I've been using the Honor Magic V6 for the last two weeks, and I've got some thoughts... I say 'using' and not 'testing', because to be completely straight with you, I forgot I was meant to be studiously making notes of my experience using this thing. I was enjoying it too much!
I have a pretty good context for judging the V6. I had the V5 before as my main phone, and I'm happy to say that there are only positive changes made to the newer model. The headlines are the combination of a crazy-thin 4.0mm unfolded design with a massive 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery, which answers the endurance and bulk issues that have plagued foldables forever.
Creative professionals also have a genuine reason to check it out: the V6 includes a three-month Google AI Pro trial giving you access to cutting-edge Gemini app tools like Flow filmmaking and Veo 3.1 video generation. It also bridges the ecosystem gap by supporting dual-screen Mac workflows and one-tap file sharing with Apple devices.
I know only a small percentage of you will read the whole of this review, so let me be clear: The Magic V6 is one of the best camera phones I've ever tried – and that's without the camera on this thing being at all perfect!
Let's dig into it...
Display & design
Measuring just 8.75 mm thick when folded and an utterly zonkaloid 4.0 mm when unfolded, the V6 is a very thin chap. Now, I'm not impressed by records being broken for the sake of it, but that thinness really makes a difference when I'm handling the V6 both folded when I check incoming messages, and unfolded when, errm, I'm basically doing everything else.
This thinness undercuts older competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (12.1 mm folded) and even edges past the newer Galaxy Z Fold 7 (8.9 mm folded), so if that matters to you, then yay for thinness!
At 224g, it weighs less than some non-foldable flagship slabs, such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max (227g), and yet no corners seem to have been cut to achieve this. The core features a super steel hinge with a tensile strength of 2800 MPa, "supported by an AI-assisted bionic cushioning system to disperse drop forces"... Basically it's tough as all hell!
It also achieves IP68 and IP69 ratings, offering high-pressure spray protection that outperforms Samsung's water-only IPX8 standard. I've dropped it in the bath, and used it in the rain, and it's still working perfectly.
On the display side, the V6 sports a 6.52-inch external cover screen and an expansive 7.95-inch internal folding screen. I really like that the external screen now has text pop up in a more thought-through, usable way compared to the V5. The small, almost miniaturised box that was used for text typing was basically unusable, and now the V6 is as good as the iPhone 16 Pro that my partner has.
Both displays boast 120Hz refresh rates, but as I don't game, all I can tell you is that all the video streaming that I do on the V6 is smooth. And that's inside and out. I think Honor pushes the envelope on outdoor legibility with V6, with its outer display hitting a peak brightness of 6,000 nits, while the inner display reaches 5,000. Now, that doesn't mean that the V6 is basically a retina-melting torchlight in your pocket: it can only hit these blinding levels momentarily, over small clusters of pixels at a time, usually when triggering HDR highlights or fighting direct, harsh sunlight outdoors. However, in use, I have used it in the direct sunlight of an English summer (it gets hot, honest!) and it was perfectly useable for watching video, checking photos, etc.
Combined with an ultra-low reflectivity rate of 1.5%, outdoor visibility vastly outperforms standard foldables. Finally, the internal display uses flexible ultra-thin glass to yield a negligible crease experience, resolving a persistent consumer complaint in the foldable sector. I won't say that it isn't noticeable. It is. But after using it for two weeks, it's only visible when I'm actively looking for it. Otherwise it blends into the background.
Camera & features
I love the camera of the Magic V6. Well, most of the camera!
Equipped with the AI Falcon Camera System, the phone features a 50MP main sensor (f/1.6, OIS), a 50MP ultra-wide lens (f/2.2), and a high-resolution 64MP periscope telephoto lens with a 1/2-inch sensor and CIPA 6.5-stop image stabilisation.
That's all awesome and everything, but basically, the V6, just like its little brother the V5 has a glaring problem in the 'photo' mode. There's an AI skin smoothing feature that you can't turn off, and it results in really weird, unnatural results. I have a baby boy, and honestly the last thing I – or he – needs is for his beautiful skin to be artificially smoothed over!
'But wait, I thought you said, "this is one of the best cameras I've ever used on a smartphone". What's up?!'
Well, if you just flick the camera to 'Pro', you get all the benefits of the normal camera, minus this smoothing, and a whole host of manual options, should you want (I don't. It's all automatic, so I just ignore the manual inputs).
