Honor Magic V2 Review: Thin and Foldable

Honor Magic V2: All deals

The Honor Magic V2 in a nutshell

The Honor Magic V2 costs a ‘mere’ 8,999 yuan in its home country ever since it was released in July 20, 2023. That would be around $1,270  after conversion. Of course, this refers to the “smallest” model with 16 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage and will arrive in black, gold, black silk, and purple silk colors with a special version that sports an imitation leather back.

However, the Honor Magic V2 will not be available to us at this price point, nor are we sure whether it will ever make it to US shores. It is currently unavailable on Amazon, so you might have to look for a grey import if you want one. Over in Europe, Honor is asking €1,990.90 for the device, which will feature 16 GB RAM and 512 GB of internal memory, sans the option for a microSD card.

The available colors in Europe are also far less spectacular: Honor limited itself to a purple matte glass back and a black faux leather version. You can get the matching 66 W SuperCharge power supply unit for an additional €1. In addition to the carbon-neutral case, Honor will also offer a free display replacement within the first 12 months should anything happen to it. With the €2,000 price tag, the former Huawei subsidiary will also throw in an Honor Watch 4 worth €149.90 during the promotional period from January 26 to February 29, 2024.

The Honor Magic V2 is one of the thinnest foldables on the market. Considering how foldable smartphones normally come with a thick form factor, this is undoubtedly a positive design choice. However, at a price of just under €2,000, the customer can expect to have the most powerful processor currently available, which is not the case due to the age of the device.

The massive weight remains but is significantly less than that of a Google Pixel Fold (review). The camera is not at flagship level but definitely falls within the top third of the competition. I also discovered that a stylus can be used with it albeit not being integrated, which is unfortunate, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (review).

Ultimately, the Honor Magic V2’s excellent rating is only marred by its price tag. After 5 years of the existence of foldable, it continues to remain a sore point for pockets of consumers.

Honor Magic V2 design and build quality

When you hold the 156.7 x 74.1 x 9.9 mm large handset that tips the scales at a mere 231 g in your hand, you do not immediately realize that it is a foldable device. A conventional smartphone also weighs somewhere in the same region these days. This is probably the limit of what is feasible for this form factor because the USB Type-C port has to be installed somewhere. 

Pros:

• It is that thin!
• High-quality workmanship.

Cons:

• No IP certification.
• Not easy to open.
• Unusual button layout.
• The sound is less than spectacular.

Behind on the top left, we are greeted by a rectangular camera array for the triple main camera, which protrudes rather handsomely from the case. The side buttons are well-positioned and offer secure and decent feedback when pressed. The fact that the volume button is on the left while the fingerprint sensor, power, and standby buttons are on the left makes it very intuitive. In general, the build quality is very high.

When unfolded, the Honor Magic V2 measures 156.7 x 145.4 x 4.7 mm, which, as mentioned, is unusually thin. The titanium hinge closes both sides from any position securely without leaving a visible gap. It is obvious the very thin form factor makes it difficult to open.

A notch in the frame might have solved the problem. Honor claimed to have tested the folding mechanism for up to 400,000 folds, which equates to a lifespan of up to ten years at 100 folds per day. We have no reason to doubt this statement.

I was surprised that Honor gave the Magic V2 an infrared blaster that can be used to control your home hi-fi system or TV. The V2 is equipped with two loudspeakers, although sound quality does suffer a little due to the thin design. While not unpleasant, it lacks depth. Another point deduction worth mentioning is the lack of IP certification.

Honor Magic V2 display

This brings us to the probably most important category for a foldable. On the inside, the Honor Magic V2 has a 7.92-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2,344 x 2,156 pixels and an LTPO refresh rate of 120 Hz. On the outside, there is a 6.43-inch display with an identical refresh rate and a resolution of 2,376 x 1,060 pixels.

Pros:

• Fully functional cover display.
• Sufficient brightness.
• 120 Hz refresh rate.

Cons:

• Unable to tweak the resolution.
• No double-tap gesture to turn off the display.
• No 90-degree optimizations.
• Difficult to open.

Both displays offer high-contrast and a stable viewing experience in detailed review. The maximum brightness is 1,600 nits on the inside and a remarkable 2,500 nits on the outside. That should be sufficient to do one’s daily work even when one is under direct sunlight. The “Nanocrystal glass 2.0” protected outer display also offers support for a capacitive and pressure-sensitive stylus, which as observed earlier, is not included.

Due to the thin form factor of the Magic V2, I found myself using the Honor foldable’s outer display in everyday life most of the time, which works wonderfully thanks to the 6.43-inch panel. However, having forked out €2,000 for this device, you might want to use the inside display far more. I noticed that opening it (probably also due to its thinness) was far more challenging than with other foldables.

I found the display settings somewhat confusing. Under “Display size”, it does give hope that you could adjust the resolution. However, this is not possible for both the indoor and outdoor panels. The settings shown on the screenshots are only for the display size, which is usually reserved for the font, but Honor offers this setting for both the font as well as font and images.

