With the best folding phones getting better and better with each iteration, it's no longer just Samsung that sits top of the stack with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 - as this new Android competitor shows.
At Mobile World Congress 2023, the giant European mobile technology show, Honor revealed its Magic VS for international markets. What makes it suddenly look more appealing following my preview of the device in late 2022? Lots of storage and a slightly lower price point than its key competitor.
If you've been eyeing-up a new Galaxy Z Fold 4, or following rumours of the Z Fold 5, then you'll know just how pricey such handsets are. The Honor Magic VS's asking price isn't cheap, mind, at €1599 with 512GB storage, but that's positioned with more storage and at a lower on-sale starting price by comparison.
That's a key thing for large-scale foldable phones, which are typically so much pricier than the best phones on the market today. Scale being important, because the Magic VS is a massive 7.9-inches on the diagonal when it's unfolded. That's bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Z 4, so if you want more screen real-estate then Honor's got the goods right here.
The Magic VS's exterior screen is really close to the typical best phones you can buy today, too, at 6.45-inches across. So even if you're using the Honor in its folded position, it still delivers on scale.
Inside you get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ processor, which while it's a half-step behind the Gen 2 upgrade, I don't think there's such a generational jump that you'll be disappointed.
And with Honor running full Google Play Services, there's no compromise with software like you'll find with some of the China-only foldables. Win-win.
I've been using the Honor Magic VS at MWC23 and will be bringing my more thorough assessment of this more affordable foldable in the near future. Sure, it's not cheap, but it's a step towards making foldable tech at least a little more accessible for all. I'm assuming others will follow suit.
-
Apple MacBook Pro to get a major rival from an unlikely source, claims reportCould we see a resurgence of the Pixel name in the laptop world?
-
Google TV Streamer finally getting the puzzle piece it's been missing since day oneSolves my biggest issue with the streaming device
-
Massive Samsung Galaxy upgrade could come from this new camera systemSamsung has developed a new smartphone zoom system that packs its periscope into a much smaller space
-
Google Pixel Tablet 2 to add a major something that was missing on first-gen, claims reportGoogle is said to be preparing the Pixel Tablet 2 with an official keyboard case
-
Google TV Streamer gets its first free update with a surprise audio featureAn update is rolling out to Google's latest set-top-box now
-
Samsung Galaxy S25 surprise launch date leaked – could be in your hands in weeksPencil the 5 January in your diary
-
Why wait for Black Friday? This massive 75-inch Samsung 4K TV is under $550 right nowThe monstrous Samsung DU6950 has more than 26% off in an early Black Friday deal
-
Android 16 release date revealed and it's ridiculously earlyGoogle is stepping up the schedule for Android versions, which could be interesting
