Honor has only been making folding phones for two years, but you wouldn’t know it. The company has already released four book-style foldables in its native China, though only two have been sold in Europe so far: the Magic V and Magic Vs.
The Magic V2 is therefore its third folding phone to emerge. It launched in China in July 2023, before finally arriving in Europe six months later.
Honor has since expanded the lineup with a Porsche Design edition, which is even more premium.
With both models available now, here’s everything you need to know about buying one. Also, read our full Honor Magic V2 review to find out what we think.
When will the Honor Magic V2 be released worldwide?
Honor initially announced the Magic V2 at a Chinese launch event on 12 July 2023 in Beijing.
It was then ‘announced’ again at the IFA trade show in Berlin on 1 September 2023. Finally, months later, the company officially launched the Magic V2 in Europe on 26th January 2024 in Leipzig, Germany. You can buy one now from the Honor UK website.
A Porsche edition of the phone, inspired by the 911 RSR car, was then launched at an event on the eve of the MWC 2024 trade show in Barcelona on 25 February, alongside the Magic 6 series. It’s available now from the Honor UK website, having been released on 18 March 2024.
A more affordable model, known as the Magic VS2, launched on 12 October 2023 in China. But there’s no word on its potential release elsewhere.
Honor also doesn’t sell its phones in the US, so your best bet there will be to try and import one.
How much will the Honor Magic V2 cost?
The phone cost £1,699.99/€1,999 for the only variant available in the UK and Europe. It gets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
However, a current offer means you can get a free pair of Bang & Olufsen headphones, usually worth £459. Just make sure you buy one from the Honor UK website before 12 April.
The Porsche Design version is significantly more expensive, costing £2,349.99/€2,699 from the Honor website. However, this does get you 1TB of storage, a different look and feel and some high-quality accessories
For context, the Magic V2 is more expensive than its predecessor (the £1,399/€1,599 Magic Vs), but it remains cheaper than key rivals in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (from $1,799.99/£1,748) and Google Pixel Fold (from $1,799/£1,749).
In China the Magic V2 is much cheaper. It starts from ¥8,999 (around $1,250/£970), rising up to ¥11,999 (around $1,670/£1,290) for an ‘Ultimate’ edition which includes a stylus in the box. It’s not clear if the latter will be launched in other countries.
What about the Honor Magic V2’s specs and design?
The most striking thing about the Magic V2 isn’t on the inside – it’s the phone’s design.
This is the thinnest and lightest large foldable yet, just 9.9mm thick when folded and weighing 231g. That’s even smaller than the Huawei Mate X3, and substantially slimmer than anything released by Samsung so far.
It was initially available in two colours in Europe: Phantom Purple and Midnight Black. The ultimate black and gold versions, alongside the silk models coated in vegan leather you see below, aren’t available outside China.
Honor
However, the more expensive Porsche Design version introduces a different design:
Luke Baker
Naturally, there are two displays. On the inside you’ll find a 7.92-inch foldable OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and LTPO tech for refresh rate scaling. It packs a resolution of 2344 x 2156, and supports the use of a stylus, finally matching Samsung on that front. However, there’s no stylus included.
Luke Baker
On the outside, the 6.43-inch OLED display has the same 120Hz LTPO tech, at a resolution of 2376 x 1060. You can also use a stylus on that, too.
Luke Baker
Moving to the inside, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It was the latest and greatest Qualcomm chip at the time of launch, but has since been succeeded by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
The Chinese version has 16GB of RAM and at least 256GB of internal storage. The UK/European version is available only with 16GB/512GB.
Honor clearly wants the Magic V2 to be a potent gaming machine, too. The company has collaborated with video games company Gameloft to make Asphalt 9: Legends optimised for all versions of the Magic V2, including the Porsche-inspired RSR edition. According to Honor, the game will be able to run natively at 120fps and with “remastered gaming image quality”.
The 5000mAh battery is large despite how slim the phone is overall, and 66W wired charging is pretty fast too – though sadly there’s no wireless option.
As for cameras, there’s a triple lens setup on the back. This is made up of a 50Mp, f/1.9 main camera; a 50Mp, f/2.0 ultrawide; and a 20Mp, f/2.4 telephoto. Each display also has a punch-hole selfie camera – both are 16Mp and f/2.2.
All these components have been shown off in a video from JerryRigEverything on YouTube, who did an assembly video rather than one his usual teardowns:
In it, you get a good look at that all-important hinge, plus the chipset, cameras, battery and more.
Despite adopting a very similar design, there are a few differences on the more affordable Magic VS2 that’s launched in China. It’s 229g vs 231g on the Magic V2, but 10.7mm rather than 9.9mm thick.
While the display, battery and charging are the same, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is the most obvious downgrade. And the 50Mp ultrawide from the Magic V2 is replaced with a 12Mp sensor, even if the other cameras are unchanged.
Take a look at our guide to the best foldable phones to see what the Magic V2 will be up against. But there’s no doubting it has the best design of any folding phone.
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