Reviews

30 days with the Infinix GT 30 Pro

Infinix’s midrange crown jewel delivers what it is supposed to do

Published

July 22, 2025

Infinix’s GT series has always been the brand’s crown jewel when it comes to affordable gaming smartphones that still deliver topnotch performance.

The Infinix GT 30 Pro is the latest iteration of the series, and it’s no different. The timing of its release couldn’t have been better too, as new mobile titles have just been introduced.

There’s no better way to test those than by playing them on a reliable handset that performs well for what it is chiefly intended for.

Here’s how the Infinix GT 30 Pro fared for various games — as well as other scenarios — throughout a month of usage.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

In the Philippines, the Infinix GT 30 Pro is the current official smartphone of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL).

So it’s only quite fitting that I tried several games with the phone. As expected, it went without any hiccups at all.

I set the graphics settings to the maximum possible and the device just let me focus on intense clashes, lane pushes, and victories.

Honor of Kings

Honor of Kings likewise ran smoothly on the GT 30 Pro. There’s been discussion that this particular MOBA title is more demanding than MLBB, but even then, it shouldn’t be the biggest test for the device.

It’s good to know that it works smoothly, though, on the GT 30 Pro. There wasn’t any lagging nor screen freezing in the heat of the battle.

The display is responsive for quick successive touches. The map, characters, and visual effects look clearer and more defined as well.

That’s where the device sets itself apart from budget smartphones that can also run the same titles, albeit in lower settings.

There’s simply more immersion, given the phone’s AMOLED display, refresh rate, and higher pixel density, on top of its capable processor.

In terms of battery consumption, you will expend about 12 to 15% of the battery life per hour for these titles, in high graphics and FPS settings.

Asphalt Legends Unite

One of GadgetMatch’s favorite mobile games to try, Asphalt Legends Unite (formerly Asphalt 9: Legends) also gave sharp and crystal-clear visuals when played on the GT 30 Pro, compared to cheaper devices. Edges of the cars or fancy effects don’t look too jagged.

The JBL-tuned speaker system provided ample level of audio immersion. It’s another one of those titles that you know will run steadily on the GT 30 Pro even when the phone is set to just Power Saving or Equilibrium.

Dunk City Dynasty

A relatively new mobile game that released last May, Dunk City Dynasty features NBA superstars in a unique gameplay experience.

The overall visual style of the interface, characters, and outdoor courts, is vibrant and colorful. Somehow, it reflects street basketball culture, from its graffiti-inspired elements and support for personalization and customization.

The gameplay itself, however, kind of feels a bit off personally. Perhaps, I’m used to NBA 2K level simulation. Nevertheless, it worked just fine on the phone, as expected.

Marvel Mystic Mayhem

Rounding out the list of light games is the newly-released Marvel Mystic Mayhem. This team-based tactical RPG lets you form a team of heroes and villains as you progress through levels.

It features real-time combat and lets players strategically activate skills in the middle of battles. Again, it ran smoothly on the device.

It’s not perfect, but I’m fond of the design as it looks very comic booky. The game isn’t boring either.

There’s no question that these lighter games can also run on cheaper gaming phones. But what you get playing them on the Infinix GT 30 Pro is the promise of better graphics and smoother gameplay for longer sessions.

The more days have progressed throughout the month-long trial, the more I appreciated trying out new games with this device.

It lets you focus on the actual gameplay and storyline instead of having to worry if the game runs without problems.

Call of Duty: Mobile

CODM was a game that had new updates recently as they rolled out a Gundam collaboration earlier in the month.

I did try it a bit and perhaps, this is where the new built-in GT Triggers can play a key role since you sometimes have to fly and execute skills simultaneously.

I stuck to quick multiplayer sessions most of the time. Quick movement like facing left and right didn’t feel like it had motion blur or whatnot. No lags and frame drops either throughout hours of gaming.

Touch Optimization also helps to make scrolling and gliding your fingers on the screen a lot smoother and with less friction.

But as this is a more demanding title, when in Performance Mode, you’ll drain up to about 20% battery life in an hour.

