I have a habit of reading things on my phone that probably deserve a bigger screen. Articles, ebooks—if I can open it on my phone, I’ll usually try. The problem is that a regular smartphone eventually starts to feel cramped, especially when I’m trying to work for an extended period.
The HONOR Magic V6 made me ask a slightly different question. How much difference does having more screen actually make? Quite a bit, as it turns out. Enough to make me wonder why I spent so much time squinting at a regular phone in the first place.
The V6 is HONOR’s latest book-style foldable, measuring 8.75mm thick when folded and weighing about 219 grams in its white configuration. Unfolded, it is just 4mm thick. It also packs a 7.95-inch inner display, a 6.52-inch outer screen and a 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery.
A design that stands out
Our review unit is the white variant of the HONOR Magic V6, and it immediately feels like a premium device. Unlike the red version, which has a softer-touch finish, the white model has a smoother back. However, the real attention-grabber is the large circular camera module.
It is difficult to miss that the circular design gives the V6 a distinct look, while the camera module itself doubles as an extendable stand, giving that sizeable bump an actual purpose beyond housing the cameras. The trade-off is that the phone feels top-heavy; Lay it flat on a table and it doesn’t sit completely level because of the camera module.
In the hand, however, the V6 feels surprisingly light for a large foldable. The white model weighs 219 grams and measures just 8.75mm when folded. HONOR Magic V6 specifications
That lightness becomes particularly noticeable when gaming. Even when I’m holding the phone for an extended period, I don’t find it putting much strain on my wrist.
HONOR has also received recognition for the phone’s design, with the Magic V6 earning an iF Design Award.
Durability for everyday use
Durability has become a consistent part of HONOR’s approach to its devices, and the Magic V6 continues that. The phone uses HONOR’s Anti-Scratch NanoCrystal Shield and Super Steel Hinge, while also carrying IP68 and IP69 certifications. The hinge has been tested for up to 500,000 folds.
HONOR Philippines also put the Magic V6 through a particularly dramatic durability demonstration in Pampanga, where the phone was used in a stunt involving the pulling of an aircraft.
I’ve accidentally let the phone slip from my grip two or three times already. So far, I haven’t seen a single scratch. However, that doesn’t mean you should start throwing around a ₱119,999 foldable. Gravity is still very much undefeated. Still, the V6’s durability gives me confidence to treat it like an everyday phone rather than a device I need to constantly baby. For a foldable, that matters.
A bright and spacious display
The outer screen measures 6.52 inches, while unfolding the phone gives you a 7.95-inch display. Both use LTPO technology with refresh rates of up to 120Hz. HONOR Magic V6 specifications
I particularly enjoy using the V6 outdoors. Even in bright conditions, the screen remains easy to see, while colors stay vibrant enough to make reading, browsing and watching content enjoyable. HONOR also uses an anti-reflective treatment to reduce reflections, which is particularly useful when you’re using the larger display outside.
The crease, however, is still there. You can see it, and you can feel the dip when you run your finger across the inner screen. It is probably one of the first things you’ll notice when you unfold the phone. Yet, for me, it quickly became something I stopped paying attention to. When I’m actually reading an article or an ebook, the crease becomes far less important than the amount of screen in front of me.
More room for everyday tasks
A foldable starts to feel interesting when it changes the way you use your phone. I’m a big reader, so I regularly unfold the Magic V6 to read. The larger display gives text more breathing room, and I find it much more comfortable for longer reading sessions. At some point, unfolding the phone for a reading session starts to feel completely natural—a little dramatic, perhaps, but my inner bookworm is very happy!
When I’m editing something on Google Docs and need to see both what I’m writing and my editor’s comments, the folded display can feel limiting. With the V6, I can simply unfold the phone, giving me enough room to do things on my phone that I would otherwise wait to do on a laptop or tablet.
Performance-wise, the Magic V6 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with 512GB of storage in the Philippine configuration. The device is listed as having 24GB (12GB + 12GB) of RAM. For my usual workload and some casual games, I’ve experienced no meaningful lag or overheating.
Sometimes, when I open an application while the phone is unfolded and then return to the folded display, there is a brief lag as the interface adjusts.
Video can also be awkward as some content doesn’t fit perfectly on the larger display, meaning you occasionally have to watch it in a particular orientation or deal with some cropping. It’s a reminder that a bigger screen is only as useful as the software and apps know how to use it.
