Australia is set to host the latest foldable phone battleground, as Honor launches the Magic V6, its latest book-like phone with a whopping battery capacity.
It follows last year’s local launch of the Magic V5, with Honor keen to grow its presence in Australia. Coming up against the likes of the Oppo Find N6, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z range, Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and the Motorola Razr Fold, the V6 adds to a growing market for foldable phones locally.
At $2,999 in Australia, the Magic V6 costs a fair bit more than the V5’s $2,599 asking price. You can likely thank the global memory shortage for that. Earlier in the year, we dubbed the Honor Magic V5 a capable match for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, considered by many to be the best foldable on the market. In other words, the Magic V6 has big shoes to fill.
What’s different with the Magic V6?
With the Magic V6, Honor focused on two main upgrades: durability and battery life. Equipped with the brand’s “Super Steel Hinge”, the phone’s folding mechanism is meant to be 33 per cent stronger than that found in the V5, lasting up to 500,000 folds.
So far, the thin design of folding phones has limited the size of batteries used within. Honor’s answer is to stick a 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery in the Magic V6. Higher in density than lithium-ion technology, silicon-carbon can squeeze more capacity into the same-sized unit. The result is more battery life without adding bulk.
Honor’s new foldable is also more resistant to dust and fine particle exposure than the previous model. Compared to the V5’s IP58 and IP59 ratings, the V6 carries IP68 and IP69 ratings. In plain English, this means the phone is more protected against dust, and can survive underwater submersion and high-pressure water jets.
Looking at the rest of the phone, the Magic V6 sports a 6.52-inch outer display, plus a 7.95-inch main display when unfolded. Powering the phone is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, with 16GB of LPDDR5X memory and 512GB of internal storage.
Its cameras are similar to last year’s model, with a 50MP main lens, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. Both selfie cameras, one on the front and one on the inside, are 20MP.
Like most phone companies, Honor champions a lot of different AI features. But one of the most interesting software applications is the Honor Connect platform. Designed to quickly share files between Android and iOS devices, it’s supposed to simplify cross-device compatibility.
Release date and price
Available to order now, the Honor Magic V6 comes in black, white, and red colours. In Australia, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, and The Good Guys stock the phone. If foldables aren’t your style, Honor also launched the very iPhone-like Magic 600 series in Australia.
Those who buy the phone by 15 July also get an Honor Watch 6, a pair of Earbuds Clip, and 12 months of the brand’s screen repair service. After that, buyers can still get the bonus watch and earbuds until 12 August, sans the screen protection.
