The Honor Magic V6 is a marvel of engineering, but it's a device that leaves me with a sense of mixed feelings. While it boasts an impressive battery life and a durable build, the software experience is a letdown. The Magic V6 is a testament to Honor's commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the realm of foldable smartphones, but it seems to have overlooked the importance of a polished software experience.
One of the most striking features of the Magic V6 is its hardware. Honor has managed to shave off a mil from the phone's total thickness, thanks to a major redesign of many of its internal components. The result is a device that feels sturdy and strong, even though it's incredibly thin. The IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance are a welcome addition, and the cover glass is 33% more resistant to impact than the V5. The phone's design is a deliberate attempt to differentiate itself from Samsung, with a focus on making it easier to hold.
The display is another standout feature. The 7.95-inch primary display with a variable refresh rate between 1 and 120Hz is a joy to behold. The cover screen, meanwhile, is a 6.52-inch 2,420 x 1,080 AMOLED display, which is a welcome improvement over the V5. However, I wish the cover screen was a little taller.
The real magic of the Magic V6 is inside. The phone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, paired with 15GB RAM and 512GB storage. It's an absolute dream for gaming, and the battery life is nothing short of impressive. The international version is equipped with a 6,660mAh silicon carbon battery, which lasts for an astonishing 30 hours and 12 minutes in our local video rundown test. However, the software experience is a letdown.
The Magic V6 runs on Honor's MagicOS 10, based on Android 16. While it's fine when using the cover screen, things get fussier when using the primary display. The UI design is a mess, with mismatched fonts, wasted negative space, and awkwardly wrapped text. It's hard to laud an ultra-flagship if it can be upstaged by a Pixel 10. The cameras are also underwhelming, with clear detail at the expense of color reproduction.
In conclusion, the Honor Magic V6 is a mechanical marvel, but it's a device that leaves me with a sense of disappointment. While the hardware is impressive, the software experience is a letdown. Honor needs to focus on polishing its software before it can truly be considered a great device. Personally, I think that Honor should have spent more time working on improving its software rather than throwing more features into the package. The Magic V6 has the potential to be a great device, but it's not quite there yet.
