Reviews

vivo V50 review: Valuable Versatility

Midrange MVP?!

Published

April 1, 2025

Vincenz

Being in the tech scene for half a decade now, vivo launching a new smartphone every six months shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The Chinese brand launches the V-series just a few months shy after they introduce the S-line in the mainland. Currently, China has the S20 and S20 Pro.

However, vivo forged a new path this 2025. It’s the first time the company has ditched the “Pro” variant in their latest V-series offering — not just in the Philippines and India, but everywhere else.

That makes the vivo V50 the one and lonely headliner of the roster.

Throw in some trio

Starting with the cherry on top, the vivo V50 packs a triple 50MP camera setup — two at the back, one in front.

	vivo V50	vivo S20
Wide	50MP f/1.88 1/1.55” image sensor	50MP f/1.88 1/1.55” image sensor
Ultra-Wide	50MP f/1.9 119º FoV (Field of View)	8MP f/2.2 119º FoV (Field of View)
Selfie	50MP f/2.0 92º FoV	50MP f/2.0 90º FoV

I’ll be frank. The cameras were barely changed compared to its past two iterations. But, pitted against its Chinese counterpart, the S20 only features an 8MP UWA shooter — miles away from the V50.

Let’s cut to the chase! Here are plenty of photo samples for you to digest.

During the day, 1x photos should look crisp and clear.

Spoiled by the spec sheet above, you’d know by now how the V50 lacks a dedicated telephoto lens (which has always been reserved for the “Pro” models anyway).

1x wide vs 2x zoom

Thanks to its capable image sensor paired with vivo’s in-house imaging chip and other post-AI shenanigans, 2x zoom is still possible.

Veering towards the 50MP Ultra-Wide Angle lens, it should be able to stand on its own.

Albeit, UWA seems to fall a little bit behind against the two other focal length choices.

Looking closely, there’s a lack of color consistency and accuracy, as well as absence of depth, contrast, and overall sharpness.

UWA vs 1x

That’s more discernible when you use it in the night.

Given that the main shooter has THE bigger image sensor, shooting 1x photos in low-light should look more acceptable.

Several swipes from the main camera mode brings you the Super Night mode — and vivo’s software algorithm will do the all the magic for you.

ZEISS on its eyes

For the record, the vivo V50 is NOT the first non-Pro V-phone that headlined ZEISS. Rather, it was its predecessor, the V40.

Still, the V50 rocks the same German lens maker’s power in imaging camera system. That’s one thing why it’s superior to its Chinese cousin that never had the ZEISS class.

As you fire up the app, you can choose between three color modes.

ZEISS Natural, being the default one, just means vivo wanted to highlight this everlasting imaging partnership.

It’s simply the right balance of everything in-between.

There’s also Vivid in instances where you want your subjects to have that pop in both color and contrast.

Personally, I use the Textured color mode more than what I have expected as I love how “dramatic” it looks.

Seen in all these snaps, there’s an obvious vignetting happening around the frame.

Furthermore, contrast and shadows were also bumped up. Highlights? The opposite.

This color choice is even more favorable in shots taken during the golden hour.

If you still cannot differentiate each and every color mode, I’ll let these GIFs speak for themselves.

PRO-traits without the “PRO” name

vivo heavily markets the V50 as a smartphone fully dedicated to “Pro”-looking portraits. Selfies even.

But, it’s not just marketing talk. They serve the real deal.

Just like the V30 Pro, V40 series, and even the X-series from the yesteryears, the V50 packs the signature ZEISS Style Bokeh Effects that I’ve loved ever since the X80 Pro.

Those include Sonnar, Planar, Distagon, B-speed, Natural, Cinematic, Cine-flare, and my all-time fave, Biotar.

These special ZEISS lens imitations make newer vivo phones stand out from other brands — specifically in portrait shooting.

It’s not limited to human subjects though as it also works on pets.

Another noteworthy aspect is the Film Camera mode. This can be accessed just by swiping up from the bottom part of the camera app.

vivo X200 Pro vs vivo V50

If the latest X200 phones have the “Humanistic Street Snap Camera”, the V50 gives users a different approach.

This special camera mode lets you take Polaroid / Instax-like snaps with your chosen filter and film look.

Lastly, its front-facing 50MP camera is also a good performer.

It lives up to its name of taking PRO-traits.

And to make it better than the higher-end X-models, only V phones like the V50 boasts a selfie camera that can take an even wider 92-degree FoV.

This is very beneficial for users who take selfies with a showcase in scenery. Or groufies to make everyone fit into the frame.

Enlighten with a BIGGER Aura

Another specific feature that can only be found on the V-series is the Aura Light. ICYMI, vivo introduced this way back in the V27 series as a “ring light” replacement to regular flash units.

Now with an even bigger circumference compared to last year, the new Aura Light Portrait 2.0 should make your portraits naturally brighter (not artificially).

Aside from different brightness levels, you can also manually adjust the temperature spectrum according to your desire.

Aura Light OFF vs Aura Light ON

This is beneficial in scenarios where you want a fill light to ramp up the darker parts of your face. The best thing? You can pair it up while using Portrait Mode!

Aura Light OFF vs Aura Light ON

NGL, it even makes food look (surprisingly) more appetizing.

Incremental yet Monumental

The overall look of the V50 is very reminiscent of its predecessor — especially by keeping that courageously curvaceous camera hump.

Aside from this bare and very rare Ancora Red (or Rose Red) colorway, only minuscule differences stand out in the successor.

The most obvious change is the removal of that aging dual-curved display in favor of a quad-curved one — usually found on modern-day flagships.

