Honor Magic V6 Review
Honor Magic V6 pros and cons
Marvellously thin 8.75mm folded profile, easily passing for a standard smartphone.
Best-in-class battery life, thanks to a 6660mAh silicon-carbon battery.
Flagship-grade periscope telephoto lens puts other foldables to shame.
Premium retail price, but boasts an array of early adopter incentives.
Ultra-slim profile means camera housing sticks out.
Aggressive throttling means tweaks to get the most out of the V6.
With a sophisticated camera array, a monumental battery capacity breakthrough, and a massive bet on a Google Gemini powered ecosystem, the Honor Magic V6 arrives with heaps of promise on paper.
Let us unpack exactly how this sophisticated bit of kit fares out in the wild, and whether it represents a giant enough leap over its predecessor to justify pulling out the wallet.
See what we think in this Honor Magic V6 review!
Design and specifications
Sliding the Honor Magic V6 out of its generous packaging reveals just how far foldable design has travelled over the last few years.
In terms of general form factor, what makes the cover experience of the Magic V6 most satisfying is actually its proportions when not performing its greatest trick.
With a height of 156.7mm and a folded width of 74.5mm, the book-style foldable Magic V6 when closed avoids the cramped, overly narrow form factor that has traditionally made typing a chore on the front of similarly crafted devices.
Instead, it offers a beautifully natural aspect ratio that perfectly mimics a standard smartphone, meaning typing out a quick message or checking a map on the move feels immediately familiar rather than awkward.
It represents a subtle but massive win for day-to-day ergonomics, proving that a foldable can be incredibly expansive on the inside without forcing users to compromise when using it closed.
As for the layout, a fine - yet findable - volume rocker and power button are both conventionally placed on the right-hand edge.
They’re as narrow as one might expect on a device of this shape, so one tip is to ensure that any initial registration of fingerprints is done properly.
The sliver of a sensor is embedded directly into the power button instead of sitting in-display, so it is easy to trigger a little less consistently as a result.
Alternatively, you can rely on the biometric face unlock, though it is still a little less effective for those of the more melanin-infused persuasion…
The Honor Magic V6 lands on British shores in four variants, and it’s much more than a palette swap, given each is fairly distinct in its own way.
Opting for the White version treats users to an aerospace-grade fibre rear panel that also shaves the weight down to a remarkably light 219g while maintaining a folded thickness of just 8.75mm, and a frankly incredible 4mm when open - handily crowning it slimmest on the market (for now!).
Black and Gold variants swap this out for an equally strong glass, but most of Honor’s marketing might has gone into showcasing a striking Red edition, which was also the model selected for review.
This V6 variant opts for an eco-friendly leather rear that yields a warm, premium suede feel and reacts wonderfully in the light, creating a textured rear which is completely additive to the stroke.
The great news is that all models, even the leather-bound edition, come equipped for the elements thanks to the inclusion of IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance, making for peace of mind despite what was once a famously fragile form factor.
A meaningful step up from the Magic V5’s IP58 and 59 credentials, it means the phone is perfectly safe from a brief drop into a puddle as well as actively repelling high-pressure, high-temperature water jets.
If that’s not reassuring enough, a robust colour-matched case arrives in the Magic V6’s box. In the case of the red, it matches the material - gorgeous swirls and all - of the device itself.
Given how unique that alcantara-aping variant is, perhaps opting for one of the standard colourways and getting the red case is a smart way to secure its unique look and feel as a temporary option rather than a permanent fixture.
These latter variants do add a shade more substance over the white, coming in at 9mm folded and weighing 224g, but it is barely noticeable in reality, and remaining incredibly sleek when pitted against the competition.
When it comes to the hinge itself, the Magic V6 leads with innovation yet again here, cranking up the durability of its mechanical backbone with a higher tensile strength than the V5 from its Super Steel Hinge, as well as looking every bit the part with smooth and intricate patterning all the way down.
