Choosing a smartphone is about to get a little more difficult with Honor launching its Magic V2 and Magic 6 Pro in South Africa next week.
While the Magic V2 isn’t exactly new — it launched in China in July last year — it could still prove disruptive to the local foldable smartphone market. When it lands, it’ll claim the title of being the thinnest and lightest folding smartphone in the country against Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Huawei’s Mate X3.
The Magic 6 Pro, on the other hand, is entirely new and was only recently announced at MWC last month. Honor has Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra in its sights as the only other phone available in the country (so far) with on-device AI capabilities. Both devices also feature pretty respectable spec sheets.
Honor brings fresh Magic V2 to SA
Being slightly older, the Magic V2 sports last year’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 5G chipset with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It might not be new but that chipset still offers impressive performance. Although, we’re eager to see how Honor handles the heat in the Magic V2’s remarkably thin and light chassis — we’re talking 156.7 x 145.4 x 4.7 mm unfolded and 156.7 x 74.1 x 9.9 mm folded while only weighing 231g.
The folding internal OLED display measures 7.92in with a 2,156 x 2,344 resolution. It uses LTPO (Low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) tech meaning it can vary its refresh rate, reducing it to save battery and increasing it up to 120Hz for buttery smooth scrolling or gaming. The Magic V2 also features a 6.43in LTPO OLED cover screen with a 1,060 x 2,376 resolution and HDR10+ support.
The Magic 6 Pro packs an equally impressive 6.8in LTPO OLED screen with a reported max brightness of 5,000 nits — that’s only just shy of the Sun’s 1.6 billion nits but certainly the brightness display you can get here. Behind the panel sits the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset along with 12GB of RAM and 512GB storage options.
Honor’s marketing is making a big fuss about the Magic 6 Pro’s camera performance. It houses two 50MP sensors — one of which will use a variable aperture — along with a 180MP sensor behind a periscope telephoto lens. Up front, you’ll find another 50MP selfie cam and a TOF (time-of-flight) sensor for depth and biometrics.
The Magic V2 isn’t as focused on snapping pics but that doesn’t mean it won’t be capable. It also houses two 50MP sensors along with a 20MP telephoto shooter around back and a 16MP selfie cam.
When it comes to portable power, the Magic V2 uses Silicon-Carbon (Si-Ca) in its 5,00mAh battery, instead of the traditional Lithium-Iron Phosphate (Li-Po) used in most modern smartphones, and uses Honor’s 66W SuperCharge tech for refilling. The Magic 6 Pro packs a 5,600mAh battery which is based on the same Silicon-Carbon tech in the Magic V2 and will support charging at 100W wired and 66W wireless.
The Magic V2 and Magic 6 Pro will officially launch in SA next week. We’ll need to wait until then to find out when the devices will be available for purchase, although we don’t think it will be too long after the launch.
