Elevating the Honor Magic V3 experience: a svelte and featherlight flagship.

Key Takeaways

• The Honor Magic V3 boasts an unprecedented level of slenderness, setting a new standard for book-style foldable devices in its category.
• The Magic V3 stands out for its impressive engineering, boasting a slim design that rivals even the thinnest of modern smartphones.
• While Honor faces formidable rivals globally, I’m eager to see further advancements in the foldable smartphone space thanks to the innovative V3.

With its latest Magic V3 smartphone release, Honor aims to gain traction in the competitive foldable market among clients. The corporation enthusiastically highlights the V3 as the thinnest book-style foldable available, proudly broadcasting its industry-leading status.

With its global community thriving, popular games like Fortnite, League of Legends, Overwatch, Apex Legends, and many other diverse gamers now unite on the international stage. Will Honor’s gamble on the V3’s sleek design pay off, or will delays in shipping prove its Achilles’ heel amidst fierce competition?

Worth, availability, and specs

Most book-style foldable smartphones have converged on a standard form factor for their size. The Honor’s Magic V3 boasts a comprehensive invoice, featuring a retractable canopy display screen reminiscent of a standard smartphone screen, and an unFolded display that approaches square perfection.

The Magic V3’s OLED display boasts a precisely measured 6.43 inches in size, with a pixel resolution of 2376 x 1060 pixels. The internal OLED display measures 7.92 inches diagonally, boasting an impressive resolution of 2344 x 2156 pixels. Pixels become imperceptible at a density of 402 pixels per inch on each display, which typically also features rapid 120Hz refresh rates and stylus pen support.

The phone measures 6.17 x 5.72 x 0.17 inches (156.6 x 145.3 x 4.35mm) when unfolded, and compactly collapses to 6.17 x 2.91 x 0.36 inches (156.6 x 74.0 x 9.2mm) in its folded state. With its slender 7.97oz (226g) profile, the Magic V3 stands out as an impressively lightweight and compact foldable device to date.

Operating at the forefront of innovation is Qualcomm’s latest flagship cellphone processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. A high-capacity 5150mAh battery pack drives the device, while dual-charging capabilities – 66W wired and 50W wireless – enable swift recharging to keep you powered up on-the-go.

The Magic V3 features a unique digital camera array reminiscent of innovative book-style foldables, boasting not one but two 20-megapixel f/2.2 selfie cameras, alongside a versatile triple rear lens setup. These cameras boast resolutions of 50 megapixels with an aperture of f/1.6 for their wide-angle lenses, 50 megapixels with an aperture of f/3.0 for their periscope telephoto lenses, and 40 megapixels at f/2.2 for their extremely wide shooters.

The Honor Magic V3 is available in three colours: black, green, and reddish-brown, with a single configuration featuring 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Staying true to my initial enthusiasm, the Honor Magic V3 has consistently impressed me with its sleek design and seamless performance. The 6.45-inch OLED display is simply stunning, offering vibrant colors and crisp visuals that make gaming and video streaming an absolute delight. The phone’s AI-powered processor ensures a lag-free experience, even when juggling multiple apps simultaneously.

The V3 boasts a remarkable slimness and lightness profile, outclassing many non-folding smartphones in its category.

What sets the Magic V3 apart is its impressive combination of slimness and weightlessness. This experience has been a game-changer for me, allowing me to seamlessly transition from using the device as intended and then switch to operating it like a conventional smartphone whenever I want, without sacrificing any essential functionality.

What sets the V3 apart from other cellphones and gives users an unparalleled experience is Honor’s thoughtful decision to match the phone’s folded screen ratio with that of a leading competitor. The cellphone’s broad profile provides a comfortable fit in one’s hand, standing out from the ‘s narrow, awkward silhouette. As a design enthusiast, I appreciate the tactile experience of holding an item in my hand, as well as the sense of satisfaction that comes from unfolding it to its full extent. The internal display proves enjoyable to utilize while lounging on the sofa or reclining in bed, as I found the aspect ratio function worked well for my needs.

The Construct high-quality build elevates the device to an exceptional level, with its V3’s hinge design exuding a sense of robustness and sophistication. The device’s hinge glides smoothly open and shut, while every aspect of its construction exudes a sense of high-end quality across the entire surface. The gadget’s rear features a robust plastic construction rather than glass, yet still exudes a satisfying tactile experience when combined with its sturdy metal frame edges.

One of the most compelling design elements I’ve encountered in the Honor series is the thoughtful execution of ambient display functionality, cleverly dubbed Standby. When idle, this mode draws inspiration from its characteristic, showcasing a clock or other practical widgets to make optimal use of screen real estate even when the device isn’t actively in use. When the phone is placed in tent mode or laptop computer mode, Honor’s innovative feature is automatically activated, providing a convenient advantage for users who prefer to position their device on a desktop or nightstand.

Irrespective of the Magic V3’s orientation, its punchy displays are impossible to ignore. The inclusion of rapid 120Hz refresh rates on both the internal and external displays provides a distinct advantage, while also featuring intuitive digital pen support. Honor takes pride in its latest innovation, the Eye Consolation Show technology, which enhances the show’s technical capabilities with several health-focused features.

A novel AI-powered feature, Defocus Eyecare, leverages advanced myopic defocus stimulation technology to gradually alleviate the refractive state of the eyes over an extended period. It’s a characteristic that proves burdensome to verify or confirm in its current form, unfortunately. While toggling this feature didn’t yield a noticeable difference in visual sharpness for me? One notable enhancement is the incorporation of extremely high frequency PWM dimming, a feature that Honor claims will significantly minimize display screen flickering and thereby improve eye comfort. Regardless of the circumstances, I’m a strong supporter of Honour’s health-focused efforts in this specific context.

