Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is defacto the best large screen foldable device on the market as it has no comparable competitors. Huawei Mate Xs 2 launched last year comes without 5G and also without GMS. Due to the lack of competitors, the Fold4 has dominated the market quite comfortably for the past four versions.
Their dominance is now being challenged after Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Honor started offering their foldable screen devices with more attractive designs. Honor Magic Vs which was launched in China last November was finally launched to the Malaysian market today. After using it for a week, we can say that the Z Fold's era of dominance may be a thing of the past as its competitors move forward.
SPECIFICATIONS
Honor Magic Vs
External Screen – 6.45″ OLED, 120Hz
Inside – 7.9″ OLED 90Hz
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor (4nm)
1 X 3.19 GHz Cortex X2 chip
3 X 2.75 GHz Cortex A710
4 X 2.00 GHz Cortex A510
Adreno 730 Graphics Chip
RAM 12 Gigabytes
Internal Storage 512GB UFS 3.1
Primary Camera 54 MP, f/1.9 (Wide Angle)
50 MP, f/2.0 (Ultra Wide Angle)
8 MP, f/2.4, OIS (Telephoto) 3x Optical Zoom
4K 60p
Front Camera 16 Megapixel f/2.45 (Front)
16 Megapixel f/2.45 (Inner)
4K 60p
5000 mAh battery
66W wired charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM Nano /5G
NFC Yes
Infrared yes
Waterproof None
Side built-in Fingerprint Scan System
Sale Price RM5999 (12/512 GB)
SCREEN
The 6.45″ external screen is from the OLED family with 120Hz refresh rate support. It works smoothly with good finger touch detection capabilities. The advantage of Magic Vs compared to Z Fold4 is that the screen is wider with a screen ratio that is closer to the design of a candy bar device. Using it with one hand and core typing is more comfortable because the screen is not thin and elongated.
At the top of the screen there is a hole for the selfie camera and also a relatively thin bezel. At a glance, it is very similar to the front design of the Magic5 Pro that we used before. Interestingly Magic Vs supports stylus on the foldable screen. But this stylus is not given for free or has a special storage place on the body.
The front face of this device is really handsome and attractive for a foldable screen device. The standard issue where the outer screen is too pointy doesn't happen on Magic Vs. At first glance during the day, there were issues accessing 4K HDR content. On the review unit that received the new update, there were no issues accessing HDR content in the YouTube, Neflix and Prime Video apps.
On the inside, a 7.9″ 90Hz OLED screen is used which is larger than the Z Fold4 and has a lower 90Hz refresh rate. There is still a noticeable crease effect on this internal screen even after the thinner fold mechanism is used. The screen looks bright with good color display. The finger detection is also accurate but it still feels strange when the finger passes through the hinge part. Although 90Hz still feels smooth but not as smooth as the 120Hz external screen.
A small camera hole is placed on the foldable screen for a 16MP sensor. There is no under-screen camera system. This is not a negative thing because so far all the UDC underscreen camera systems we have reviewed have been less than satisfactory. Honor's decision to use a camera hole may be better to prioritize image quality over screen aesthetics.
BIOMETRIC
The side fingerprint scanner used is less consistent. Sometimes it fails to detect the placed finger. It's the same issue we faced on the Oppo Find N2 Flip back in the day. Honor does not put a special groove to facilitate fingerprint scanning. Therefore we are more comfortable using facial recognition to unlock Magic Vs.
DESIGN
Design is the main strength of Magic Vs in our opinion. The device is much thinner than the Z Fold4. The Engel is thinner on the sides with no noticeable empty space when the device is folded. Both "wings" of the device are also thinner. Even in closed screen mode the device does not feel too thick making it comfortable to hold in the hand compared to the Z Fold4. We feel this also makes the process of finding a device holder in the car for Magic Vs a lot easier too.
The updated hinge makes the device easier to open. There is no strange sound when the screen is opened which makes the device feel more premium and we have no hesitation in opening it. The hinge of the folding mechanism can be felt when a finger is moved over it. So far there is still no foldable screen device that solves this issue. In terms of comfort, we feel the process of opening and closing the Magic Vs screen is more comfortable than the Z Fold4.
Physical buttons to adjust the audio and also the power button are placed on the right side of the device. A fingerprint scanner is also built into the power button. The position of these two buttons is very ergonomic. On the top and bottom of the body there are holes for stereo audio grilles that support IMAX and DTS: X Ultra audio. Also placed below is the USB-C charging port and also the SIM tray.
