Honor Magic Vs.: Our Test Of This Folding Smartphone

Magic Vs., the new foldable smartphone from Honor manufacturer, finally arrives on the Indian market. It competes with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, taking up the half-smartphone, half-tablet format. But is it worth it? Did it manage to stand out from the competition? If yes, how? After testing this device, here is what we think of it.

Technical sheet of the Honor Magic Vs

You should know that the Magic Vs. is not the first folding smartphone from the Honor brand. It succeeded the Magic V, which was only marketed in China in January 2022 and served as a test. Although the two devices have quite similar characteristics, the new Magic Vs. Nevertheless benefits from some adjustments that considerably improve the user experience. It is notably thinner and lighter while integrating a better-quality battery. Here is the technical sheet of the Magic Vs.:

1. Folded screen dimensions: 160.3 x 72.6 x 12.9 mm
2. Screen dimensions unfolded: 160.3 x 141.5 x 6.1 mm
3. Screen size: 7.9 inches and 6.45 inches
4. Definition: 2272 x 1984 pixels
5. Camera (back): Sensor 1: 54 Mp; Sensor 2: 50MP; Sensor 3: 8 MP
6. Front photo sensor: 16 Mp
7. Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8. Memory: 12 GB/ 512 GB
9. Battery: 5000mAh, 66W Quick Charge
10. Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G, NFC
11. Weight: 267g
12. Miscellaneous: side fingerprint reader, facial recognition, stereo speakers
13. OS: MagicOS 7.1 on Android 13
14. Colors: Black, Cyan
15. Price: €1,599

Design

The Honor Magic Vs. Offers a design that is both elegant and innovative. It gives you a choice between two modes of use. First, when the smartphone is folded, it presents a compact format offering a classic phone experience with a reasonably sized screen. Once you unfold it, you face a large screen in a small tablet format, providing an impressive visual immersion.

The design of the Honor Magic Vs. is well thought out. It combines a metal chassis and a glass back that catches fingerprints a lot, giving the device a certain lightness. That said, 267 g is not the lightest on the market. It could be more discreet in the pocket, especially with the thickness of the case of almost 1.3 cm in folded mode.

The hinge, made of titanium, ensures a smooth and smooth opening when switching between phone mode and tablet mode. When fully open, there is not the slightest gap between the two halves of the screen. With rounded edges, the Honor Magic Vs. Offers a comfortable grip. It incorporates two SIM card slots, a USB-C port, and two speakers. The start button also functions as a fingerprint reader

Screen

The Honor Magic Vs. is equipped with two screens. Their configuration ticks all the boxes for a good smartphone screen in 2023. They look like this: 

1. The external screen adopts a size of 6.45 inches in 21: 9 format, with OLED technology, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, a definition of 2560 x 1080 pixels, and a bright peak of up to 1200 units;
2. For the internal screen, it’s a beautiful 7.9-inch OLED panel with a 10:9 ratio, a definition of 2272 x 1984 pixels, a refresh rate of 90 Hz, and a peak light of 800 nits.

The result is perfect. The screens remain readable under all conditions, even under the sun, with beautiful contrasts. The fluidity of the image is optimal. The Honor Magic Vs. is an excellent ally for watching series and movies. You also benefit from the comfort of its fold-out screen.

Performance

Our smartphone of the day is built around a SoCSnapdragon 8+ Gen 1, coupled with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. Honor, therefore, chose Qualcomm’s flagship of 2022 instead of the latest high-end chip of this year, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. But, this is normal since the Magic Vs. has been marketed in China since last year, and it has yet to be the subject of a technical update.

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a very capable chip. It can perform all tasks well, even those that require high computing power. As for the 12 GB of RAM, there is nothing to report. The Magic Vs. Allows fluid multitasking without any slowdown. The 512 GB of internal memory is more than enough for all users.

Photos And Videos

The Honor Magic Vs. has three rear photo modules consisting of:

1. A 54-megapixel wide-angle lens (Sony IMX800) with an f/1.9 aperture, with Autofocus function;
2. A 50-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens, opening at f / 2.0, with Autofocus function;
3. And a telephoto lens for an 8-megapixel 3x optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture with optical stabilization.

The main sensor, the IMX800, allows you to capture beautiful photos, rich in detail and bright. And that, whatever the conditions. The ultra wide-angle is quite efficient, with a more intense contrast. With the telephoto lens of only 8 Mpx, you benefit from good daytime rendering but less precision at night.

For selfies, The Magic Vs. Offers two photo modules, one on the internal screen and the other on the external screen. No matter what you’re using, you get a 16MP sensor and a lens with an f/2.45 aperture.  In video mode, it can film in 4K at 60 frames per second from the rear camera. The image quality remains acceptable in direct sunlight, shade, or very low light.

Software

The Honor Magic Vs. Runs Android 13 with MagicOS 7.1, the manufacturer’s overlay. It guarantees up to 3 years of Android and 5 years of security updates. The interface is rich in functions and applications offered by the brand. Those of Honor also replace some Google applications. For example, instead of Google Calendar, it has an Honor Calendar. Opening an application on the external screen will automatically transfer it to the internal screen if you unfold the smartphone. And vice versa.

Autonomy

With their two internal and external screens, folding smartphones consume more energy than conventional models. However, with its non-removable 5000 mAh battery, the Magic Vs offers good autonomy. According to its manufacturer, it can last a full day in traditional use. Regarding its load, it uses a 66 W power supply supplied by the smartphone. It fills up in 43 minutes, which is fast. Unfortunately, the Magic Vs. is not suitable for wireless charging.

Price And Availability

The Honor Magic Vs. It was officially presented in Europe at the MWC Mobile World Congress 2023 last February. It is already available in France since this Wednesday, May 24, for €1,599.

Conclusion

The Honor Magic Vs. could be better. Nevertheless, it is, as we speak, one of the most compelling folding smartphones on the market. This model can perfectly compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 on many points. Its main assets are:

1. A beautiful folding screen.
2. Impeccable external slab.
3. Well-thought-out hinge.
4. Pleasantly thin chassis.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen1+ also offers good performance. It turns out to be correct for the autonomy, and we particularly appreciate the fast charging with the 66 W power supply unit. For us, this product is worth its price of 1,599 €. Do we recommend Magic Vs. Yes, if you can afford such a price for a smartphone capable of replacing a tablet. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, whose configuration is about equal, is sold at 120 euros more expensive.

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