HONOR Magic V3 First Look, Impressions - Exciting times ahead

We recently got our hands on the new HONOR Magic V3 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 50MP Triple rear cameras, and IPX8 water resistance.

HONOR Magic V3 partially folded

The new flagship foldable is now slimmer and stronger than the previous generation. It also features the new HONOR AI built with Google Cloud AI.

It has a 7.92-inch OLED inner folding screen and a 6.43-inch OLED outer screen. Inside is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, New Adreno  GPU, 12GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a 5,150mAh silicon carbon battery with 66W SuperCharge via USB-C.

On the Octagon Dome at the back are the 50MP f/1.6 main camera, a 50MP f/3.0 telephoto camera, and a 40MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with an LED flash. On both screens are punch holes carrying the 20MP f/2.2 selfie camera.

Other features include 5G, 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, fingerprint scanner, Streao speakers, and IPX8 water resistance.

There has yet to be a word on pricing and availability for the Philippine market.

Let's take a look at it.

Build Quality/Design

Pinnacle of HONOR's manufacturing?

The phone is eye-catching because from afar it looks like a normal candy bar phone but upon closer look, you see the details like the hinge and the stacked metal sides that reveal its foldable nature. It is deceptive, especially in the black colorway.

The phone is made of metal and glass. It has a mix of frosted glass, glossy glass, matte, and glossy textured metal. They all add complexity to the overall build while making it look and feel premium and solid.

Even slimmer and lighter than the Magic V2!

When unfolded, it is just 4.35/4.44mm thin while weighing just 226/230 grams. (depending on the color variant). When folded, it is 9.2mm thin making it even slimmer than the previous slimmest foldable phone (HONOR Magic V2 9.9mm).

However, the massive Octagon Dome does extend quite a bit to fit the camera hardware into its slim frame.

More durable than ever?

The outer panel is protected by HONOR Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield which the brand claims is 10x more scratch sand drop resistant while the inner screen features the HONOR Super Armoured which the brand says is 5 times more wear resistant.

Around the outer screen are near symmetrical bezels except for the left side near the hinge while around the folding screen is a symmetrical bezel that is raised to prevent the panel from scratching itself.

It definitely feels solid for a foldable phone and has a promise of over 500,000 folds. This should last for quite a while and might be a worthwhile investment.

Unfolded inner folding screen

On the outside is the 6.43-inch OLED screen with a 2,376 x 1,060 resolution, a 5,000 nits peak brightness, and supports HONOR Magic Pen. The 7.92-inch foldable OLED screen has a resolution of 2,344 x 2,156, a 1-120Hz refresh rate, and a 3,840Hz PWM Dimming.

Both panels support the HONOR Eye Comfort Display with AI defocus, TUV Rheinland Full Care Display 3.0 certification, Circardian Friendly certification, and Flicker Free Certification.

Thinnest book-shaped foldable yet?

On top are the antenna lines, IR Blaster, speaker grill, and microphone port while at the bottom are antenna lines, speaker grill, microphones, SIM tray, and a USB-C port.

left and right sides

On the left is the hinge with a glossy texture while on the right are more antenna lines, a power button/fingerprint scanner, and the volume rocker. 

Rear cameras

The massive camera module houses the 50MP f/1.6 main camera with a 1/1.56-inch sensor and OIS, 50MP f/3.0 3.5x optical telephoto camera with a 1/2.51-inch sensor and OIS, and a 40MP f/2.2 112-degree ultra-wide camera with 2.5cm HD macro and an LED flash.

Strong cameras for a super-slim foldable

The back boasts a 50MP f/1.9 main camera with OIS, an 8MP periscope shooter, and a 40MP ultra-wide camera. It features a 16MP front camera for selfies.

Powering the phone is the 5,150mAh Silicon-Carbon Battery. It supports 60W HONOR SuperCharge fast charging via USB-C and 50W wireless HONOR Super Charge.

Alongside the 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 octa-core processor and  New Adreno GPU are the 12GB RAM, 512GB storage, and 0.22mm HONOR Titanium Vapor Chamber cooling.

Running the Show is Android 14-based MagicOS 8.0.1 now with HONOR AI.

Quick thoughts

HONOR Magic V3's cover screen

So far, we think that HONOR continues to push the boundaries of how thin and light a foldable can become with the next-generation Magic V3 foldable.

It features bleeding edge specs of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a new Adreno GPU with 0.22mm HONOR Titanium Vapor Chamber cooling.

Powering it is the 5,150mAh Silicon-Carbon battery that supports 60W SuperCharge via USB-C.

The outer and inner screens are high-resolution and bright with up to a 120Hz refresh rate.

The octagon dome houses the 50MP + 50MP + 40MP rear camera set while on both screens are the 20MP selfie cameras. This is a massive change from the previous generation.

The Magic V2 is good, but this definitely feels a generation ahead and feels more solid than ever.

Once we get a review unit, we are excited to try the performance, cooling, and cameras of the new foldable.

We also hope that it'll come with competitive pricing as well.

Stay tuned until then.

What do you guys think?