I tried Honor’s Magic V6: How it compares to Samsung and Motorola

Honor is coming from a strong place in folding phones, with the Honor Magic V5 showing exactly what a premium foldable should offer.

It’s been growing its profile as a brand with increased interest through 2025, according to experts at Searchabull, and it continued that momentum with the launch of the Honor Magic V6 at Mobile World Congress 2026.

The Magic V6 was announced only hours before the Motorola Razr Fold, an indicator that Samsung will face increasing challenges in the folding phone space this year.

I got to spend some time with the new phone around the show in Barcelona, to see just how it might stack up against its mainstream rivals.

How is the Magic V6 different to the Magic V5?

The Honor Magic V6 looks much like the Magic V5 from 2025. Both have a similar aesthetic, with gold frames and a camera surround that’s not exactly subtle. Pictured here is the Honor Magic V6 in a vibrant red finish, but there will be more quotidian colours available when it launches.

In terms of specs, the Magic V6 features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, so there’s a bump in power over the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but the biggest change is in the battery. Thanks to a new Blade Battery with increased silicon content, the new folding phone packs in a huge 6,660mAh.

That dwarfs most other folding phones, building on the impressive 5,820mAh of the previous device. I said that Honor is coming from a strong place – and these tweaks make it even stronger, while still holding onto the “world’s thinnest” phone crown.

How does the design compare to Samsung and Motorola?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the reigning folding phone king, and Motorola wants to challenge that position with its own device. Meanwhile, Honor offers a distinctly different design. It’s the slimmest of them all at 4.1mm and 9.0mm when folded, although there are slight variations based on colour. It offers IP69 protection and it weighs 224g (again, different finishes have different weights).

Samsung, by comparison, is 4.2mm thick when unfolded and 8.9mm thick when closed. The Samsung design is flatter, with squared-off edges. It matches the rest of the Galaxy S26 family and I think it’s the best-looking of all the devices. It has IP68 protection against dust and water. It’s only 215g.

The Motorola comes in at 243g, so it’s distinctly heavier than its rivals, and it’s 4.7mm thick when open and 10.04mm closed. It’s a bigger device overall, with the design reflecting the rest of the Motorola portfolio. There’s only an IP49 rating here so, while it’s protected against water, it’s less dust-resistant.

It’s horses for courses: I think the Samsung looks the best, but I like the confidence of Motorola’s design. While Honor’s phone is undeniably thin, it’s a little too bling for me, with a design that feels too decorative. Of course, some will prefer that over Samsung’s more industrial design.

Which folding phone offers the most power?

There’s no holding Honor back when it comes to horsepower: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 makes this the most powerful folding phone yet. The Motorola isn’t far behind, using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, a version that’s a step down and doesn’t quite offer the peak performance of the Honor phone.

Samsung uses a Snapdragon 8 Elite, but this is more a matter of timing. Come the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 9, it will likely have an 8 Elite Gen 5 too. But all these phones offer a powerful flagship experience and the differences are minor in real-world use.

It’s worth noting that Samsung comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage as standard, while Motorola opted for 16/512GB for the same price. Value is on Motorola’s side. Honor matches that specification, but we don’t know the price – I suspect it will be around £1,799 before discounts.

How the Honor Magic V6’s battery and charging compares

I’ve mentioned that the Magic V6 features a 6,660mAh battery and this is backed by 80W wired and 66W wireless charging. On the global model these values are reduced compared to the version available in China.

Motorola puts in a really good showing for itself when it comes to battery. When I was first introduced to the Razr Edge just before MWC kicked off, Motorola said that it had the largest battery and fastest charging, only to be outdone by Honor later in the same day.

But credit where it’s due, Motorola’s 6,000mAh battery is big, the 100W wired charging is just as fast and the 50W wireless charging is great too. Both of these devices outclass Samsung, with its 4,400mAh battery, 25W wired and 15W wireless charging. However, Samsung’s cautious approach is about battery longevity: fast charging and huge capacity batteries don’t always last as long in terms of product life.