Wuthering Waves

Quite impressively, the Infinix GT 30 Pro held up pretty well with Kuro Games’ own RPG even with the graphics and resolution set to overload.

And that’s with the real-time combat mechanics on this title, instead of turn-based like the next game below.

The device does drain battery a lot faster and gets a bit hotter with this game on, but it’s all good. This is where you can utilize the magnetic cooler that comes with the package.

Honkai: Star Rail

Onto one of the most demanding games for phones. This is where the GT 30 Pro heated up significantly, but not to a point where it felt alarming.

I played HoYoverse’s role-playing gacha game with its graphics settings set to the maximum possible and frame rate set to 60 FPS.

In-battle visual effects look splendid. Sessions went mostly smoothly even for hours. There will probably just be one or two instances of stuttering.

But of course, you’ll lose around 25% battery life per hour so if unless you’re home, it’s best to dial down those settings to medium.

If you’re going all-in, it’s best to have the cooler stuck onto the phone’s back throughout. It lowers the temperature from about 45°C to about 37 or 38°C.

And by the way, Extreme Mode, which is a tier above High-Performance Mode, unlocks when you have the phone plugged in and charging.

In case you really need that extra power, I suggest having both the charger and cooler used at the same time.

Optimized for livestreaming

Another aspect the Infinix GT 30 Pro excels at is livestreaming. It actually did not heat up significantly and can carry out the task even when it isn’t charging or leveraging the cooler.

I tested the phone for livestreaming sessions for ecommerce apps like Shopee and TikTok. It performed impressively. Depending on your internet speed, the output quality will be up to 720p.

You do lose about 15 to 20% of battery life per hour, so you can opt for Bypass Charging if you’re going for long sessions.

All things considered, it’s a great phone to have for ecommerce affiliates and live sellers altogether.

Connectivity issues

On the downside, I was quite bummed out that the GT 30 Pro kept disconnecting from Wi-Fi several times for online games.

You have to exit the game for a few seconds, open the Wi-Fi settings, and then reconnect it again. It’s just a huge momentum killer.

So the best way to enjoy games especially when there’s real-time combat against real-world opponents is to also have mobile data turned on.

Under this setting, the Network Enhancement features will ensure stable connection. Plus, the phone has 5.5G support for stronger network performance.

XArena

If you’re an Infinix regular, by now, you should know this device also has XArena, which allows you to organize all the games you play on one hub.

You can also see some vital information on the home screen of the hub, in between gaming sessions.

Charging tech

As with other Infinix phones, the GT 30 Pro features some of the brand’s well-known battery technologies, including Bypass Charging.

This feature is great to utilize for more demanding games so you can keep the phone’s temperature lower.

The phone also supports magnetic charging, as well as reverse magnetic and wired charging.

AI integration

Similarly, the phone also comes with AI features, including the Folax AI assistant, and AI-powered features for writing, recording, real-time translation, and more.

These are just handy features you can take advantage of when using the phone outside of gaming.

Design

Design-wise, the Infinix GT 30 Pro kind of feels it has more toned down look, compared to the previous GT 20 Pro that just screamed mecha-inspired right off the bat.

As mentioned above, Infinix opted for actual physical shoulder triggers instead of attachable freebies from the previous iteration.

The brand also let go of the finger sleeves as there’s touch optimization anyway.

At the back, there are customizable mechanical light waves.

The cooler also comes with RGB lighting.

It’s not to say there aren’t patterns at the back to expressively make the phone look more like a gaming-centric one but the reflective cover also takes away from that.

You put on the case that supports the cooler and magnetic charging to add more flair. But that’s just me; the Gaming Master Edition might look a lot better.

Camera performance

As chronicled in a separate post, the Infinix GT 30 Pro’s camera package is reliable.

You can get good sharpness, detail, and color using the main camera. There’s enough detail retained for captures at up to 3X or 4X zoom.

Granted, not everything is perfect, but for the device’s price point, it’s a good bonus to have.

