Honor Magic V3

Not only the slimmest folding phone but also one of the most affordable-after discounts, at least

- TIM DANTON

If you want a folding phone, as opposed to a flip design, you currently have four choices. There’s the new Pixel 9 Fold Pro (see p56), the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 (see issue 360, p72), the OnePlus Open (see issue 351, p60) or the Honor Magic V3. And while I’m optimistic that the OnePlus Open’s successor will be an excellent choice when it arrives, the Magic V3 currently beats its rivals for both slimness and value. Especially when you factor in its discounts and bundled extras.

I also think that Honor wins for style. You can buy the Magic V3 in conservative green or black, but Honor sent me the brown version and I guarantee it will make a striking impression. Much of that comes from the bronze edging on the sides and the hinge, but the brown “vegan leather” on the rear also looks great. Honor supplies a case, but frankly I don’t see the point as it just adds to the thickness – and this is the V3’s greatest selling factor over its rivals.

Numbers tend to blur, but the V3 measures 9.2mm when closed. Both the Pixel and Fold6 still sit on the wrong side of 10mm, and 9.2mm also beats the 9.9mm of the OnePlus Open (and the Magic V2) by some margin. While 0.7mm may seem neither here nor there, trust me when I say it makes a notable difference in the hand and the pocket. I would struggle to go back. More to the point, it brings the V3 into the realm of standard bar phones.

Battle of the bulge

But we need to talk about the V3’s camera bulge. This sits around 2mm proud from the rear of the phone, much like the OnePlus Open’s, and for my first few days of using the V3 I was extremely conscious of its bulk. The good news is that, when folded, the housing sits centrally so you don’t have that irritating rocking problem when you poke the screen on a desk. It’s only when you unfold the V3 that things become uneven.