Honor has officially unveiled the Honor Magic V3 – aka the world’s thinnest commercially available inwards-folding phone – at IFA 2024.
Measuring just 4.35mm when unfolded and 9.2mm when folded, the Magic V3 is even thinner than the already paper-thin Honor Magic V2, and puts its closest rivals, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (5.6mm / 12.1mm) and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (5.1mm / 10.5mm), to shame on the design front.
In fact, when unfolded, the Magic V3 is closer to the thickness of the iPhone 15 Pro Max (8.2mm) than it is to either of its major foldable competitors. At a weight of 226g, it’s almost as light as Apple’s best iPhone (221g), too.
Honor partially attributes the Magic V3’s thin design to the materials used in its construction – the company says the rear cover incorporates a “Special Fiber” that reduces thickness by 30%, though it hasn’t yet elaborated on what this material is nor how such a dramatic reduction was achieved.
The Chinese manufacturer also claims that this material increases the Magic V3’s durability compared to contemporary flagship bar phones, though you’ll have to check out our Honor Magic V3 review to see how that claim holds up.
The new phone is equipped with a 6.43-inch cover screen, which unfolds to reveal a 7.92-inch internal screen. Both panels are the same size as those on the Magic V2.
Honor says the proprietary Super Steel Hinge found on the Magic V3 is rated for 500,000 cycles, meaning you could theoretically open and close the phone 100 times a day for more than 13 years (other durability-impacting factors notwithstanding).
The rear cover hosts the phone’s octagonal camera unit, which itself comprises a 50MP main camera, a 40MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera. For comparison, the Magic V2 features a 50MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 20MP telephoto.
As for the phone’s battery, the Honor Magic V3 has a maximum capacity of 5,150mAh, up from 5,000mAh on the Magic V2, with support for 66W wired fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging.
Honor has positioned the Magic V3 alongside a new lineup of AI-enhanced flagship products; the company also debuted the MagicBook Art 14 laptop, MagicPad 2 tablet, and Honor Watch at IFA 2024.
None of these products are likely to be available in the US, though users in other markets can expect the Honor Magic V3 to run MagicOS, a modified version of Android. UK shoppers can purchase the new phone now for £1,699 at Honor directly or from retailers including O2, Three, Amazon, Argos, and Very.
As mentioned, our in-depth Honor Magic V3 review is now live, so be sure to head there for our full verdict on Honor’s next-generation foldable.