HONOR waves its wand over the foldable phone with new Magic V6

Latest iteration of HONOR folding phone displays the brand’s mastery over the foldable and introduces an option to replace slab phones

Ever since mobile phone manufacturers sprang the foldable smartphone on a consumer public eager for the latest flauntable gimmickry, the jury has been out on whether these futuristic devices are serious tools or simply talismans of technological excess. For long, the debate on whether the foldable would replace the slab phone was pretty lopsided on the slab phone’s primacy. But HONOR has always had other ideas.

With its existing Magic V5 model, HONOR has already shown expertise over the foldable phone like no other brand has done. And now, with the new HONOR Magic V6, that expertise has turned into mastery. If there is one foldable that makes a compelling case that its kind will replace the ubiquitous slab phone, it is this latest folding phone from the house of HONOR.  

For years, foldable smartphones have felt like a glimpse into the future with a few unavoidable caveats attached. You got the larger screen and productivity benefits, but often had to live with compromises in battery life, cameras, durability or sheer bulk. The HONOR Magic V6, however, feels like the moment when those compromises finally begin to fade into the background.

After spending time with the device, I found myself asking a simple question: if a foldable can be this thin, this capable and this easy to live with, why would I go back to a conventional flagship?

Design and build quality

The first thing that strikes you about the HONOR Magic V6 is how remarkably normal it feels. That might sound like a strange compliment for a foldable smartphone, but it is arguably the device's greatest achievement. Folded shut, the Magic V6 feels surprisingly similar to a traditional premium smartphone. At just 8.75mm when folded and weighing around 219g, our test mule slipped comfortably into all pockets – jeans, cargo, formals, even shirts and jackets - and never felt cumbersome during daily use.

The slim profile is genuinely impressive. Unfold the device and the engineering becomes even more apparent. Despite packing two displays, a sophisticated hinge mechanism and a large battery, the Magic V6 remains astonishingly slender.

HONOR has also paid attention to durability. With IP68 and IP69 ratings, the Magic V6 inspires confidence whether you're navigating a dusty construction site, relaxing by the beach or simply dealing with an unexpected Dubai downpour. And this new phone feels solid and well built, like it’s made to last, which is quite apparent when you consider that it’s hinge - one of the most fragile aspects of a foldable - is 33 per cent stronger than its predecessor, the Magic V5. The back panel also sports 5800MPa fiber strength and the drop resistance is 5-star, with a 1.5m rating.

Foldable experience and display

The foldable experience is where the Magic V6 truly shines. Open the device and you're greeted by a spacious 7.95-inch AMOLED inner display that instantly transforms how you interact with your smartphone. Reading documents, reviewing presentations, browsing websites and juggling multiple apps all felt more natural on the larger canvas.

The displays themselves are excellent. Bright, vibrant and highly legible even under harsh sunlight - the big inner screen is 5,000 nits in brightness, and the smaller outer one 6,000 nits - they are perfectly suited to life in the UAE, where outdoor visibility can make or break a smartphone experience.

I was particularly impressed by the anti-reflective treatment and eye-comfort features. Long reading sessions and late-night scrolling feel noticeably easier on the eyes, while folded out, it seems like one seamless surface, without any undulation.

While the square-like aspect ratio is clearly designed with productivity in mind, it also makes everything from email management to spreadsheet editing feel less cramped than on a traditional smartphone.

And, just to get the worry out of repeated folding and unfolding, HONOR has tested the Magic V6 to 500,000-fold cycles - that’s folding and unfolding it 100 times for around 13 years. Admit it, that’s way more than you will ever need or even manage to do!

Performance and AI features

Under the hood, the Magic V6 delivered flagship-level performance. Apps launched instantly, multitasking was effortless and demanding games ran smoothly. Throughout my testing, I never felt the phone struggling to keep pace, regardless of whether I was editing photos, streaming content or switching between multiple applications.

HONOR's AI-driven features also add practical value rather than existing purely as marketing buzzwords. The software intelligently recommended multitasking layouts, streamlines content sharing and introduced productivity tools that genuinely complemented the larger display.

Features such as split-screen multitasking and smart app pairing made the foldable form factor feel purposeful rather than gimmicky. For professionals who spend significant time working on the move, these enhancements can make a meaningful difference.

