Honor Magic V3 vs Honor Magic V2: Evolution done right
Intro
Last year, Honor launched the Magic V2—a very impressive take on the tablet-like foldable phone and a worthy successor to the Magic Vs. This year, the company continued the evolution trend with the Honor Magic V3, the thinnest foldable on the market.
Today we're going to compare these two and trace what a year of evolution looks like. This is our detailed Honor Magic V3 vs Honor Magic V2 comparison.
Today we're going to compare these two and trace what a year of evolution looks like. This is our detailed Honor Magic V3 vs Honor Magic V2 comparison.
Honor Magic V3 vs Honor Magic V2 differences explained:
| Honor Magic V3 | Honor Magic V2 |
|---|---|
| Thinner and lighter but a bit larger | Slightly larger, thicker and heavier, but not by much |
| The same 7.9-inch inner display, as well as cover screen, only a bit brighter | Same inner and cover screens |
| Triple camera, including a periscope telephoto | Triple camera as well, but no periscope zoom system |
| More storage in the base (and only one) version 12/512GB | Less storage starting at 12/256GB |
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| Larger 5,150mAh battery that will potentially deliver better battery life. Silicon-carbon technology | A smaller 5,000 mAh battery, no big difference in battery life |
| 66W wired fast charging, 50W wireless charging, reverse wirеless charging | Same charging speeds |
Table of Contents:
- Design and Display
- Performance and Software
- Camera
- Battery and Charging
- Audio Quality and Haptics
- Specs
- Which one should you buy?
Also read:
- Honor Magic V3 Review: Thin as a pancake!
- Honor Magic V3 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Surprising results!
Design and Display Quality
Trim a millimeter here, shed another one there…
The Honor Magic V2 was already a very impressive device when it came out last year with its 4.7 mm thickness. Well, the Magic V3 beats that and takes the crown of the thinnest foldable on the market, at least for now. It's just 4.35 mm and 9.2 mm folded.
Both of these feel amazing in the hand, and the build materials are top-notch as well. The new Magic V3 employs exotic fibers and nanocoatings to improve rigidity and scratch resistance, so there's a slight advantage there for the new model.
In terms of design differences, the most obvious one is the camera bump on the back. The Magic V3 comes with a completely redesigned look for the camera, it's an ocatagon of glass and metal, while the V2 sports a camera system that's reminiscent of the one found on the Galaxy S series of old.
Both of these feel amazing in the hand, and the build materials are top-notch as well. The new Magic V3 employs exotic fibers and nanocoatings to improve rigidity and scratch resistance, so there's a slight advantage there for the new model.
In terms of design differences, the most obvious one is the camera bump on the back. The Magic V3 comes with a completely redesigned look for the camera, it's an ocatagon of glass and metal, while the V2 sports a camera system that's reminiscent of the one found on the Galaxy S series of old.
There's not much else to be said here, the Magic V3 manages to trim its waist and also lose a bit of weight compared to its predecessor, and even though we're talking about a couple of millimeters and literally 5 grams, you can see and feel the difference.
When it comes to displays, both feature nearly identical inner and cover screens, with the same 7.9-inch diagonal for the main flexible panel, and 6.4-inch diagonal for the cover screen. The resolution is also identical, resulting in 402 pixels per inch on both phones and also both on the cover screen and the inner display.
Display Measurements:
Our lab tests show a slight advantage for the new model in terms of brightness. The Magic V3 is around 200 nits brighter than the previous model, and its main panel has better color reproduction with a deltaE score of 1.88. In reality, both screens look good, the new one probably has a slightly less pronounced crease, but this could also be down to a "new model" placebo effect.
Performance and Software
A typical generational leap
These two rely on Qualcomm silicon for power, and the newer phone sports the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. The Magic V2, on the other hand, comes with last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and the benchmark results are not surprising at all.
The Magic V3 manages to pull ahead with the expected percentage a new chipset brings to the table. What's even more impressive is that the performance doesn't seem to suffer in this cramped environment.
But overall, in day-to-day tasks, both phones perform flawlessly and as smooth as butter, as one might expect. We don't think you will notice any difference in performance, despite these two chips being one year apart.
The software situation is very similar, these two run Honor's proprietary Magic OS UI over Android, but the new model has the advantage of one more year of software updates (being newer), and also some cool AI collaborations with Google, which we're not sure are coming to the older Magic V2.
But overall, in day-to-day tasks, both phones perform flawlessly and as smooth as butter, as one might expect. We don't think you will notice any difference in performance, despite these two chips being one year apart.
The software situation is very similar, these two run Honor's proprietary Magic OS UI over Android, but the new model has the advantage of one more year of software updates (being newer), and also some cool AI collaborations with Google, which we're not sure are coming to the older Magic V2.
Camera
There's a periscope inside one of these submarines!
One would expect a copy-paste camera system on such closely related devices (we're looking at you, Samsung), but surprisingly, the Honor Magic V3 uses different cameras than its predecessor.
The main sensor is a 50MP Sony IMX906 under a lens with f/1.6 aperture, while the previous model uses a different 50MO sensor and the aperture is also slower at f/1.9. The telephoto camera is completely different on the new model. It's a 50MP periscope zoom system with 3.5x zoom capabilities. In comparison, the Magic V2 sports a conventional telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom.
