Porsche Design HONOR Magic V2 RSR Review

Smart device maker HONOR is no stranger to cool collaborations with past partnerships including A Bathing Ape’s AAPE in 2019 and Moschino a year earlier. The brand’s latest collab sees it link up with Porsche Design – the German car maker’s luxury lifestyle sub-brand – for a special edition of the Magic V2, HONOR’s flagship folding phone. The result is the Porsche Design HONOR Magic V2 RSR, a surprisingly light yet super-premium folding phone that brings together the brands’ shared vision for elevated design and technological innovation. Our team in London spent a couple of weeks using the device, testing its highly capable camera, and playing through some of the more demanding Android mobile games on its huge 7.92 inch (unfolded) screen.

While first impressions aren’t always everything, the Magic V2 RSR certainly makes one. For starters, there’s a clue in the name: RSR, which, for the uninitiated, stands for “RennSport Rennwagen” – the road illegal version of the Porsche 911. Design cues from the supercar are immediately apparent and include the redesigned camera island on the back (apparently inspired by the 911’s hood), an all over sleek finish, and sharp lines that appear to mimic the supercar’s aerodynamic properties on the back. For a phone that unfolds into an almost eight inch OLED screen, it’s extremely lightweight at just 234 grams; for comparison, that’s lighter than Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra (239 grams) and slightly heavier than the Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max (221 grams). It’s incredibly thin and measures just 4.7mm when unfolded – or 9.9mm folded, a considerable difference compared to the 13.4mm of Samsung’s Fold 5 – a fact that’s led Honor to claim it’s the “thinnest and lightest foldable phone in the world.” Aside from the technological prowess that’s seen the brand pack so much into so little space, the materials used on the Magic V2 RSR – like fiberglass in the body and titanium for the hinges – contribute to its lightweightness whilst also ensuring durability. 

The Magic V2 RSR features dual OLED displays on both the external and inner (unfolded) screens, both of which have a 120 Hz refresh rate. The inner screen has a total of 2344 x 2156 pixels and can achieve a super bright 2,500 nits, whilst the external screen boasts 2376 x 1060 pixels and up to 1,600 nits. Both are capable of displaying a DCI-P3 wide color gamut of 1.07 billion colors and this combination of brightness and nicely rendered colors result in the Magic V2 RSR’s having some of the most pleasing displays we’ve seen on a phone.

The phone features 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of internal storage. It runs a custom version of Android 13 known as MagicOS 7.2, HONOR’s take on Google’s operating system. There’s a distinctly iOS feel to MagicOS 7.2, though, from its layout to the way the icons look, something that lends itself to the overall premium feel of the device. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which, whilst being an incredibly capable processor, isn’t Snapdragon’s most recent – something to consider if you’re looking for the latest and most powerful device. Still, the Gen 2 was able to perform everything we put it through, from concurrently using multiple apps to playing the likes of COD Mobile at the highest settings.

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One of the Magic V2 RSR’s standout features are its cameras – specifically, its main 50 megapixel f/1.9 camera. In our use we found this camera was able to capture stills with great clarity, and reproduced colors pleasingly with a range that sits somewhere in between the iPhone 15’s cooler and the Samsung S24 Ultra’s slightly over-processed tones. The camera also features a “Pro” mode that allows you to manually adjust everything from focus to shutter speed and exposure value. The phone’s ultra-wide lens is also impressive and is also 50 megapixels, and at very close focus gives a noticeable fisheye effect. In terms of video, the Magic V2 RSR is capable of shooting in 4K (3840×2160 pixels), and features built-in image stabilization that rivals some of the best phones currently available.

The Magic V2 RSR features a large 5000 mAh battery and HONOR’s choice of silicon-carbon over lithium-ion batteries is what allowed the brand to keep the phone so light and thin. With moderate use we found the phone lasted over a day on a single charge, and when needed the phone is capable of fast-charging at 66 watts. It features Bluetooth 5.3, Bluetooth Low Energy, as well as aptX HD for lossless wireless music listening. Included in the box is a protective Porsche Design case in black, as well as Honor’s Magic Pen stylus; both inner and outer screens come with special screen protectors pre-installed to allow you to use the Magic Pen without fear of scratches to the screen. Other features include a fingerprint scanner and facial recognition for security, as well as the ability to use two sims simultaneously.

Folding phones haven’t really caught on in the smartphone era owing to their perceived impracticality and the fact they can be bulky. They’re certainly somewhat niche, but the Magic V2 RSR is a beautifully designed phone-cum-mini tablet that we found to be both fun and practical to use, as well as holding its own in terms of performance.

The Magic V2 RSR is the supercar of folding phones with a price to match. It’s currently available for pre-order in the UK and Europe priced at £2349 GBP / €2,699 EUR via HONOR’s website with deliveries starting March 18. Stay tuned to Hypebeast for news on a US release.