Four months after the POVA Curve 2 5G, TECNO adds the POVA 8 5G to their performance-focused arsenal.

Futuristic vibe

TECNO’s POVA 8 5G continues the series’ signature sci-fi-inspired design language. The latest smartphone features sharp geometric elements and a semi-transparent rear panel.

One of its standout features is none other than the new Alive Matrix Display. It’s a customizable light panel on the back that can display 49 pre-loaded lighting effects for incoming calls, notifications, charging status, gaming sessions, and more. Prospective users can also personalize scenarios to match their style and could actually store many more customized effects aside from the pre-loaded ones.

Beside that LED display lies the 50MP main rear camera based on Sony’s LYTIA 600 (or LYT-600) sensor. The said sensor offers improved light capture for brighter and more detailed photos. It also supports 2x lossless zoom. Up front, you’ll get a 13MP front-facing shooter.

Powering the device is MediaTek’s Dimensity 7100 SoC. That’s paired together with TECNO’s in-house G1 Signal Enhancement Chip and SE1 Wi-Fi Enhancement Chip — making it a triple chipset smartphone.

TECNO says these chips help improve connectivity in challenging environments such as elevators and basements while boosting Wi-Fi reception.

The phone also features a 144Hz display with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification and military-grade durability.

Last but definitely not the least, its 8000mAh battery that can last as much as two days. For some measure, TECNO says the phone can last up to 85+ hours of music playback, 29+ hours of YouTube streaming, 26+ hours of WhatsApp, or 14+ hours of playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).

Future-ready

Aside from the beastly battery packed inside, TECNO is also bringing several practical AI tools to the POVA 8 5G.

Among them is AI YouTube Summary. This turns lengthy videos into concise notes with key points and timestamps. The device also features AI-powered noise cancellation that helps isolate the speaker’s voice during calls, recordings, and meetings.

For photography, AI LightMaster 2.0 can remove unwanted reflections, lens flare, and shadows. The phone also supports uploading Live Photos directly to Instagram as Boomerang.

In select markets, users can even access AI Health features that estimate metrics such as heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and respiration through facial scanning technology.

Further solidifying its future readiness, TECNO promises two major Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates.

The company is also bundling three years of FREE 256GB cloud storage for POVA 8 5G users. Eligible markets can also receive a 3-month Google AI Plus trial which includes 2TB of cloud storage.

Pricing and Availability

The TECNO POVA 8 5G debuts first in India and is available in 16-Bit White, Terminal Green, and Plasma Orange colorways.

Specific pricing and availability in global markets are yet to follow along these four color choices: Arc White, Graphite Black, Echo Green, and Helios Orange.

realme is gearing up to shake up the budget smartphone segment with the upcoming launch of the realme C100 Series on June 18.

realme will unveil the series, along with its official pricing and availability, through a livestream on its Facebook page.

Built around the tagline “One Charge, Endless Power,” the new lineup heavily champions two essential budget smartphone features: massive battery life and ruggedness.

The latest entry to the budget segment realme C series comes in the C100 and C100i variants.

The realme C100 comes with an 8,000mAh Titan Battery for up to one and a half days of uninterrupted usage.

With optimizations, the phone is also expected to retain up to 80% battery health after seven years, making it a sensible purchase for budget-conscious consumers.

This launches alongside the realme C100i, its smaller sibling with a 7,000mAh battery of its own and up to six yeats of optimal health.

Beyond the power, realme is introducing its proprietary ArmorShell Protection to the series.

Both smartphones have successfully cleared MIL-STD-810H military-grade shock resistance testing, ensuring they can survive drops from up to two meters.

The standard realme C100 goes a step further in the durability department by boasting an impressive IP69 Pro rating for dust, submersion, and high-pressure, high-temperature water jet resistance.

On the other hand, the C100i has an ample IP64 splash-resistance rating.

The realme C100 will debut in three distinct colorways: Glory White, Endurance Brown, and Victory Purple.

All three variants utilize realme’s new Blooming Design, which uses micron-level sculpting to create a premium shimmer finish that dynamically shifts whenever it catches the light.