Bend it more than 45 degrees and the system locks in place, allowing for a fixed position that firmly stays in place mid-fold - great for propping it up to watch Youtube videos while washing up.
It wouldn’t be a current-gen smartphone without AI popping up in the unlikeliest of places, so the hinge also claims to have been put through thousands of hours of simulations to offer a bionic cushioning system to dissipate shock evenly throughout this hinge during a fateful drop.
This is an aspect I’ll admit to not having tested nearly as thoroughly during this review, but good to know.
It’s all about that bump, as the camera housing maintains its theme of being quite a sizable protrusion, making up for much of the top third of the device’s rear. Maintaining that octagonal shape - now a lot more popular thanks to Swatch’s take on the AP Royal Oak - does continue to evoke a premium feel, and the gold accents on all sides of this device in the red hue exude a real sense of luxury - and it is very much a luxury device.
As one might expect, it is clear that The Magic V6 is built with power users in mind, packing 16GB of RAM alongside a generous 512GB of internal storage as standard.
Honor has pulled off this svelte footprint by completely reimagining the internal layout of the phone, compressing six core components - including a range-topping 6660mAh silicon-carbon battery - into a highly space-efficient architecture. USB-C is the order of the day when it comes to charging; no charger itself, but a cable is included alongside the pack-in case.
On the topic of USB, it’s an amusing aside when looking at the bottom of the phone, simply due to it seemingly reaching ‘peak foldable’.
The thinness of one of the V6’s sides is practically the same as the (slightly recessed) port itself. The only way we’re going to get any slimmer is by moving to fully wireless charging, as this device is perceptibly pushing at the margins of what this form factor can simply deliver.
Ultimately, the Magic V6 comprehensively refines what we can expect from foldable hardware, in terms of both specs and eye-catching aesthetics. By marrying an impossibly thin (down to) 8.75mm profile with robust IP68 and IP69 durability, Honor has engineered a handset that demands few physical compromises from its users.
Display and audio
Using the Magic V6 closed means most of your daily interactions are with a highly usable 6.52-inch external AMOLED display, running a sharp 2420 x 1080 resolution at 406 PPI.
It is a massive step up from older cover screens thanks to a specialised NanoCrystal Shield glass that features thousands of individual coating layers, giving it ten times the drop resistance of standard glass.
It also features a specialised anti-glare layer that brings reflectivity right down, which combines beautifully with a peak HDR brightness of 6,000 nits to keep things legible under direct Summer sunshine - which we’re all too familiar with now in the UK.
Open the sturdy frame and the Magic V6 unfurls a glorious 7.95-inch flexible internal canvas pushing a 2352 x 2172 resolution at 403 PPI and hitting 5,000 nits of peak brightness.
These screens are so robust that Honor proudly boasts the Magic V6 requires absolutely no screen protector straight out of the box. Furthermore, they have significantly reduced the depth of the raised lip around the internal display, a bumper historically employed to protect the delicate innards when closed, making edge-to-edge swipes feel far more natural.
Both displays deliver adaptive 1 to 120Hz refresh rates and incorporate a phenomenal 4320Hz PWM dimming cycle, alongside Honor’s AI Defocus Eyecare technology to keep eye fatigue to a minimum during long reading sessions. This is perfect for this form factor, as content consumption is a joy on its expansive inner display.
A major victory for usability here is a reduction in the depth of that inner screen crease compared to the Magic V5 (still very noticeable, so not quite the best on the block when it comes to making it invisible). That honour currently seems to lie with the Oppo Find N6 at the moment, which isn’t available in the UK at present.
The resulting surface is remarkably flat - Honor claims a 44% improvement - yielding an SGS-certified crease that you do genuinely forget is there when browsing or watching media. The ridge is very much there when swiping a finger across the panels and visible when the screen is off, but almost imperceptible when viewing content due to the brightness and fidelity of the screens at hand.