On the back there is a large round-shaped bump that houses three cameras – 54MP Sony IMX800 wide-angle f/1.9, 50MP ultra-wide-angle f/2.0 and 8MP telephoto f/2.4 that supports 3x optical zoom and up to 10X digital zoom. This bump is large enough to cause the device to not be placed flat on a table surface. The two selfie cameras used are 16MP f/2.45 which are placed in the camera hole.
The back surface of the device is neatly made of glass material. The panel has a rough texture that makes it not slippery when held. It also does not trap dirt easily. There will be a more exclusive orange colored vegan leather version but it is not yet known if it will be offered in Malaysia later.
The battery is 5000 mAh which is the largest capacity ever used on a foldable screen device. Much larger than the 4400 mAh on the Z Fold4 and 4880 mAh on the Mate Xs 2. The battery can be recharged using a charger with a 66W output via wire only. This is a little disappointing for us because we are used to using wireless chargers when the device is placed on the holder in the car.
All these components are placed in a metal body that is quite sturdy and comfortable in the hand. Even though it's a foldable screen device it doesn't feel bulky. However, one notable shortcoming of the Magic Vs is that it does not have any waterproof standards.
SOFTWARE AND USER EXPERIENCE
The device we received runs MagicOS 7.1 based on Android 13. There are no drastic changes compared to the MagicOS 6 interface we used on last year's Magic4 Pro. The MagicOS interface is still similar to EMUI even though it has been two years since Honor is no longer under the Huawei umbrella. This is probably intentional as there are many Huawei users now moving to Honor to get the same experience but still have GMS support.
The reviewed unit received a 3.8GB update that resolved some issues that existed when it was first seen last November. Everything went smoothly and no apps had issues launching. Animations are not stuttering.
There is a gesture mode on the app icon that will increase its size. Features are very similar to Service Widgets on HarmonyOS. Among the applications that support it are Clock, Calendar, Notes, Files, and Tips. The icons of these applications are different because they have a white line at the bottom. With this the user knows it can be enlarged to display more important information such as the daily agenda without having to open the application.
Another interesting feature is that a Folder is enlarged with a 3X3 grid display or reduced to the normal size of an icon that saves space on the device's dashboard screen. Two standard features of Android 13 that are not included are the ability to stack widgets and the device theme changes according to the selected background image.
For those who feel that the included 12GB RAM memory is still not enough, the Honor RAM Turbo feature comes with 7GB of virtual RAM. Unlike Samsung, Xiaomi or Oppo devices, Honor does not allow Turbo RAM size to be changed or turned off by the device owner.
On the big screen there is a feature to launch up to four applications floating on the screen and two applications launched simultaneously with two applications in a large window. This is done by dragging the icon on the side tab to the main screen. Then repeat by dragging another icon to the screen to launch two applications simultaneously.
We have to admit that although the Magic Vs is fast and smooth, from a software point of view it is still not comparable to the Z Fold4. The process of launching two apps simultaneously on a Samsung device is still more intuitive. In addition, Z Fold4 has a taskbar feature that speeds up the process of doing multitasking. MagicOS 7.1 also lacks any Flex features supported on Z Fold4 and Find N2 Flip. In terms of hardware Honor is solid but they need to improve on the software side to make them a real contender in the world of foldable screen devices.
BENCH MARK
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip is a chip that is a generation behind but still powerful enough. It's the same chip as on the Z Fold4. How does this chip perform on Magic Vs? Here are the benchmark scores recorded using Antutu 3D, 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme and GeekBench 6 applications.
Here is a comparison of Magic Vs benchmark scores with Oppo Find N2 Flip (Dimensity 9000+), Galaxy Z Fold4 (Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1), OnePlus 11 (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2), and iPhone 14 Pro Max (Apple A16 Bionic)
Geekbench 6
Honor Magic Vs – 1276/3822
Oppo Find N2 Flip – 1028/3088
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 – 1301/3822
OnePlus 11 – 1495/4805
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max – 2524/6317
Antutu 3D
Honor Magic Vs – 804,494
Oppo Find N2 Flip – 756,646
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 – 980,346
OnePlus 11 – 1,104,135
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max – 974,941
Wild Life Extreme
Honor Magic Vs – 2651
Oppo Find N2 Flip – 2617
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 – 2798
OnePlus 11 – 3712
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max – 3373
The device will get a little warm after a 15-20 minute gaming session but not to the point of discomfort. This warmth can be felt because the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 has had this issue for a long time. But various games like COD Mobile, Asphalt 9, Diablo Immortal and PUBG Mobile can all be played at the highest settings and the most optimal frame rates. This smoothness can be expected due to the use of flagship chips matched with a large enough RAM size.
