As mentioned, the Honor Magic V6 continues Honor’s march towards building an ultra-thin foldable phone. Last year I noticed that the Magic V5 essentially looked like a traditional panel phone when folded. This year, it’s even more true. Take the phone out of your pocket and someone could easily mistake it for a more familiar flagship smartphone: it’s only once you unfold it that the form factor becomes apparent.
The Honor Magic V6 measures a slim 4.1mm when unfolded, and when folded it expands to just 9.0mm. Yeah, it’s very thin, and it feels like it. Unfolded, the phone virtually disappears in the hand and is a remarkably comfortable device for long periods of reading or watching videos.
There are other things about the design that I like too. It comes in some great colors including gold, red, white, and black. I like the red the most, partly because of its textured back panel, which adds a bit of grip while still looking great. The model I’m reviewing is gold in color and it’s just as attractive. The gold coloring isn’t too overdone and the ornate look actually complements the slim build.
On the back of the phone is a large circular camera module and while it stands out, it doesn’t overshadow the overall aesthetic. At present, the circular module has become a standard for Chinese phone manufacturers. Moving over to the phone, there’s a USB-C port on the bottom of the device and a power button and volume rocker on the right edge.
Then there’s the build quality, and that’s another strong point. The phone is IP68 and IP69 rated, meaning it is designed to withstand high-pressure water jets and high-temperature water. You shouldn’t subject the phone to all of this intentionally, but it’s more likely to survive anything you accidentally subject it to.
It’s pretty remarkable to see this rating on a foldable phone. Foldables historically lag behind panel phones in this area, considering all the moving parts involved in a hinge. To be clear, IP rating isn’t the only indicator of a phone’s durability, but being more dust-resistant is especially useful when we were worried about objects as large as pocket lint getting lodged under the screen just a few years ago.