Sound is similarly robust, piping through a symmetrical stereo dual-speaker array that produces a surprisingly wide soundstage, bolstered by an AI Privacy Call feature that keeps your conversations from leaking out to everyone else on the train.
No headphone jack, not least from probably a nightmare of figuring out where to put it, but Bluetooth more than suffices.
For productivity enthusiasts, a quick word of warning regarding the stylus situation is needed. The Magic V6 does support pen input across both screens, but it only plays nice with versions of the official Honor Magic-Pen (sold separately).
Despite the confusingly similar moniker, a standard Honor Magic Pencil built for devices like their Magicpad 4 tablets will not register on these screens, so make sure you pick up the correct peripheral if you plan on sketching or signing documents.
A shame that a stylus is not included with the V6. It is perfect timing as Samsung dials back its depths of stylus support on both the Fold and Ultra ranges and Motorola goes as far as packing one into its RAZR Fold, but the ability to appeal to creatives remains.
So whether looking for a dynamic device for productivity on the go or a pocketable companion for a big-screen movie marathon, the V6’s AMOLED screens deliver both a dazzling and comfortable viewing experience. A shallower inner crease and advanced eye-care technologies ensures the Magic V6 remains a strong choice.
Camera capabilities
Foldables are notoriously compromised in the optics department due to pesky things like physics, but Honor’s camera system mounts a serious challenge against rigid flagship boundaries.
The rear setup is anchored by a 50 megapixel main camera with a bright f/1.6 aperture and optical image stabilisation, flanked by a second capable 50 megapixel lens on ultra-wide duties.
The absolute jewel in the crown is the 64 megapixel telephoto lens, utilising a large 1/2-inch sensor, 3x optical zoom, and professional-grade CIPA 6.5-stop optical stabilisation.
This setup lets you capture stunningly clean images at full resolution - making for some great captures on a trip to Black Park during the sweltering heatwave during testing.
When snapping portraits of fast-moving model boats on the lake or zooming in on my daughter's detailed drawings, the fast shutter response and AI Motion Sensing Capture consistently grabbed sharp, blur-free memories where lesser cameras would have devolved into a smeary mess.
That being said, there’s certainly a very comprehensive bit of computation processing going on with this system, to the point where the occasional image is slightly different to the one captured in the moment. This is most noticeable as my children find it notoriously difficult to keep still…
There’s a moment where there’s an image on screen, the V6 takes a beat, and the resultant photo, once tweaked and tailored for light levels and detail, is slightly different. This lag on the standard photo mode can make it tricky on occasion to capture the perfect moment.
Pro mode definitely reduces that time by paring back on the AI-assists, making for stronger compositions, but ones which need that bit more tweaking.
The only other drawback during the testing period seemed like Google Photos was a bit more selective on which images to pull across from the Magic V6’s gallery into its own repository; moments that I could’ve sworn I’d captured weren’t always backed up.
Thankfully, they remain in the native gallery, and at their native resolution, but that slight drawback gave brief pause.
On the video front, the Magic V6 is incredibly well-equipped, boasting up to 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) recording capabilities at 60fps (no super slow-mo here) across both the rear array and the dual 20 megapixel front-facing selfie cameras.
Software is doing much of the heavy lifting here once again with the introduction of real-time grading and natural background separation to give video clips a cinematic sheen.
For post-production, Honor’s support for Google’s AI Image to Video 2.0 framework (last seen wowing children and adults alike on the Honor 600 Pro) is a fascinating addition, allowing you to stitch up to three reference photos together and use text prompts to generate smooth video sequences of up to five seconds.
The software trickery behind the lens is equally impressive, with dynamic white balance to prevent your pictures from looking artificially blown out or cold. If you fancy a bit of artistic flair, the Magic Color tool offers single-tap templates based on iconic imaging houses, or steal a colour palette from any reference photo to apply to your own.