Battery life for the long haul
The Magic V6 packs a 6,600mAh silicon-carbon battery with 80W wired charging and 66W wireless charging. In my experience, the phone lasts around a day and a half. That is particularly useful on a foldable that encourages you to use its larger screen.
A big display would be considerably less useful if I constantly had to worry about draining the battery every time I unfolded it. The V6 gives me enough endurance to actually use the inner screen without treating every extra minute of screen time as a battery calculation.
When I do need to charge, the 80W wired charging means I don’t have to leave it plugged in for long.
AI and software features
The Magic V6 runs on MagicOS 10, with AI becoming a significant part of HONOR’s software experience. The phone includes features such as AI Suggestions, AI Meeting Agent and AI Translate. HONOR also highlights its foldable-specific multitasking features, including Magic Multiflex and Fast-flex.
I particularly like being able to open multiple applications and slide them toward the side of the screen when I’m not using them. It makes the larger display feel less like an oversized phone screen and more like a workspace.
The V6 also comes with three months of Google AI Pro, which includes advanced Gemini access and 5TB of cloud storage, subject to Google’s terms.
I haven’t encountered any major software bugs during my time with the phone. That said, I also don’t want to pretend I’ve explored every corner of MagicOS and its AI features. Some of the more advanced tools are things I would need more time with before deciding how useful they really are.
For now, the most meaningful software advantage is still the way it complements the foldable form factor.
A capable camera system
The Magic V6’s camera system has been good in my experience, and I haven’t found myself wishing for a different phone when taking photos. The 50MP main camera produces images with plenty of detail and punch, while the 64MP telephoto gives you useful reach without making zoom shots feel like an afterthought.
The cameras also hold up well when lighting gets less forgiving. I found the results consistent enough for everyday shooting, whether I was taking a quick photo or zooming in on something farther away. For a foldable, that’s a reassuring level of performance.
The camera setup may not be the main reason I’d pick up the Magic V6, but it doesn’t feel like HONOR had to make a major compromise here to build a thinner, lighter foldable. You get a camera system that’s simply good at being a camera, and for me that’s more than enough.
Check out this gallery of photos we took with the device.
The shots of the tree bark and distant houses show how much detail the longer reach can pull in, even from a considerable distance. There’s enough sharpness in the finer textures to make zooming in worthwhile, rather than something I only use when I have no other choice.
The portrait mode is generally convincing, although it does occasionally remind you that there is a computer doing some of the work. In the group shot, the background separation looks good at first glance, but some of the edges around the kids feel a little too clean and processed. It’s hardly a dealbreaker, though. Most people will probably look at the photo, see that everyone looks good, and move on with their day.
I’m not a particularly fussy photographer, so my standard is fairly simple. If I take a photo, I want it to look good without needing to spend the next 10 minutes fixing it.
Is the bigger screen worth it?
The HONOR Magic V6 costs ₱119,999 in the Philippines, putting it firmly in premium flagship territory. The local media brief lists the device with 24GB (12GB + 12GB) RAM and 512GB storage.
If your smartphone use mostly consists of messaging, social media, calls and taking photos, the V6’s larger inner display may seem more like a luxury than a necessity. However, that’s also why I think the more interesting question isn’t whether the Magic V6 is a good foldable because it is.
The question is whether you have a reason to unfold it. For me, the answer has increasingly become yes. I unfold it to read. I unfold it to work on documents. I unfold it when I want more room for a game. Sometimes, I unfold it simply because I know the experience will be more comfortable that way.
The HONOR Magic V6 is an impressive foldable with very few areas that feel like afterthoughts. Its hardware is premium, the displays are excellent, battery life is strong, and there is plenty of performance for both work and play.
When you go online to read more about this device, you might come across meaningful considerations at this price. On the positive side, the Magic V6 gets the fundamentals of a foldable right, while adding enough useful features to make the format feel worthwhile. It is an easy phone to like! Whether that premium feels justified comes down to how much value you place on the foldable experience. For the right person, that extra room can make a surprisingly big difference.
Specs
- Display: 7.95-inch inner display, 6.52-inch outer display, 1-120Hz LTPO
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- RAM: 24GB (12GB + 12GB)
- Storage: 512GB
- Rear cameras: 50MP main, 64MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawide
- Front cameras: 20MP inner and outer cameras
- Battery: 6,660mAh silicon-carbon
- Charging: 80W wired, 66W wireless
- OS: MagicOS 10
- Durability: Anti-Scratch NanoCrystal Shield, Super Steel Hinge, IP68/IP69
