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Honor Magic Vs Review: An Impressive First Try That Almost Rivals Samsung

The Magic Vs foldable phone still needs to improve before it can surpass the Galaxy Z Fold series. But it’s a commendable start.

Samsung finally has a new rival in the foldable phone ring: The Magic Vs foldable from Honor, formerly owned by Huawei. Honor revealed in September that it would bring its Honor Vs to international markets after a China release. This week, it showed off its book-style foldable flagship designed for a global audience at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

I had the chance to test the Honor Magic Vs a few days before its launch. I was impressed with the device’s slick hardware, which is lightweight but also allowed the two halves of the phone to fold flat against each other without a gap. The Galaxy Z Fold 4, its biggest rival, still has a wedge-shaped gap when closed even in its newest iteration.

Beyond the standout features, the Honor Magic Vs packs all the specs you’d expect from a 2023 flagship phone into a slick package. That includes a large battery (5,000 mAh), fast charging (66 watts), a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen Plus 1 processor, and three years of OS upgrades as well as five years of security patches. The only knock I could give in terms of specs is that it lacks the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip found in the Galaxy S23 line and OnePlus 11.

Honor Magic Vs

Like

  • Lightweight for a foldable
  • Fantastic battery life
  • Fast charging

Don’t Like

  • Software doesn’t take nearly enough advantage of the fold
  • No official IP rating
  • Crease could be less obvious
  • Less software updates than Galaxy Z Fold 4

However, it’s not perfect. The crease is more visible and discernible to the touch than other book-style foldables I’ve tested, such as the Oppo Find N and the Huawei Mate XS 2. The phone also lacks wireless charging and an official IP rating for water- and dust-resistance. By comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has an IPX8 rating for water-resistance. 

That said, the Magic Vs starting price undercuts the Galaxy Z Fold 4 by 200 euros, and you also get more storage for that lower price. The Magic Vs starts at 1,599 euros for 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. By comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 starts at 1,799 euros for 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. There are no current plans for a US release, although the company said a UK launch is expected in June.

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Honor wants the Vs to be a first-class phone first, and a tablet second. The inner screen has a 90Hz display, while the cover screen has a 120Hz display.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

Honor Magic Vs outer display is the focus

The Magic Vs’ headline feature is its bendable display. Like the Galaxy Z Fold 4, it has a cover screen and an interior screen. The outer screen measures 6.45 inches diagonally, while the inner display is 7.9 inches. I found both crisp, responsive and bright, and each screen also folds into the other with no discernible gap. 

Unlike Samsung, Honor chose to equip the cover screen of its book-style foldable with superior specs. For example, it has better brightness (1,200 nits vs. 800 nits) and a higher refresh rate (120Hz vs. the inner screen’s 90Hz). For reference, the Magic Vs’ inner screen is a step below the 120Hz capability of the Galaxy Z Fold 4. 

Considering this is a foldable phone, I found Honor’s choice to be counterintuitive at first. However, it seems Honor wants this device to be a phone first, and a tablet second. I think this decision helped prolong the battery life of the Honor Magic Vs — which, by the way, was fantastic. (More on that below.)

Honor Magic Vs inner display has an obvious crease

Honor says the Magic Vs has a creaseless display, but that didn’t turn out to be true. You can see and feel the inner display’s crease from various angles. It was immediately noticeable as soon as I opened the phone. I didn’t have to search for it as I have with other foldable phones, such as the Oppo Find N or the Huawei Mate XS 2.

Despite the crease, watching movies and flipping through pictures is fun and immersive. While it didn’t bother me much, such a large crease may be a deal-breaker for some. But it’s a compromise that fans of foldables may just have to learn to live with for now. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 still has a crease, though it’s less noticeable than in the past. But Huawei’s Mate XS 2, which has a wraparound-style foldable phone design with one screen, is basically creaseless.

Key to the folding nature of this phone is the hinge. The company said the hinge is crafted with an aerospace grade polymeric material and has fewer components in its supporting structure (just four compared to 94). This helps make the hinge lighter and potentially more durable. Honor claims the hinge can withstand up to 400,000 folds, which means you can expect maybe 10 years of use out of it if you assume 100 folds per day. CNET hasn’t been able to independently verify that claim.  

Honor Magic Vs camera

The Honor Magic Vs has three rear cameras, consisting of a 54-megapixel main camera, 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera capable of 3x optical zoom. There’s also a 16-megapixel selfie camera, which is one less front-facing camera than the pricier Galaxy Z Fold 4. 