The C100i will be available in Dawn Purple and Dusk Gray.

Before I learned when the HONOR Magic V6 review embargo would lift, I had already become aware of the possibility of upcoming wide foldables.

The idea immediately caught my attention because it seemed to address one of the few remaining questions I have about today’s book-style foldables.

They’re excellent productivity devices. The larger, almost square-like display is perfect for multitasking, reading, editing documents, and working with multiple apps at once.

But much of the content we consume today isn’t square.

It’s vertical: Reels. Shorts. TikToks. Fancams.

Or it’s widescreen: YouTube videos. Movies. TV shows.

Book-style foldables can absolutely play these types of content. But when unfolded, they don’t always make the best use of the additional screen space because of their aspect ratio.

That thought lingered in the back of my mind while testing the HONOR Magic V6.

What surprised me was that despite that lingering question, the Magic V6 still made a compelling case for the current form factor. In fact, if the goal is to create a foldable that feels as close as possible to a regular flagship smartphone while still unfolding into a tablet, HONOR may have come closer than anyone else.

The HONOR Magic V6 is priced at RM 7,699 in Malaysia, with pre-orders running from June 4 to 11, 2026 and bundled gifts worth up to RM 3,797.

That’s flagship foldable money. Fortunately, the Magic V6 spends very little time reminding you that it’s a foldable and most of its time convincing you it’s simply a very good smartphone.

It feels like a regular smartphone

The HONOR Magic V6 looks and feels almost too much like a standard slab smartphone that you almost forget it can unfold into a larger screen.

That’s perhaps the most impressive thing about the device.

Most certainly, I felt the Galaxy S26 Ultra more when carrying it compared to the Magic V6. Despite being a foldable, it never feels cumbersome in daily use.

One of the subtle improvements I appreciated most was the button placement.

This is one of those low-key things you don’t really think about at first but becomes important over time. There’s little to no adjustment required when moving from a regular smartphone to the Magic V6 because the buttons sit exactly where you expect them to.

I use it alongside both the HONOR Magic8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the transition feels seamless. That’s something I can’t quite say about the OPPO Find N6, whose power button still sits at a height that feels a little awkward.

Folded, the Magic V6 doesn’t feel like a compromise compared to a traditional flagship.

It simply feels like a regular flagship smartphone.

Unfolded, it feels natural too. The display even feels larger than the Galaxy Z Fold7 and HONOR Magic V5 that I used previously.

And that’s where the appeal of a book-style foldable continues to shine.

Productivity remains the killer feature

The larger display became particularly useful during several production shoots.

I found myself timekeeping to make sure we stayed on schedule while simultaneously checking scripts and production notes. It’s one of those situations where the larger screen immediately proves its value.

On another occasion, I handed the unfolded device to a project lead so she could review a script while planning shots for the day.

It immediately made her stop and consider whether she should get a foldable herself.

Moments like these highlight the unique advantage of book-style foldables.

The larger screen doesn’t just exist for the sake of being larger. It enables workflows that simply aren’t as comfortable on a conventional smartphone.

That’s why, despite my growing curiosity about where foldables go next, the Magic V6 reminded me why this category became appealing in the first place.

Battery confidence is underrated

An overwhelming yes.

That’s my answer when asked whether the battery capacity translates into confidence.

The Magic V6 is an endurance beast.

I never worried about using it folded or unfolded throughout the day. I never worried about taking photos, multitasking, or spending extended periods on the larger display.

For the most part, I simply knew that no matter what I did during a normal day, I’d still have enough battery to get home or reach somewhere I could recharge.

As someone who tends to become conscious about battery life once it drops below 50 percent, that’s saying something.

 

I also noticed myself worrying about the battery less the more time I spent with the device. I got used to how much power it consumed depending on what I was doing throughout the day.

Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold7 and HONOR Magic V5, the Magic V6 feels like it has more endurance.

It also charges faster.

The media consumption question

Did the Magic V6 make me watch more videos than I normally would on a phone?

Not really.