And finally, the ultrawide camera is also different. The new model features a 40MP, f/2.2 camera, while the previous generation comes with a 50MP, f/2.0 ultrawide. But these are all numbers. Let's check out some samples.
Main Camera
The main camera samples show the difference between these two. If you've had any doubt these use different sensors, the above comparison should've cleared it. The Magic V3 produces warmer images, and the focal length seems to be different as well. In terms of detail and dynamic range both are pretty closely matched, with the new model probably doing slightly better job with exposure and white balance.
The low-light images paint the same picture, the Magic V3 sample is much warmer and the objects in it look closer. On the other hand, the sample from the Magic V2 doesn't look half bad either. It's brighter and also a bit softer, let us know which one you like better.
Zoom Quality
When it comes to zoom, there no debate, the Magic V3 outperforms its predecessor. And not only on pure magnification. The new model is able to capture more light and more detail, and images taken at 3.5x zoom look better than the samples from the V2.
Ultra-wide Camera
The ultrawide situation is a bit strange. The Magic V2 sports a larger megapixel ultrawide camera with a faster aperture, and in the above sample it kind of does a better job at capturing more details and displaying wider dynamic range. Not that the photo from the Magic V3 is bad, or something, but here the sample from the V2 looks better to us. What do you think about it?
Selfies
Selfies are clearly better on the Magic V3 with better detail and wider dynamic range. The image from the V2 looks brighter, on the verge of being overexposed, and the tonality is different as well. For selfie shots, though, we would suggest using the main camera, as you can flip the phone and use the cover screen as a selfie visor.
Video Quality
The video quality is quite similar between these two, with subtle differences again in color tone, with the Honor Magic V3 producing generally warmer tones across all three cameras. In low light there's quite a bit of noise in both samples, and, of course, the 3.5x zoom looks better thanks to the periscope zoom system inside the Magic V3.
Audio Quality and Haptics
In terms of audio, we can't expect miracles from such thin devices, especially the 4.35mm Honor Magic V3. Both of these have a stereo speaker setup but in the case of the V3, the speakers are positioned in such a way that when you unfold the phone, you hear the sound from the left side primarily.
These foldables aren't the loudest out there but at least the harmonic distortion is kept at bay even at max volume. We would say that Honor used the same drivers on both models, we can't find major differences in loudness and sound quality.
These foldables aren't the loudest out there but at least the harmonic distortion is kept at bay even at max volume. We would say that Honor used the same drivers on both models, we can't find major differences in loudness and sound quality.
Haptics are just okay, again we can attribute this to the thinnest of both devices, there's no space for big haptic motors or anything like that. To be fair, when the phones are unfolded, vibrations are subjectively perceived as stronger.
Finally, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack, as there's no physical space for one on either of these devices. So, if your want to plug in wired headphones, you need to get an adapter, or alternatively use Bluetooth connection.
Battery Life and Charging
Almost identical
Both of these phones come with Honor's silicon-carbon battery tech onboard, but the new one was able to cram in 150 mAh extra, despite being slimmer. This minuscule difference in battery capacity doesn't lead to any significant battery life deviations, as you can see from the benchmark results below. Charging speeds are also identical, so this should not be a deciding factor if you're choosing between the two.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison between these two. If you want a deep dive into numbers and specs, you should check out our detailed Honor Magic V3 vs Honor Magic V2 specs comparison.
| Specs | Honor Magic V3 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Folded: 156.6×74.0×9.2 mm Unfolded: 156.6×145.3×4.35 mm | Unfolded: 156.7 x 145.4 x 4.7 mm or 4.8 mm Folded: 156.7 x 74.1 x 9.9 mm or 10.1 mm |
| Weight | 226 g | 231 g |
| Screen | Main: 7.92-inch OLED, 120Hz LTPO, 1600 nits, 2344×2156 (402PPI) Cover: 6.43-inch OLED, 120Hz LTPO, 5000 nits, 2376×1060 (402PPI) | Main: 7.92-inch OLED, 120Hz LTPO, 1600 nits, 2344×2156 (402PPI) Cover: 6.43-inch OLED, 120Hz LTPO, 2500 nits, 2376×1060 (402PPI) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM, Storage and Price | 12/512GB for £1699.99 | 12/256GB for £1699.99 |
| Cameras | 50MP wide, f/1.6 40MP ultrawide, f/2.2 50MP telephoto, 3.5x zoom 20MP cover screen selfie 20MP inner screen selfie | 50MP main, f/1.9 50MP ultra-wide, f/2.0 20MP 2.5X zoom, f/2.4 16MP front (under display) 16MP front cover screen |
| Battery Size | 5,150 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 66W wired 50W wireless Reverse wireless charging | 66W wired 50W wireless Reverse wireless charging |
Which one should you buy?
Well, this one is a no-brainer! Given the new Honor Magic V3 starts at the same price as its predecessor, but improves on several key areas, there's little to no reason to go for the previous model. Of course, if you can find a Magic V2 unit at a huge discount, these two aren't that different, you'll get more or less the same experience.
But if you want the latest and greatest, and you don't own the Honor Magic V2, then just get the new model and be happy with it.
But if you want the latest and greatest, and you don't own the Honor Magic V2, then just get the new model and be happy with it.
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