Overall, I was happy with photo clarity, dynamic range, shutter speed and the versatility of the camera. Whether I was in bright, dim or even dark lighting environments, the camera captured crisp, vibrant and accurate photos in a variety of lighting scenarios. That said, this isn’t the best camera. It doesn’t measure up to the iPhone 14 Pro Max for instance, which tends to offer better low light photography. But I guess that’s OK (sort of) since you’re really paying for that fancy display, not the camera module. 

hong kong buildingshong kong buildings

This photo was taken through a window. The Honor Vs managed to capture a color accurate image with solid dynamic range.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

zoomed into buildingzoomed into building

10x zoom example.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

zoomed into building windowszoomed into building windows

30x zoom example. This image is relatively lacking in image noise considering how far the camera was zoomed in.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

a bar with red chairsa bar with red chairs

This setting was a tricky one to capture since the indoor environment was dim and there was bright light pouring through the windows. Despite this challenge, the camera captured a sharp image with crisp details indoors. Notice the detailing on the wooden floor and the bar seats.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

womans legs and feetwomans legs and feet

The camera does a good job capturing the environment inside the window as well as outside.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

scones on a platescones on a plate

Notice the sharp detailing of the plate and the contrasts in this photo. It was taken indoors.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

crosswalk in hong kongcrosswalk in hong kong

I took this photo in a moving taxi and think it did a good job capturing motion.

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

Honor Magic Vs battery performance

With a 5,000-mAh battery, the Honor Magic Vs has the largest battery of any commercially sold foldable phone. Non-foldable phones, such as the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra, have the same battery capacity.

The Magic Vs made it through most days of testing on a single charge with medium use. I didn’t need to bother charging at the end of the day since I usually had more than 20% remaining. But I charged overnight anyway out of habit. 

When I ran a battery endurance test where I watched YouTube videos, scrolled through my Instagram feed, played Genshin Impact and took a 5-minute WhatAapp video call on the cover screen. The battery went from 100% to 86% in those 45 minutes.

The Magic Vs comes with a bundled 66-watt charger, which Honor says will completely replenish a dead battery within 46 minutes. Based on my experience, that claim was  true, which means the Magic Vs outshines the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in this department. 

The Magic Vs runs on 2022’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. In my short time with this phone, the device performed without a hitch whether it was powering multiple apps, running games, streaming YouTube videos or even just switching between apps. 

folding phone propped up in a laptop-like positionfolding phone propped up in a laptop-like position

The Magic Vs propped up in a laptop-like position. 

Sareena Dayaram/CNET

Honor Magic Vs software

The Magic Vs runs Android 13 and Honor’s MagicOS. I’m a fan of MagicOS’ split-screen multi-tasking system, which includes a slide-over menu that you trigger by swiping and holding from the sides. You can multitask with up to four applications, and there’s a split screen mode as well as floating windows. You can also move apps around and resize their windows. 

It’s a shame the software doesn’t take enough advantage of the phone’s folding design. I would have loved to see something like Samsung’s Flex mode on the Magic Vs. Even though I could use the phone when it was half-folded and prop it up like a laptop, none of the apps I used, even native ones, that were tailored for that experience. The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s Flex Mode software capabilities let you use the screen when it’s folded at a 90-degree angle. 

With the Magic Vs’ slender hardware, solid cameras, fabulous battery life and intuitive multitasking features, Honor has created a solid rival to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. But it’s still tough to recommend the Magic Vs over the Galaxy Z Fold 4 for several reasons: There’s no IP rating, the crease is more visible, its software doesn’t really take advantage of the folding screen and Honor provides fewer software updates than Samsung. Honor made a solid first effort overall, though, and I’m so glad Samsung has more competition. 

For more details on how the Magic Vs and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 compare, take a look at CNET’s specs chart below.

Honor Magic Vs specs vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4

Honor Magic Vs Galaxy Z Fold 4 5G
Display size, resolution, refresh rate Internal: 7.9 inches, 90Hz (2,272×1,984 pixels) External: 6.45 inches, 120Hz (2,560×1,080 pixels) Internal: 7.6 inches (2,176×1,812 pixels) External: 6.2 inches HD+ (2,316×904 pixels)
Pixel density Internal: 381 ppi External: 431 ppi TBC
Dimensions (Millimeters) Folded: 160.3×72.6×12. 9 mm; Unfolded: 160.3×141.5×6.1 mm Folded: 67.1×155.1×15.8 mm (Hinge) ~ 14.2mm (Sagging); Unfolded: 130.1×155.1×6.3 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 9.23 oz, 261g (orange); 9.42 oz, 267g (black & cyan) 9.27 oz; 263g
Mobile software Android 13 Android 13
Camera 54-megapixel (main), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 8-megapixel (telephoto with 3x optical zoom) 50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing camera 16-megapixels 4-megapixel (under display), 10-megapixel (front cover)
Video capture 4K 4K
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen Plus 1 Snapdragon 8 Gen Plus 1
Storage/RAM 12GB + 512GB 12GB +256GB/512GB/1TB
Expandable storage None None
Battery/Charger 5,000 mAh 4,400mAh
Fingerprint sensor Side Side
Connector USB-C USB-C
Headphone jack None None
Special features Foldable phone, 3x optical zoom, 66-watt bundled fast-charger Foldable phone, 30x optical, 30x space zoom, IPX8, 25-watt fast-charging (no in-box charger)
Price(USD) $1,695 (coverted) $1,800 (256 GB)
Price (GBP) £1,420 (converted) £1,649 (256GB)
Price (Euros) 1,599 euros (12GB RAM + 512GB) 1,799 euros (256GB)

