It's been a fantastic summer for foldable phone fans. It feels like there has been a new release every other week lately, with more fantastic devices penned in for the coming weeks.
One of those is the Honor Magic V2. While that device is already available in Asian markets, it has been touted for a global release. Now, that has been confirmed in an official statement from the brand. The device will launch on the 1st of September as part of the Honor keynote at IFA 2023.
It's a big deal, too. The Magic V2 is one of the slimmest foldable devices on the market, measuring just 9.9mm when folded. That's comparable to traditional Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is 8.9mm thick.
It's also lighter than the S23 Ultra, too. That's in part thanks to a titanium hinge, which should maintain strength without adding weight. Compare it to other foldable devices, and it's no contest.
It doesn't appear to sacrifice specs to achieve that, either. A Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 features inside, with a 5,000mAh battery alongside it. That's nothing special when it comes to traditional devices, but in the foldable market it's gold.
The camera array also looks pretty competitive. 50MP sensors are used for main and ultra-wide duties, with a 20MP offering for telephoto duties. That appears to include a 2.5x optical zoom, too.
Is an Honor Flip phone coming?
Arguably the more interesting part of the announcement is the mystery second device being launched. That appears to have escaped the gaze of the industry entirely, giving us nothing to go on.
It seems very plausible that the device will be a flip phone. Such a device was rumoured recently from an Honor executive, with a suggestion that it was coming next year.
That would mark an entirely new product range for the brand. While they have made a couple of book-style foldable phones, they've yet to enter the flip phone market.
I think it would make a lot of sense. Flip phones are infinitely more accessible than larger folding devices for first-time users. Even aside from the size benefits, they tend to be much more reasonably priced. You can easily pick up a top-spec flip phone for less than the top slab phones on the market, making it much easier to justify.
We'll know for sure in just a few short weeks.
