Honor Magic V6 review: A mechanical marvel

Honor launched the Magic V5 in August 2025, announcing the Magic V6 in March 2026, a mere eight months later. It's easy to understand why it rushed a successor out so quickly: to maintain its grip on the title of making the world's thinnest foldable. After all, that PR bluster could be the difference between gaining a sale, or losing one to Samsung. After spending some time with the Magic V6, I think Honor did itself a disservice focusing so much on those few millimeters. Really, it's the least interesting thing about this handset.

There's plenty to praise about the Magic V6, but I'm going to start with the obvious fact there's a hell of a lot of carry over. Releasing a handset so quickly after its predecessor hit the market means much of what was true about the Magic V5 remains true here. You'd be justified in calling this less of a V6 and more of a V5 Plus or Pro, whichever suffix better suits your worldview.

Last year, I said the Magic V5 crossed the rubicon from slender to dainty, making me feel a little nervous about how robust the hardware is. The Magic V6 is, obviously, a wee bit thinner again, even if only one of the four colorways actually is thin enough to claim the record. My memory of the older handset was that it felt much easier to flex compared to the rigidity of the V6. I'd still insist on using a case for this phone, but I'm far more at ease throwing it around than before.

Doubly so, in fact, because Honor's made the Magic V6 IP68 (immersion) and IP69 (pressure) dust and water resistant which should help reduce the dangers inherent in a foldable. The company says its cover glass is 33 percent more resistant to impact than the V5 and can be used in wet weather. I'm really looking forward to the money-is-no-object YouTubers putting one of these handsets under water and seeing if the promises match the reality.

I can never get out of my head the notion that Honor's design is a deliberate attempt to give it some distance from Samsung. Whereas the Z Fold 7 is quite austere in the hand, with harder edges, Honor emphasized the chamfering to make this phone easier to hold.

Like its predecessor, the Magic V6 has a 7.95-inch, 2,352 x 2,172 AMOLED primary display with a variable refresh rate between 1 and 120Hz. Face on, that crease is sufficiently subtle that only those with the most delicate of palates will notice it. Unlike its predecessor, the cover screen is now a 6.52-inch 2,420 x 1,080 AMOLED, thanks to the bezels shrinking slightly. My only nitpick is, as with every book foldable on the market, the cover screen is a little taller than