Honor Magic V2 smartphone wants to lure you into the ultra-high-end fold

With Mobile World Congress just around the corner, the start of the year is when manufacturers hope you’re getting a bit sick of the smartphone in your pocket and are starting to cast around for a replacement. At the same time, legislation and consumer sentiment are skewing towards products that last a little longer with each model cycle; the old emphasis on an annual upgrade is not sustainable, environmentally or economically. 

Early adopters have a lot to answer for, for they fuel the engine of innovation, paying a premium to get the latest technology into their hands. At this point, folding screens are no longer a novelty. However, they’re still very much a minority choice, despite a number of excellent models, from the Google Pixel Fold to Motorola’s Razr. 

This new offering from Honor, the Magic V2, has one genuine first up its sleeve: it’s the thinnest ‘inward folding’ smartphone, just 9.9mm thick. When stowed, this distinction matters a surprising amount, for the slender design is barely bigger than a conventional device, and if you’re just using the 6.43in external screen, it’s easy to overlook the interior screen altogether.

That would be a waste of the V2’s massive potential, of course, for the internal 7.92in display is one of the best we’ve seen on any modern smartphone. When switched off, the central crease is relatively prominent but happily it disappears in use. The tablet-sized device is perfect for editing film or video, composing music or just reading without having to squint.

It’s a great piece of kit, and whether you decide on sharing your digital life with the V2 depends on how handy you’ll find the dual functionality of the folding screen, as well as your propensity for inflicting accidental damage on your devices. Make no mistake, despite extensive durability testing (the titanium hinge should be good for 400,000 folds), folding phones are still way more fragile than the alternative.

Three front-facing cameras include a 50MP Ultra-Wide main camera, 50MP secondary camera as well as a 20MP telephoto camera. The Silk Black and Silk Purple finishes add another layer of distinction, while onboard there’s the latest version of Android. The Magic V2 is an undeniably premium product, so anyone investing in the device will need to make it last.

Honor Magic V2, from £1,699, HiHonor.com