News

HONOR Magic V3 is 2024’s slimmest foldable

Launched alongside the Magic Vs3

Published

July 13, 2024

Vincenz

Just days after Samsung’s grandeur Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event in Paris, France (together with the all-new Galaxy Z Fold6), HONOR abruptly steals the spotlight with the revelation of the newest Magic V3 and Vs3 foldables in China.

Slimmest fold of 2024

HONOR has challenged their own record and managed to beat the Magic V2’s already impressive 9.9mm chassis with an impossibly thinner 9.2mm thin design. Mind you, we’re talking about the foldable in its folded state.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Moreover, it’s expected to become lighter as well. The HONOR Magic V3 now weighs at just 226 grams — 11 grams lighter than its predecessor. Still, vivo holds the record for having the lightest foldable of ’em all with the X Fold3 at 219 grams.

HONOR has achieved this breakthrough thanks to their Luban Hinge Architecture. If you remember, it’s also found on the company’s first flip, the Magic V Flip.

It’s the company’s second-generation self-developed shield steel that’s ultra high in strength yet light as well. It delivers a smooth folding and unfolding experience and can withstand up to 2100MPa of pressure.

And to make the HONOR Magic V3 durable than ever, it employs a new back material called Aerospace Special Fiber. This promises up to 40x stronger protection than conventional glass. A stronger 7 Series Aluminum Alloy frame is present as well.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Finally, the Magic V3 now features an IP certification. IPX8 rating makes the foldable withstand depths of water down to 2.5 meters. Using it with wet hands won’t ruin your device either.

Mighty like a V3 Engine

The madness doesn’t stop there! Under the hood, the HONOR Magic V3 runs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC with Adreno 750 graphics.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

You can either have it in 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage options. Onboard memory starts at 12GB and maxes out at 16GB. However, last year’s Magic V2 was only offered in a loner but bigger 16GB RAM.

Worried about cooling in such a thin chassis? Well, the Chinese company spotlights its Cicada Wing Titanium VC (Vapor Cooling) Chamber and manages to provide enough cooling while being so slim at 0.22mm.

As evident as it looks in the new bigger camera island, the Magic V3 features improved cameras across the board: 50MP f/1.6 main (wide) sensor, another 50MP f/3.0 telephoto shooter with a farther 3.5x optical zoom (from 2.5x). Lastly, a 40MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens with 112-degree FoV (Field of View).

For outer and inner selfie cameras, HONOR has also slightly tweaked ’em: 20MP f/2.0 with 90-degree FoV (from Magic V2’s 16MP f/2.2).

Keeping What’s Already Impressive

The HONOR Magic V3 still keeps the already impressive 6.43-inch outer and 7.92-inch inner LTPO OLED displays of its predecessor.

Those also mean great stuff remain like its 1~120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 4320Hz PWM Dimming, DCI-P3 wide color gamut and support for 1.07 Billion Colors plus Dolby Vision.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The displays are both protected by King Kong Giant Rhino (external) and King Kong Flexible Armor (internal). Albeit, some improvements in brightness like 1800 nits in peak and up to 5000 nits in HBM (High Brightness Mode).

Fast charging speed remains the same (66W SuperCharge) but capacity has slightly been boosted from 5000mAh to 5150mAh — still with Si/C (Silicon/Carbon) battery tech. Additionally, it’s worthy to point out though that it finally supports 50W wireless charging.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Not that we are complaining but vivo also holds the record for having the biggest battery and fastest charging in a book-style foldable so far — 5700mAh paired with 100W wired FlashCharge on the vivo X Fold3 Pro.

The Love Child of Magic V2 and V3?

Already on HONOR’s third “Vs” iteration, the Magic Vs3 is evidently the underpowered Magic V3. But unlike past generations, the Magic Vs3 doesn’t use the same design as its full counterpart with its less attractive looks (subjective).

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Other than its 9.8mm chassis (0.1mm slimmer than the Magic V2), it also shares last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip found on previous foldable flagship.

More key features remain the same: 6.43-inch cover + 7.92-inch foldable LTPO OLED adaptive 120Hz displays, 16MP f/2.2 selfie shooters, and a 50MP f/1.9 main rear camera like the V2.

But some changes include Magic V3’s 40MP 112-degree f/2.2 UWA lens and a smaller 8MP f/3.4 telephoto unit — yet with the farthest 5x optical zoom of the bunch.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Base memory still starts at 12GB but continues to be the selection even when you opt for the 512GB storage option. While it also has the same 5000mAh battery as the V2, the Magic Vs3 sticks with the conventional Li-Po (Lithium-Polymer) battery tech instead of Si/C (Silicon/Carbon).

On a good note, it also supports 50W wireless charging like the Magic V3.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

It’s quite the love child of Magic V2 and V3 — or like a Magic V2 on a new skin with some tweaks. Both of these Magical foldables run on a newer MagicOS 8.0 software based on Android 14.

AI features should already be expected much like every new Android flagship out there. However, satellite connectivity is limited to the Magic V3 only.