Technologies

See Ya, Siri: Why Apple Might Make Third-Party Voice Assistants Available in Europe

When given the choice, iPhone owners might opt for alternatives given the delayed rollout of Siri’s AI revamp.

Apple is reportedly working on changes to the iPhone’s operating system that will make it possible to choose an alternative voice assistant to Siri.

The ability to switch from Siri to another voice assistant, potentially powered by third-party companies including OpenAI, Google or Meta, could be a reality in the near future, but only for iPhone owners in Europe, Bloomberg reports. Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Apple is preparing the changes to Siri in anticipation of the European Union demanding the company allow European users a choice of voice assistants, according to Bloomberg. It would be similar to the policy shift Apple has already made in allowing rival app stores onto the iPhone, which was sparked by Europe’s Digital Markets Act.

Apple has faced many regulatory hurdles with the EU in recent years, largely in the form of challenges to its proprietary technology and walled-garden ecosystem, which provide Apple device owners with high levels of consistency, privacy and security, but often make it difficult for smaller companies to compete.

These regulatory challenges often leave Apple with little choice but to make significant changes to the way its tech works. Some of these changes — such as switching from Lightning connectors to the universal standard of USB-C — affect Apple device owners globally. Others affect only those who live within the EU.

Siri’s AI troubles

Siri has been available on iPhones since 2011 and has spawned many copycats. But the advent of generative AI over the last few years has brought about a number of chatbots, most notably OpenAI’s ChatGPT, that rival and surpass Siri’s capabilities, to the point where Apple is now seen as lagging behind competitors.

Apple announced an AI revamp of Siri last year at WWDC, its June developer conference, but the company delayed its rollout. Apple Intelligence-powered Siri is still nowhere to be seen, and may not even make an appearance at this year’s WWDC, per Bloomberg.

In light of this, it may be possible that European iPhone owners, when given the option, choose an alternative voice assistant. Unless Apple’s hand is forced, there’s currently no indication that people elsewhere will be given the same choice.

But Thomas Husson, VP and principal analyst at Forrester, doesn’t believe the AI overhaul of Siri is Apple’s main challenge.

«Is Siri’s revamp well overdue? Yes. Does Apple give the impression that they have an AI issue? Yes. It is too late for them? I don’t think so,» he said. Instead, Husson said what’s really at stake for the company is its ability to invent a user interface adapted to the AI era and create an ecosystem with companies and developers that will allow for new experiences within existing apps.

«Meeting the EU regulations and especially the DMA makes things more complex,» he added, but that’s the case for any digital platform operating in Europe.

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Technologies

I’ve Been Tracking Tariff Price Impacts Every Day: Here’s the Latest News

CNET’s tariff impact tracker is keeping tabs on price moves for several popular products, and while things seem steady, problems could be coming this summer.

President Donald Trump’s tariff policies could be leading to a rough summer for a lot of US consumers, as Walmart, the largest grocery store chain in the country, has become the latest company, and perhaps the most impactful, to warn of impending price hikes due to the administration’s import taxes. The company said that these increases are «inevitable» due to the circumstances.

«We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible,» CEO Doug McMillon said during an earnings call for the country’s largest grocery chain. «But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins.»

This prompted a heated response from the president, who said in a post to Truth Social that the chain should eat the costs of the tariffs instead of passing them onto consumers, a tactic that’s not likely to gain much ground with most businesses, even Goliaths like Walmart. The administration previously lashed out at Amazon over reports that they were considering a plan to show consumers what portion of their purchase prices were caused by tariffs, calling the idea a «hostile and political act.» The Trump White House has by and large been extremely combative over the notion that companies might admit that the president’s tariffs have caused price inflations, which as I’ve explained in the past on CNET, is absolutely the case.

