Honor’s Magic V2 impressed me as quickly as I took it out of the field. From the light-weight design and vibrant, expansive shows to the respectable cameras and reliable battery life, there’s so much I like about it. Sareena Dayaram/CNETHowever, my favourite half in regards to the Magic V2 is its portability. Honor proves {that a} foldable cellphone generally is a highly effective productiveness machine with out burdening you with its dimension and weight. Since the Magic V2 is very moveable, it would not essentially really feel like I’m holding a foldable cellphone except I slide my thumb over the place the place the screens meet.
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The Magic V2’s {hardware} backs up my actual world expertise. The V2 is the lightest and slimmest book-style foldable cellphone obtainable, despite the fact that it launched final yr. When folded, it is simply 9.9 millimeters thick, making it barely thicker than a bar cellphone and handy to hold round. For reference, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5, a direct competitor, is 13.46 mm thick when it is closed. 7.5 Magic V2 Like
Exceptionally light-weight and slim
Unobtrusive crease
World-class {hardware}
Don’t like
No IP ranking for water and mud resistance
Software wants extra polish
No wi-fi charging assist
Processor and Android OS from 2023
The Magic V2 weighs 231 grams. That’s 2 grams lower than Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 Ultra and greater than 50 grams lower than the Google Pixel Fold. The V2’s skinny and light-weight design makes it really feel extra like an everyday cellphone and fewer like an experiment. (I ought to be aware that the OnePlus Open, which my colleague Eli Blumenthal reviewed final yr, comes near matching the V2’s svelte, light-weight construct.) Despite the cellphone’s compact dimension, Honor has packed it with flagship specs, together with final yr’s still-peppy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a triple-camera module full with a telephoto lens and a big battery that helps 66-watt quick charging. It additionally comes with 4 years of Android software program upgrades and 5 years of safety updates, which is similar because the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and OnePlus Open. We’re anticipating the rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 to be supported for seven years if Samsung follows the identical method because the Galaxy S24 collection.Read extra: Best Foldable Phones in 2024But as compelling as it’s, the Magic V2 has its shortcomings. It lacks a few of the fancy ending touches I’d count on from a book-style foldable of this worth and caliber. For one, it would not have an official IP ranking for water and mud resistance. The Galaxy Z Fold 5, by comparability, is rated IPX8 for water-resistance and may be immersed beneath 1.5 meters of freshwater for as much as 30 minutes. Nearly all foldables, together with the Magic V2, lack mud resistance other than the IP52-rated Motorola Razr Plus, which affords some resistance towards mud and water splashes.The Magic V2 additionally lacks wi-fi charging assist, a function that’s current in most of its rivals. And lastly, not all apps are optimized for the V2’s screens. This is the same challenge my friends skilled when reviewing different foldables. The CNN app, for instance, is not but optimized for the interior display screen whenever you obtain it. But the black bars on the perimeters of the display screen disappear as soon as you alter the decision within the Settings panel.The Magic V2 went on sale in elements of Europe and the UK, in late January for £1,700 (converts to roughly $2,160 or AU$3,280) or 1,999 euros. This is a decrease beginning worth within the UK than the £1,749 Galaxy Z Fold 5 ($1,800, AU$2,559), however the Z Fold 5 prices 1,899 euros. Honor says there are presently no plans for a launch within the United States. What the Magic V2 appears to be like like when folded. Sareena Dayaram/CNETUsing the Magic V2Thanks to the abundance of display screen actual property, the Magic V2’s giant inner show makes it a greater multitasker than my regular bar-shaped cellphone. I might watch a YouTube video in a single window, browse Instagram on the opposite, and sort out an electronic mail in a 3rd floating window. I might additionally take notes whereas on Zoom calls since I can overlay a Zoom video on high of a doc. The Magic V2 runs on MagicOS 7.2 based mostly on Android 13, which Honor says provides a slew of sensible options to help in multitasking. However, just about each flagship cellphone launched in 2024 runs on Android 14 as a substitute of Android 13. This might be as a result of the Magic V2 was launched final yr, however Honor hasn’t stated when Android 14 is anticipated to reach.The Magic V2’s AI featuresJust about each main smartphone maker is making the most of the AI hype cycle, and Honor isn’t any completely different. It launched a number of new AI-based options to the Magic V2 this yr, together with a singular addition known as Privacy Call. It’s an AI-based “directional sound technology” designed to stop sound leaking, or cases when the particular person you are speaking to on a name may be heard by folks round you even when they don’t seem to be talking loudly. Honor says the display screen and the receiver work collectively to regulate the amount of the incoming audio to swimsuit completely different environments. I examined it out and it appeared to work as marketed. I had a buddy name me and requested her to talk loudly on the cellphone. I requested my husband if he might hear the dialog or any of the phrases she was saying, however he stated he couldn’t. Honor additionally launched a function known as Magic Text, which jogs my memory of the iPhone’s Live Text function from iOS 15 in 2022, tha acknowledges textual content content material on a picture and converts it into editable textual content. Like Live Text, I’d count on this function would turn out to be useful when you have hand-written recipes or notes that you just wish to digitize simply, so long as the handwriting is legible and clear. In my expertise, it was intuitive to make use of and it is positively a welcome addition. All I needed to do was faucet and choose textual content in a picture within the Gallery app, hit copy after which paste it into an electronic mail or wherever I wanted the textual content. Design and showsThe Honor V2’s supremely light-weight design is a standout function. The hinge is produced from a titanium alloy that not solely retains it mild however must also make the cellphone extra sturdy, based on Honor. The firm additionally claims the cellphone can face up to as much as 400,000 folds. That theoretically means the hinge will present 10 years of use (assuming 100 folds per day), though whether