Assessment: Honor Magic V2 RSR is a pricier version of the most impressive foldable

Foldables have come a prolonged way over the past few years. Last September, I had the opportunity to play with the Honor Magic V2. At the time, it was the thinnest, coolest, and most technically advanced foldable I had ever felt, and it arguably calm is. It was nearly as thin as any normal candy bar phone, had a massive battery, assist for a stylus on both displays, and impressive camera specs. Since then, I’ve been able to exhaust far more time with the more moderen, larger version of it – the Honor Magic V2 RSR.

Before diving into the phone’s features, let me explain the differences between the Magic V2 and Magic V2 RSR. The RSR comes with a stylus in the field, as effectively as a personalized back panel. It has a swish Porsche-inspired flyline on the back and a personalized camera bump. The front glass is more durable, with Honor’s NanoCrystal defend and coating, making it more tumble-resistant and scratch-resistant. As anyone who values scratch resistance, I’m happy to file that the Magic V2 RSR has fared significantly larger than my coated-in-scratches iPhone 15 Pro Max, regardless of the utilize of the iPhone for around three occasions longer.

Nonetheless, aside from those features, the Honor Magic V2 RSR and regular V2 are essentially the same, and that’s to say it’s a great foldable – I’d wager one of the most effective on the market from a hardware standpoint. In my personal ranking, it’s simplest a bit edged out by one other instrument. Being ranked as the 2nd-most effective foldable on my list isn’t easy, as it requires having a moral display, great hardware, and one thing more than the bare minimum.

The Honor Magic V2 RSR hits all of those marks.

The measurement is nearly the same as any traditional “candy bar” phone, and by “the same,” I mean that in every dimension, it’s nearly identical. When closed, it’s fair about as thick as any fashionable smartphone at a mere 9.9mm, and the out of doorways display measurement is basically the same measurement and aspect ratio too.

It feels nearly identical to a non-foldable phone. Honor did a great job of making a normal phone that fair happens opens to be greater, one thing that other foldable makers have struggled with. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold has always felt too thick and narrow, and even the Pixel Fold compromises the measurement and shape of its outer display to accommodate a folding one inner.

But, for me, I actually assume I favor foldables that lean a minute more into their unusual setup for the assist of the inner display. I feel that gadgets that are a bit smaller out of doorways for the assist of a wider outer display are a minute larger to utilize on the entire, and that’s why the OnePlus Open is the one instrument that beats out the V2 in my guide. Nonetheless that fair comes all the way down to personal want! There’s a market for both, so fair pick what you revel in!

Meanwhile, whenever you happen to’re actually the utilize of the instrument, you’ll be interacting with Honor’s Android skin, “MagicOS.”

I feel MagicOS is constructed fairly effectively. It feels moral, even supposing it’s a very assorted ride from what you’d safe on a Google Pixel. It has a few foldable tweaks here and there however now now not of them really jump out, however that’s alright. We don’t want features thrown at gadgets fair for the sake of it. This is moral as it is, and I have no complaints. The software, as talked about, is heavy on high of “stock” Android, nevertheless it will get the job achieved without entering the way. There’s clearly some iOS impact at some level of, and you’ll deal with things appreciate intense background optimization which is basic for telephones originating from China, however the overall ride is effectively establish together.

One thing to say is that it ships with MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13. The Honor Magic 6 Pro, which launched at MWC alongside the Magic V2 RSR, ships with MagicOS 8 based on Android 14. There aren’t major differences between the versions, nevertheless it feels peculiar to launch two gadgets simultaneously with assorted Android versions.

What grabbed my attention more than other things, though, is the spec sheet and how that relates to the label tag of this special version instrument. The cameras, for instance, are fairly much fair lovely. There’s a 50MP primary sensor, a 20MP telephoto with 2.5x zoom, and a 2nd 50MP sensor damaged-down for ultrawide footage. It’s nothing overly impressive, nevertheless it’s a lovely camera by fashionable standards.

Beneath the hood, there’s a 5,000 mAh battery – which is great by foldable standards and really impressive given the 9.9mm folded thickness – and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. That chip is absolutely capable, however at 18 months veteran, it feels out of place in what is Honor’s latest foldable release. That’s harder to swallow given the fact that this instrument charges £2,349 or ~2,990 USD. For almost 3,000 US dollars, it’s absurd to be the utilize of a nearly 18-month-veteran chip.

Normally, I don’t favor to harp on label too often. Almost every product has a market that’s willing to pay for it. I fair don’t feel appreciate Honor and Porsche have the same status to charge such a high label for this foldable. It makes the label tag tough, especially when the basically identical Honor Magic V2 is £1,699 or ~2,163 USD. I feel the Magic V2 offers a great value and works effectively in its market. The Magic V2 RSR? Yikes. The updated discover from Porsche Earn is frigid, and the stronger display is great, however neither is value over 800 extra.

Overall, the instrument is great. I revel in the utilize of the Honor Magic V2 RSR a lot. It may now now not be for me, however I acknowledge this is ideally suited for a lot of users. It’s a great phone with a frigid manufacture and partnership.

Then again, honestly, fair jog for the Magic V2. It’s cheaper, and you assemble ninety 9.9% of the ride for $800 much less – unless you’re a great Porsche fan and like Porsche Earn merchandise. Then you’ll prefer it! And that’s exactly the demographic this phone is for: Porsche fans. What’s great is that there is a cheaper choice whenever you don’t really care.

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