Magic V2, the World’s Thinnest Foldable Phone, Will Soon Be Available Outside China – CNET [CNET]

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Honor’s Magic V2 fits flagship hardware and specs inside its slim frame.

Sareena Dayaram
Sareena Dayaram
Sareena Dayaram Senior Editor

Sareena is a senior editor for CNET covering the mobile beat including device reviews. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with more than a decade’s worth of experience producing stories for television and digital publications across Asia’s financial capitals including Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. Prior to CNET, Sareena worked at CNN as a news writer and Reuters as a producer.

Expertise Huawei, Oppo, smartphones, smartwatches Credentials

  • More than a decade of journalism experience

After first debuting in its native China, Honor’s slim foldable phone will soon be available internationally, giving Samsung fresh competition to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5. The announcement was made at the IFA event in Berlin on Friday alongside the reveal of a stylish concept phone called the Honor V Purse.

The Magic V2 will go on sale in parts of Europe and the UK, among other countries, before the first quarter of next year. Honor says there are currently no plans for a release in the United States. The company didn’t reveal pricing information but in its native China, the V2 starts at 8,999 yuan. This converts to roughly $1,250, £970 or AU$1,850. 

The Magic V2 is expected to ship before the end of the month.

honor phones side by side

The Magic V2 (left) is visibly thinner than the Magic Vs (right), its predecessor.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

The Magic V2, first unveiled early this year, is a book-style foldable phone that’s raised the bar for its category. When folded, the V2 is just 9.9mm thick, making it the world’s slimmest foldable phone. It’s just 1.3mm thicker than the standard iPhone 14. 

Despite the phone’s compact size, Honor managed to pack the V2 with flagship specs including Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a triple-camera module complete with a telephoto camera and a large battery that supports 66-watt fast charging. It also has stylus support. But unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5, a direct competitor, it doesn’t offer an official IP rating for water- and dust-resistance.

The Magic V2 is the follow-up to Honor’s first ever foldable phone, the Magic VS, which was launched globally earlier this year. 

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