A masterpiece of engineering, the impressive HONOR Magic V3 in our review

We have been using foldable phones for several years now. We have even experimented for a year using these devices as everyday handsets, with mixed results. In Spain, the champion of this type of smartphone has undoubtedly been Samsung.which a few weeks ago announced two phones that we have already been able to analyze, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

These models have turned out to be quite continuous, and this is because Samsung leads the market, it knows it, and it does not have a great competition. This does not mean that there are no other folding phones in our country, such as the Motorola Flip or folding book-style brands like OnePlus.

But the biggest rival of Samsung’s Fold is undoubtedly the HONOR model. A few weeks ago the Chinese company announced in its country a new smartphone of this type, the HONOR Magic V3, a device that, on paper, seemed perfect in all its hardware sections. Now this model arrives in Spain with a price of 1,999 euros and we have been able to spend a few weeks with it.

Superb design

It is rare that the most striking thing about a good mobile is its design, but it is so in this case. The HONOR Magic V3 is a folding terminal that, closed, passes for a normal mobile. This is helped by its thinness, 4.4 mm open and 9.3 mm closed. In the hand it feels like a high-end mobile, like a Samsung or an iPhone.

In addition, its weight of 226 grams is similar to that of the models of these companies, and finally moves away from what was normal in the folding book type, weights that were almost a quarter of a kilo. Thanks to this the HONOR Magic V3 can be used perfectly, without exception, as a normal cell phone.. In addition, it even has IPX8 water resistance, like Samsung’s foldable phones, something that other brands have not yet incorporated in this type of phone.

The design is striking and at the same time ornate. The front is dominated by the screen, with an asymmetrical frame that is the only thing that gives to understand that it is a folding, by the protrusion of the left area that, in the hand, is not noticeable. On the side that is not the hinge we have the two volume buttons and the power button. The latter is also the fingerprint sensor, and is possibly the only hardware section to change. The part of the hinge draws attention by a relief. reminiscent of Chinese temples, and the gilding helps.

HONOR has not implemented an on-screen sensor. as vivo does with its foldables, and that’s a shame. We have a side fingerprint sensor. On a day-to-day basis we have to choose between having to press the button hard or risk it trying to unlock at the slightest touch. Face unlock works well and hopefully the next iteration will opt for an external sensor under the screen and face unlock for the inner screen.

At the bottom we have the tray for dualSIM, the USB-C charger and the main speaker. It is not the only one, because in the upper frame we have another one, which is not of equal power but that makes the sound of the mobile very good. In addition, we have an infrared emittersomething that Xiaomi, for example, is already eliminating from its high-end phones. In the rear area highlights the huge camera module but, above all, its vegan leather finish.

It is a beast

This mobile wants to be the best HONOR cell phoneand has not skimped on anything. The processor is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the best of the moment, and the performance you get from it is outstanding. In addition, the term control is good and at no time do we have to let go of the mobile because it burns or is excessively hot.

The memory is on par with the processor, with two options, of 12 and 16 GB of RAMwith LPDDR5x technology. Storage is also high, with 256 GB in the case of the model with 12 GB of RAM and 5 GB of RAM.12 GB and 1 TB in the 16 GB model. There is no microSD, as well as no headphone jack.

In terms of connectivity, HONOR has once again opted for the best technologies, such as. NFC, Dual GPS, Wifi 7, bluetooth 5.3... In both normal and advanced use this mobile has not proven to have a single weakness, which is appreciated and lets us see an immediate future in which the folding have no compromises with respect to conventional models of brands.

And the wrinkle?

One of the problems that foldable mobiles have had since their invention is that the screen, not being able to be made of glass for obvious reasons, showed a small wrinkle on the part where it folded. This has been the case with all devices, but some have managed to improve the technology to make it almost invisible.

This is the case with the HONOR Magic V3, which when open, it barely shows any relief or protrusion in the hinge area.. It is possibly the mobile that best solves this of all those we have tested in recent years. Even ordinary people have mentioned it to us, that it was striking how little it was noticeable. Obviously, with the screen off and looking for it, it is noticeable, it is logical.

This interior display features 7.92 inches with 2344 x 2156 px resolution, in addition to using an AMOLED LTPO panel at 120 Hz.. It has a maximum brightness of 1,800 nits and the image quality is very good. We do not reach the crazy resolutions of other mobiles, but that is completely irrelevant because in the end no one uses the maximum resolution to save battery.

The external display, also OLED at 120 Hz, is even more interesting since it has 6.43 inches with a resolution of 2376 x 1060 px.. It is more elongated than that of a normal mobile, but it passes perfectly for a conventional screen. And this makes the use of this closed mobile is the same as with any other smartphone. However, that has a drawback, and is that on more than one occasion we forget that we can open it.

