The Honor Magic V2 clamshell was presented in July this year, and an international announcement took place at the recently held IFA 2023 exhibition in Berlin. I managed to spend several days with the gadget and will share my first impressions.
Design
The first thing you notice when looking at the Honor Magic V2 is its compact size. The manufacturer has perfected the form factor, bringing it closer to the level of classic smartphones. So, the width of the folding bed when folded is only 10.1 mm, and when unfolded it is 4.8 mm. This is not the plump Galaxy Z Fold 5. For comparison, the dimensions of the clamshell from Samsung are 13.4 and 6.1 mm – when folded and unfolded, respectively. It would not be superfluous to mention that, for example, the thickness of the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 7.85 mm.
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Honor Magic V2 weighs approximately 237 g. This is a decent figure for a folding device. Thanks to this weight category, the gadget feels quite compact. According to my feelings, it does not differ in the pocket from ordinary smartphones, and it is also quite comfortable to use with one hand when folded. Again for comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 weighs 253g and the iPhone 14 Pro Max weighs 240g.
Experience shows that Honor Magic V2 is becoming another device that blurs the size boundaries between regular smartphones and folding gadgets.
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I tested the gadget in purple color. It has a pleasant deep shade that shimmers curiously and sparkles in the sun in every possible way. In general, I give this color a separate “plus” rating.
On the back in the upper left corner there is a rectangular block of the main camera. This element looks laconic. The lenses in the module have a “traffic light” type layout – in my opinion, visually this is one of the most advantageous solutions.
The edges of the external display and the back are slightly rounded. Thanks largely to this solution, Honor Magic V2 fits perfectly in the hand.
The design of Honor Magic V2 uses an ultra-light titanium hinge and the brand’s proprietary steel. This provides additional strength and increases the service life of the mechanism. By the way, thanks to these solutions, the smartphone received an SGS durability certificate. It confirms the hinge’s ability to withstand more than 400,00 folds – that’s almost 10 years of use. In my opinion, it is unlikely that anyone will develop such a resource; the smartphone will be updated to a new version faster.
Compared to the Honor Magic V2, it feels like the manufacturer is listening to users’ opinions. Previously, the brand’s clamshells with hinges of previous generations existed only in two positions (open and closed). Now the smartphone can be fixed at an angle like a laptop. It is worth noting that some proprietary Magic OS 7.2 applications have already been adapted to this use case.
Screens
The external screen is a 6.43-inch panel with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. Its resolution is 2376 x 1060 pixels. In its upper part in the center there is an external front camera. The aspect ratio is 20:9. Thanks to this ratio, the user experience when interacting with the external screen is no different from conventional smartphones. For comparison, Samsung clamshells have the narrowest external display, which literally pushes the user to unfold the device and go to the internal screen.
The external screen pleased with its natural color reproduction and decent brightness reserve. Everything on the display is clearly visible both indoors and outdoors under the rays of bright sun. Over several days of outdoor testing, I never once had the desire to turn up the brightness extra.
The resolution of the internal 7.92-inch OLED screen is 2344 x 2156. It is as smooth as an external display – the refresh rate is up to 120 Hz. The aspect ratio is 9.78:9.
The color rendition of the internal display pleases with natural shades without excesses in saturation and color. The brightness margin, it seemed to me, is slightly inferior to the external solution, but nevertheless remains at a comfortable level for working indoors and outdoors.
As for the fold of the internal display, to be honest, it is there. Unfortunately, if you completely abandon the fold, the load on the structure of the flexible display will increase, and this will significantly reduce its service life. The fold of the internal screen of Honor Magic V2 is noticeable from a certain angle, and if desired, it can be tactilely felt. However, it is at that level where it seems to be present, but does not make itself felt in any way.
The PWM frequency for the external and internal display is 3840 Hz. While watching movies and TV series for a long time, my eyes do not get tired, and my vision is quite sensitive to flicker.
Cameras
As the main camera, Honor Magic V2 is equipped with a system of three modules, which includes:
- 50 MP main lens with f/1.9 aperture and optical stabilization
- Ultra-wide 50 MP with f/2.0
- 20 MP telephoto with f/2.4 and optical stub
If by any chance you read it quickly, I will underline it. Most manufacturers refuse optical stabilization in folding devices so as not to inflate the thickness of the case. Honor produces a clamshell in the dimensions of classic smartphones and at the same time retains the stub on the main module and on the TV.
Photos taken with the main module are obtained with a high level of detail and natural color rendition. I will also note a fairly wide dynamic range.
Super-wide in quality in daylight is almost as good as the main module. I also note the absence in most cases of the usual dimming at the edges of the frame. As for the telephoto, it seemed to me that you should not get out of the 3x zoom range, as this will entail a noticeable loss of detail. The resolution of the front cameras on the external and internal displays is 16 MP with f / 2.2 aperture.
You can download all photos in original resolution from this link (Telegram)
Battery
Autonomous operation of the device is provided by a 5000 mAh silicon-carbon battery. Thanks to this solution, it was possible to achieve a battery thickness of only 2.72 mm. Honor has announced a silicon-carbon battery for its gadgets at MWC 2023 in Barcelona. The technology allows an increase in energy density by approximately 12.8%. Thus, the margin of autonomy increases, and the dimensions remain at the same level.
The margin of autonomy is enough for about a scenario with recharging once a day in measured daily mode. The clamshell comes with a 66W Honor SuperCharge power adapter. Wireless charging was not delivered.
What else is important to know?
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is used as a hardware platform. The RAM is 16 GB. As for the storage, there are two options to choose from – 256 and 512 GB.
Honor Magic V2 runs all top games at maximum speed without any problems. The productivity reserve will be enough for the long term.
As a software platform, the smartphone received Android 13 with a proprietary MagicOS 7.2 shell. You are already familiar with it from my previous reviews of brand devices. Just in case, I note that the interface works quickly, applications switch quickly, and all transition animations in the system are drawn smoothly and without lags.
As a conclusion
Honor Magic V2 is an interesting addition to the foldable device category. Strengths worth noting at first glance: nice design, compact dimensions, high-quality screens and the presence of optical stabilization on the main and TV cameras.
As for any shortcomings, it is still difficult to talk about their obvious presence, since they are revealed at a long testing stage. Also, there is no understanding of the specific price framework for the Russian market yet, and without this information it is difficult to draw a comprehensive conclusion about the device as a whole.