What probably falls under the software category is the lack of a double-tap function for switching off the display. That gesture is only possible to activate the display. The optimization of apps for the 90-degree display position has also been criminally neglected. Only the camera app offers an alternative display mode, but more on this in the software section.

Honor Magic V2 software

The Honor Magic V2 arrives preloaded with the company’s MagicOS 7.2, which is based on
Android 13. Yes, you read that right: We are at the end of January 2024 and there is no sight of
Android 14. After Honor was sold by Huawei, the company was again allowed to use Google Mobile Services (GMS) and the 5G wireless standard. Thankfully, the Honor Magic V2 supports both. The Google security patch was dated December 1, 2023, making it up to date.

Pros:

• GMS includes the Google Play Store.
• IR app.

Cons:

• Update policy could be improved
• No 90-degree optimized apps
• No “tablet” optimized apps.
• Almost all themes are chargeable.
• Unnecessary launching of chat apps in window mode.

Concerning the guaranteed support of software updates, Honor offers four system upgrades and five years of Google security updates. There is no doubt such support is not worthy of a €2,000 smartphone. Not when rivals Google and Samsung are already offering 7 years of system updates. Here’s a quick word about bloatware before we do a deep dive:

Honor is relatively reserved when it comes to third-party software and applications. I would not declare the office tool WPS as bloatware, even though the focus here also concerns a paid subscription model. However, I feel insulted personally by apps like “Booking.com” and “TikTok” in a €2,000 smartphone. The fact that almost every theme in the theme manager is subject to a charge could also have been avoided. For all I care, give your customers a €20 credit so that we can tinker with different designs.

Let’s get down to business! Guys! You’re selling an (admittedly thin) foldable here which guarantees tablet-like conditions when unfolded. Where is the stylus? Where are the 90-degree optimized applications and where the heck are tablet-optimized applications in general? You don’t know what I mean? Then take a look at the OnePlus Open (review), the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (review), or the Google Pixel Fold (review). They will show you (Honor) how to enrich a foldable with useful applications.

It is not all doom and gloom though. I have one positive piece of news: there is an app for the IR blaster, so you practically have a universal remote control on your foldable.

Honor Magic V2 performance

Honor is using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 from Qualcomm in the Magic V2, which is last year’s flagship processor. Strictly speaking, the foldable has been on the Chinese market since the summer of 2023. It is practically the same processor that is also installed in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, although the South Koreans are offering a slightly pimped version of the SoC.

Pros:

• Processor is powerful enough.
• No unusual heat development.

Cons:

I have to come back to the €2,000 asking price: Of course, a customer of such an expensive smartphone expects the latest and greatest flagship processor, which would be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from Qualcomm as the bare minimum. Nobody will notice the difference in everyday use. Games like Dead Trigger 2, Real Racing 3, or PUBG run like clockwork whether on the external or the large internal display.

In a benchmark test such as 3DMark or Geekbench, things naturally look a little different.

A direct foldable comparison with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, which also has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (albeit slightly pimped) on board, shows that the V2 performed significantly worse. A comparison with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from the Redmagic 9 Pro was completely out of the question. For example, in Geekbench 6, the single-core score of 1,438 in the Magic V2 falls far behind the 2,253 points of the Redmagic 9 Pro, while the multi-core score is even more divergent with Honor’s 4,020 points that is almost half of Redmagic’s 7,036 points.

Finally, there was also no reason to complain about the general heat development. I had my concerns about this sector in particular beforehand due to the flat design. Now that I think about it, is that ultimately the reason for the outdated processor?

Honor Magic V2 camera

I already mentioned it in the design section: The vertically arranged triple camera on the back protrudes visibly from the chassis. This is an indication of the high quality camera system.

Pros:

• Consistently good daytime shots.
• Top-notch performance for a foldable.

Cons:

• Anything over 10x zoom.
• Somewhat “colorless” results.

The specifications reveal a 50 MP main camera with an aperture of f/1.9 and another 50 MP camera. This time, however, it is equipped with an ultra-wide angle lens that offers optical image stabilization. A small treat for users would be is the 20 MP telephoto zoom and thus the third camera. Here, there is an aperture of f/2.4 and optical image stabilization as well.

For the two front cameras (one per display), Honor offers two wide-angle cameras in a punch-hole design, each with 16 MP and an aperture of f/2.2. I would describe the position of the internal front camera, located right in the middle of the right panel, as unfavorable for video conferencing. Photos taken with the selfie camera are generally good enough. Foldables also have the advantage of being able to take selfies with the main camera and getting help from the external display.

As with almost every smartphone, the Honor Magic V2’s daytime photos are also decent. Neither ultra-wide angle shots nor zoom photos are unuseable. There were no recorded color differences or distortions at the edges. Everything actually looked fine. In fact, I would almost describe the photos as a little “colorless”.

