What you need to know
- Honor launched the Magic V2 for global markets at IFA 2023.
- With a thickness of just 4.7mm while unfolded, the Magic V2 is the thinnest foldable in the market.
- The foldable is a full 30g lighter than its predecessor.
- No word on pricing just yet, but we should know more in the coming weeks.
Honor unveiled the Magic V2 in China back in July, and the foldable is now getting a global release at IFA 2023. This is the third-generation foldable from Honor, and it sports a ton of upgrades across the board, but the biggest talking point is the design. Coming in at just 4.7mm while unfolded and 9.9mm when folded, the Magic V2 has the distinction of being the thinnest foldable currently available. For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 measures 6.1mm when unfolded and 13.4mm while it's folded, so what Honor managed to achieve here is pretty significant.
It's not just about the svelte design either; Honor somehow managed to shave off a full 30g off the weight of the Magic V2, with the foldable weighing just 231g — that's 3g less than the Galaxy S23 Ultra and 22g lighter than the Z Fold 5, if you're wondering. Another key feature of the Magic V2 is the redesigned hinge that's lighter and smoother, and it makes all the difference in daily use.
The foldable doesn't miss out on the hardware front. You get a 6.43-inch OLED cover screen and a large 7.92-inch inner OLED screen, and both have dynamic refresh and can go from 1Hz to 120Hz. Honor outfitted the device with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — like the best foldables — and you get 16GB of RAM as standard and 256GB of storage with the base version. There's a 50MP camera at the back alongside a 50MP wide-angle lens and 20MP zoom module with 2.5x optical zoom, and in the limited time I used the Magic V2, it was able to take stellar photos.
What's particularly great about the foldable is that it has a 5000mAh battery in spite of its sleek chassis — Honor says it's using a silicon-carbide battery that has allowed the brand to reduce the size of the cell. Basically, the Magic V2 outshines every other foldable in the market when it comes to the hardware, and with the device now available globally, it will be interesting to see if it can mount a serious challenge to Samsung.
There's no word as to how much the Magic V2 will cost when it goes on sale outside China, but if the Magic Vs was any indication, Honor should have no trouble undercutting Samsung.
