Honor’s first flip foldable could give Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 a run for its money

Summary

• Honor’s Magic V Flip boasts the largest and brightest cover display in the flip phone market with a 1,600 nit screen for unbeatable outdoor legibility.
• Despite running on the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, Honor’s flip phone offers competitive specs, including up to 1TB storage, 12GB of RAM, and a 6.8-inch main display.
• With a starting price of CNY 4,999, the Magic V Flip is a more affordable option compared to the Z Flip 5, making it an attractive choice for those seeking a technologically advanced flip phone experience. However, it is only available in China at the moment.

Motorola’s Moto Razr+ injected a much-needed design refresh dose to the flip phone market. It was the first to don a large 3.6-inch cover display, which prompted Samsung and its Galaxy Z Flip 5 to follow suit. Samsung’s flip phone offerings went from a tiny 1.9-inch cover display on the Z Flip 4 to a huge 3.4-inch one on the Z Flip 5.

Now, a new player has entered the flip phone market, taking the cover screen redesign a step further, and if Galaxy Z Flip 6 leaks are to be believed, this new flip phone will likely take Samsung’s crown.

Honor, a company previously owned by Huawei, released its Magic V2 foldable in China back in 2023. The device subsequently made its way to Europe and some other regions, and although not available in the US, we were able to get our hands on one. The device features competitive specs, a thin design, a big 5,000mAh battery, and a great display inside and outside.

The device was generally well-reviewed across the industry, and we gave it an 8/10 in our review. On the heels of the foldable’s success, Honor has now released its first flip phone with a whopping 4-inch LTPO OLED cover display.

The company’s Magic V Flip doesn’t just feature the biggest cover display on the flip phone market, it also boasts the title of the brightest. The Moto Razr+ and Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cover displays both top out roughly around the 1,100 nits mark. While that has never been a cause of concern for Razr+ and Flip 5 owners, the Magic V Flip’s 1,600 nit cover display ensures outdoor legibility, even under glare.

The cover display sports a 1,200 x 1,092 pixel resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, alongside support for over 40 applications, and split screen multitasking, according to Honor (via GSMArena).

A major trade-off

Honor’s 2023-released Magic V2 foldable featured Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which was the best the company could offer at the time. Subsequently, in late 2023, we got the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which made its way to the Galaxy S24 series, the OnePlus 12, the Oppo’s Find X7 Ultra and more. The chipset is also expected to power the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6. The Magic V Flip, on the other hand, is two generations behind.

The flip phone runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, which offers a small clock speed bump and power improvements over the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, with the same modem, ISP, Wi-Fi, and audio technologies supported.

Despite running on the old chipset, the flip phone does have a few things going for it. It’s available in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage sizes, all with 12GB of RAM. The Magic V Flip sports a big 6.8-inch, 3,000 nit main display. On the rear, the device features a 50MP main camera (f/1.9) and a 12MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2), and is powered by a 4,800mAh battery with support for 66W “super fast charging.”

The Magic V Flip starts at CNY 4,999, which is roughly $690, placing it well below the Z Flip 5’s price, and in-line with the Razr+. However, it is currently only available in China. We’re uncertain if and when the device will be available internationally.