OPINION: Samsung wasn’t the only company to announce new foldable smartphones this week – and it looks like the competition is much more interesting.
This week, Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6, the latest foldables in its ever-growing collection. While the Z Fold 6 was treated to a refreshed look with flat sides and angular corners, a camera spec bump, a slightly shorter and squatter display and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 power, it can pretty much be summarised as a rather minor update.
That’s especially true when core concerns about Samsung’s Z Fold line in general – like its overly tall and narrow cover screen, and a pretty noticeable crease on the inner 7.6-inch AMOLED display – are yet to be fully addressed.
Granted, the Z Fold 6 does bring the cover screen’s aspect ratio to 22.1:9 from 23.1:9, and Samsung has ever so slightly reduced the crease on the inner screen, but it’s still way more prominent than what you’d find on some year-old competitors like the OnePlus Open.
That’s what makes this week’s announcement of the Honor Magic V3 all the more exciting, because, unlike Samsung, it sounds like Honor is pushing foldable tech to the absolute limit, leaving the Z Fold 6 looking comparatively chunky and under-specced. Let me explain.
Honor already had a pretty fantastic foldable design with the Magic V2, measuring in at just 9.9mm thick when folded, but it looks like Honor wasn’t quite satisfied enough. This year’s Magic V3 reduces that thickness even further, down to just 9.2mm.
For comparison, the Z Fold 6, described by Samsung as its thinnest Fold ever, measures in at 12.1mm. It’s also lighter at 226g compared to the Fold 6’s 239g. With these dimensions, the Magic V3 is essentially in regular smartphone territory, weighing less than Samsung’s own Galaxy S24 Ultra.
It’s not just in the design department where Honor seemingly has Samsung beat; it also features larger, brighter screens, both externally and internally.
Not only does the 6.43-inch 20:9 cover screen offer a regular smartphone experience when compared to the tall and narrow 6.3-inch screen from Samsung, but with a whopping 5000nits peak brightness, it’s far brighter too. That peak brightness is matched by the internal 7.92-inch foldable screen, making it both brighter and larger than Samsung’s 7.6-inch, 2600nit alternative.
The Magic V3 also has what seems to be a pretty well-specced rear camera setup, boasting a 50MP main with f/1.6 aperture, a 40MP ultrawide and a 50MP 3.5x periscope lens, complete with 20MP selfie cameras on both displays. The Z Fold 6, for comparison, offers an upgraded 50MP f/1.8 main alongside a 12MP ultrawide and a 10MP 3x telephoto lens, the latter of which hasn’t received an update in a few generations.
The Magic V3 also closes gaps between its predecessors and Samsung’s foldable alternative in the durability department, offering matching IPX8 water resistance. It sports a larger 5150mAh silicon-based battery with faster 66W wired charging too.
So yes, Honor’s Magic V3 is certainly what I’d describe as a more exciting foldable update than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6.
There is a catch however; the Honor Magic V3 has only been revealed in China, with no word about an international release just yet. That doesn’t mean it’s not happening, but as with the Honor Magic V2, there will likely be a gap between its China reveal and its international announcement.
If we’re going by Honor Magic V2 timings, the international reveal will likely happen at IFA in September, though the actual release could be some time after that. The Honor Magic V2 finally went on sale in the UK in January 2024, for reference.
So, while Samsung might have the limelight with its Z Fold 6 for now, I’ve got a feeling it might be rather short-lived.