Ultimately, this is a gentle refinement rather than a photographic revolution when viewed through the lens of improvements, given that much of the hardware smarts are shared with those of the Honor Magic V5.
The Magic V6 delivers a more consistent and dependable point-and-shoot experience, but the quality offered by the AI Falcon Camera System can be a little overbearing in its pursuit of perfection.
Nevertheless, the V6 continues to shatter the long-held stigma of foldable photography having to come with compromise - and courtesy of an impressive 64 megapixel periscope telephoto lens and a suite of intelligent AI editing tools, it is a formidable setup that consistently produces sharp and vibrant results, depending on the mode chosen to shoot with.
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Performance and software
Powering through daily tasks on the Magic V6 is an incredibly snappy affair, courtesy of the top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor.
With that aforementioned 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage, MagicOS 10 slathered atop Android 16 feels light and well-optimised, introducing smooth, translucent design animations that make the transition between folded and unfolded states feel entirely natural.
That optimisation does extend to a foldable form, thankfully, with a host of multitasking tools to make the most of the added real estate.
Opening the V6 can immediately split your layout and summons a helpful AI assistant, while Multi-Flex lets you float multiple adjustable windows simultaneously without a hint of lag.
There were a few notable exceptions in the pre-launch software in terms of support: namely Google Chrome actively mentioning that it wasn’t supporting split-screen use during the review period.
As having emails and a browser window is pretty much my default foldables state, it was a bit of a drawback - but using the official Google app proved a solid workaround, and Honor bods reassure that this will be ironed out in due course.
Honor has also put serious work into cross-ecosystem cohesion, being acutely aware of how users may not be as loyal as their commercial teams might like.
Through Honor Connect and Quick Share, you get full two-way notification syncing with iPhones and Apple Watches, alongside the ability to use the phone as a seamless wireless screen extension for a Mac.
For mobile gamers, this foldable is a veritable playground between that massive inner display and some real horsepower.
Thanks to a full-stack Vulkan graphics engine, the Magic V6 sustains a buttery-smooth 120 FPS in demanding, top-tier gaming titles on that expansive inner display.
Diving into graphics-intensive open-world titles like Genshin Impact was an incredibly immersive - and largely stutter-free - experience, even on its higher settings.
You can push it through intense marathon sessions without the chassis turning toasty, largely due to a highly efficient 0.22mm vapour chamber boasting a massive 14320mm² heat dissipation area to keep temperatures firmly in check.
That being said, the choice for the Magic V6 to default to a ‘balanced’ setting of the four modes (with one for maximum performance above it and a pair of power saving modes beneath) does result in some fairly eager throttling in order to strike that middle ground between lifespan and all-out capability.
Definitely take a look on a per-app basis to ensure those multi-tasking modes can run unfettered, or simply opt for changing to the highest mode for peak performance - the battery can take it (more on that in a bit)!
As is now customary, AI features abound in the Honor Magic V6, where a long-press on the power button triggers Google’s Gemini overlay, unlocking Gemini Live for real-time conversational and visual assistance.
Smart integration enables event scheduling directly to calendars (including Honor’s own), as well as the usual information and text summaries.
The phone also packs a three-month trial of Google AI Pro, granting access to advanced creative tools like Veo 3.1 video generation and the NotebookLM research assistant… as well as more generous usage limits that have found themselves cropping up on more services.
Honor does also offer its own assistant, where voice prompts can do anything from navigate settings to enhancing photos and collating important to-do lists. It is a mite less intuitive than it needs to be, but the push-to-talk feature makes for a more natural on-ramp to leveraging AI in practical terms.
Driven by the sheer power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, the Magic V6 glides through intense multitasking and demanding gaming workloads without breaking a sweat. When paired with its seamless Apple ecosystem integration and highly contextual Google Gemini features, the overall software experience is a marvel when it comes to modern mobile productivity.