I’m not an iPhone user, but an interesting observation I made was that the Magic V6’s IOS Connect feature enabled smooth connection to the Apple ecosystem, with features like One-tap file transfer, Mac Screen Extension and Cross-Device file searching and browsing on MacBooks. This makes the V6 ideal for someone like me who lies to use an Android phone but an Apple laptop.

There are similar collaborative features with both the iPhone and Apple Watch, so if you use two disparate phones, your devices can communicate with each other - or with your friends who use iDevices.

When it comes to AI enabled features, the noteworthy ones on the Magic V6 are AL Meeting Agent and AI Memo, that makes summarising and organising notes a breeze. HONOR Fast Flex is another such feature that aids in faster multitasking with the integration of Gemini.

Cameras and imaging

Historically, cameras have been a weak link in many foldable smartphones. The Magic V6 changes that narrative. Its camera system consistently delivers results that feel worthy of a premium flagship device. Images are sharp, detailed and rich in colour without becoming overly processed.

The 64MP telephoto camera deserves particular praise. Zoom performance was impressively usable, producing detailed images that retained clarity even when shooting distant subjects. Whether photographing Dubai's skyline from across the Marina or capturing architectural details around Downtown, the results were consistently satisfying.

Low light shooting was also above expectations with the 50MP ultra-light-sensitive Falcon main camera, while another 50MP Ultra-Wide lens takes care of detailed panorama shots. HONOR's image processing also strikes a pleasant balance between vibrancy and realism. Skin tones were natural, the dynamic range was strong and low-light performance was more than capable for everyday photography.

Most importantly, I never felt I was carrying a foldable that happened to have a decent camera. Instead, it felt like a genuine flagship camera system that just happened to live inside a foldable device.

And once I clicked an image, the AI-enabled side-by-side editing tool was a revelation, quickly allowing me to edit the photos with mere voice commands, while comparing the edits side-by-side for more precise and faster results.

Battery life and charging

With a large, extra screen to power, battery anxiety has always been synonymous with foldable phones. It’s almost a given tradeoff - you get the benefit of a large screen, but what you give is fewer hours of use on a full charge. But with the Magic V6’s 6660mAh battery, that anxiety felt virtually non-existent.

Despite its slim dimensions, the phone comfortably delivers all-day endurance and then some. I usually got two days of power on a full charge with normally moderate use, but even on heavier days involving photography, navigation, social media and multitasking, I rarely found myself reaching for a charger before bedtime.

Fast charging only reinforces that sense of confidence. A quick top-up delivers enough power to get through the remainder of the day, making the Magic V6 an easy companion for busy professionals and frequent travellers.

Software and usability

With a polished and responsive interface that feels increasingly optimised for foldable use, HONOR's MagicOS has matured significantly. The persistent taskbar, intuitive multitasking tools and seamless transition between folded and unfolded modes all contributed to a refined user experience.

There are still occasional moments where some third-party apps could take better advantage of the larger display, but these are minor observations rather than meaningful drawbacks. Overall, the software complements the hardware well and helps unlock the full potential of the foldable form factor.

Everyday experience in the UAE

What impressed me most was how naturally the Magic V6 fit into everyday life in the UAE. Whether responding to emails between meetings, reviewing documents in a café, navigating the city or capturing photos during an evening outing, the device consistently felt practical rather than experimental.

The bright displays handled the intense sunlight of the summer with ease, the battery comfortably survived long days away from a charger and the larger screen proved genuinely useful when productivity was required.

The HONOR Magic V6 may be the closest the foldable category has come to eliminating the traditional trade-offs associated with flexible-screen devices. It combines the convenience of a conventional flagship smartphone with the versatility of a compact tablet, while delivering excellent battery life, capable cameras, and meaningful productivity features.

The premium design of our test model - a stylish, 9mm thick, red, vegan leather backed and golden edged option - was also a feel-good factor whenever I handled it. Other available options are Gold and Black, while a White version refines it further with Aerospace Special Fiber and 8.75mm of thickness.

For anyone considering a premium foldable in 2026, the HONOR Magic V6 doesn't simply make a compelling case for itself. It makes a compelling case for foldables as a whole. I am certainly ditching my slab phone for this latest foldable on the block.