Follow ZDNET: Add us as a favorite source On Google.
The Honor Magic V6 is undoubtedly the thinnest book-style foldable I’ve ever owned. At just 4.0mm when opened and 8.75mm when closed, this phone has taken the foldable design to the point where the frame with the USB-C port is slightly thicker than the port itself. It is truly a sight to behold.
Also: Best of MWC 2026: Live updates on the phones, concepts and innovations we’re seeing
Honor sent me the Magic V6 ahead of its Mobile World Congress 2026 unveiling, and after unboxing and exploring the hardware, I was very impressed.
A foldable that doesn’t feel like one
I got the red model, and the finish immediately stood out with a satiny texture and fabric-like softness. You can’t move the material around, but depending on how the light falls on it, you can see different threads moving in different directions. The camera bump has a diamond-cut, high-polish finish that also catches light.
The red is paired with gold metal framing, and the two contrasting materials work surprisingly well together. Honor also offers the V6 in Gold with a multi-layer composite finish along with White and Black options.
Holding the Magic V6 side-by-side with my Pixel 10 Pro, sure, it’s a little thicker when folded, but only barely. Honor points out that the 8.75mm folded thickness matches that of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and at 224 grams, this red model actually weighs less. In my pocket, the V6 actually feels like a regular everyday smartphone, with none of the brick-like quality I’m accustomed to from book-style foldables.
The hinge feels sturdy with solid resistance, and there’s a satisfying little snap when you close it. I can set it at almost any angle, and it stays in place. Starting with one hand is possible but it requires practice and to be honest I get nervous when trying, whereas starting with one hand is not a problem.
The crease inside is incredibly shallow, and while I don’t have the Magic V5 to compare, I have used the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in recent months, and I’d put them on an equal platform in this category. Even in bright light, I don’t notice the crease much, although it’s there if you look hard enough.
Also: The best phones to buy in 2026
The 6.52-inch external screen maxes out at 6,000 nits, while the 7.95-inch internal display maxes out at 5,000 nits. I tested both in direct sunlight with zero readability issues. I found the colors to be attractive and the detail between them very clear. In fact, both panels feature LTPO 2.0 AMOLED with adaptive refresh rates from 1 to 120Hz, so the V6 offers an excellent viewing experience.
As I do with most book-style foldables, I use the external display most of the time. The beauty of the V6 is that when folded it’s a normal phone like any other, yet it can provide a little extra when you need more. Then I open it, maybe to a video or spreadsheet, and that inner tablet-like canvas is wide and ready.
Impressive specifications across the board
The Magic V6 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, making it the first foldable with Qualcomm’s latest 3nm chipset, paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage.
The battery is impressive, with a 6,660mAh capacity, which Honor says is the largest in a foldable yet. It uses silicon-carbon technology with 25% silicon content, which is well above the industry average of about 16%. Honor says it’s TUV Rhineland-certified for 24 hours of battery life on the internal display, though I haven’t had enough time to verify that claim. Charging tops out at 80W wired and 66W wireless, reverse wireless charging is also supported.
Also: I wore the world’s first HDR10 XR glasses, and they turned me into Batman (literally)
Honor is touting the durability of the V6, testing the hinge with 500,000 folds, and giving the device IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust- and water-resistance. The external display uses a silicon nitride coating, which Honor says dramatically improves scratch and drop resistance. I can appreciate what a battlefield my Pixel 10 Pro display has become thanks to my pocket. The internal display also gets a durability upgrade with reinforced flexible glass.
The Magic V6 sports a triple rear camera system consisting of a 50MP main shooter with f/1.6 aperture and OIS, a 64MP periscope telephoto with 3x optical zoom and a 1/2-inch sensor, and a 50MP ultra-wide. The periscope lens is definitely a standout inclusion for a foldable, especially a lens as thin as the V6. It also has two 20MP front cameras, one on each display.
First impressions of software and AI
The Magic V6 runs MagicOS 10, which has a fluid, polished experience. The notification shade and quick settings have a liquid glass-like transparency that takes clear cues from both iOS and Pixel OS. On the internal display, the bottom row of pinned icons includes a dynamic area for recently used apps, and a multitasking button lets you run three apps simultaneously on a larger canvas.
Google Gemini is set as the default AI assistant out of the box, summoned by a long press on the power button. One AI feature that caught my attention is the three-finger swipe gesture that captures whatever is on the screen and saves its content and context in the AI Memories section. It’s a quick way to save things no matter what you’re doing, and I love the multimodal nature of it.
Also: MIT study shows AI agents are fast, loose, and out of control
Honor’s AI meeting agent also looks promising. Beyond basic transcription and summarization, it supports custom keyword alerts. You set a specific keyword, and when something matches in the meeting, it automatically flags it and sends it to your phone, headphones, or watch.
One big difference is that the Magic V6 is Apple compatible. It supports notification sharing with iPhone and Apple Watch, one-tap file sharing at up to 60 MB/s with iPhone, and even Apple AirPods with noise control, conversation awareness, and Find My support.
Honor says the phone can open iCloud files and photos and edit documents using the iWork suite. I don’t have Apple devices to verify these features, but if they are delivered as described, it’s a great pitch to users who can connect both ecosystems.
Honor is making credible claims that the Magic V6 is one of the best foldables available. Seeing as how easy it is to stash in your pocket, I’m looking forward to spending more time with it.
Follow my latest tech reviews and projects on social media. You’ll find me on YouTube at YouTube.com/@JasonHowell, on X (formerly Twitter) at @JasonHowell, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/thatjasonhowell.
