Honor Magic V2 and V2 RSR Porsche Design review

Design, build quality, handling

Honor didn't really change much about the overall design of its foldable moving from the last gen Magic Vs. You get pretty clean lines and rounded corners and sides for a comfy, in-hand feel.

There is no outward "austerity" so to say. Honor opted for simplistic and clean surfaces. There is nothing particularly recognizable and signature about the main camera island - at least on the 'regular' V2.

The Porsche Design RSR version is bolder in its styling, naturally. There's a ridge running along the vertical center line, and the camera island has its bottom end angled towards that protrusion. It does add personality where there isn't much on the plain model.

If you haven't held a foldable recently, you might be surprised how well and tightly the phone folds on itself. It is almost a perfect 180-degree bend with practically no air gap when folded. It's nothing like the earlier foldable designs from say Samsung (or their later designs, for that matter, up until the Z Fold5). That being said, this tight fit is not exactly an achievement that the Magic can be awarded points for - rather, it's more like the current standard.

These tight radiuses of bending of the foldable display are as much an achievement on the display end of things as they are on the hinge side. The Magic V2 uses a constant-tension style hinge which means that you can leave it open at any angle you desire. There is still a satisfying snap as you close and open it fully. Despite its technically advanced nature, the hinge on the Magic V2 is actually pretty unassuming.

It is colored the same as the rest of the body of the phone and has no specific design elements to it - not even a brand logo. It just disappears away in the background both figuratively and literally once you have the phone fully unfolded.

You can still inject some style and personality into your Magic V2 purchase by opting for one of the different finishes. Officially, the phone comes in a selection of Black, Silk Black, Silk Purple and Gold.

Our review unit is in Silk Purple, which, as the name implies, feels kind of silky and velvety to the touch. Silk Black supposedly has the same surface finish, just in a different color. The Gold option looks more "milky white" from our experience in person and its surface is smooth to the touch.

Then we have what we believe to be the more interesting and "premium looking" variant of the Magic V2, which comes with an eco leather back finish.

We should perhaps clarify that the leather variant of the Magic V2 is a bit thicker, measuring 10.1 mm folded and 4.8 mm unfolded, instead of the 9.9 mm and 4.7 mm of the other versions. The leather also adds a surprising amount of weight with the phone measuring 237 grams instead of 231 grams.

Then there's, of course, the Porsche Design RSR version of the Magic V2 with its own distinct design and styling. We have to admit we quite like the look of it, though carrying Porsche Design branded stuff probably needs a special attitude on life.

As sophisticated as the hinge design is, the display crease remains somewhat of an issue. The hinge itself opens the display up nice and flat, but the crease is just intrinsic to the panel. It is both visible and pretty easy to feel while swiping horizontally.

Whether in Porsche Design or in regular spec, the Honor Magic V2 is a truly premium device, and it feels the part. The hinge is smooth and reassuring. It is made from titanium on the inside, which should last a long time.

As for the two body parts - these also feel very sturdy with practically no flex. We would expect as much, given that the middle frame is made from a magnesium alloy.

The Magic V2 has a glass covering the outer display, though Honor does not specify exactly what kind of toughened glass. The same goes for the back side, unless you go for a leather-backed variant.

Overall, we have no complaints about the build quality of the Honor Magic V2. However, we can't help but look at the competition in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 in particular and its IPX8 ingress protection rating in envy. The Honor Magic V2 lacks any official IP rating, as is the case with most foldable phones.

That said, we did notice that the SIM tray has a pretty beefy rubber gasket, which suggests that the Magic V2 could, potentially, survive some exposure to the elements. We would definitely not recommend testing that on purpose, though.

As already mentioned, the Honor Magic V2 sits very comfortably in the hand thanks to its rounded corners and sides. While folded, the phone has a surprisingly compact silhouette and is quite easy to operate one-handed. We can easily reach the top corners of the external 6.43-inch display.

Using an unfolded Magic V2 single-handedly is always going to be a challenge. After all, it measures 156.7 x 145.4 mm. Honor tweaked the display aspect ratio a bit coming from the Magic Vs, but regardless, you are going to want to use two hands. Or a hand and a stylus. That also works thanks to the included stylus support on the Magic V2.

In terms of controls, we have to say that the volume rocker and power button are both well-positioned height-wise and easy-enough to use. However, the two controls end up on the two different halves of the device and aren't aligned when the phone is folded, which takes a bit of getting used to for making screenshots, for example.

The Magic V2 has a side-mounted fingerprint reader embedded inside the power button. That is the way things go with current foldables. The reader is very snappy and accurate, and we have no complaints whatsoever.