SEE: GadgetSnaps: Infinix GT 30 Pro at TOYCON 2025, more

Is the Infinix GT 30 Pro your GadgetMatch?

The Infinix GT 30 Pro is an easy Swipe Right if you are looking for a budget-friendly gaming phone that performs reliably.

While there are very minor issues, when you compare this handset to other lower midrange gaming offerings, it’s easy to see why there is a strong demand for Infinix devices in markets they’re strong in, including the Philippines.

The 8GB+256GB variant also retails for just PhP 13,999. That’s just less than US$ 250 and just above EUR 213 when directly converted.

Infinix GT 30 Pro specs:

Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Ultimate, 4nm process, up to 3.35GHz
OS: XOS 15
Memory: Up to 12GB base RAM with up to 12GB RAM expansion
Internal storage: Up to 512GB (in the Philippines)
Display: 6.78-inch 1.5K 144Hz AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, 93.7% screen-to-body ratio, 100% DCI-P3 4,500nits peak brightness
Battery: 5,500mAh
Charging: 45W wired, 30W wireless, 10W reverse wired, 5W reverse wireless
Cameras: 108MP main, 8MP ultra-wide angle, 13MP selfie
IP64 dust and water resistance

Related Topics:Call of Duty Mobile Honkai: Star Rail Infinix Infinix GT 30 Pro Infinix GT series Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Reviews

The realme P4 Power: realme’s midrange power play?

A power bank and a phone — and more

Published

June 19, 2026

Manila Connoisseur

Whenever a brand slaps a “long battery life” label on a box, we take it with a grain of salt.

Even as smartphone battery capacities have become larger as of late, endurance is still subjective. It’s heavily dependent on your daily screen time, signal strength, and other habits.

But when a smartphone lands on your desk with a gargantuan 10,001mAh battery, then that subjectivity basically goes right out the window.

That’s what the realme P4 Power chiefly brings to the Philippine market for the first time, in the brand’s P series relatively quiet debut in the country.

It’s here to eliminate low-battery anxiety and render your bulky external power banks completely obsolete.

Tether-less freedom

We wielded this device for weeks as a primary daily driver, and the endurance is nothing short of black magic.

The daily rotation included endless social media scrolling, video streaming, continuous navigation, and a relentless stress test: serving as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot for up to three separate devices simultaneously.

Through all that usage, the phone flat-out refused to die. I didn’t consciously “try” to drain it. I just know it would last an entire day for up to the wee hours.

When acting as a multi-device router, the chassis does heat up slightly, but it never crosses into alarming or uncomfortable territory.

It simply sips power, providing a level of tether-less freedom that no standard 5,000mAh or 6,000mAh smartphone can replicate.

When it is finally time to recharge the device, it supports 80W SUPERVOOC charging so you won’t have to spend hours waiting.

Even if you don’t replenish it back up to 100%, an hour’s worth of charging should keep you going the extra distance.

Immersive visuals, casual performance

The massive battery pairs beautifully with a expansive 6.8-inch 144Hz AMOLED display. With a high, 453ppi pixel density and 1280 x 2800 resolution, media consumption and gaming become highly engaging — at least from a visuals standpoint.

There is a wider aspect ratio so you don’t get a comically long phone, and a curved screen. We aren’t typical fond of this but the curvature seems subtle, meaning no accidental edge touches.

When it comes to performance, the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra chipset handles everyday tasks and casual, less-demanding titles with absolute ease.

However, when jumping into competitive matches of Call of Duty: Mobile or exploring the heavy landscapes of Honkai: Star Rail, you will encounter frame drops and stuttering from time to time.

It’s never jarring enough to ruin your match or hinder what you’re trying to do, but it does occasionally disrupt an otherwise smooth gaming experience.

If anything, there’s Championship Mode and GT Mode to optimize the device for such tasks. Bypass Charging is a bonus so you can keep playing without the risk of device overheating.

Audio is loud but somewhat flat, but I didn’t expect much.

