We were excited at MWC 2023 To see Honor launch the Magic Vs, it is the first foldable that will be available globally after being introduced in China in late November.
Honor Magic Vs is its first serious alternative Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Because it offers a slightly thinner and lighter form factor with similar build quality and system hardware. The display and cameras are also on par, while the battery is bigger and comes with a 66W fast charger in the box.
The Honor Magic Vs 12GB+512GB with Black and Cyan will be available in Europe for €1599. At the time of launch, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 was priced at €1799.
There are no plans for a US launch where the Z Fold 4 was released at $1799, only $99 less than the converted $1700 price (from €1599).
The Magic Vs isn’t waterproof, another downside compared to the Z Fold4, which has an IPx8 rating.
design
The build quality is excellent with a beautiful glossy finish on the back cover.
Honor CEO George Zhao was proud to reveal during the keynote event at MWC that, unlike the Z Fold4, the new Magic VS is gapless once folded, and at 12.9mm, is smaller than its nemesis (15.8mm). Thin in comparison. At 261g, it is much lighter than the 263g Galaxy Z Fold4.
The back cover has curves on both the long edges, giving the device a smoother feel as compared to its flat rival, the Z Fold4.
“Smoother device experience than competitors”
The hinge was a key part of George Zhao’s presentation as it is made from an aerospace-grade polymeric material, and has significantly fewer components than its predecessor. Their number has been reduced from 94 to 4 to make room for the larger 5000mAh battery.
Honor claims New hinge can withstand up to 400,000 foldsDouble the 200,000 times rating of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
folding experience
The foldable design offers a different feel than the classic phone, however, with Honor following in Samsung’s footsteps, apart from Large 7.9” Inner ScreenOffers a high-end 6.45” external display that completely covers the front of the device when folded.
When folded almost 120 degrees and placed vertically on a table, you don’t need a stand to consume content or read email on one side while watching a video or consulting another app on the other. This can be extremely convenient and is essentially a natural tripod.
Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold4, the 90-degree folded position only works when you place the cover with the camera module on a table, otherwise, it opens back up, perhaps a trade-off of a lighter and more durable hinge.
Display
Both displays offer amazing image quality, responsiveness and comfort, and bring a better visual experience to the content you normally consume.
7.9” OLED has 2272 x 1984 pixel resolution In 10.3:9 aspect ratio (382ppi pixel density). The 90Hz refresh rate is lower than the 120Hz capabilities of the Galaxy Z Fold4, Mix Fold 2 or the Oppo Find N2.
“amazing image quality”
Possibly to enhance the regular phone experience over “tablet mode”, Honor decided to provide higher 120Hz refresh rate and pixel density (431PPI vs. 381) from the 6.45” 2560 x 1080 pixel external screen.
1200 nits peak brightness While on paper the theoretical peak brightness of the Z Fold 4 is similar, we still need to measure the brightness to verify the claim.
The crease is just as visible as it is on other foldable phones we’ve played with, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4. I barely notice it, as the display quality is great.
sound quality
Audio quality is very good, and the stereo dual speakers deliver powerful and clear sound at maximum volume. However, when compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, whose sound is almost as excellent as the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Apple Pro Max, I noticed that the Magic Vs is a bit lacking in bass.
honor magic vs camera
The Honor Magic Vs brings the camera performance closer to the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23, and slightly higher than the Z Fold4.
At the back is the triple camera module:
- Primary Camera (Wide)
- 27mm 54MP IMX800 main camera (f/1.9)
- Video: Up to 2160×3840 Pixel
- Photo: up to 6144×8768 pixels
- Ultrawide and Macro Cameras
- telephoto camera
- 94mm 8MP f/2.4 3X optical zoom + OIS
Selfie camera in the inner display:
Our algorithmic Camera HW Score ranks the Honor Magic Vs (Score =161) slightly above the Galaxy Z Fold4 (score = 155) and close to the Galaxy S23+ and S23 (score = 166), a good score as independent reviewers recognize the S23+/S23 as a good shooter in the premium segment.
The primary wide camera is equipped with a large 54MP IMX800 sensor According to our algorithm, it’s comparable to the one found in the Galaxy Z Fold4.
Both the ultrawide and telephoto lenses are slightly better compared to the Z Fold4. The Magic is better versus the optical “3X” zoom because it has a longer focal lens at 94mm compared to the Z Fold4’s 62mm.
Both the phones feature a high-resolution sensor for the primary shooter. However, unlike the Samsung device, there is high-res photo capture unavailable in auto mode, With Magic Vs, you have to drill down two sub-menus to find it (Camera mode menu>More>High Res).
system performance
Since it is equipped with the same Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 as the Samsung Z Fold4, the performance is very comparable. Our tests show that the Z Fol4 has a small advantage in the Geekbench 5 CPU benchmark, but it’s something users won’t notice much in the real world. We certainly didn’t.
From a graphics/gaming perspective, the performance we measured is nearly identical, which isn’t surprising. In any case, the conclusion is that the Honor Magic Vs performs exactly as we’ve come to expect from a large high-end, foldable Android smartphone.
battery life
Because of the new hinge, Magic Vs has a 5000 mAh Battery, the biggest in the foldable market. Non-foldable flagships like the S23 Ultra or the OnePlus 11 have similar capabilities. 5000 mAh is often considered the maximum practical capacity, but it is particularly challenging for a foldable design.
Additionally, it can charge up to a smartphone when you need to refill the battery 66W of power, which is faster than any of the competitors we’ve seen so far. For heavy commuters, this is a significant advantage as you can charge up to 66% faster before flying or heading to your next destination.
conclusion
Honor Magic Vs An impressive piece of technology on the same level of system performance, design excellence, display quality and camera performance Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4Its slavery.
“an impressive piece of technology”
The slight difference in our ratings is justified by the absence of water resistance, which is important for any device above $1500, and the Samsung device has a better user experience for productivity and multi-tasking.
With better cameras, the Honor device definitely feels thinner and more comfortable to hold in hand than the Z Fold 4 200 euro less,
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