The Magic line for HONOR was initially experimental: glass curved on four sides, a front camera on a retractable slider – which was not invented as part of the series. Now Magic is the flagship of the brand, but there is still a place for special smartphones. For example, for folding smartphones. In my hands HONOR Magic Vs – a device with a flexible OLED screen, made in the format of a “book”.
Specifications
- Small screen: 6.45 inches, 21:9 aspect ratio, OLED, 2560×1080 pixels, 431 PPI, 120Hz.
- Large flexible screen: 7.9 inches, 10.5:9 aspect ratio, OLED, 2272×1984 pixels, 382 PPI, 90Hz.
- Operating system: MagicOS 7.1 based on Android 13.
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 4 nm.
- CPU: Cortex-X2 (1×3.19GHz) + Cortex-A710 (3×2.75GHz) + Cortex-A510 (4×1.8GHz).
- GPU: Adreno 730.
- Memory: 12/512 GB.
- Main camera: 54 MP (27 mm, f/1.9 aperture, phase detection autofocus) + 50 MP (13 mm, f/2.0 aperture, auto focus) + 8 MP (81 mm, f/2.4 aperture, phase detection auto focus, optical stabilization), LED flash.
- Front camera: 16 MP (f / 2.4).
- Battery: 5000mAh, 66W charging, PD and QC compatible.
- Folded dimensions: 160.3 x 72.6 x 12.9 mm.
- Unfolded dimensions: 160.3 × 141.5 × 6.1 mm.
- Weight: 261 grams.
- Slots: 2 nanoSIM.
- Connectivity: 4G, Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax, GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC, NFC, USB OTG, IR transmitter.
- Sensors: illumination, color temperature, proximity, Hall, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, electronic compass.
- Features: internal flexible display and fold-out housing.
Appearance and displays
First impression: HONOR Magic Vs is compact by the standards of folding smartphones due to the thickness of 12.9 mm when folded and 6.1 mm when unfolded. It is convenient to hold it in one hand when folded. It is low, narrow and very tenacious due to the matte back cover with a light rough texture. The ends, or rather the frame, are made of light polished metal – in this regard, HONOR did not save a bit.
The external display is a 6.45-inch stretched AMOLED. This is a flagship level with uniformly thin bezels. Constant time display, 120 Hz, excellent color reproduction and no flicker problems – all this is about our hero.
Now to the main point, reveal HONOR Magic Vs. When folded, the halves are fixed, then there is a smooth movement of the hinge and reliable fixation when unfolded. All mechanics are securely hidden behind casings, the impressions of the kinematics are good.
Inside, a flexible 7.9-inch AMOLED with a “square” aspect ratio of 10.5: 9 and a frequency of 90 Hz. The size and format is comparable to the original iPad mini. This is a classic of folding smartphones, on such a screen it is convenient to read, browse the Internet and hang out on social networks. Video on the unfolded screen is more convenient to watch than on the folded one, but you need to be prepared for wide bands at the top and bottom. Since the screen folds inward and bends a lot, there is a crease in the center, noticeable both visually and tactilely.
Since our hero has two screens at once, we had to look for another place for the fingerprint scanner. It is located in the power button on the right side and works perfectly. There is also a face scan that works in any position, thanks to two front cameras at once. But about the photo capabilities of the device further.
cameras
As befits a flagship, a set of three cameras is complete, that is, in addition to the main sensor, there are both wide and telephoto lenses. No “plugs” in the form of depth sensors or macro, everything is honest. I liked the quality of daytime shooting: Magic Vs has good hardware – this is half the success, and HONOR knows how to work with software – this is the second half of success in the world of mobile shooting.
And at night the camera does not pass at all. If there is not enough light, night mode is automatically activated, requiring 3-4 seconds to hold the smartphone motionless. But it is not necessary to do this, the result will be cool anyway.
The three cameras give an optical range from 0.5x or 13mm to 3x or 81mm. There is also an additional zoom up to 30x. It is wise to use a maximum of ten times the magnification. Taking a sharp shot with a strong zoom is not a problem, since optical stabilization in a telephoto lens comes to the rescue.
As noted above, there are two front cameras. Identical 16 MP eyes with f/2.4 optics are installed on the outer and inner sides. Thus, it does not matter at all in what position to take a selfie – the quality will be identical.
Software and hardware
The main thing to know about the software: HONOR Magic Vs runs on Android 13 with MagicOS 7.1 shell and Google services. Since we are talking about the flagship, there is not a single reason to doubt the further firmware update.
According to first impressions, the software is fully adapted to the folding format. All standard applications are rebuilt when opening the big screen on the fly. Third-party applications, for the most part, are also rebuilt without problems. But to activate the tablet mode, you have to click on the restart button that appears in the notification. The application format can be set in advance (16:9, 4:3 or full screen) in a special settings section.
Hardware is represented by the older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 paired with 12/512 GB of memory. The smartphone is smart, and there is nothing more to say here. Heating in everyday life is not felt, although the chip is famous for its increased power consumption. Otherwise, Magic Vs pleases with cool vibration, stereo sound, NFC and confident networking.
Autonomy and charging
A 5000 mAh battery for a foldable smartphone is a day’s work. And the 66W power supply is a fully charged battery in less than an hour. The standard adapter, by the way, has a full-size USB. But Magic Vs also charges quickly from Power Delivery and Qualcomm Quick Charge power supplies.
Review
It’s nice to see how quickly folding smartphones have gone from a promising experiment to an established format that is gaining popularity. If you miss the screen of a regular smartphone, take a look at these books. HONOR Magic Vs is a worthy candidate in the resulting abundance, since in other respects it is a strong flagship, the creation of which the company treated with great attention. According to the results of the first acquaintance, I liked the device. And I am sure that in the long run Magic Vs will please no less.
Pros:
- folded smartphone, unfolded tablet;
- excellent body materials;
- beautiful blue color;
- a complete camera system with three focal lengths;
- the software is adapted to the folding format;
- excellent stereo speakers and vibration.
May not like:
- any foldable smartphone is almost twice as thick as a regular smartphone.
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