In this article, I’ve been tracking the daily effect of Trump’s tariffs on the prices of 11 popular products you might want or need to buy, whether it be a new phone, laptop or your daily coffee. So far, we’ve seen notable price hikes for the flagship Xbox game console, while everything else has either remained steady aside from occasional fluctuations that might not be tariff-related. That sort of consistency is far from certain, however, especially with new reports emerging that Apple might be looking to make iPhones more expensive this year.

Below, you can check out a chart with the average price of the 11 included items over the course of 2025. This will help give you a sense of the overall price changes and fluctuations going on. Further down, you’ll be able to check out charts for each individual product being tracked.

The recent tariff agreement with China, much-hyped by the White House, did significantly cut tariff rates against the US’s biggest trading partner. The new 30% rate is only temporary, however, and still historically high. It just looks more reasonable next to the ludicrous 145% rate that was previously in place. As those negotiations move along, companies continue to warn of impending price hikes in order to deal with the new tariffs, including Sony, which could potentially mean a price hike for its ever-popular PlayStation 5 consoles.

We’ll be updating this article regularly as prices change. It’s all in the name of helping you make sense of things, so be sure to check back every so often. For more, check out CNET’s guide to whether you should wait to make big purchases or buy them now and get expert tips about how to prepare for a recession.

Methodology

We’re checking prices daily and will update the article and the relevant charts right away to reflect any changes. The following charts show a single bullet point for each month, with the most recent one labeled «Now» and showing the current price. For the past months, we’ve gone with what was the most common price for each item in the given month. 

In most cases, the price stats used in these graphs were pulled from Amazon using the historical price tracker tool Keepa. For the iPhones, the prices come from Apple’s official materials and are based on the 128-gigabyte base model of the latest offering for each year: the iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. For the Xbox Series X, the prices were sourced from Best Buy using the tool PriceTracker. If any of these products happen to be on sale at a given time, we’ll be sure to let you know and explain how those price drops differ from longer-term pricing trends that tariffs can cause.

The 11 products we’re tracking

Mostly what we’re tracking in this article are electronic devices and digital items that CNET covers in depth, like iPhones and affordable 4K TVs — along with a typical bag of coffee, a more humble product that isn’t produced in the US to any significant degree. 

The products featured were chosen for a few reasons: Some of them are popular and/or affordable representatives for major consumer tech categories, like smartphones, TVs and game consoles. Others are meant to represent things that consumers might buy more frequently, like printer ink or coffee beans. Some products were chosen over others because they are likely more susceptible to tariffs. Some of these products have been reviewed by CNET or have been featured in some of our best lists.

Below, we’ll get into more about each individual product.

iPhone 16

The iPhone is the most popular smartphone brand in the US, so this was a clear priority for price tracking. The iPhone has also emerged as a major focal point for conversations about tariffs, given its popularity and its susceptibility to import taxes because of its overseas production, largely in China. Trump has reportedly been fixated on the idea that the iPhone can and should be manufactured in the US, an idea that experts have dismissed as a fantasy. Estimates have also suggested that a US-made iPhone would cost as much as $3,500.

Apple has made several moves this year to protect its prices in the US as much as possible, like flying in bulk shipments of product ahead of the tariffs taking effect and working to move production for the American market from China to India, where tariff rates are less severe. This latter move provoked a response from Trump, given his noted fixation on the iPhone, saying on Thursday that he «had a little problem» with Tim Cook over the move, claiming without evidence that the Apple CEO pledged to bring more manufacturing to the US. Cook and others close to the company for years say that the supply chains for its products are too complex to move manufacturing entirely to the US.

Duracell AA batteries

A lot of the tech products in your home might boast a rechargeable energy source but individual batteries are still an everyday essential and I can tell you from experience that as soon as you forget about them, you’ll be needing to restock. The Duracell AAs we’re tracking are some of the bestselling batteries on Amazon.

Samsung DU7200 TV

Alongside smartphones, televisions are some of the most popular tech products out there, even if they’re an infrequent purchase. This particular product is a popular entry-level 4K TV and was CNET’s pick for best overall budget TV for 2025. Unlike a lot of tech products that have key supply lines in China, Samsung is a South Korean company, so it might have some measure of tariff resistance. In recent days, this model has fluctuated from $400, where its been for most of the year so far, and $470, where it sits today. These fluctuations don’t seem to be influenced by tariffs, at least for the time being.

Xbox Series X

Video game software and hardware are a market segment expected to be hit hard by the Trump tariffs. Microsoft’s Xbox is the first console brand to see price hikes — the company cited «market conditions» along with the rising cost of development. Most notably, this included an increase in the price of the flagship Xbox Series X, up from $500 to $600. Numerous Xbox accessories were also affected, and the company also said that «certain» games will eventually see a price hike from $70 to $80.

