Honor Magic V6 Foldable Phone Review: Buy Now or Wait?

Verdict: A polished foldable held back by timing

The Honor Magic V6 is a large-screen foldable phone that combines an ultra-slim chassis, a high-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, and a bigger 6,660mAh battery to offer tablet-like productivity in a pocketable form, but its late release and tough competition raise real questions about whether you should buy this foldable now or wait for rival models. From a user’s point of view, it is an easy phone to live with: comfortable enough at around 224g, slim at under 9mm folded, and backed by seven years of Android and security updates. It feels like a finished product rather than an experiment, and day‑to‑day performance is excellent. The problem is value and timing. At around £2,000 (about USD 2,650, approx. RM12,230) or €2,300 once launch offers end, it sits among aggressively priced foldable alternatives, some of which push the category forward more decisively.

Design and durability: Ultra-slim, comfortable, but not revolutionary

From the outside, the Honor Magic V6 nails what a big-screen foldable should feel like. Folded, it is about 9mm thick and weighs around 224g, which makes it manageable rather than a brick in your pocket. The tall 6.52‑inch cover screen is narrow but usable, with swipe typing and most apps working well, though the thickness and slightly uneven weight distribution can cause fatigue during longer one‑handed sessions. The standout flourish is the red, flocked rear panel option, which feels tactile and looks distinctive next to the gold frame, while the white, black, and gold variants cater to more traditional tastes. Once opened, the 7.95‑inch main display is bright and colorful for video, browsing, and editing, but the noticeable bezel and visible crease remind you that rivals like the Oppo Find N6 have moved the game on. IP68 and IP69 ratings plus the redesigned hinge for better dust resistance are genuine durability wins, yet the Magic V6’s design feels evolutionary rather than category‑defining.

Performance, software, and thermal trade-offs

Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the Honor Magic V6 delivers flagship‑class performance in benchmarks and daily use. In Geekbench 6, it scores 1,563 in single‑core and 5,390 in multi‑core tests, while the GPU result hits 19,716, which puts it firmly in high‑end territory. In the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, it reaches a best loop score of 6,554 with 56% stability and uses 11% battery, but can climb to a toasty 50°C, and it even overheated on one run. That warmth shows up in real life: about 30 minutes of graphically heavy gaming like Asphalt 9 are enough to make the chassis hot. The large 6,660mAh silicon carbon battery and faster 80W wired plus 66W wireless charging are noticeable upgrades compared to the previous generation. However, charging is described as awkward, and Magic OS 10 on top of Android 16 can frustrate with occasional quirks despite a promise of seven years of updates. One quotable takeaway here is: “The Magic V6 did overheat on at least one occasion running the 3DMark benchmark stress test… reaching 50 degrees centigrade.”

Camera and foldable phone comparison

For a foldable, the Honor Magic V6 camera system is strong. You get a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization, a 50MP ultra‑wide, and a 64MP 3x periscope telephoto, plus 20MP selfie cameras on both the cover and inner displays. The app is responsive with no shutter lag, and face unlock is fast, which makes it friendly for quick, social‑media‑ready shots. Photos from the main sensor are described as bright and punchy, albeit sometimes overprocessed, which suits platforms where impact matters more than clinical accuracy. Set against the wider foldable phone market, though, the Magic V6 stops short of redefining the category. It competes with options like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold at USD 1,800 (approx. RM8,290), the Motorola Razr Fold at USD 1,900 (approx. RM8,750), and the Oppo Find N6 at similar import pricing, while upcoming heavy hitters include the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and a likely first foldable iPhone. Another clear statement from the review sums it up: “The Honor Magic V6 doesn’t separate itself from other big‑screen folding phones, especially if you miss out on the special offer price.”

Buy if / Skip if

• Buy the Honor Magic V6 if you want a slim, comfortable big-screen foldable with long-term software support and solid all-round performance.
• Skip the Honor Magic V6 if you care about owning the most advanced foldable design and are willing to wait for upcoming Galaxy Z Fold and potential foldable iPhone launches.
• Buy the Honor Magic V6 if the limited-time launch discounts (around £1,500 or €1,700 with freebies) bring it closer to competitors like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Motorola Razr Fold.
• Skip the Honor Magic V6 if you are sensitive to heat during gaming or heavy multitasking, as the phone can run hot under sustained load.
• Buy the Honor Magic V6 if you value strong battery life, faster charging, and IP68/IP69 protection in a large foldable.
• Skip the Honor Magic V6 if you want the best price-to-feature ratio and can consider older foldables such as the Magic V5 at around €1,300.