Honor Magic V2 Porsche Design Review: Skin Deep – A Luxurious Foldable with a Few Shortcomings

The Honor Magic V2 Porsche Design has made a splash with its collaboration with the iconic German automaker Porsche, following in the footsteps of previous luxury tech collaborations like the BMW Motorola Timeport or the Porsche Design Huawei phones. This is an attempt by Honor to break into the European market with a groundbreaking, super-slim foldable that exudes style and refinement. However, while its design elements are impressive, the phone’s software and camera performance leave much to be desired.

Porsche-Inspired Design with a Luxury Feel

At first glance, the Honor Magic V2 Porsche Design exudes elegance, drawing clear inspiration from the iconic Porsche 911. The phone’s sleek fiberglass material and agon gray colorway evoke the sporty design of the Porsche 911, with its distinct fly line at the back providing a tactile, almost car-like feel. This design is not just about looks; it’s about function too, as the backplate offers a better grip compared to a standard sleek foldable phone, which could otherwise feel slippery.

The phone’s camera module is another design highlight, featuring titanium bar edges, a curved glass surface, and an asymmetric form that gives the phone a striking and sophisticated appearance. When closed, the device feels much like a traditional slab phone, but it’s slimmer and lighter than many other foldable phones, weighing in at just 234g with a thickness of only 9.9mm. This makes it a remarkably portable device considering the foldable technology inside.

While the Porsche Design model improves the base Magic V2 with aesthetic upgrades, it does so without sacrificing the magnesium alloy frame and titanium hinge mechanism, which contribute to the phone’s durability and thin profile. These design choices ensure that the phone is a luxurious yet functional device.

Premium Unboxing Experience

Unboxing the Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 reveals a premium experience that matches the phone’s luxurious feel. Inside, you’ll find two 66W wall chargers (one for European outlets and another for the UK), which is a thoughtful inclusion for frequent travelers. Honor also includes a finely crafted stitched leather case, which adds little bulk to the phone despite its slim design.

Additionally, the phone comes with a stylus, housed in its own case, which works with both the inner and outer displays. However, while the inclusion of a stylus is nice, the pen feels somewhat impractical with its fat tip and lack of pressure sensitivity, making it more of an accessory that most users will likely leave in the box.

Display and Battery Performance

The Magic V2 Porsche Design offers a 120Hz display both inside and out, providing a fluid, fast experience with vibrant colors and clarity, even in direct sunlight. The fairly subtle crease in the foldable screen is an improvement over other foldables like Samsung and Google’s, making it less noticeable during use.

Battery life is another area where the phone performs admirably. Equipped with a 5000mAh battery, it lasts a full day of use with ease. However, there’s one significant downside: the phone lacks wireless charging support, which feels like a missed opportunity, especially considering its luxury positioning.

Software and Performance: A Step Backward?

While Honor deserves credit for the hardware, the software on the Magic V2 Porsche Design is less inspiring. Running Magic OS 7.2, based on Android 13, the interface feels old and uninspired, reminiscent of the software seen on Huawei phones from years ago. The lack of features like swipe-down notifications for one-handed use or camera launch shortcuts makes the phone feel less modern than it should be. Additionally, the UI is plagued by inconsistent margins, odd text translations, and a mismatch of influences from Samsung and Apple.

The most frustrating issue is the constant battery usage alerts that interrupt the user experience without being easily dismissible. The phone also lacks customization options, with no easy way to change fonts or themes without requiring an Honor ID. This is a disappointing oversight on a phone that aims to compete in the luxury foldable space.

Camera Performance: Good, But Not Great

The camera on the Honor Magic V2 Porsche Design is another area where the phone struggles to live up to its premium design. While the main camera captures vibrant, detailed photos, the 2.5x telephoto lens fails to match the performance of other foldables, such as the Pixel Fold or OnePlus Open, which offer better zoom capabilities.

Despite this, the main camera does produce decent photos, with good color saturation and clarity, although it’s not groundbreaking. Given the phone’s premium price, you’d expect a better camera setup, especially when compared to rivals in the market.

Price and Final Thoughts

The price of the Honor Magic V2 Porsche Design is still unannounced in Europe, but based on its pricing in China, it is expected to be significantly more expensive than the base model. Despite its premium price, the phone offers excellent hardware with its titanium frame, stunning design, and inclusion of high-end accessories. However, the lack of water or dust resistance and the underwhelming software and camera performance make it harder to recommend at its expected price.

In conclusion, the Honor Magic V2 Porsche Design is a beautifully designed foldable phone that excels in hardware but falls short in terms of software and camera quality. Honor has made significant strides in the foldable market, but it needs to improve the user experience and software to truly match the luxury and innovation expected from a Porsche-branded product.