With the Magic Vs, Honor wants to challenge Samsung buyers in the foldables market. Can this work? We tried out the new folding cell phone from China at the MWC. A quick test.
Samsung dominates the foldable market. Although other manufacturers such as Huawei and Honor are also trying their hand at foldable smartphones, the competition in Europe has so far met with little response. However, that could change with the new Honor Magic Vs, the second foldable smartphone from the former Huawei subsidiary.
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design and processing
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Display
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Camera
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processor and memory
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battery and charging
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Software: Android 13 with Google services
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price and availability
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network world means
As part of our visit to the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, we were able to try out Honor’s foldable smartphone for a few hours. We were able to collect first impressions, which we would like to summarize for you below. A detailed test report will of course follow.
design and processing
The second foldable from Honor is a “booklet” in the style of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4. On the outside we find a smaller (but not small) display, the foldable panel can only be seen after opening the device. The shape of the Honor Magic Vs is particularly slim thanks to a new hinge design.
Honor Magic Vs in pictures
We tried the Magic Vs at MWC. This is what mobile phones have to offer.
Unlike many competing models, it is possible here to fold the display completely flat. When folded, the device is only 12.9 millimeters thick. For comparison: the Galaxy Z Fold 4 measures 14.2 to 15.8 millimeters when folded. There is no gap between the two outer parts. When opened, the dimensions are 160.3 x 141.5 x 6.1 millimeters. All in all, the design is in the Honor style: elegant, unusual, but without much frills.
Display
The smaller display on the outside is a 6.45-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hertz. The larger display that appears after unfolding is a 7.9-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2,272 x 1,984 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hertz.
From a technical point of view, the external display is a bit better, but we still found both displays to be great in the test. The images displayed are beautiful, the colors are bold. Only the rather noticeable crease in the middle of the display made us suspicious – it is objectively more visible than is the case with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Camera
The relatively swanky camera island on the back houses three lenses: an IMX800 main sensor with a resolution of 54 megapixels, an ultra-wide-angle camera with 50 megapixels and a sensor with a 3x optical zoom and a resolution of 8 megapixels. Both displays house a selfie camera with a resolution of 16 megapixels in a punch hole. Videos can be recorded at 4K and 60fps.
We haven’t been able to get a great impression of the quality of the camera in the Honor Magic Vs – that will follow in the detailed test report.
processor and memory
In the Honor Magic Vs, the manufacturer relies on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+. Although this is a slightly older and slower processor from Qualcomm, it should be noted that the cell phone was released in China in November last year – before the release of the improved Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The processor will still be able to master any conceivable task. In any case, everything ran smoothly in the short test.
You don’t have a choice when it comes to working memory or internal memory: Similar to the newly introduced Honor Magic 5 Pro, there is only one memory option with 12 GB RAM and 512 GB internal memory.
battery and charging
A 5,000 mAh battery is built into the Honor Magic Vs, which can be recharged with 66 watts. Wireless charging is not supported. Honor does not give an estimated battery life – but it is realistic that the smartphone can easily last a day of normal use.
Software: Android 13 with Google services
The foldable smartphone from Honor comes with the latest Google operating system Android 13 and full support for all Google services. On top of the operating system, Honor puts its own user interface, MagicOS 7.1, which is already known from other Honor smartphones and is not exactly unpopular.
price and availability
The manufacturer asks for a price of 1,599 dollars for the Honor Magic Vs and also competes with the foldable Samsung smartphones in this respect. The colors available are cyan and black.
network world means
Does the Honor Magic Vs keep what it promises in the short test in the detailed test. If there were finally an alternative to the foldables from Samsung. Even if the price makes the device, like its counterpart from Korea, a niche product.
Honor Magic Vs: Rumors and info about the new foldable
Don’t you agree? Are you looking for suitable alternatives? We have an extensive list of Honor Magic Vs alternatives ready for you in our smartphone overview.
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