Battery life and charging
Battery life is certainly one of the most impressive areas of evolution in the Magic V6, squeezing a sizable 6660mAh battery into the device's ultra-thin chassis, representing a massive step up from the 5820mAh effort found inside last year’s model. Packed with an ultra-high 25% silicon content, the battery achieves a staggering 921Wh/L energy density, meaning more life - and without compromising the essential dimensions and weight of the phone.
In the real world? We’re talking an easy full day of heavy use on balanced mode, from tweeting to browsing to listening to Sleigh Bells at an uncomfortably loud volume on a sweltering London commute, and 10 - 15% left over of an evening.
Charging is impressive too, with up to 80W wired thanks to Honor’s SuperCharge, which, when unfolding the device and using the right kit, also offers a Turbo mode on top of that and can get you up to full in barely an hour.
This is paired with an exceptionally fast 66W wireless charging specification alongside wireless reverse charging capabilities, making it one of the most complete and versatile power delivery setups full stop, let alone in the foldables segment - sterling effort here on a vital element of making this form factor feasible.
The inclusion of a massive 6660mAh silicon-carbon battery is nothing short of a technological triumph, providing the kind of all-day stamina that other foldables can only dream of. Add in the blisteringly fast 80W wired SuperCharge capabilities, and battery anxiety quickly becomes a thing of the past.
Honor Magic V6 UK pricing and availability
It’s time to talk brass tacks, as we know that bleeding-edge tech like this doesn't come cheap.
The Honor Magic V6 officially launches in the UK on the 2nd of July at a recommended retail price of £1999.99 for the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage model - a price firmly on par with flagship foldable competition, but a £300 jump on the V5’s debut.
Rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold generally hover around the £1,799 mark for entry-level capacities, placing this fully-loaded foldable at the absolute ceiling of the market.
However, as is traditionally the case with Honor launches, early adopters are treated to some incredibly aggressive purchase incentives that fundamentally change the value proposition.
If you buy through major UK retailers like Argos, Amazon, Very, or Currys, a generous £500 discount is automatically applied at purchase, instantly lowering the cost of entry to a highly competitive £1499.99.
This is great, as often those price-based incentives are limited to buying direct, but having the cut apply liberally across the market is an incredibly strong first sign.
Honor ecosystem fans are also eating well, with a comprehensive 'Tech Pack' gift bundle valued at £549.97 also included - comprising of a Choice Projector Air Pro, some Choice Headphones Max cans, and the Choice Watch 2 Epic - a decent introduction into the wider universe of products from this Chinese manufacturer.
Going yet further on their own site, Honor offers a choice of bundles, from a 'Business Essentials' pack with an offical Magic-Pen stylus, an AI note-taker and Choice Clip earbuds, to a 'Tablet' package...which comes with an Honor Pad 10.
All of these when purchased from Honor also throw in 2 years of screen insurance - both inner and outer - to lend that all-important peace of mind.
Last, but not least, there’s that three-month trial of Google AI Pro with 5TB of cloud storage. Around £50 worth of value here, but not to be sniffed at.
So while the sticker price undeniably places it at the ceiling of the smartphone market, the value proposition is dramatically transformed for early buyers with a massive £500 discount pretty much wherever the V6 is available, combined with another £500 worth of ecosystem accessories makes this an incredibly tempting package for anyone ready to embrace the foldable future.
Final verdict
The Honor Magic V6 is a triumph of mobile engineering that successfully rounds off many of the sharp corners that have historically held foldable smartphones back.
It delivers a phenomenally sleek design that both feels and works like a traditional smartphone, a class-leading silicon-carbon battery that can easily go the distance, impressive camera credentials and an exceptionally deep set of tools, including of the AI variety, that make the large screen practical, protected and productive.
If you are paying full price, it is certainly a luxurious investment, but with current UK launch discounts and high-value accessory bundles factored in, the Magic V6 is a masterclass that deserves to be at the very top of your smartphone shortlist - foldable or otherwise.
The big question is whether it stays there after the raft of new competition for 2026 arrives...
