my main problem with utilizing foldable telephones has been how they really feel within the hand. It began with the Galaxy Z Fold (and nonetheless stays the identical with the Galaxy Z Fold 5), which appears like holding two common sweet telephones collectively. We received nearer to a slab phone-like kind issue on a foldable with the OnePlus Open, nevertheless it’s nonetheless thick. The Honor Magic V2 solves this drawback with a thinner, lighter, and higher kind issue than ever.

Beginning with thickness, at 10.1mm, the Magic V2 brings the foldable cellphone kind issue nearer to a slab cellphone expertise than ever. The Final variant with a vegan leather-based again is even thinner at 9.9mm.

For reference, mainstream foldable just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Google Pixel Fold, and the OnePlus Open measure 13.46mm, 12.1mm, and 11.7mm in thickness, respectively. Whereas slab telephones like the brand new Galaxy S24 Extremely and Google Pixel 8 Professional are 8.7mm and eight.8mm in thickness, respectively. The Magic V2 lies in the course of these.

Secondly, the Magic V2 weighs 237 grams, which is eight grams lighter than the present greatest foldable cellphone, the OnePlus Open. The Samsung and Google foldables weigh far more at 253 grams (Galaxy Z Fold 5) and 283 grams (Pixel Fold), whereas the Galaxy S24 Extremely weighs 233 grams. The skinny and lightweight design makes it akin to slab telephones, which is a giant feat for the foldable section.

Honor made this doable by engaged on the fabric, hinge, and battery. First, it makes use of proprietary metal that’s mentioned to be 25% thinner and 20% stronger than the Honor Magic Vs. Second, the hinge is made out of titanium, which is 42% lighter than earlier than. Third, the corporate made a slimmer silicon-carbon battery and doesn’t use a lithium-ion cell like different folding telephones.

One other facet that provides it a slab phone-like kind issue is a 21:9 facet ratio cowl show. On flagship telephones just like the Galaxy S24 Extremely or iPhone 15 Professional Max, you get a side ratio that’s nearer to twenty:9. However on foldables, that is in all places — from the tall Galaxy Z Fold 5 to the huge Pixel Fold. The OnePlus Open is the one different foldable with a 21:9 facet ratio on the duvet display screen. That is necessary as a result of it prevents apps from misbehaving, and so they load like they’d on an everyday smartphone.

All of those components mix to supply an incredible day-to-day expertise. Utilizing the brand new Honor foldable in day by day life doesn’t really feel like I’m utilizing two telephones slapped into one. In consequence, holding it to browse, doomscroll on social media, and browse is a greater expertise than different foldables. Furthermore, it doesn’t really feel uncomfortable when carried in my pocket as a result of it matches in my pants like an everyday cellphone. The shaving off of millimeters and grams from the construct does wonders.

Not like different foldables, the Honor Magic V2 isn’t a giant display screen that folds to present you a slab phone-like expertise. As an alternative, it appears like an everyday cellphone that unfolds to present you a giant display screen. And that’s an incredible feat to attain.

What else ought to in regards to the Honor Magic V2?

The Honor Magic V2 incorporates a 6.43-inch cowl show and a 7.92-inch foldable display screen inside. Each of those are OLED panels that provide a dynamic 120Hz refresh charge and assist for the Honor Magic Pen stylus. Each the screens are sharp and shiny, with clear visibility in direct daylight.

I loved watching films and movies on this cellphone, particularly once I might fold it midway in cramped flights. Nonetheless, there’s no Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist. I preferred taking notes with the Honor stylus however didn’t carry it round as a result of there’s no place within the cellphone or on its case to maintain it. If you wish to use the Magic Pen, you’ll have to hold it individually.

The hinge is strong and stays within the place you need it to. The crease state of affairs is significantly better than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, however the OnePlus Open’s close to non-existent crease continues to be the perfect implementation on a foldable display screen. Nonetheless, I loved utilizing the Honor Magic V2 as a result of MagicOS 7.2 (based mostly on Android 13) gives good multitasking capabilities.

You possibly can run two apps facet by facet, and I’ve been utilizing it to analysis tales on one facet and take notes on the opposite. It really works like a breeze – with none lag or stutter. There are many gestures to make issues straightforward and intuitive with swipes. I received used to them inside a few days. That being mentioned, OnePlus’s Open Canvas stays the multitasking benchmark in foldable software program. Honor’s multitasking capabilities are on par with Galaxy Z Fold 5’s multitasking.

The Honor Magic V2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which could appear previous on paper however continues to be succesful. It’s paired with 16GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Speaking in regards to the processor, it was the flagship chip when the cellphone was launched in China final yr, however by the point the Magic V2 made its approach to Europe, there had been loads of cellphone launches with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Nonetheless, its primary opponents, the OnePlus Open and Galaxy Z Fold 5, each carry the identical chipset. You gained’t really feel just like the Magic V2 is sluggish or last-gen by any means – it stays a top-notch machine.

As for the cameras, the Honor Magic V2 sports activities three rear cameras that embody a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide-angle lens, and a 20MP telephoto digital camera with 2.5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom. On the entrance, you get 16MP cameras – one on the duvet show and the opposite on the massive internal display screen.

The Honor Magic V2 captures quite a lot of element on all three cameras. I like the colour tuning and portrait pictures. Pictures taken at 10x are social media sharing-worthy, too. You possibly can go as much as 40x, however these aren’t good high quality. The nighttime pictures come out fairly nicely, too.

When in comparison with the OnePlus Open, the Magic V2 loses in telephoto digital camera efficiency. The Open clicks higher zoom pictures, however the Magic V2 has a greater ultrawide digital camera output. As for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 comparability, I’d decide the Magic V2 over the Samsung foldable for the general digital camera efficiency.

The Honor Magic V2 packs a 5,000mAh battery that helps 66W quick charging. In my time utilizing it as my main cellphone, it lasted me all through the working days. For reference, my common utilization consists of leaping round X (previously Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, Slack, and Groups all through the day with hours of shopping, clicking some pictures, and about 20 minutes of navigation.

Innovation comes at a steep value

The Honor Magic V2 is now accessible in Purple and Black coloration choices for 1,700 British kilos/1,999 euros in Europe (with out gives). It’s an costly price ticket when contemplating the Galaxy Z Fold 5 promoting for 1,899 Euros and the OnePlus Open costing 1,799 Euros. Nonetheless, I’d nonetheless advocate the Honor Magic V2 as a result of it adjustments the way you work together with foldable telephones.

In the event you want essentially the most value-for-money foldable cellphone, the OnePlus Open needs to be your go-to possibility. It gives the perfect digital camera setup on a foldable and near-crease-less internal show. However in order for you a folding cellphone that doesn’t really feel such as you’re holding two telephones when interacting with the duvet show, the Honor Magic V2 needs to be your decide. It options a wonderful design, nice shows, clean efficiency, an all-day battery life, and good cameras. It’s a exceptional package deal — and one which cements Honor as one of many high gamers within the foldable world.

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