Honor launched the Magic V3, its latest foldable smartphone, in international markets on Thursday as the Chinese tech company ramps up its challenge to Samsung in the fast-growing market.
With the Honor Magic V3, Honor talked up how thin the device is compared to rivals.
The company said that the phone measures 9.2 millimeters when closed versus 12.1 millimeters for Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Fold6.
The foldable smartphone has a feature called Magic Portal that can now open up on multiple screens, according to Honor.
The Magic V3 is not Honor’s first foldable phone.
Global foldable smartphone shipments grew 48% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2024, Counterpoint Research data shows.
In Western Europe, Honor overtook Samsung for the first time to claim the number one spot by market share in the second quarter, according to Counterpoint Research.
Honor said it plans to release the Magic V3 in countries including the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as markets in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa.
Competition in the space continues to rise with Google last month launching its latest foldable phone.
Honor was spun off from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in 2020 in a bid to avoid U.S. sanctions which were crippling Huawei’s smartphone business.
Thursday saw the international release of Honor’s newest foldable smartphone, the Magic V3, as the Chinese tech giant steps up its competition against Samsung in the rapidly expanding market.
The phone, which features a foldable screen akin to a book, was previously introduced in China, but its international release underscores Honor’s ongoing efforts to increase its market share in the high-end segment outside of China.
In comparison to competitors, Honor highlighted the Honor Magic V3’s thin design. According to the company, the closed dimensions of the phone are 9 x 3.2 mm, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 measures 12 x 1.1 mm.
Honor followed suit with other smartphone manufacturers by emphasizing the phone’s artificial intelligence capabilities in an attempt to persuade users to shell out extra cash for costly upgrades.
Honor claims that the Magic Portal feature of the foldable smartphone can now open on multiple screens. Users can quickly drag data between apps thanks to this feature. For example, you could drag an address that someone sends you directly into Google Maps to avoid copying and pasting. Another option for users is to drag and drop sent pictures into Google searches.
Honor does not have its first foldable phone in the Magic V3. The Chinese company keeps chasing these devices since they belong to a rapidly expanding market segment. According to Counterpoint Research data, shipments of foldable smartphones increased by 48% globally in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year.
Over the same period, shipments more than doubled in Western Europe, Asia Pacific (excluding China, South Korea, and India), and Latin America. These are the areas that Honor is focusing on.
According to Counterpoint Research, in the second quarter of 2018, Honor successfully surpassed Samsung to take the top spot in Western Europe based on market share.
Honor stated that it intends to launch the Magic V3 in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Africa in addition to the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
With Google’s latest foldable phone launch last month, the competition in the market is only getting more intense.
In an attempt to avoid U.S. law, Honor was split off from the massive Chinese telecom company Huawei in 2020. S. sanctions that were destroying Huawei’s smartphone business. Since then, Honor has been introducing smartphones rapidly, with an emphasis on global markets.