While the digital camera excels with decent results, it’s unlikely to match Pixel or iPhone standards under challenging conditions, a limitation possibly addressed by future software updates incorporating improved post-processing and machine learning algorithms. While having a camera with on-board features can be beneficial, I’m not convinced by your statement about the optical zoom; however, the fact that the foldable device is ready for shipment is indeed noteworthy?

The camera’s efficiency remained consistently sharp, synchronizing seamlessly with shutter speed when capturing rapid motion frames. The under-the-hood Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor delivers impressive performance, boasting single-core and multi-core Geekbench 6 scores of 1,362 and 4,767 respectively. Notwithstanding the thermal limitations inherent in its slim phone casing, the V3 seamlessly operates without any hiccups.

I’m glad to see Honor’s commitment to customer satisfaction by including the 66W SuperCharge charger, which is a thoughtful and convenient move that sets them apart from other manufacturers. While I appreciate the desire for a USB-C adapter, the focus remains elsewhere. This device supports rapid wireless charging of up to 50 watts, but an external Wi-Fi charging base is required. When placed on an older Qi charging pad, your Magic V3 may charge at a significantly reduced rate, ranging from approximately 5 watts to 15 watts.

I thoroughly enjoyed using the intuitive and responsive capacitive fingerprint sensor seamlessly integrated into the V3’s sleep/wake button. Despite its compact size, I was once amazed by how quickly and accurately it performed, even when working within a very limited floor area.

The display was a significant letdown. The 6.44-inch AMOLED panel seemed dull and lacked vibrancy, making even the most vibrant colors appear washed out. Furthermore, the refresh rate of just 60Hz felt outdated compared to other flagships that have adopted higher rates. Additionally, the lack of a microSD card slot was a major inconvenience for those who rely on expandable storage. The camera system, while decent in good lighting conditions, struggled in low-light scenarios and lacked the polish found in competing devices. Lastly, the phone’s battery life was merely average, failing to impress despite its respectable 4500mAh capacity.

The software program, Pores & Skin, isn’t entirely to my liking.

While the Magic V3 excels in efficiency, boasting silky-smooth performance, I’ve few issues to raise regarding battery life, thermal management, and display brightness, the one significant concern remains Honor’s Magic OS overlay atop Android 14.

While there’s nothing fundamentally wrong here, the design could benefit from a more streamlined and intuitive Google-like user interface. I surprisingly absorbed many iOS-inspired features into my Android experience, with which I was initially unfamiliar.

Luckily, bloatware is largely contained, preventing cellphones from suffering the same app and software duplication issues that have long plagued Samsung’s Galaxy series. Given the option, I might choose to delete TikTok, Instagram, and Booking.com from my phone’s default app list.

The Air Gestures are a quintessential example of a gimmicky feature, squarely sitting in that category.

By 2024, the software package includes a comprehensive suite of on-board AI instruments that enhance its capabilities. I stumbled upon Magic Textual content, a useful tool that enables me to extract written text from images on my screen with ease. With magic portal’s innovative technology, seamlessly drag and drop images, as well as text-based content, across various applications and platforms. It functions well, but that’s hardly a remarkable trait. Although I didn’t get to try the face-to-face translation feature during my time with the device, I believe it could still prove useful in certain situations.

While the Air Gestures may have some novelty appeal, they ultimately seem to fit more comfortably within the realm of gimmicks. While the characteristic claims to enable seamless navigation of cellphones through hand gestures, my personal experience suggests it’s more of a mixed bag, with varying degrees of success. As the tech giants such as Samsung, LG, and Google have experimented with this fashion in various ways, I firmly believe it’s high time to lay the notion to rest.

While the V3’s absence of a mud resistance score is a minor drawback, it’s hardly a deal-breaker, being a relatively small quibble. The device boasts an IPX8 rating, rendering it impervious to occasional water splashes and brief immersion in still water up to 2.5 meters deep, withstanding exposure for a period of 30 minutes. Even in varying formulations, there is no need for trepidation to deploy the V3 if you find yourself unexpectedly ensnared within a precipitation event.

Are you torn between investing in the Honor Magic V3 and other options on the market?

The V3 stands out as a solid option in the market, but faces significant competition from industry heavyweights like Google, Samsung, and OnePlus.

Honoring exceptional craftsmanship, Honor’s Magic V3 boasts an impressive cellphone that warrants sincere appreciation for its innovative engineering achievements. The foldable phone’s astonishingly slim profile and featherlight build represent a genuine innovation within its category. As rival cellphone manufacturers follow Honor’s lead, I anticipate seeing sleeker devices hitting the market in the near future.

The Magic V3 boasts impressive efficiency, coupled with thoroughly satisfying cameras that excel in everyday use cases.

The Magic V3’s efficiency is impressive, making it well-suited for daily use, while its cameras deliver satisfying results that meet everyday needs. One major issue I have with the cellphone’s user experience is that it’s bogged down by the MagicOS software overlay built on top of Android 14. I’ve become familiar with Google’s Pixel-inspired vision for Android, but Honor’s interface diverges significantly from this blueprint. While AI options are intriguing in concept, their practical implementation falls short of expectations.

The Honor Magic V3 stands out as an exceptional smartphone, particularly excelling in its innovative foldable design. While the software’s technical proficiency may not entirely align with my personal preferences, I recognize that individual taste plays a significant role; nonetheless, the device operates seamlessly and smoothly. While rival brands like Google and OnePlus are launching their own foldables, the Magic V3’s unparalleled thinness keeps me reaching for it when I’m on-the-go.