How Honor Designed and Tested the Ultra-Thin Magic V3 Foldable Phone

**How Honor Designed and Tested the Ultra-Thin Magic V3 Foldable Phone**

In a bid to capture foldable phone supremacy, Honor has unveiled its latest creation, the Magic V3—an ultra-slim book-style foldable phone that aims to revolutionize the market. Developed over two years, the Magic V3 represents the culmination of Honor's intense research and development efforts to create a foldable phone that mirrors the portability of a regular smartphone without sacrificing power or features. CNET got an exclusive look at the design and testing processes that brought this cutting-edge device to life.

**A Slim Design, Years in the Making**

Designing the world’s thinnest foldable phone was no easy task for Honor, which once operated as a subsidiary of Huawei. The development of the Magic V3, Honor's fourth-generation foldable phone, began long before the official design phase. Honor's R&D team first focused on experimenting with new materials and components to ensure the device would meet stringent design and performance goals. Unlike the 12 to 18 months typically spent developing a standard smartphone, the Magic V3 took two years to bring to market.

"Creating a foldable as slim as the Magic V3 is a monumental endeavor," explained Hope Cao, Honor's Magic V3 product expert, in an exclusive interview with CNET. Measuring just 9.2 millimeters when folded and weighing 226 grams, the Magic V3 is lighter and thinner than its competitors, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Xiaomi Mix Fold 4.

**High-Tech Features in an Ultra-Slim Package**

The Magic V3 boasts impressive technical specs, including a 6.43-inch cover screen and a 7.92-inch inner display, all packed into a sleek, lightweight frame. It includes five cameras featuring a periscope-style telephoto lens capable of 3.5x optical zoom. The device is powered by a 5,150-mAh silicon-carbon battery, a newer battery technology that allows for both fast charging and greater efficiency in a slim design. Despite its thin profile, Honor managed to maintain a level of performance that competes with traditional flagship phones.

Honor also invested in redesigning the hinge system, incorporating lightweight steel and aerospace materials to improve both strength and durability. This innovation resulted in a hinge that is 1,250% more resilient than its predecessor, the Magic V2.

**Durability and Testing: Foldable Phones’ Greatest Challenge**

One of the biggest concerns consumers have with foldable phones is their durability. Given that these devices often come with a premium price tag, buyers expect them to last. Honor has made significant strides in ensuring that the Magic V3 can withstand the wear and tear of daily use. The phone has been tested to survive 500,000 folds—100,000 more than the Magic V2. 

Honor opened its Shenzhen Reliability Lab to CNET, where they tested the device’s ability to endure thousands of folds and other stress tests, including spraying, immersion, and scratch resistance tests. Despite these improvements, the Magic V3, like most foldable phones, still lacks a complete dust and water resistance rating, which remains an area for future innovation.

**A Focus on Foldable Performance**

Honor’s strategy for the Magic V3 goes beyond just aesthetics. The company has also integrated AI features to enhance user experience and camera performance. The 5,150-mAh silicon-carbon battery helps power these AI capabilities, ensuring that users can enjoy advanced computing power without compromising on battery life.

Honor sees the use of silicon-carbon batteries as a pivotal technology, claiming that the new battery solution increases energy density while maintaining a slim profile. While the long-term reliability of this battery type remains under research, Honor is confident in its potential to address the growing demands of AI-powered smartphones.

**The Future of Foldables: Slimmer, Smarter, and Stronger**

As foldable phones continue to evolve, Honor is determined to push the boundaries of what these devices can achieve. The Magic V3 exemplifies this ambition, setting a new standard for slimness, durability, and innovation in the foldable market. Despite the fierce competition from tech giants like Samsung and Xiaomi, Honor's dedication to refining both hardware and software suggests that it is positioning itself as a serious contender for foldable supremacy.

As the global foldable market is expected to rise to 45.7 million units by 2028, Honor’s advancements in design, battery technology, and durability could help it carve out a larger share of this growing market. While there are still hurdles to overcome—such as achieving complete dust resistance—the Magic V3 represents a significant step forward for Honor in the foldable race.

With its global launch set for September at Berlin's IFA tech conference, the Magic V3 will continue to garner attention as Honor highlights the device’s AI capabilities and other innovations. For now, one thing is clear: Honor’s pursuit of foldable phone dominance is just getting started.

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