or not the versatile display screen itself would final that lengthy stays to be seen. CNET hasn’t been in a position to independently confirm that declare. By comparability, Samsung says it is Galaxy Z Fold 5 can deal with round 200,000 folds.The Magic V2 is straightforward to make use of when folded, as its 6.43-inch cowl display screen is just like the display screen dimension of a normal nonfolding cellphone. Its peak brightness of two,500 nits made it straightforward to look at movies in sunny environments, though not beneath direct daylight. Inside, you will discover a 7.92-inch show with a crease that is barely noticeable. I needed to maneuver the cellphone to particular angles to even see the crease, which is spectacular. I watched movies and skim the information seamlessly with out the crease feeling intrusive. This is a giant enchancment over the older Magic VS, its predecessor, which had a clearly seen line operating down the center. The interior show of the Magic V2 was vibrant sufficient at 1,600 nits, making it straightforward to look at YouTube movies open air. Sareena Dayaram/CNETThe Magic V2’s 5 camerasThe Magic V2 has 5 cameras. There’s a 50-megapixel important digital camera, 50-megapixel ultrawide digital camera and a 20-megapixel digital camera with a telephoto lens on the again of the cellphone. You may use this trio to snap selfies because of the Magic V2’s foldable design, which permits the quilt display screen to perform as a viewfinder. There’s a 16-megapixel digital camera on the quilt display screen and a second 16-megapixel digital camera beneath the show of the interior display screen. Take a take a look at the photographs beneath to see the cameras in motion. Under vibrant lighting environments, this cellphone managed to take crisp and coloration correct pictures. Sareena Dayaram/CNET Ultrawide digital camera instance. Sareena Dayaram/CNET Taken on default settings. Sareena Dayaram/CNET Example of two.5x zoom. Sareena Dayaram/CNET 10x zoom instance. Sareena Dayaram/CNET Zoomed all the best way in at 40x. Notice how the picture begins to seem like a watercolor portray. Sareena Dayaram/CNET Taken indoors. The digital camera manages to seize the flecks of mud on the desk in addition to the shadows on the wall. Sareena Dayaram/CNET My canine Rocky’s fur coat is a hotter golden brown in actual life. Sareena Dayaram/CNET However, on this case, the Magic V2 managed to seize an impressively coloration correct picture on this brightly lit room. Sareena Dayaram/CNET Taken at night time on default settings. Sareena Dayaram/CNET 0.5x at night time. Sareena Dayaram/CNETIn common, photographs from the V2 are respectable however not the perfect you will get from a cellphone. While photographs taken with vibrant mild have been sharp and colourful, pictures taken in indoor or low mild environments regarded shadowy. But if you happen to’re not a diehard photographer, the V2’s cameras ought to be simply advantageous for taking snaps. CNET’s Patrick Holland reviewed the rival Galaxy Z Fold 5 cellphone final yr and located that whereas pictures have been crisp in vibrant environments, the cellphone tended to oversaturate colours.Foldable telephones’ cameras are typically a weak point in comparison with equally priced non-foldable telephones. You’re primarily paying for the cellphone’s versatile show reasonably than for the form of top-of-the-line cameras you discover on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Pixel 8 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max. Magic V2 battery and efficiencyHonor crammed a 5,000-mAh silicon carbon battery into the Magic V2’s slim and svelte body. In my expertise, the battery lasted all through the day after reasonable use: fast cellphone calls, social media scrolling, studying emails, watching YouTube movies and listening to music. I ran a battery endurance check through which I streamed a YouTube video for 3 hours on the cellphone’s inner display screen. In that point, the battery dropped from 92% to 77%, which is 15%. By comparability, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 drained simply 10% and the Pixel Fold misplaced 24% of its battery once we had put these telephones by means of the identical endurance check. Since it was launched in 2023, the Magic V2 runs on final yr’s top-of-the-line processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. My check cellphone might deal with just about all the pieces I threw at it, together with graphic-intensive video games resembling Genshin Impact and operating Zoom video calls whereas taking notes. It’s a disgrace Honor did not refresh the worldwide model with the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which is powering new flagship telephones in 2024.Performance checks PhoneGeekbench 6 single-coreGeekbench 6 multicore Honor Magic V2 1,8244,254Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 2,0145,419Google Pixel Fold 1,4583,540OnePlus Open 1,5714,556Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 1,8424,508 Overall ideasOverall, I used to be impressed with the Magic V2 folding cellphone. It has slick {hardware} that makes Honor’s Magic V2 essentially the most moveable book-style foldable cellphone I’ve ever used. Size and weight have been a disadvantage for book-style foldable telephones, and the Honor Magic V2 is a compelling try at fixing that. It’s additionally backed up by high-end specs, together with a zippy processor, a flexible digital camera module with a telephoto lens, an interior display screen with a hard-to-find crease and quick charging. However, for a cellphone of this worth, I’d count on it to run on the most recent model of Android and a processor from this yr. Additionally, the Magic V2 lacks some desired ending touches resembling an official IP ranking and wi-fi charging assist.
Honor’s Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra
See all photographs How we check phonesEvery cellphone examined by CNET’s opinions group is definitely utilized in the true world. We check a cellphone’s options, play video games and take photographs. We look at the show to see if it is vibrant, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water-resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes, utilizing standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark in addition to our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and enjoying graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges.All the cameras are examined in a wide range of circumstances, from vibrant daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like night time mode and portrait mode and examine our findings towards equally priced competing telephones. We additionally try the battery life by utilizing the cellphone day by day in addition to operating a collection of battery drain checks.