I tried the HONOR Magic V6 — now Samsung and Google foldables feel ancient

What makes a great foldable Android phone? For me, it’s one that checks a few different boxes. One that has a thin and lightweight design, no display crease, and flagship-grade specs.

HONOR thinks it’s achieved all of that with the new HONOR Magic V6, which it just launched at MWC 2026. After using the phone myself for a few days, I think HONOR is right — the Magic V6 is a pretty incredible foldable.

The best foldable hardware I’ve ever used

Similar to many other book-style foldables released last year, the HONOR Magic V6 is as thin and lightweight as you could ask for. Measuring 9.0mm folded (4.1mm unfolded) and weighing 224 grams, the Magic V6 is about the same thickness as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and is nine grams heavier. It’s not the absolute thinnest or lightest foldable we’ve seen, but it still feels like a traditional slab phone when folded shut — something I cannot say of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold I reviewed last year.

HONOR achieved a high level of comfort with the Magic V6’s design, then took an extra step by adorning the V6 with a finish that’s (at least to my eye) much more eye-catching than the competition. The red model of my review unit has a soft-touch back that feels like suede and has an intricate pattern that’s unlike anything I’ve seen on a phone before. Combined with gold accents on the frame and camera bump, this version of the V6 is about as luxurious as it gets — and I like it.

Even more than the stylish design, I’m also impressed with HONOR’s hinge mechanism. While it doesn’t lock into as many viewing angles as I would prefer, the virtually creaseless inner display panel makes up for it. Both Samsung and Google’s latest foldables have a noticeable display crease, and while it’s not a deal-breaker, using a phone like the Magic V6 without one is pretty impressive.

Making this all the more impressive is that HONOR achieved IP68 and IP69 ratings for the Magic V6. It was just this past October that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold became the first foldable with an IP68 rating, so for the Magic V6 to launch as the first foldable with IP68/IP69 protection only five months later is quite the achievement.

While there’s been no shortage of excellent foldable hardware over the past year, I still think what HONOR has concocted with the Magic V6 is pretty special. It’s a foldable I want to keep using, both because of its size/weight and unique design. Pair that with a crease-less inner display and unmatched durability ratings, and I’m confident saying that the Magic V6 has the best foldable hardware I’ve ever used.

The battery is how big?

As excellent as all of the above is, we haven’t even gotten to the Magic V6’s hallmark spec: battery capacity. Despite being so thin and lightweight, the V6 has a 6,660 mAh battery. No, that’s not a typo.

6,660mAh is a ridiculous number on its own, but it’s even more so once you start comparing it to other foldables. The Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is similarly thin and light to the V6, has a 4,400 mAh battery. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a little better at 5,015mAh, but it’s also considerably thicker and heavier than the Magic V6.

Although I haven’t used the Magic V6 long enough to fully judge its battery performance, the phone has consistently lasted two days on a single charge with light-to-moderate use. It’s far better than any other foldable I’ve used before, and to get this level of endurance out of hardware so sleek seems impossible.

Although battery life is the most impressive line on the spec sheet, the rest of the Magic V6 is really strong. There’s 80W wired charging, 66W wireless charging, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The camera system isn’t lacking either — featuring a 50MP primary camera, 64MP periscope telephoto camera, and a 50MP ultrawide camera.

US foldables had better step it up

If it sounds like the HONOR Magic V6 gets a lot right, that’s because it does. Even without enough time to fully review the phone, it’s safe to say it checks all the boxes I mentioned above — and then some. Because of all that, I see myself using the Magic V6 for a while to come.

The HONOR Magic V6 is launching in China next month, with availability in other countries to follow in the second half of the year. As with other HONOR smartphones, we aren’t expecting a US release for the Magic V6.

Brands like HONOR, HUAWEI, OPPO, and vivo have been one-upping US foldable options for a while now, and the Magic V6 shows that — for all the improvements Samsung and Google are making — that discrepancy is holding true. The HONOR Magic V6 is one of the best foldables I’ve used, and, hopefully, US brands are taking note.