The Honor Magic V3 is impressively robust – did you see us freezing it in an ice cube and banging it on the ground? We’re not the only ones who tried to break the V3 – and failed. Honor has put a lot of effort into designing the hardware and durability might not be the best thing about this phone.
When folded, the Magic V3 measures 156.6 x 74.0 x 9.2mm and weighs 226 grams. For comparison, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is 162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6mm and 232 grams, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.3mm and 221 grams. If durability is a concern you won’t get a foldable, there’s nothing to worry about with the V3. If size is the reason instead, some times phones are bigger.
What about the price? Well, that concern remains with an MSRP of €2,000 (there will be an early bird deal), but the good thing is that Honor has equipped the Magic V3 with proper flagship hardware. This includes a high-quality 6.43” cover display (120Hz LTPO, 10-bit) and a massive 7.92” main display (120Hz LTPO, 10-bit with Dolby Vision).
And take a look at the cameras – 50MP main (1/1.56”), 50MP 3.5x periscope and 40MP ultra wide, as well as a pair of 20MP selfie modules. The battery is nothing special either, with a 5,150mAh capacity, 66W wired and 50W wireless charging.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 (which measures 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1mm and weighs 239 grams) has a 50MP main camera, but only a 10MP 3x tele and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. Also, the smaller 4,400mAh battery is pretty slow to charge (25W wired, 15W wireless).
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 • Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold • Vivo X Fold3 Pro
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5mm, 257g) doesn’t have the same cameras as its 9 Pro siblings. Instead, the 48MP main (1/2”) is joined by a 10.8MP 5x periscope and 10.5MP ultra wide. The Tensor G4 chipset can’t compete with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 used inside the Magic and Galaxy phones. The 4,650mAh battery is even more sluggish at 21W wired and 7.5W wireless.
The Vivo XFold3 Pro has launched in India and Indonesia, so it’s more widely available than some horizontal foldables, but it’s still not available in Europe. This phone has a great camera – 50MP main (1/1.3”), 64MP 3x periscope and 50MP ultra wide. It has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a big, fast-charging 5,700mAh battery (100W wired, 50W wireless).
What do you think of the Honor Magic V3 – if you’re looking for a horizontal foldable phone, is it on your short list? Vote below and you can post a comment with more details about why (or why not).
