If you are looking to get a foldable smartphone, the Honor Magic V2 is a very compelling choice. After using it for a few weeks as my daily phone, it provides me with the much-needed versatility for a heavy multi-tasker.
The biggest advantages of using the Magic V2 among the other foldable smartphone models are its size and weight. It remains the world’s thinnest and lightest inward-folding smartphone, at only 9.9mm thickness when folded and 4.7mm unfolded. With a weight of 231 grams, it is lighter than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
In the fold mode, using the Magic V2 with the external display feels like a normal smartphone, but better, with premium Honor display technology like 120Hz LTPO, 3840Hz PWM dimming, and 2500 nit peak brightness. The 20:9 aspect ratio at 2376×1060 pixels ensures the best viewing experience. The use of second-generation nanocrystal glass provides 10 times more drop-resistant. The Honor Magic OS supports split windows and floating windows with the external display, but that’s not the reason to get the Magic V2.
In the unfold mode, you can immediately experience a productivity increase. I can simply perform multiple tasks simultaneously, either with a side-by-side view or with floating windows. For my use case, I can play Monopoly Go with auto-dice roll while reading my emails.
Another great use case is to run a video stream on a floating window while browsing a primary app on the full screen. Not all apps support split-screen and floating windows mode, but for those who do, there is a short bar at the top of the app and by tapping it, a row of icons will appear to let you choose either full-screen, split-screen, or floating window mode.
To push my multi-tasking to the extreme, I can browse four active apps on the screen at the same time, but if you have more than two floating windows, a dock icon appears at the side which lets you switch to the other windows.
Thumb typing would be a challenge over the wide inner screen but with the built-in Swiftkey keyboard app which supports thumb typing mode, I can split the keyboard and adjust the distance that I am comfortable with. To put it simply, the Magic V2 lets me achieve the mobile productivity that I always get from a computer or a tablet, but in a pocketable device.
The rear camera system consists of a 50MP Wide Camera (f/1.9, OIS), 50MP Ultra Wide Camera (f/2.0), and 20MP telephoto Camera (f/2.4, OIS), while the front-facing cameras for both interior and exterior screens are 16MP f/2.2.
While I may not fully agree with the image-enhancing algorithm, it certainly helps casual photography by tuning the images quickly.
Picky users might want to disable the AI mode and the portrait beauty features. I appreciate the ultra-wide angle of view that lets me capture more.
The telephoto images are no slouch, and easily usable even at 10x hybrid zoom.
There are only a two issues I have with the phone which also happens to other Honor phones running on Magic OS that the notification for some apps sometimes does not appear due to its aggressive power-saving feature. Another pain point is that I cannot access the app info from the home screen icons, something that many other Android OSes allow.
Foldable smartphones have reached a certain maturity in design and features. Most app developers would have already catered for this squarish form factor in their UI design such that they can provide a split-screen view when the inner display is folded partially. The hinge mechanism is stronger, the inner screen is more durable, and more importantly, the overall phone is more reliable.
The Honor Magic V2 offers an edge over traditional smartphones. I love the ability to run multiple apps with multiple windows, which improves my productivity manyfold. It is so slim, its weight is similar to other flagship models, and it runs fast thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
Overall this model should be a top choice for busy executives to perform multiple tasks with ease and confidence.
To purchase the HONOR Magic V2 click here.