Heavy, mecha-inspired tank

That display curvature is part of the phone’s overall aesthetic. Around the back, the realme P4 Power embraces its “all about power” persona with a distinct, machine-inspired design language.

The upper half where the camera island is located, in particular, look aggressive and sharp, as if a nod to mobile gaming. The colorway for this unit is silver metallic.

However, housing a 10,000mAh cell requires a serious physical compromise: weight. This phone is significantly, undeniably heavy.

The sheer heft is a constant reminder of the juice it carries, to the point where switching back to a “normal” smartphone yields a stark, instantly noticeable contrast in your hand and pockets.

Reliable main camera, lagging selfies

For its camera package, the realme P4 Power comes with a dependable 50MP main camera with a Sony IMX882 sensor.

I didn’t exactly “test” the camera but just naturally used it whenever I was out and about. Hence, I ended up with plenty of food, product reviews, and random finds.

Performance is decent, with the 1x to 1.5x range being the sweet spot. Compared to budget devices, there is definitely more detail and texture.

Color reproduction is likewise amenable, with some depth and acceptable clarity. But camera-centric mid-rangers can obviously offer punchier, more “popped-up” contrast.

With OIS, video recording is likewise smooth. It’s usable for casual vlogging, although lighting is still the catch. You’ll need an extra tofu light for instance, which sacrifices the portability of the phone itself.

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The selfie camera, meanwhile, also lags compared to older realme number series devices I’ve used. Sharpness, vividness, and color accuracy are lacking.

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Built to survive the elements

As an added bonus, realme didn’t sacrifice ruggedness for the sake of capacity. The handset comes armed with a familiar IP69 rating for dust and water resistance, including high-pressure water jets and submersion.

We took it out on outdoor jogs, and heavy sweat didn’t cause a single issue. Even when dealing with moisture, the display’s touch optimization remained responsive.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

The realme P4 Power sits right in the competitive PhP 25,999 price bracket. In an era where smartphone prices are continuously climbing, it still offers a value proposition as an all-around mid-range device.

Think of it as buying a standard mid-ranger plus a power bank, minus the double pocket clutter. Long-term battery degradation remains to be seen but it seems the device is a fair purchase for power users.

It’s a close call, but the P4 Power is still a Swipe Right especially if your lifestyle demands endless battery life above all else.

Reviews

HONOR Watch 6 Review: Less guessing, more knowing

Beyond educated guesses

Published

June 18, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

After a week with the HONOR Watch 6, I realized I liked having data on things I normally would just leave to uneducated guesses.

I love seeing my sleep metrics, knowing if my heart is actually racing, and seeing notifications on the fly. These are things I find truly helpful in how I go about life currently. That’s why I can already see myself using the watch beyond the review period.

The thing is, I wasn’t expecting any of this.

The first thing that jumped out at me when I first wore the HONOR Watch 6 was that it barely felt like it was there. I was half expecting it to be this chunky-feeling thing. But it wasn’t. I was pleasantly surprised.

I have the silver model with the brown leather strap, and it feels light to wear. That was key for me because what I really wanted to track more than anything was my sleep.

The only time I really started to notice that I was wearing it practically all the time was around the fifth or sixth day. And honestly, that says a lot because I tend to want to take off most of the smartwatches I’ve used in the past.

A smartwatch that fits daily life

The brown leather strap is inoffensive in the best possible way. It blends well with both casual wear and smart casual outfits, which made it easy to keep on throughout the week.

In fact, I think it looks more at home during everyday life than during intense workouts.

That’s why I found myself looking at the HONOR Watch 6 less as a fitness watch and more as a health tracker that looks nice and tells me if there’s a proverbial fire I need to put out — or if she remembered me that day.

The display also quietly did its job.

Of course it’s a TWICE notification

You know, I didn’t even think about it. Whenever I needed to check the time or glance at a notification, I simply gestured as anyone would to look at their watch. No matter where I was, what I needed to see was readily visible.

That’s probably the highest compliment I can give a smartwatch display. It never gave me a reason to think about it.

Managing attention without reaching for my phone

Oof. I cannot overstate how many notifications I get on any given day.

