Honor trolls Samsung with the tiniest apology to Z Fold owners
If you can beat'em, troll'em. That seems to be the motto of Honor that is about to launch the world's thinnest foldable phone globally next week. The Magic V3 is a marvel of micro design that Samsung can't replicate, and Honor felt it is only fitting to employ a micro-artist to troll Samsung about it.
The 78-year-old Graham Short has become famous for engraving the tiniest of writings on various surfaces during projects so complex that he only does about four of those a year. After creating micro engravings for the likes of Kim Kardashian, it was now time for him to carve the world's tiniest apology on the side of the Honor Magic V3.
Clocking it at just 0.17 inches (4.35 mm) when opened, the Magic V3's sides are a challenge to engrave anything on, let alone the following tongue-in-cheek apology to all Galaxy Z Fold owners:
Dear Samsung Galaxy Z Fold owners, we’re sorry. We know you were excited to buy a phone that folds in half and fits in your pocket, awkwardly. You were promised the future, a technical marvel, a world of boundless multitasking and performance. And now, you're probably looking at the new HONOR Magic V3 and feeling a little... betrayed. Size matters, and we feel your pain. Like being tipped for a gold medal and then coming last in the race, the knowledge that a thinner, lighter, and more durable foldable exists is enough to make anyone question their choices. We get it. You were an early adopter, a pioneer bravely venturing into the uncharted territory of foldable screens with questionable durability. You deserve better. In fact, you deserve a gold medal. In all seriousness, we at HONOR are committed to pushing the boundaries of technology and bringing you the best possible foldable experience. We're just saying... it's okay to feel let down. We'd feel the same way.
Honor, August '24
Our Honor Magic V3 review is coming, and we will only tease that it feels incredibly svelte in the hand, like no foldable phone before it. Even when closed, the V3 is just 9.2mm thin, or about as thick as most bar phones with "rigid" displays. That is not the first time that Honor throws shade on Samsung about its fatso Z Fold series, either.
You'll get there, Samsung | Image credit – Honor
To create this engineering feat that finally addresses one of the main concerns people have about foldables, Honor deployed a number of firsts in the Magic V3 design. The strengthened steel hinge allowed it to create a lighter, yet more robust folding structure.
The vapor chamber cooling solution has been reinforced with titanium for the first time, while an incredibly thin silicon-carbide battery pack has been developed to fit in the 4.5mm thick frame.
It is precisely that tiny hinge plate that Mr Graham has engraved Honor's 166-word apology on in the span of 90 hours. He works between heartbeats, and his craft can only be examined under a microscope. "It wasn’t just the thinness which put me to the test, as the surprisingly durable metal required the use of diamond-tipped pins for the engraving," explains Graham.
A brilliant marketing feat indeed, worthy of the brilliant engineering that went into the crafting of the world's thinnest foldable phone that is not only 30% thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but reportedly slimmer than Samsung's upcoming 10.6mm Special Edition of the Z Fold.
Things that are NOT allowed: