Honor’s Magic V2 is one of the most compelling foldable phones I’ve ever used. From the lightweight design and bright, expansive displays to the respectable cameras and dependable battery life, there’s a lot I like about it. Ahead of its European launch, Honor sent me the international version of the Magic V2, and it impressed me as soon as I took it out of the box.
This phone is unusually portable, for one thing. And it doesn’t necessarily feel like I’m holding a foldable phone, unless I slide my thumb over to where the screens meet. The V2 is still the lightest and slimmest book-style foldable phone available, even though it was first released last year. When folded, it’s just 9.9 millimeters thick, making it slightly thicker than a bar phone and convenient to carry around. For reference, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5, a direct V2 competitor, is 13.46 mm thick when it’s closed.
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The Magic V2 weighs 231 grams. That’s 2 grams less than Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 Ultra and more than 50 grams less than the Google Pixel Fold. The V2’s thin and lightweight design makes it feel more like a regular phone and less like an experiment. (I should note that the OnePlus Open, which my colleague Eli Blumenthal reviewed last year, comes close to matching the V2’s svelte, lightweight build.) Despite the phone’s compact size, Honor managed to pack it with flagship specs, including last year’s still-peppy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a triple-camera module complete with a telephoto lens and a large battery that supports 66-watt fast charging.Â
But as compelling as it is, the Magic V2 still has some shortcomings. It doesn’t have an official IP rating for water- and dust-resistance. The Z Fold 5, by comparison, is rated IPX8 for water-resistance and can be immersed under 1.5 meters of freshwater…
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