Honor Magic V6 review: slim, foldable and with more battery capacity
2.7.2026
Translation: Megan Cornish
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
The Honor Magic V6 is the thinnest foldable mobile to date and feels like a conventional model when it’s folded. But it’s now sturdier with a longer battery life. Only the ultra-wide-angle camera is unchanged.
You don’t have to lug a bulky mobile around to benefit from the 7.95-inch screen inside. Honor’s made the Magic V6 almost as thin as a conventional mobile. The battery capacity’s bigger, the external display’s larger and there’s more power as well as improved dust resistance.
Thin like a classic mobile – with a big camera bump
When folded, the Honor Magic V6 feels no different to most bar phones. Some are thinner, but there’s less than a millimetre difference. According to the manufacturer, the white version of the V6 measures 8.75 millimetres. My 9-millimetre red test device isn’t quite as impressive, but without a precise measuring instrument, I can’t tell the difference.
When you unfold it, the Magic V6 is only 4.1 millimetres thick, but it doesn’t feel particularly delicate. It’s sturdy enough to use without any hesitation. The camera bump on the V6 is more noticeable. At 224 grammes, the Honor Magic’s lighter than the non-folding Pixel 10 Pro XL. However, the camera protrusion means the weight isn’t distributed evenly, so it takes more effort to hold the phone. This can become annoying over time.
Measuring 15.1 millimetres, the camera bump means the Magic V6 sits at an angle on a table. At least when it’s folded, the central positioning prevents it wobbling. When it’s unfolded, though, the bump shifts to the side, and the phone moves if it’s touched.
A small fold and a robust hinge
Honor’s increased the size of the Magic V6’s outer AMOLED display by 0.09 inches to 6.52 inches. This minimal change doesn’t impact the mobile’s dimensions. The display’s bright, delivers vibrant colours and boasts a high resolution of 2420 × 1080 pixels.
The inner, almost square AMOLED display is still 7.95 inches diagonally. The crease in the centre’s barely visible when you’re using the phone. I only notice it when I’m looking for it and holding the V6 in a certain way. When I run my finger over it, I can feel a slight bump, but it’s minimal compared to other foldables.
The small crease is partly due to the hinge on the foldable mobile. It’s designed to be both as flat as possible and also robust. Honor claims it can withstand over 500,000 folds. At 100 folds a day, that would be over 13 years. Plus, the steel’s supposedly particularly strong and able to withstand 2,800 megapascals, which is 2,800 newtons per square millimetre. If you find that hard to imagine, Honor hung a man weighing 80 kilogrammes from the hinge during the V6’s launch presentation, and it held him.
The hinge – and so the entire phone – is now dust-proof in line with IP68. Previously, it was only «protected against dust in harmful quantities» according to the IP58 rating. It’s also still water-resistant, which was extensively demonstrated by Honor during the launch presentation. Nevertheless, the manufacturer states it’s not designed for underwater use.
Increased battery capacity extends runtime
Honor’s also improved the battery. Increasing the silicone content to 25 per cent has boosted the battery capacity to 6,600 mAh while maintaining the same volume. The predecessor had a battery capacity of 5,820 mAh. Honor claims up to 24 hours of battery life for the large display, but doesn’t specify any conditions. In my battery test, I recorded 10 hours and 45 minutes of runtime before the battery dropped to 20 per cent charge with the display at half brightness.
With the external display, the battery life increases to 17 hours and 42 minutes. The predecessor lasted just under 15 hours. The improvement isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s still noticeable.
The Magic V6 also charges faster. With a compatible power adapter, it now takes up to 80 watts – instead of the previous 66 watts. Wireless charging with Huawei’s fast charging technology allows for up to 66 watts instead of 50.
With its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, the Magic V6 ranks among the current top-performing mobiles. Combined with 16 gigabytes of RAM, this allows you to use of all types of apps with short loading times as well as various AI tools.
Honor AI includes translation functions, a writing assistant, image editing and suggesting relevant apps based on context. Detection of AI deepfakes and voice clones is only available in selected apps. The focus is on messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Google Meet, as well as the phone app. Video and social media services aren’t included.
Honor uses its own version of Android 16 on the Magic V6: MagicOS 10. This also has some adjustments for the large screen. For example, two or three apps can be displayed side by side. However, not every app supports split-screen display. This is particularly noticeable with the Chrome browser. It would be ideal for use alongside other apps.
Unfortunately, the cameras haven’t changed
Honor has opted for the same cameras on the Magic V6 as on the V5. The specifications are the same, and no new sensors have been announced. This isn’t a good decision, as the old weaknesses are still there. You have the following three rear cameras available:
- Main camera: 50 megapixels, 1/1.56 inch, 23 mm, f/1.6
- Periscope telephoto camera: 64 megapixels, 1/2.0 inch, 70 mm, f/2.5
- Ultra-wide-angle camera: 50 megapixels, 13 mm, f/2.2
The main camera impresses across the board. Its detail accuracy and colour reproduction are excellent.
The night mode produces decent – but not quite perfect – images in the dark.
I’m also very satisfied with the telephoto camera during the day.
When it gets dark, the telephoto camera produces images that are much more pixelated than in daylight.
The ultra-wide-angle camera completely baffles me. Despite having the same resolution as the main camera, it lacks detail and the images appear blurry as soon as I view them on a larger screen.
Its image sensor’s probably smaller than the one in the main camera. Unlike with the other two cameras, Honor doesn’t provide any information on this. The image quality doesn’t improve in low light at least. No AI seems to be able to help.
In a nutshell
Impressive all-round, apart from the camera system
With the Magic V6, Honor offers a foldable mobile with dimensions that are no disadvantage compared to conventional smartphones. It’s not thicker, nor do you have to sacrifice performance or battery life. Only the high price would deter me from buying a foldable mobile like this if I wanted the larger screen inside.
The Magic V6 is perfect in terms of display, performance and battery life, and its cameras deliver good images in daylight. However, the ultra-wide-angle camera has plenty of room for improvement in terms of quality. And that’s not good enough in this price range.
At first glance, there are hardly any changes compared to the Magic V5. Ultimately, the longer battery life, more stable hinge, dust resistance and increased performance all add up, but its [predecessor – which only costs about half as much]/product/honor-magic-v5-512-gb-reddish-brown-795-dual-sim-5g-smartphone-61149995) – still seems very attractive.
Pro
- Long battery life
- When folded, it’s as thick as a conventional mobile
- Barely visible crease in the inner display
Contra
- Weak ultra-wide-angle camera
- A lot of pre-installed apps
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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