Perhaps it is the winter mood or my personal taste, which has been spoiled by Xiaomi smartphones? To allow you to make your own judgment, I took three comparison photos with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra as a reference.

Last but not least, there are the macro and portrait shots. The depth of field of the latter can be adjusted during creation. The sample photos showed maximum variations for both. With the macro shots, the photographer needs one or two attempts to obtain the right distance so that the subject is captured optimally. However, do you think the results are worth the effort at the end of the day?

Honor Magic V2 battery

The Honor Magic V2 is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery. According to Honor, it is the thinnest dual-silicon carbon battery on the market with a thickness measuring only 2.72 mm. The Huawei SuperCharge power supply with an output power of 66 W is presumably included for a symbolic €1, just make sure you include it! with this foldable. This is probably because the Honor 90 does not come with a power supply.

Pros:

• Best foldable battery life.
• 66 W SuperCharger for just €1.

Cons:

• No wireless charging.
• We’ve already seen faster charging than SuperCharge.

As you would expect from your number one editorial team reviews, we naturally looked at both the charging speed and durability of the Honor Magic V2’s very thin battery. First, a word or two about the Huawei 66 W SuperCharger, which is basically missing. I had to look for it in the nextpit editorial office to carry out a credible fast-charging test.

In the end, a slightly more powerful Honor charger did the trick. Visibly annoyed, I was about to give a negative point at first when I realized, wait a minute: you can get the power adapter for €1! You can’t get any greener than that. It is time to roll back my decision, this is a top move, Honor! Apple and Samsung: Please take a leaf out of the Chinese company’s book!

Back to the facts. Of course, you want to know how quickly the two batteries of the Honor foldable will be charged. I was indeed a little bit disappointed. After the first 5 minutes with 10 percent capacity, I was excited but after 20 minutes at 41 percent, I didn’t let my mood be spoiled. However, after half an hour and just 61 percent shown, the mood gradually changed, only to end in a kind of resignation with a full battery after a full hour. Yes, it is not a deal breaker, but I was perhaps a little spoiled by the competition such as Realme or Xiaomi.

Throughout most of the week that I was able to spend with the Honor Magic V2 24/7, it was the battery life that surprised me most. One day of use is not an issue at all, despite a heavy use pattern. Of course, the “PC Mark Work 3.0” battery test also confirmed this.

To achieve my figures, calibrate the screen brightness to 200 nits, charge the battery to 100 percent, and set the device to flight mode. In a similar setting with its competitors, the test showed 14 hours and 57 minutes. Okay, let’s just round it up to 15 hours, which is a big deal for a foldable. Hats off Honor, so it didn’t dampen my spirits.

Honor Magic V2 technical specifications

	Technical specifications
Product name
Image
Display	Exterior: 6.43 inch | 120 Hz OLED display with LTPO 2,376 x 1,060 px 1-120 Hz refresh rate 2,500 nits Inside: 7.92 inch | 120 Hz OLED display with LTPO 2,344 x 2,156 px 1-120 Hz refresh rate 1,600 nits
SoC
RAM
storage
OS	MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13
Camera	Main camera: 50 MP | f/1.9 | OIS | PDAF Ultra-wide angle: 50 MP | f/2.0 | 13 mm 2.5 x telephoto: 20 MP | f/2.4 | OIS | 62 mm | 40x digital zoom | PDAF
Front camera
Battery capacity	5,000 mAh 66 W wired charging (SuperCharge by Huawei) Wireless charging is not supported
Connectivity	5G | eSIM | Wi-Fi 7 | Bluetooth 5.3 | NFC | infrared
Dimensions and weight	Opened: 156.7 x 145.4 x 4.7 mm Closed: 156.7 x 74 x 9.9 mm 231 g (imitation leather) or 237 g (glass)

Final verdict

The Honor Magic V2 did not make the final review rating easy for me. It is the first foldable that, despite its increased weight, I would still use as a daily driver due to its large external display and, above all, its incredible thinness, if I hadn’t already opted for a Motorola Razr 40 Ultra. However, it was precisely because of the bulky form factor that I picked up the Motorola.

The Honor Magic V2 is the first foldable where I really enjoyed using the large internal display. The battery life was not only surprising but also outstanding. On the other hand, the recommended retail price is a whopping €2,000, which, let’s not kid ourselves, will cause a black-sized hole in in the monthly household budget. Foldables should be significantly cheaper after 5 years of availability.

It is ultimately the price that cost the Magic V2 a very good rating. The camera is not at flagship level yet but is definitely in the upper segment when you consider that a foldable smartphone has significantly less depth available for the sensors and optics due to the form factor.

At the end of my review, I have to judge so harshly: for those who can easily invest €2,000 in a smartphone, the Honor Magic V2 comes recommended despite its “older” flagship processor. For everyone else, I would suggest waiting until the market regulates itself significantly.