The foldable market continues to blossom with more flexible smartphones appearing, with the latest addition coming in the form of the Honor Magic V2.
You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to foldables devices nowadays, enough so that we’ve already curated a best foldable phones list to help you find the right device for you.
Now that Honor has thrown yet another foldable into the mix with the Honor Magic V2, we wanted to take a closer look at how it compares to its predecessor, the Honor Magic Vs.
Keep reading to find out all the biggest differences – and similarities – between these two book-style foldables so you can figure out which one sparks your interest most.
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
The Honor Magic Vs comes kitted out with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. The Magic V2 raises the bar even further, coming with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. That would’ve been the top-end chipset had the Magic V2 not had a delayed launch, but it has since been usurped by the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Regardless, Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has a particularly strong focus on AI, boasting an advanced AI Engine created by the company. The Kryo CPU offers a 35% improvement in performance and the Adreno GPU comes with up to 25% faster performance compared to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
As shown in our benchmark tests, the Magic V2 does indeed perform much better than its predecessor. What’s more, it can actually compete with the custom 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset found in Samsung’s competing book-style foldable in tests, making it a pretty capable foldable.
54-megapixel main camera on the Magic Vs
Honor decked out the Magic Vs with a triple-camera setup, including a 54-megapixel main sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide sensor and an 8MP telephoto lens. The Honor Magic V2, meanwhile, comes with a 50MP wide-angle sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide angle lens and a boosted a 20MP telephoto sensor.
We found that the Honor Magic Vs had a reliable performance and could pump out some great-looking shots in both daytime and low-light scenes. There was plenty of colour in every shot, however, we did find that the x3 optical zoom did struggle in a lot of instances, pushing our reviewer to avoid the feature entirely.
The Honor Magic V2 fixes those issues with the optical zoom with a higher-res sensor and pixel binning tech, as well as sporting a newer 50MP main camera with a wider aperture better suited to low-light photography – though neither Honor foldable should be considered a particularly impressive low-light shooter.
Both come with fast charging capabilities
Both the Magic Vs and Magic V2 come with 5000mAh batteries – the largest of any book-style foldable on the market. They also have support for Honor 66W SuperCharge, again, the fastest of any foldable right now.
We found that the Honor Magic Vs managed to last for very long periods of time, even when subjected to a fair amount of strain. Unfortunately, we were unable to test the true fast-charging capabilities of this handset, however, we were able to get from 0% to 100% in two hours and 15 minutes using a standard charger.
The Honor Magic V2 fared much the same, boasting all-day battery life and then some, with our reviewer getting well into a second day of use before reaching for a charger. When using a 66W charger, he found that it’d regain a full charge in a speedy 56 minutes.
A new hinge mechanism on the Magic V2
The Magic Vs comes with an impressive dual display; the inner screen measures 7.9 inches and has a 2272×1984 resolution, with the external screen measuring 6.45 inches and boasting a 2560×1080 resolution. Both panels are OLED, with the handset folding out like a book.
We noted that the Magic Vs has a hinge that can fold at different angles. The crease in the middle of the screen is visible at certain angles, but it does disappear completely when you’re looking at it head-on.
Honor didn’t stray too far away in terms of the display when it comes to the Magic V2. The inner screen sits at 7.92 inches with a 2344×2156 resolution. The external screen is 6.43 inches with a 2376×1060 resolution, with both panels also being OLED.
The Magic V2 comes with a brand-new hinge mechanism, which boasts a 91% titanium alloy construction for improved rigidity. This allowed for zero gaps between the panels when in a folded position to reduce the amount of dust and debris building up in the internal panel. This also means that the crease of the panel is a lot shallower, with our reviewer noting that the tactile feeling of running a finger over the crease is nearly non-existent.
The Magic V2 is much more expensive
The Honor Magic V2 represented great value for money when it hit the market in early 2023, sporting a £1,399 price tag that undercut every other book-style foldable around.
However, that trend hasn’t continued with the new model, with the Magic V2 coming in at £1,699 – an increase of £300. There is a lot to like about the Magic V2, including that thin-and-light design, but the Magic Vs is certainly more budget-friendly – and will likely get even cheaper now that its replacement is here.
The Honor Magic Vs and Magic V2 are available to buy via Honor right now, with the latter coming to third-party retailers in the UK on 2 February.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