How does the Honor Magic V6 display compare to rivals?

The Magic V6 has a 7.95-inch internal display and 6.52-inch external. They have a 2352×2172 and 2420×1080 pixel resolution respectively, with a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 5,000 and 6,000 nits respectively.

Samsung opts for an 8-inch 2184×1968 pixel resolution main display with 120Hz and 2,600 nits. The external display is 6.5 inches, 2520×1080 pixels, with 120Hz refresh and 2,600 nits.

Motorola rounds out the trio with a 8.1-inch folding display, and a 6.6-inch external display, so it’s a touch larger than other models. The 2484×2232 pixels and 120Hz of the main display is par for the course, but the 6,200 nits peak brightness trumps the others. This is backed up by 2520×1080 pixel external display with 165Hz and 6,000 nits.

On paper, one might be tempted to announce Motorola the winner, but there’s more to it than specs. I’ve seen all these devices, but it’s difficult to judge the screens on the Honor and Moto devices with such limited time and content. Honor claims a big reduction to the crease, but in the model I saw, the crease was still prominent.

Those peak brightnesses also need to be taken with a pinch of salt: the highs only come through with the right content – mostly HDR – rather than in daily use reacting to sunny conditions. Equally, is 165Hz useful? It’s only likely to be accessible in some games.

How the Honor Magic V6 camera stacks up against the competition

The camera on the Magic V6 comprises a 50Mp main, 50Mp ultrawide, 64Mp 3x telephoto and 20Mp selfie cameras. Samsung comes in with a 200Mp main camera, 12Mp ultrawide and 10Mp 3x telephoto. Motorola uses 50Mp cameras for the main, ultrawide and telephoto, using the same system as the Motorola Signature.

While Samsung’s main camera takes the award for best resolution, numbers aren’t everything. I haven’t had the chance to test the Honor cameras, but suspect the performance will be much like the V5, which was a great camera overall, although it showed some inconsistency between the main and ultrawide lenses.

I’ve also reviewed the Motorola Signature, so can confirm that’s a great system too, very capable in all conditions, while Samsung’s cameras are reliable, even if they don’t have the same resolution across the board. Ultimately, all are fully-specced and comprehensive, matching the high prices of these phones.

What’s the Honor Magic V6 software experience like?

This is where Honor struggles: MagicOS is a little more cluttered and fussy than Samsung’s software and indeed Motorola’s. It’s full of tweaks and duplication, and comes with a glut of pre-installed apps. However, the version I saw was a Chinese model not running the Google experience that global buyers can expect. One thing that Honor is keen to stress is that the Magic V6 will work with Apple devices – Honor says it’s a great choice for Apple users as a result.

Motorola’s software – which I’ve experienced on devices such as the recent Signature – is closer to stock Android, but drifting in the same direction. The additional AI on top of Google’s Gemini is fussy, there’s bloat from additional apps and prompts to install more apps all over the place.

Samsung, however, pours years of refinement into One UI. It’s the slickest of all the operating systems mentioned here, although personal preference does come into play too.

Honor Magic V6: Early verdict

Honor has stuffed the Magic V6 with top specs: there’s oodles of power, a huge battery and fast charging, a competitive set of cameras and great displays. We haven’t tested the full software experience, but it’s unlikely to match the smoothness of Samsung. Samsung’s strength is in the design (personal preference allowing) and while its battery can’t compete, it’s a great performer with plenty of software refinement.

Motorola walks a middle path: the hardware is great, it has power and battery capacity, but it’s a bigger, heavier device. What’s clear is that Samsung is facing increased competition, with Honor and Motorola pouring top-flight specs into their rival devices. It’s going to be a huge year for book-style folding phones.

But perhaps more importantly, while Samsung’s phone is already available, the Honor Magic V6 won’t be available until later in 2026, while Motorola’s Razr Fold goes on pre-order from 13 April.