Weekly poll: the Honor Magic Vs and the Honor 80 series are here, who's in?
The first two models of Honor’s new 80-series became available in China this Friday. There is also the SE model, which is coming next week, and a new foldable flagship that is still a month away.
Have you put any thought into picking one up? We’ll look at the Honor Magic Vs first. Honor’s engineers did some impressive work and dropped the weight from 288g/293g of the original V (the eco leather version weighs a bit more) to 261g/267g. They achieved it by massively simplifying the hinge, which went from 92 elements to just 4. The hinge still allows the phone to close flatand to open with a minimal crease.
Honor Magic Vs
Other improvements over the original Magic V (which isn’t even a year old yet) include the faster, more efficient Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and a more affordable 8/256GB version (in addition to the 12/256GB and 12/512GB options). There is also a new top of the line Magic Vs Ultimate model. Besides having more RAM (16GB), this version also supports the newly introduced Magic Pen stylus.
The base 8/256GB model costs CNY 7,500 in China ($1,050/€1,015), the 12/256GB one is CNY 8,000 ($1,120/€1,080), the 12/512GB one is CNY 9,000 ($1,260/€1,220), finally, the Ultimate model goes for CNY 10,888 ($1,520/€1,470). The Mate Xs 2 from former parent Huawei isn’t much of a threat with its Snapdragon 888 chip.
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is a tough challenger, however. It weighs as much as the Honor at 262g and is thinner to boot. Also, it is close in terms of price at CNY 9,000 for a 12/256GB unit. The internal display is a 120Hz LTPO2 panel. This phone has a Leica logo on its back, but the camera hardware isn’t strictly better than the Magic Vs, at least on paper. You can check out our review of the Mix Fold 2, the Magic Vs review is coming soon.
Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 • vivo X Fold+
The vivo X Fold+ is pricier as a 12/256GB unit goes for CNY 10,000. It’s also 50g heavier and it is thicker to boot. The internal display is a 120Hz LTPO panel, but the true strength of the vivo lies in the camera. There are two telephoto modules: an 8MP 5x periscope and a 12MP 47mm portrait cam. The Magic Vs only has an 8MP 3x tele module, plus the 54MP main camera is without OIS. The vivo has faster 80W wired charging in addition to wireless charging, the Vs has 66W wired-only charging (and a slightly larger battery, 5,000mAh vs. 4,730mAh). Note that neither the vivo nor the Xiaomi have stylus support.
There is also the upcoming Oppo Find N2, but we only have rumored specs for now and no price.
Who is interested in the Honor Magic Vs? Vote below or (if that doesn’t work) using this page.
Moving to the Honor 80 series, the Honor 80 Pro is the best of the bunch with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and plenty of memory (from 8/256GB to 12/512GB). The phone is also equipped with a 160MP main camera (1/1.56” sensor, 0.75µm pixels, no OIS, though) and a 50MP, plus a 50MP ultra wide cam on the front (100°) and a 2MP depth sensor.
The 6.78” display on the front is a 10-bit OLED panel with 1,224 x 2,700px resolution. All three 80-series models have curved OLED displays. There is no word on the glass, however, no IP rating either.
At a glance: Honor 80 Pro • Honor 80 • Honor 80 SE
The base Pro model with 8/256GB memory can be ordered for CNY 3,500 ($490/€475) in China (no word on a global release yet).
Once the Honor 80 Pro is available near you, will you be heading to the store or not? Vote below or using this page.
Maybe you prefer the vanilla Honor 80. This one has a smaller screen - 6.67” 1,080 x 2,400px, 120Hz 10-bit OLED - though it is not much smaller physically. Also, performance takes a hit since this one is based on Qualcomm’s latest mid-range chip, the Snapdragon 782G.
The main 160MP camera is in place, the ultra wide does not and drops to a basic 8MP sensor. On the front there is good news, smaller punch hole without the depth sensor, and bad news, narrower lens and 32MP sensor for the selfie camera.
The Honor 80 price starts at CNY 2,700 ($380/€370) for the same 8/256GB configuration as the Pro. Does that sound like a good deal? Vote below or using this page.
The Honor 80 SE is the most affordable of the trio, though not by much – an 8/256GB unit is currently on pre-order for CNY 2,400 ($340/€325). The 6.67” 120Hz 10-bit display is the same as on the vanilla 80, but this is where similarities end. The chipset is a Dimensity 900 rather than something equivalent to the 782G.
Also, this model misses out on the 160MP action with a basic 64MP main cam – to add insult to injury the ultra wide module drops from 8MP to 5MP. Even the battery is slightly smaller, 4,600mAh instead of the 4,800mAh used by the 80 and 80 Pro (all three support 66W wired-only charging).
What do you think – did Honor make too many sacrifices when designing the 80 SE? Vote below or using this page.