TELEPHONY And GPS
We did not face any issues using the 5G network in Malaysia even though the device has not been officially launched yet. The phone call experience was quite good throughout the two weeks of the review, helped by VoLTE and VoWiFi support in a less than satisfactory cellular network situation. Our voices can be heard clearly and early when making phone calls.
WiFi 6 performance is also good especially if you have a modem and router that supports it. The GPS performance is very good with the location being tracked in just a few seconds after the Waze or GoogleMaps application is opened.
CAMERA
Tri main camera 50MP wide angle, 50MP ultra wide angle and 8MP telephoto with OIS. A little disappointed that the wide angle camera does not have OIS when it is the lens most often used. Meanwhile, outside the 16MP camera, another 16MP camera is placed on the foldable screen. There are various standard modes such as portrait, night and panorama that the user can access.
The quality of the pictures taken is very good in bright situations and the user's hand is stable. The color reproduction is a little warm compared to the real situation. Looks a little yellowish. The selfie mode is also very satisfactory on both cameras. More decent than the Z Fold4 internal camera of the UDC type which is often blurry. The downside is that when using portrait mode, the separation of objects with the bokeh effect looks fake. Sometimes the ears and hair are completely blurred when they should be more obvious.
But the situation changes in night mode. The image from the ultra wide angle lens is noticeably softer with detail on objects that start to disappear such as on trees, floors and seats. Without OIS, the duration of taking pictures is around 2 seconds causing the image to shake when a tripod is not used. Images taken using the 8MP sensor are also not as good as the 50MP main lens.
Night mode is also good but a little soft when taken with a wide angle lens that doesn't have OIS. In fact, night mode will be activated automatically when the camera detects that the surrounding area is dark. Night mode can be used on all lenses.
This is the result of the camera shot in 1x, 3X, 10x and 30x zoom mode. The capture results are quite good up to 10X times there is an OIS system that ensures the image looks sharp. At the 30x setting, the image starts to break up. Without the periscope mechanism, better zoom quality cannot be enjoyed.
BATTERY
Magic Vs is equipped with the largest battery we have ever used in a foldable screen device with a capacity of 5000 mAh. The device can achieve over 10 hours SOT with device life up to 15 hours. This is with moderate use fully utilizing 5G. We achieved this good battery life because we rarely use a large foldable screen.
In heavier use, SOT up to 7 hours can be achieved. When the battery runs out, the 66W charger can recharge this giant battery in just an hour. This is much better than the Z Fold4 which takes 80 minutes because it only supports a 25W charger.
AUDIO
The stereo speakers are supplied with a DTS:X audio system that can only be activated when the device is connected to an audio accessory. We don't like it when certain systems can only be used conditionally. The physical speaker volume is less than satisfactory. At the highest setting it is around only 80% of the speaker volume on other Android devices. This is an issue on Honor devices we've reviewed. Maybe Honor wants to protect the user's ears from permanent damage by putting an audio limit.
IN THE BOX
Here's what's included in the box.
1x Honor Magic Vs
1x Polycarbonate frame.
1x 66W Charger.
1x USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
1x Manual.
1x SIM Pin.
CONCLUSION
Honor Magic Vs has a solid recipe to become the dominant foldable device in Malaysia. The Magic Vs' advantages are the external screen that looks more like a candybar device, a thinner body, a solid camera and the best battery performance on a foldable screen device. It solves some of the issues the Z Fold4 had. Another thing is that it is also one of the foldable screen devices on the market right now.
The downside is that there is no waterproof capability and the software is still not mature enough at this time. There is no Flex Mode or basic Android 13 features that are already standard on other manufacturers.
At RM5999 it is very competitive for a foldable screen device. Much cheaper than Z Fold4 which is RM7299 for comparable storage and memory.
Pro
6.45″ 120Hz screen on the outside that is comfortable to use.
Large 7.9″ 90Hz foldable screen.
High specification Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 with memory up to 12GB RAM.
The design is thinner than competing devices.
Satisfactory camera performance.
Large 5000 mAh battery with long-lasting 66W charging.
Cons
There are no waterproof standards.
There are still crease marks on the screen.
The screen is only 90Hz instead of 120Hz.
The software features are not quite complete at this time compared to competitors.