Most of my phone-based video consumption consists of Reels, Shorts, and the occasional K-pop fancam. Longer content usually happens elsewhere. If I’m watching a movie, a series, or even a lengthy YouTube video, I’d much rather do it on a TV or tablet.

For the purposes of this review, I spent some time watching aespa Karina’s “Lemonade” facecam. I figured if there was any content I’d naturally watch on a phone, it would be that.

Folded and held in hand, it’s your typical smartphone viewing affair. In fact, the cover display is still a little narrower than I personally prefer.

You can also prop it up in Flex Mode and watch hands-free, which works surprisingly well when you’re sitting at a desk or table.

When unfolded, things become a little more complicated.

You can watch content in its original aspect ratio and live with the black bars. At night, they practically disappear. In brighter environments, they’re much more noticeable.

You can also pinch to zoom and fill more of the display. This works particularly well for content where the subject stays near the center of the frame. Facecams like Karina’s are a perfect example.

The challenge is that much of today’s content exists in either 9:16 or 16:9 formats, while book-style foldables unfold into something much closer to a square.

The result is that the additional screen space isn’t always utilized as efficiently as you might expect.

That’s not really a criticism of the Magic V6 itself.

Rather, it’s one of the reasons I’ve become interested in the idea of wide foldables. The Magic V6 excels at productivity because of its aspect ratio. Whether that same aspect ratio remains ideal for modern media consumption is a question I continue to think about.

Cameras that don’t feel like a compromise

The camera system is one of the standout features of the device.

For a foldable, it takes really good photos. Photos I wouldn’t hesitate to post immediately on social media.

I’ve become particularly fond of HONOR’s Authentic Filter and used it extensively throughout my testing. The images look excellent and carry a look that I genuinely enjoy.

I still notice some limitations once I move beyond 6x zoom, but realistically, most users won’t spend much time there.

For everyday photography, the Magic V6 delivers more than enough.

That’s important because it removes one of the traditional compromises associated with foldables. Check out the samples below. 

Witcher in Concert night

Food with friends

Taipei streets part 1

Middle Name Coffee and Space

Taipei streets part 2

Instil Coffee

Taipei streets part 3

Taipei at night + Bar Shock

Taipei at night + Backstreet Bar

Side gig

Sushi Party

Apple-friendly and easy to live with

One of the more pleasant surprises was how useful the Apple ecosystem features turned out to be.

Funny story.

I attended a sushi party where one of the guests happened to be an engineer who liked tinkering with hardware. He brought a small development board loaded with chips and components. When powered on, it mimicked the pairing process of AirPods and attempted to communicate with nearby Apple devices.

As he was scanning the room for iPhones, he was surprised to see his setup interacting with the HONOR Magic V6 I was carrying.

It’s a small anecdote, but it serves as a real-world reminder of how much effort HONOR has put into making the device work alongside Apple’s ecosystem.

More practically, I’ve regularly used the Magic V6 to move files between the phone and my MacBook Pro M4. The process is straightforward and useful enough that it naturally became part of my workflow.

The same can be said about durability.

The funny thing is people often comment about how not-so-careful I am with my devices. It’s not that I don’t take care of them. I simply carry a lot of gear at once and sometimes toss things into my bag without thinking too much about it.

Despite that less-than-careful handling, the Magic V6 hasn’t sustained any significant or noticeable damage.

Is the HONOR Magic V6 your GadgetMatch?

The HONOR Magic V6 is the fulfillment of the book-style foldable promise.

It’s a standard-sized smartphone that unfolds into something larger. It unlocks productivity and multitasking capabilities exactly the way you imagine it would.

The weight, thickness, and handling are about as close as you’re going to get to a regular smartphone. What’s remarkable is that HONOR achieved this while also delivering excellent battery life, fast charging, and a camera system that rarely feels like a compromise.

It won’t stop me from being curious about where foldables go next.

But it did remind me how good today’s foldables have already become.

If we’re judging the HONOR Magic V6 based on what a book-style foldable is supposed to be, there is very little left to sacrifice. That’s why I’m giving the Magic V6 the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.