Initially, we were tracking the price of the much more popular Nintendo Switch as a representative of the gaming market. Nintendo has not yet hiked the price of its handheld-console hybrid and stressed that the $450 price tag of the upcoming Switch 2 has not yet been inflated because of tariffs. Sony, meanwhile, has so far only increased prices on its PlayStation hardware in markets outside the US.

AirPods Pro 2

The latest iteration of Apple’s wildly popular true-wireless earbuds are here to represent the headphone market. Much to the chagrin of the audiophiles out there, a quick look at sales charts on Amazon shows you just how much the brand dominates all headphone sales. The AirPods Pro 2 have hovered steadily around $200 on Amazon in 2025, but were on sale for $169 the first few days of May before jumping back up.

HP 962 CMY printer ink

This HP printer ink includes cyan, magenta and yellow all in one product and recently saw its price jump from around $72 — where it stayed for most of 2025 — to $80, which is around its highest price over the last five years. We will be keeping tabs to see if this is a long-term change or a brief uptick.

This product replaced Overture PLA Filament for 3D printers in this piece, but we’re still tracking that item.

Anker 10,000-mAh, 30-watt power bank

Anker’s accessories are perennially popular in the tech space and the company has already announced that some of its products will get more expensive as a direct result of tariffs. This specific product has also been featured in some of CNET’s lists of the best portable chargers. While the price has remained steady throughout the year, it is currently on sale for $16 on Amazon, but only for Prime members.

Bose TV speaker

Soundbars have become important purchases, given the often iffy quality of the speakers built into TVs. While not the biggest or the best offering in the space, the Bose TV Speaker is one of the more affordable soundbar options out there, especially hailing from a brand as popular as Bose.

Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush

They might be a lot more expensive than their traditional counterparts, but electric toothbrushes remain a popular choice for consumers because of how well they get the job done. I know my dentist won’t let up on how much I need one. This particular Oral-B offering was CNET’s overall choice for the best electric toothbrush for 2025.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook

Lenovo is notable among the big laptop manufacturers for being a Chinese company making its products especially susceptible to Trump’s tariffs.

Starbucks Ground Coffee (28-ounce bag)

Coffee is included in this tracker because of its ubiquity —I’m certainly drinking too much of it these days —and because it’s uniquely susceptible to Trump’s tariff agenda. Famously, coffee beans can only be grown within a certain distance from Earth’s equator, a tropical span largely outside the US and known as the «Coffee Belt.» 

Hawaii is the only part of the US that can produce coffee beans, with data from USAFacts showing that 11.5 million pounds were harvested there in the 2022-23 season — little more than a drop in the mug, as the US consumed 282 times that amount of coffee during that period. Making matters worse, Hawaiian coffee production has declined in the past few years.

All that to say: Americans get almost all of their coffee from overseas, making it one of the most likely products to see price hikes from tariffs.

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Technologies

Preorder a Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge With Free Storage Upgrade and $50 Amazon Gift Card

This new ultra-thin phone can be yours with 512GB of storage for the price of the 256GB model.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is the latest addition to the existing Galaxy S25 lineup, and its main claim to fame is its impossibly thin design. It’s a solid addition, and it’ll officially go on sale on May 30. You can preorder it right now, and if you do it soon, you can pick up the new Galaxy S25 Edge with a free double-storage upgrade and a $50 Amazon gift card thrown in for good measure. The result is a Samsung Galaxy S25 deal that saves you a total of $170 off your order.

This deal is available across three different colors so make sure to pick the one you like best before ordering. You’ll get the 512GB model rather than the entry-level 256GB model with that gift card included all for $1,100.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Galaxy S25 Edge is its thickness. Or rather, it’s thinness. It comes in at just 5.8mm thick at its edge which is less than the 7.2mm Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S25 Plus at 7.3mm. Despite the design change compared to the rest of the lineup, this model maintains the same IP68 dust and water resistance using a Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 display paired with a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 rear panel.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Up front, you’ll find a 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate while the familiar 200-megapixel main camera is joined by a 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter. You’ll also find a 12-megapixel selfie camera hiding towards the top of the display. Other features of note include an under-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, 12GB of RAM, and the fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.

Why this deal matters

Super-thin phones are set to be a real trend for 2025, with Apple expected to launch the iPhone 17 Air later this year. But with this deal, you can get in on the act right now, all while saving some cash. And if you’re in the Android ecosystem, then this is the thin phone to check out, and soon.

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