Pricing and Availability

The HONOR Magic V3 and Vs3 are available in these nature-inspired colorways: Qilian Snow, Tundra Green, and Velvet Black. Additionally, the Silk Road Dunhuang color choice is exclusive to the Magic V3.

Pricing and configuration of each foldable are as follows:

Magic V3

12+256GB = CNY 8999 (US$ 1237 / EUR 1143 / GBP 966 / SG$ 1669 / PhP 72,115 / INR 103,287)
16+512GB = CNY 9999 (US$ 1374 / EUR 1270 / GBP 1073 / SG$ 1854 / PhP 80,129 / INR 114,765)
16+1TB = CNY 10,999 (US$ 1512 / EUR 1396 / GBP 1180 / SG$ 2040 / PhP 88,142 / INR 126,243)

Magic Vs3

12+256GB = CNY 6999 (US$ 962 / EUR 888 / GBP 751 / SG$ 1298 / PhP 56,088 / INR 80,332)
12+512GB = CNY 7699 (US$ 1058 / EUR 977 / GBP 826 / SG$ 1428 / PhP 61,697 / INR 88,367)
16+1TB = CNY 8699 (US$ 1196 / EUR 1104 / GBP 933 / SG$ 1613 / PhP 69,710 / INR 99,844)

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Global availability was never mentioned but we are expecting HONOR will at least sell the Magic V3 in international shelves soon much like its predecessor.

Finance

HONOR, Fidesmo partner for contactless payments across Europe, Middle East

Enabling contactless payments on the HONOR Watch 6

Published

September 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

HONOR and Fidesmo have partnered to launch contactless payments across Europe and the Middle East on the HONOR Watch 6.

Powered by Fidesmo Pay, the integration enables users to connect an existing Mastercard or Visa card to their watch and complete contactless transactions directly from the wearable device.

This brings Fidesmo’s network of over 900 banks and financial institutions to HONOR’s customers. Users can connect an existing card to the HONOR Watch 6 instantly through the HONOR Health App, which installs a unique token directly onto the watch.

Acting as a secure reference to the payment method, this token allows customers to pay without storing their actual payment details on the device. Once installed, users can tap the watch at any
contactless terminal to pay, just as they would with a card or phone.

HONOR joins a group of device partners that already includes Swatch, Polar, and Mondaine as Fidesmo continues to build momentum across categories.

Entertainment

Max vs 100 will feature Max Verstappen race against 100 go-karters

The live event will stream at midnight on September 17.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As a child, one of my favorite thought experiments is to imagine who would win in a fight between my favorite characters at the time and a number of other random beings. For example, will Superman prevail against 100 Magnetos? Those are the ways I kept my young mind occupied. Now, as a former child, I still do the same thing but with more realistic people, like imagining if Steph Curry can win against 100 high schoolers. This week, ESPN and Disney+ are making one of those imaginary fights real: Formula 1 legend Max Verstappen versus 100 go-karters.

In an upcoming live event streaming exclusively on Disney+, Max vs 100 will pit the four-time world champion against 100 go-karters from everywhere in pop culture. This gaggle of 100 will include popular content creators such as Twitch streamer ExtraEmily, car photographer Larry Chen, and NBA shooting coach Chris Matthews.

All 101 drivers will race around one of the most iconic tracks in Formula 1 history, Silverstone in England. The track will be reconfigured to match the special race.

Of course, this is more than just a parade of go-karts. Max Verstappen will start at the back of the grid, meaning he has to overtake all 100 racers to win. Now, the Dutch driver is no stranger to winning from the back. In 2024, he won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix despite starting from P17 (out of 20 racers). Max vs 100, though familiar for the driver, presents a different challenge. Can he overtake 100 times to win the race?

Max vs 100 will stream live through Disney+ on September 17, 12:00am PHT.

Apps

Apple’s best feature to cure motion sickness is finally on Android

Google copies a good page from Apple’s playbook.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As an Android user, I’ve been jealous of iPhone users for a while now, but it’s not for the reason you might think. See, I’m ridiculously prone to motion sickness when I’m not driving. So, when I discovered that Apple has a software-based cure called Vehicle Motion Cues, I wanted it immediately. Now, Android does have third-party apps that do the same thing, but they’re not as good as a fully native version. Well, those dark, nauseating days are about to come to an end. Android 17 is finally getting a similar tool called Motion assist.

Before that, let’s rewind for a bit. What do these features do? How can they cure motion sickness?

Whenever you open Vehicle Motion Cues or Motion assist, the interface spawns a series of dots on the screen. These dots respond to movement. For example, if the vehicle turns to the left, the dots also go to the left, mimicking the movement. Without cues like this, the stationary nature of the screen clashes with our brain’s perception of movement. The disparity creates that feeling of nausea. Basically, our eyes are desperately trying to focus on the static screen, but our brains are telling us that we should be seeing motion. Having moving dots reorients our brain and places the phone inside our perception of movement.

Now, you can enable the same feature on your Android 17 device through Settings > All services > Motion assist under Personal & device safety. You can also set it so that the feature turns on automatically when the phone detects that you’re in a moving vehicle. Finally, you can also tweak the shape, color, and opacity of these dots.

Android 17’s Motion assist is rolling out now to compatible devices.