Despite the fact that it does not come in the purchase box, both screens allow the use of a Stylus to be able to use the interface, design, color, etc. However, it is impossible to carry it inside, as the S24 Ultra does, due to the extreme thinness of the device.

Highly versatile cameras

Foldable terminals have certain limitations to implement the cameras of the best mobiles on the market due to their thickness. To put a competent camera system you need a lot of space, something that is not available in a folding device. However, the HONOR Magic V3 has probably the best camera system. we have seen at the hardware level in a foldable.

It has two front cameras, one on each screen, in a perforation. The two sensors are the same, with 20 Mpx.f/2.2 aperture with 4K 30 fps recording. The quality with light is good, the videos stabilize well and the result is as expected. The problem comes when there is low light or at night. Then the noise is too noticeable and the quality drops, which is not acceptable in a mobile of this price. To try to minimize this HONOR includes an artificial flash created by the light from the screen that helps, but also gives a less natural result.

On the back there are three sensors. The three expected. We have an angular that is the main camera, with a resolution of 50 Mpx, f/1.6 aperture, laser autofocus and optical stabilization. The image quality is very good, both day and night, and here there is no criticism. The second sensor is a 40 Mpx ultra wide-angle sensor, with f/2.2 aperture, which gives a quite correct result. Finally, we have a 50 Mpx sensor with f/3.0 aperture and optical stabilization that works as a telephoto lens. It is of periscopic type and reaches 3.5x magnification.

The quality of the three sensors is remarkableand the video is also good. Compared to the cameras of other folding devices, it is one of the best, but it is true that companies like Samsung still have a certain advantage because of the image processing, which is more realistic and natural. Of course, the hardware of the HONOR Magic V3 in this section is outstanding.

Great autonomy

The limitations of foldables in terms of autonomy seems like it’s not going to be something HONOR wants to adopt. It has used a 5,150 mAh battery to allow for a full day of use.being able to reach the end of the day with more than 20% battery life.

In addition, the fast charging system is better than the competition, even if it is not the fastest on the market. It has a power of 66 W wired and 50 W wirelessly.although the charger is not included in the box, probably due to European regulatory issues. It does, however, come with a very decent case that doubles as a music stand.

The only flaw

HONOR maintains Magic OS as the operating system, running on top of Android 14. We do not know if the update to Android 15 will arrive soon, but this is not a brand that has been very lavished in this aspect. In addition, customization is strong and even if Android 15 is implemented, it is possible that many of its new features will not end up arriving.

The interface of this mobile has many options of its ownsome of which squeeze the inner screen, such as being able to put two applications in multiscreen with the same size as they would have in a normal mobile. It has a favorites function, allows you to save items to view them at any time, and so on.

The problem is that, on the one hand, applications are not yet optimized for foldables. and they open in a strange way, missing buttons when they occupy 100% of the inner screen. Of course, this is something that can be changed in the settings, but it is something the user should be aware of.

On the other hand, HONOR is still determined to look like Apple. and still does not give the option to put an application drawer, as all other Android manufacturers have, forcing you to have the apps scattered across desktops. On the other hand, there is no way to unify the two upper areas, the notifications that appears when you swipe from top to bottom on the left side and the shortcuts that appears when you swipe on the right side.

This is where Samsung clearly ahead of HONOR. Even OnePlus has done a better job with the interface of the OnePlus Open, a mobile whose software put the Korean giant on the ropes on its own turf. HONOR has a lot of room for improvement, though at least the system doesn’t crash or bug. On the old-fashioned aesthetics almost better to talk about it another day.

Shall I buy it?

The HONOR Magic V3 is one of the best cell phones I have tested in many years. It has a superb design, a superb construction, outstanding performance and top-notch screens, as well as an autonomy that other non-folding phones would love. The cameras are also good, and the only notable improvement is the software, which, as we discussed in the video, is the only thing that can be improved once the phone is sold.

Obviously this is not a mobile for everyone. It is a folding terminal, which many people still have a problem with (although it is the folding that goes unnoticed) and its price of almost 2000 euros makes its sales are going to be limited. This is a bet by HONOR to show what the company is capable of. And it has done just that.

We could throw in his face that the price is high, but it is that the mobile is top notch. For those looking for a folding mobile without compromises and that meets in all sections, this HONOR Magic V3 is an excellent choice. Of course, HONOR should improve its brand image, because it is still not well known in Spain, and with phones like this, that’s a shame.