As a Managing Editor with occasional side hustles, notifications come from multiple messaging apps. One moment I’m tracking production progress on WhatsApp, the next I’m checking what the team is discussing on Telegram. Then there are the emails, Messenger messages from friends, and the “… sent you a reel” notifications that have recently dropped in frequency to my dismay.

I don’t always want to pull out my phone to check these.

What I appreciated most about the HONOR Watch 6 is that notifications are grouped by app, and each one provides a clean preview. It gives me enough information to quickly assess what needs attention and what can wait.

For someone who is constantly juggling attention, that proved surprisingly useful.

Replacing guesses with data

The feature I was most interested in wasn’t fitness tracking.

It was sleep tracking.

Some time ago, a friend of mine started tracking her sleep and it helped her better regulate her energy throughout the day. I am nowhere near that level of discipline, but I was curious.

Between traveling across time zones, late-night coverage, doomscrolling, revenge bedtime procrastination, and everything else life throws at us, I honestly wasn’t sure if I was getting enough sleep.

What I learned is that I tend to wake up at least once in the middle of the night. Not for anything, really. I just do.

The mornings that felt best were often the nights where my sleep wasn’t interrupted. I know that sounds obvious, but if you’re not actively paying attention, these are the kinds of patterns you can easily miss.

The same goes for heart rate tracking.

During a particularly stressful stretch, I noticed my heart rate was consistently elevated. It wasn’t exactly surprising, but seeing the data attached to the feeling made it feel more real.

That’s what I found myself appreciating most about the HONOR Watch 6. It didn’t magically solve anything. It simply helped me replace assumptions with information.

Battery life that quietly impressed

As of taking the photos, the battery life is at 39% – still coming off the first initial charge.

I charged the watch the moment I unboxed it. Seven days later, it was sitting at 59%.

During that time, I wore it constantly. Notifications were enabled. Health tracking was enabled. I tracked a handful of kettlebell workouts and wore it while sleeping.

I wasn’t exactly pushing the watch to its limits, but I also wasn’t babying it.

The result was a battery experience that quickly faded into the background. That’s exactly what I want from a smartwatch.

Everything else

To be completely honest, I didn’t have the time or bandwidth to thoroughly test every feature.

My workout sessions were limited to a few kettlebell workouts and my usual walking. That said, the breadth of sports tracking available here is impressive. If you can think of an activity, there’s a good chance the HONOR Watch 6 can track it.

Pairing was also straightforward. The initial setup process and software updates went smoothly, even if updates immediately after unboxing remain one of my least favorite parts of testing any device.

My one annoyance came from using the watch with multiple HONOR phones. At times, notifications would arrive twice or arrive at slightly different times depending on which device was relaying them. There’s probably a setting that solves this. I just didn’t have the opportunity to dig deeper.

Same notification, two different phones

As for features like AI Recorder and NFC payments, I simply didn’t encounter situations where they became essential to my routine. That’s not necessarily a criticism. It may simply reflect how different people use smartwatches.

Is the HONOR Watch 6 your GadgetMatch?

Something I don’t think we’ve talked about enough is that the HONOR Watch 6 also works well with an iPhone.

If you don’t particularly like the look of the Apple Watch but still want a smartwatch on your wrist, this is a viable alternative.

The HONOR Watch 6 is for people who want useful technology that blends into everyday life. It looks good enough for casual outings and nicer occasions alike, while still offering the usual smartwatch essentials like health tracking, workout monitoring, notifications, and long battery life.

After about a week with the HONOR Watch 6, I realized I liked having data on things I normally would just leave to uneducated guesses.

Smartwatches aren’t for everyone. But if you fancy having one, the HONOR Watch 6 is an easy swipe right.

It has the right features, excellent battery life, and a design that fits comfortably into many parts of daily life.

That’s really all most people need.

Reviews

HONOR Magic V6 review: The best version of a book-style foldable?

Little left to sacrifice

Published

June 11, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

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.

Why is Karina giving so much Shego vibes here?

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.