Galaxy Z what? HONOR says there’s no real foldable phone competition

HONOR simply launched the Magic V3 globally in Berlin at this time as a part of IFA 2024, and it’s the thinnest foldable phone on the earth. The firm spent its launch occasion evaluating the brand new machine to Apple’s iPhones as a substitute of different foldable telephones. And it turns on the market’s a purpose why the Chinese producer was making this comparability.

HONOR CEO George Zhao advised journalists that the corporate solely in contrast the Magic V3 to the iPhone throughout its launch occasion as a result of there was “no real competitor” when it got here to foldable telephones.

To be frank, at this time I don’t discover any foldable phone can compete with the HONOR Magic V3. There’s no real competitor within the foldable class. So we’re searching for our foremost competitor within the bar phone class. So I feel one of the best bar telephones are the Samsung Galaxy S and the iPhone. So we need to remind iPhone customers to test the evaluations of the HONOR Magic V3, and perhaps they will discover a new alternative.

That’s a robust assertion from HONOR, and it’s laborious to argue whenever you have a look at {hardware} alone. Last 12 months’s Magic V2 was nonetheless thinner than newly launched foldable telephones just like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. The Magic V3 has a fair thinner design than its rivals whereas providing sooner wired/wi-fi charging, a much bigger battery, extra base storage, and higher digicam {hardware}.

This argument does crumble considerably once we really use the Magic V3. Colleague C Scott Brown reviewed the Magic V3 and criticized the phone for its poor battery life (though this could possible be addressed with an replace), “mediocre” software program, and tacked-on AI options. By distinction, Samsung and Google’s foldables are often praised for his or her software program and number of polished AI options. Samsung and Google additionally provide lengthier replace insurance policies for his or her units. So, the HONOR Magic V3 lags behind its rivals in no less than three classes.

Scott additionally criticized the Magic V3’s availability, and that is one other level value noting. HONOR’s foldable is certainly extensively accessible however crucially (and unsurprisingly) misses out on the US. That means the Magic V3 is successfully no competition for units just like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, and OnePlus Open within the area.