WHEN I first got my hands on the Honor Magic V3, I was immediately struck by how incredibly thin and light it was.
I've been following the evolution of foldable phones for a few years now, and I must say that Honor has raised the bar with this device.
Design
Previously, one drawback of foldable phones was the thickness. Folding two screens makes the phones thick.
However, this is not the case with the Honor Magic V3. The phone is still 'thin' after being folded.
At just 9.2mm when folded and 4.35mm when unfolded, it's the thinnest foldable phone on the market currently.
Despite this, the phone doesn't feel flimsy at all. It feels light in the hand, and durable.
The hinge, which is made from Honor Super Steel, is another marvel. It's slim at just 2.84mm, and thanks to the additional swing arms, it's robust enough to endure 500,000 folds.
It's nice to know that even if you fold and unfold this phone a hundred times a day, it would still last for over a decade.
Display
Opening up the Magic V3 reveals a 7.92-inch OLED display.
According to Honor, the phone uses the Super Armoured Inner Screen, to give better durability. The outer 6.43-inch screen is equally impressive, crafted from Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield, which is said to be 10 times more resistant to drops and scratches than standard glass.
What I appreciate most, though, is eye comfort while using it. Features like Dynamic Dimming and Circadian Night Display are subtle but make a real difference when reading or using the phone late at night.
Camera
Cameras on foldables are often a compromise, but not with the Magic V3.
The phone packs a 50MP main camera, a 40MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with a long 100X zoom.
I had some time to test the phone's photography capability in various photography genres and conditions, from landscape, low-light, night, portrait, and macro.
I especially love how well this phone handles low-light photography. The photos are clean and clear despite being taken in a dimmed environment.
I also found the telephoto lens particularly impressive, it's powerful enough to capture details from a distance that I wouldn't expect from a foldable device.
Both the internal and external displays have 20MP front cameras, making selfies and video calls clear and vibrant.
AI enhancements
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, this phone doesn't disappoint when it comes to performance.
Whether I was multitasking, gaming, or simply browsing, the Magic V3 handled everything smoothly without a hitch.
Honor's MagicOS 8.0.1, based on Android 14, offers a seamless experience with AI-driven features that feel genuinely useful rather than gimmicky.
One of my favourite features is the Magic Portal, which allows you to open two portals simultaneously on both sides of the screen. This was particularly handy when I wanted to share an image quickly while searching for more information on it.
Similarly, the Face to Face Translation and AI Eraser powered by Google Cloud add another layer of convenience, especially when travelling or dealing with images that need a quick edit.
The Face to Face Translation is absolutely handy, as it allows you to communicate with people who don't speak the language you use. For example German, Russian, etc.
Battery life is another area where the Magic V3 excels. With its 5150mAh third-generation Silicon-carbon Battery, I found that it easily lasted through a full day of heavy use.
Conclusion
For anyone looking to use a foldable phone without compromising on style, durability, or functionality, the Honor Magic V3 is undoubtedly worth considering. The new Magic V3 is priced at RM6,999.