Honestly, this is one big reason why I like the V50 over the V40.

Overall UI navigation feels more seamless. It also minimizes the existence of dark edges and screen bleeding.

While the nerd in me is worried that the new 6.77-inch AMOLED display has a slightly smaller resolution (1080p vs 1.2K) and lesser pixel density (387 ppi vs 452 ppi), it’s still a 120Hz screen where I truly enjoy consuming content.

I aspire to be as cool and chill as Kim Mu-bee

Blacks are truly black. Whites are adequately white.

Most of all, colors ultimately pop thanks to the added 1 Billion Colors support — aside from having HDR10+ and the quintessential DCI-P3 wide color gamut.

For outdoor legibility, its 4500 nits of peak brightness will more than suffice.

Unfortunately, the V50 still packs an optical fingerprint scanner instead of ultrasonic. Aside from slower unlocking speeds, wet fingers are harder to recognize.

Not that it’s a huge deal but, for the company who revolutionized such tech and how they weren’t able to use it in their new phones still baffles me.

Just like its small design refinements, the same thing can be said when you look under V50’s hood.

Three models in a row, the vivo V50 still rocks Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 4nm SoC.

Configurations weren’t changed: 8/12GB memory + 128/256/512GB storage options.

As one would expect, less-demanding games should run fast and snappy.

But, for graphics-intensive titles like Ace Racer and Zenless Zone Zero, expect some wear and tear and degradation in overall performance. The VC chamber can cool down the phone, but you’ll still feel it heating up if you play for a longer period.

Although Ultra Game Mode can level up the gameplay, it will greatly impact battery longevity.

And while already in the topic, battery and charging speed were also improved: 6000mAh Si/C + 90W (in contrast to last year’s 5500mAh Si/C + 80W).

It would be a huge denial if I don’t say I’m envious that the vivo S20 has an even bigger 6500mAh Si/C battery despite having a thinner chassis at just 7.19mm (compared to V50’s 7.39mm)

That said, moderately using the V50 (mostly for social media browsing or entertainment consumption) should last you a day. Two or more than that when used ever-so slightly.

Still, you could easily drain the phone’s battery before the day ends when used heavily — either for gaming or using the camera for long hours of photowalk — much like how I did in Singapore.

Fortunately, purchasing the V50 still guarantees you a FlashCharge adapter and cable.

But how fast 90W takes to fill up a ginormous battery? Here are my GadgetMatch Charge Test results:

From 0%	START TIME: 1:50AM
3 minutes	1%
5 minutes	6%
10 minutes	12%
15 minutes	24%
20 minutes	33%
30 minutes	56%
40 minutes	71%
45 minutes	82%
50 minutes	88%
*100%*	1 hour, 1 minute END TIME: 2:51AM

Before I forget, the V50 still has the brag-worthy IP68/IP69 rating like the V40.

Despite some of its drawbacks, this is still a huge win over the vivo S20’s measly IP64 rating.

Funtastic OS?!

The vivo V50 runs Funtouch OS 15 based on Android 15.

Against the competition, it’s simple yet straightforward — most especially against that one overHYPED OS.

Overall animation speed is smoother than ever. Display size, certain animation styles, even the color, shape, and look of the icons can be adjusted / customized. There’s also little bloat to worry about.

If there’s one thing I’m still not used to, it’s the Notifications slash Control Center page.

Most Android manufacturers have already adapted to the iPhone-like layout which is always easier to access.

Hopefully they’ll replace this bad ol’ layout it in the next version of Funtouch OS.

With AI (Artificial Intelligence) being the buzzword of each and every tech company out there for the past year or so, it’s still worthy to share that the V50 has Google’s AI features installed right out of the box.

Aside from Google Gemini, there’s also Circle to Search that’s always accessible by long-pressing the bottom bar.

This is a realization that these will eventually come to newer Android smartphones and aren’t fully-exclusive to one smartphone brand nor the “bestest” flagship phone of 2025 👀

Other AI-induced feats still remain such as AI Erase 2.0, AI Image Studio, Live Call Translation, Screen Translation, Transcript Assist. Even as far as boosting signal coverage through AI SuperLink.

Is the vivo V50 your GadgetMatch?

I consider the vivo V50 a “Midrange MVP” — NOT the Most Valuable Player in its category. Rather, the More Valuable Phone than vivo’s very-own “Pro” midranger.

Albeit, with a price tag of PhP 27,999 and PhP 30,999 for the 256GB and 512GB models respectively, being “valuable” doesn’t necessarily equate to being “affordable”.

With that price alone, I’d say Swipe Left if you’re a user who’s looking for anything and everything related to power-packed hardware. There are plenty of fishes in the midrange sea.

But, for all the special feats the V50 possesses, it’s simply a unique phone.

It’s understandable how vivo wanted to deliver this type of phone to niche users in such a vast and saturated market.

Swipe Right if you’re the type who takes a barrage of selfies and portraits in one go. Bonus points go to the very capable camera system and more than enough hardware for your daily needs.

Although if you’re like me who shoots a lot of zoomed imagery, the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens is quite a loss and that 2x shooter sometimes won’t cut it.

Nevertheless, vivo bringing the ZEISS treatment to the midrange class isn’t something we should brush off lightly. It’s a bold move to bring all the imaging mastery in such a midranger — which barely felt mid at all.

Pair that with its one of a kind Aura Light feature, it’s a smartphone you just cannot ignore.

The vivo V50, with all its glorious camera bells and whistles, makes it a worthy recipient of the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.

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.

@manilaconnoisseur

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♬ original sound – Manila Connoisseur – Manila Connoisseur

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.