Nearly three millimeters thinner, thirteen grams lighter
At IFA 2024 in Berlin, HONOR stepped onto the global stage with its Magic V3 — a foldable phone engineered to be the thinnest and lightest of its kind, arriving in European markets as a direct challenge to Samsung's long-held dominance. The device represents more than a product launch; it is a signal that the premium foldable space, once a near-monopoly, is entering a new era of genuine rivalry. In the ongoing human pursuit of tools that feel effortless in the hand, HONOR is asking whether a few millimeters and a few grams can shift allegiances worth thousands of dollars.
- HONOR arrived at IFA 2024 with a foldable phone that is nearly 3mm thinner and 13 grams lighter than Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 — a physical statement of intent in a market where Samsung has rarely been outmaneuvered on hardware.
- The Magic V3 backs its slim profile with serious internals: a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, dual 120Hz OLED displays, a 5,150mAh battery, and a triple-camera system anchored by a periscope telephoto lens.
- HONOR is pricing the device at €1,999 in the EU and £1,699 in the UK — matching the ultra-premium tier without blinking, signaling confidence rather than a discounted entry strategy.
- The company is betting that a combination of engineering refinement, AI-powered software features, and a durability rating of 500,000 folds will convert skeptical buyers who have never considered a non-Samsung foldable.
- The Magic V3's European launch marks HONOR's most assertive push into Western markets yet, arriving at a moment when the foldable category is maturing and consumers are beginning to demand real alternatives.
HONOR used IFA 2024 in Berlin to bring its Magic V3 foldable phone to European and UK markets, months after its July debut in China. The announcement was a direct challenge to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 — and the numbers make the ambition plain. The Magic V3 folds to just 9.2mm thick and weighs 226 grams, compared to the Fold 6's 12.1mm and 239 grams. HONOR also claims the hinge can survive 500,000 folds, a figure the company demonstrated on the show floor.
The hardware inside matches the premium exterior. A Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor drives the device, paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The inner display stretches 7.92 inches at 120Hz, while the cover screen runs at 6.43 inches and the same refresh rate — both OLED panels with PWM dimming to ease eye strain. A 5,150mAh silicon-carbon battery supports 66W wired, 50W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging.
The triple-camera system includes a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 40-megapixel ultrawide, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom. AI features round out the software experience: a photo eraser tool, real-time translation, and Notes app translation. The phone ships with Android 14, carries an IPX8 water-resistance rating, and supports a stylus.
Available in Reddish Brown, Green, and Black, the Magic V3 is priced at €1,999 in the EU and £1,699 in the UK — a single 512GB configuration, no compromises. It is HONOR's clearest declaration yet that the premium foldable market no longer belongs to one company alone.
HONOR took the stage at IFA 2024 in Berlin and announced the global version of its Magic V3 foldable phone—a device that claims the title of world's thinnest and lightest book-style foldable. The phone had already launched in China back in July, but this week marked its official entry into European and UK markets, where it will compete directly against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 and other premium devices.
The numbers tell the story of HONOR's engineering ambition. Folded, the Magic V3 measures just 9.2 millimeters thick and weighs 226 grams. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6, by contrast, is 12.1 millimeters thick when closed and weighs 239 grams. That gap—nearly 3 millimeters thinner, 13 grams lighter—represents the kind of refinement that matters to people who carry their phones every day. HONOR has also engineered the device to survive up to 500,000 folds, a durability claim the company demonstrated at the show and that independent reviewers have put through their own stress tests.
Inside, HONOR equipped the Magic V3 with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, paired with 12 gigabytes of LPDDR5X RAM and 512 gigabytes of storage. The main foldable display spans 7.92 inches with a 120-hertz refresh rate, while the cover screen measures 6.43 inches and also refreshes at 120 hertz. Both are OLED panels with high-frequency PWM dimming technology designed to reduce eye strain. A 5,150-milliamp-hour silicon-carbon battery powers the device, supporting 66-watt wired charging, 50-watt wireless charging, and 5-watt reverse wireless charging—allowing the phone to charge other devices.
The camera system consists of three lenses: a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 40-megapixel ultrawide with a 112-degree field of view, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom. HONOR has loaded the software with AI-driven features including an eraser tool that removes unwanted objects from photos, real-time face-to-face translation, and translation capabilities built into the Notes app. The phone ships with Android 14 running HONOR's MagicOS overlay and carries an IPX8 water-resistance rating. It also supports a stylus for writing and drawing on the displays.
The global Magic V3 arrives in three color options: Reddish Brown, Green, and Black. HONOR is pricing the device at €1,999 in the European Union and £1,699 in the United Kingdom—positioning it firmly in the ultra-premium segment where foldables currently live. The single storage configuration available globally is 512 gigabytes, with no lower-capacity option offered. This is HONOR's bid to establish itself as a serious player in the high-end foldable market, a space where Samsung has long dominated but where competition is beginning to intensify.
Notable Quotes
The global variant looks exactly like the one in China, and it shares the same specs too— HONOR (via announcement)
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a phone being three millimeters thinner actually matter? Isn't that mostly marketing?
It's not nothing. When you're folding and unfolding a device dozens of times a day, you feel that difference in your pocket, in your hand. It's the difference between a device that feels like a refinement and one that feels like a compromise.
So HONOR is betting that people will pay two thousand euros for thinness?
Not just thinness. They're betting on the whole package—the durability, the displays, the processor. But yes, the thinness is the headline. It's what makes people stop and look.
The battery is smaller than what you'd find in a regular phone. How does that work?
Silicon-carbon chemistry lets them pack more energy into less space. And the software is optimized around it. But honestly, you're still making trade-offs. Thinness always costs something.
Is this phone actually going to sell at that price?
In Europe and the UK, probably to early adopters and people who want the latest foldable tech. HONOR isn't Samsung—they don't have the same brand gravity. But they're serious about competing at the top.
What's the real story here?
A Chinese company is saying they've solved the foldable problem better than anyone else. Whether that's true depends on whether people believe them enough to spend two grand.