Honor Magic V6 Foldable Phone Review: Great Hardware, Awkward Moment

Verdict: A superb foldable phone you probably shouldn’t rush to buy

The Honor Magic V6 is a large foldable smartphone that combines a slimmer, stronger design with a two-day battery, flagship performance and versatile cameras, but its cluttered software, awkward fast charging and premium launch price mean it best suits enthusiasts who understand the trade-offs rather than casual buyers chasing a simple upgrade. In plain terms: the hardware is among the best in the foldable phone design category, yet the overall package is undermined by software quirks and the timing of its release in a rapidly heating market. If you want cutting-edge folding hardware and are willing to live with imperfect software at a high cost, the Magic V6 can make sense; if you prefer polish and value, you should wait.

Design and build: slimmer, stronger, and more practical

From a hardware perspective, the Honor Magic V6 is what many people have been asking for in big-screen foldables: slim, light enough, and comfortable to use most of the day. Folded, it measures 156 x 74 x 8.75mm and weighs 224g, then opens out to 156 x 145 x 4mm, which means it feels closer to a conventional phone than a chunky experiment. The improved hinge is claimed to be stronger than before and gives the device a reassuring, solid feel when opening and closing. The controversial red version with its flocked, textured leather-like rear panel not only looks distinctive but adds grip on what could otherwise be a slippery slab.

There are trade-offs. The tall, slim 6.52‑inch cover screen (2420 x 1080) is easy to type on but can make some apps feel cramped or oddly scaled. When you unfold to the 7.95‑inch main OLED display (2352 x 2172), bezels are noticeable and the central crease can be seen and felt, reminding you that rival foldables are ahead in this particular area. The camera bump has been toned down so the phone sits more naturally on a table, and the IP68/IP69 dust and water resistance is rare and very welcome in a foldable. Overall, this is one of the finest examples of foldable phone design hardware on sale right now, even if it doesn’t completely erase the category’s physical compromises.

Specs, performance and battery life: power that finally lasts two days

Inside, the Honor Magic V6 is every bit a top-tier flagship. It runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Wireless connectivity covers Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0, and stylus input is supported, though you have to buy the pen separately. Benchmarks tell the story clearly: in Geekbench 6, it scores 5,390 in multi-core and 1,563 in single-core, with a GPU score of 19,716. In 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, the phone hits a best loop score of 6,554, 56% stability and uses 11% battery. One quotable takeaway is: “When it did complete the test, the phone reached a very toasty 50 degrees centigrade,” showing that thermal limits are a concern under long, heavy loads.

The real headline spec is the 6,660mAh silicon‑carbon battery in this version of the Magic V6. According to one review, battery life is sufficient for two days of use on a single charge with around three to four hours of screen time, and another reviewer notes that “two-day battery life is within reach, and that's an absolute first for the folding phone sector”. Charging is fast on paper at 80W wired and 66W wireless, but the experience is described as awkward, suggesting cable and charger requirements can be fussy. In everyday terms, this is a foldable that finally removes the usual battery anxiety: you can use the big inner display for work, social media and video without feeling you must constantly find a charger. Just be aware that long gaming sessions, like 30 minutes of Asphalt 9, can leave the chassis hot.

Software, cameras and price: the reasons to pause

The camera setup on the Honor Magic V6 is strong on paper and capable in practice. You get a 50MP main, 50MP ultra‑wide and 64MP telephoto on the rear, plus 20MP front cameras on both the inner and outer screens. Reviews describe this as a versatile camera system that copes well with a range of scenes and focal lengths. The hardware is helped by long-term software support: Magic OS 10, based on Android 16, is backed by seven years of updates, which is reassuring for such an expensive device. However, the interface itself is a sticking point. It is described as cluttered, with awkward design choices and inconsistent multitasking support, making it less pleasant than what you get on some rival foldables. Those critiques matter more when the phone costs so much.

At launch, the Honor Magic V6 is priced at £2,000 (about USD 2,650, approx. RM12,300) with a temporary promotion dropping that to £1,500 (about USD 1,986, approx. RM9,200) plus some extras until the end of July. Another review summarises it plainly: “The problem is that its launch price of £1,999.99 buys you the right to be extremely fussy”. In other words, at this level you can demand near-perfect software and a flawless user experience, and the Magic V6 does not quite deliver that. It also arrives at a difficult moment in the foldable market: current rivals like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Motorola Razr Fold and Oppo Find N6 sit around USD 1,800–1,900 (approx. RM8,300–RM8,800), and new heavy hitters such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and a likely foldable iPhone are expected soon. The timing and premium foldable pricing make this a harder sell than the hardware deserves.

Buy if / Skip if

• Buy the Honor Magic V6 if you want one of the slimmest, strongest big-screen foldable phone designs available today and care most about hardware.
• Skip the Honor Magic V6 if you are sensitive to premium foldable pricing and want the best value compared with rivals around USD 1,800–1,900 (approx. RM8,300–RM8,800).
• Buy the Honor Magic V6 if two-day battery life in a foldable phone is your top priority and you often struggle with endurance on similar devices.
• Skip the Honor Magic V6 if you prefer clean, simple software and polished multitasking over raw hardware specs, as Magic OS 10 can feel cluttered and inconsistent.
• Buy the Honor Magic V6 if you are an early adopter happy to pay more for cutting-edge foldable hardware and long software support, even with quirks.
• Skip the Honor Magic V6 if you are willing to wait for upcoming foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 or possible foldable iPhone, which may offer better overall polish at similar prices.