It’s been a few years now since foldable smartphones started gaining traction among consumers. There have been hits and misses, and definitely lots of lessons learned as tech giants strived to capture the market’s interest.
Not one to be left behind in this trend is HONOR, which has some magic up its sleeves.
Powerhouse foldable
The HONOR Magic V2 can be deceivingly thin, but it’s a heavyweight underneath. Boasting flagship specs headlined by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor with HONOR’s Three Boost Engine, 512GB internal storage, and 16GB + 7GB HONOR RAM Turbo, this book-style foldable doesn’t even break a sweat even under stress from demanding apps.
The device runs Android 13, with HONOR’s MagicOS 7.2 on top. With much power under the hood, the overall experience was buttery smooth. Face recognition and fingerprint scanning via the side-mounted power/fingerprint button are both snappy. Zero lags observed, even with resource-intensive routines like running multiple apps and windows, and gaming.
A powerhouse foldable, it fortunately did not scrimp on the powerplant. The Magic V2 is equipped with a 5000mAh battery that, based on our experience, lasted for two days on a single charge—with power saver on, mostly doing calls and messaging, and with a little bit of Duolingo, YouTube, Spotify, and web browsing in between.
Running out of juice is no problem with the bundled 66W Honor SuperCharge power brick that can top up the Magic V2 from 0 to 30% in as short as 15 minutes, and fully charged in just an hour. That’s fast for a beefy battery to fill.
Magic you can hold
It was wow at first sight upon unboxing the purple review unit sent to Speed. But if you prefer, this sleek device is also available in black.
The purple unit’s glossy back panel has that iridescent shine when light hits it at the right angle. The same goes for the phone’s frame, albeit having a distinctly metallic sheen to it. To cover up this stunning detail is a shame, but at least the bundled back cover with kickstand came in a matching color that blends perfectly with the phone’s profile. Surprisingly, too, the gloss finish isn’t a fingerprint magnet.
The phone feels right at home in the hand. It has a nice heft to it at 231 grams, feels solid overall, and the weight is evenly spread out when phone is unfolded. At only 9.9mm when folded, it’s the thinnest foldable smartphone to date. Open it up and it gets even thinner at only 4.7mm.
Despite this, it doesn’t feel fragile at all, thanks to its rigid construction and titanium hinge that’s SGS certified up to 400,000 folds. With its robust build, opening and closing the Magic V2 is as effortless as it can be. And oh, it makes a satisfying thump as it folds perfectly flat. It’s a small audible detail, but a pleasing one nonetheless.
Feast for the eyes
The Magic V2’s two captivating screens are a visual treat. The 6.43-inch external screen and 7.92-inch inner screen are both 120Hz LTPO displays capable of outputting 2,500 nits peak brightness. With a 90% screen-to-body ratio inside and out, users have a more immersive viewing experience when consuming media, capturing and viewing photos or videos, or gaming on-the-go.
HONOR also equipped the device with eye protection features like the TÜV Rheinland certified 3840Hz PWM Dimming and Circadian Night Display, as well as Dynamic Dimming Screen which makes the display easier on the eyes, relieving eye fatigue. So worry not about straining your eyesight.
Superb optics
The Magic V2 features a triple camera array consisting of a 50MP main shooter (f/1.9 OIS), 50MP ultra wide (f/2.0), and 20MP telephoto (f/2.4 OIS) cameras. Working in tandem with the cameras are a laser focusing sensor, and a flicker and color temperature sensor. Two 16MP (f/2.2) wide front cameras (one for each screen) complete the package.
Images captured are sharp, detailed, and vivid with colors but not oversaturated. Exposure is well-controlled, even under harsh or low light conditions. While watching the Jive Disciples perform during a jazz night at Terens Corner in Cubao, this reviewer snapped away with the Magic V2 ‘til morning. The venue was dimly lit with different colored lights, but the camera handled it like the champ that it was. It was a great night filled with music, captured in stills and videos to boot.
Needless to say, it was just a joy being in places with the Magic V2 as my pocket camera.
Tablet in your pocket
Unfold the Magic V2 and you open up a more engaging experience. More space means more can be displayed on the screen. Power users will surely appreciate this when multitasking, or when using apps that benefit from the larger canvas. For example, I wrote this review with ease on Google Docs, eliminating the need to take out my bigger tablet. Watching videos and playing games was also more enjoyable, thanks to the bigger display and excellent speakers.
The caveat here is app scaling. Not all apps are optimized for the inner screen’s squarish aspect ratio. Fortunately, MagicOS lets users choose between full screen, 16:9, or 4:3 independently per app as desired.
Speed says
No doubt about it, the HONOR Magic V2 is an amazing option for anybody seeking to explore the world of foldables—that is, if you can afford the P79,999 sticker price. Powerful specs, great battery life, superb camera optics, and captivating design—you name it, this phone’s got magic. It’s tough to ignore a device as comprehensive as this.
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