The result is a fantastic camera that's perfect for point and shoot. When you add to that a very impressive macro setting that I've used for work in taking pics of some of the IEMs that I've reviewed, and you've got yourself a very strong cameraphone.
The telephoto option is a direct shot at Samsung’s foldable strategy, which has historically reused restrictive 10MP zoom lenses. While the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 moves to a 200MP main camera, Honor’s choice provides superior secondary focal consistency, particularly in low-light and long-range scenarios optimised via the AI Color Engine and Magic Color 2.0. I honestly don't really use the telephoto feature, but when I have it's been pretty impressive.
Beyond pics, the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, paired with 16GB of RAM and a Vulkan graphics engine, the V6 is great for semi-demanding workflows. I've used the V6 as a laptop replacement during train journeys, and though it's simply not equipped to replace my M5 MacBook Air, its excellent typing experience, splitting the keyboard over both sides of the inner display, allowed me to do a lot of my work effortlessly.
A definite headline for the V6 is the Honor massive 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery it has. Boasting 25% silicon content and a 921Wh/L energy density, it completely outclasses the 4,400mAh dual-cell systems found in both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Fold 7. Charging speeds further widen the gap, supporting 80W wired and 66W wireless inputs against Samsung’s sluggish 25W limits. This has been great for when I've woken up with a low battery, needing to leave for work. I get enough to clear my commute, and finish the rest of the charge when I get to my office.
As with the V5, running Android 16-based MagicOS 10, the V6 includes Google Gemini Live with a three-month AI Pro trial. I actually have a Gemini account with work, so it's all seamless.
Price & deals
This is where the Honor V6 both shines brightly and fizzes out into the dark. Although it has a retail price of £1999.99, Honor does things differently, and you have to factor in their aggressive, highly deliberate launch-day promotional strategies, which fundamentally alter the phone's real-world value proposition. As per Honor's page, there will be a whopping £500 taken off that, if you buy it today, on release. At that price, the Magic V6 effectively undercuts standard foldables and goes head-to-head with traditional ultra-premium slab phones.
But there lies the problem. It's pounds, not dollars, as Honor still isn't sold in the USA. For a lot of our readers, that's really annoying.
To sweeten the deal further, the V6 includes a complimentary electronics package valued at £549.97, which includes the Honor Choice Projector Air Pro (£249.99), Choice Headphones Max (£149.99), and the Choice Watch 2 Epic (£149.99).
While Samsung occasionally throws in a basic case or trade-in top-up, Honor’s combination of a 25% straight cash discount and hardware incentives makes the Magic V6 an astonishingly aggressive value play for early adopters.
That is all crazy!
Key specs
Chipset: |
Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform (3nm process) |
Memory: |
16GB RAM |
OS: |
MagicOS 10 |
Screen: |
6.52-inch LTPO exterior front display | 7.95-inch LTPO interior folding display |
Resolution: |
Exterior screen: 2420 x 1080 pixels (406 PPI) Interior screen: 2352 x 2172 pixels (403 PPI) |
Refresh rate: |
Adaptive 1–120Hz (both displays) |
Storage: |
512GB |
Rear cameras: |
50MP Main (f/1.6, Ultra Light Sensitive, OIS) | 64MP Periscope Telephoto (f/2.5, 1/2-inch, OIS, CIPA 6.5-stop Image Stabilization) | 50MP Ultra-Wide Camera (f/2.2) |
Front camera: |
Dual 20MP Wide Cameras (f/2.2) (individually located on the interior and exterior screens) |
Connectivity: |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 (supporting BLE, SBC, AAC, LDAC), NFC, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C |
Battery: |
6,660mAh |
Dimensions: |
Folded: 156.7 x 74.5 x 8.75mm (White) or 9.0mm (Black, Gold, Red) Unfolded: 156.7 x 145.6 x 4.0mm (White) or 4.1mm (Black, Gold, Red) |
Weight: |
219g |
Should you buy?
Buy it if you are a creative professional or power user needing desktop-grade multitasking on the go, work frequently in harsh outdoor sunlight, or are an Apple ecosystem user seeking a foldable that natively syncs with your Mac and iPhone. At the £1,499 promo price with the bundled tech, this represents stellar value and it's a joy to use.
Skip it if you are budget-conscious or prefer traditional compact devices, as it remains a massive financial investment. Likewise, if you already own the Magic V5, the upgrades here – while elite in battery and durability– are mostly internal refinements rather than a design revolution.
