Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights.
Honour is on a big push at this week's Mobile World Congress 2026. While the humanoid Honor Robot is going to grab the media's attention, it's the Honor Magic V6 that captures the energy, the intensity and the ambition that Honor is looking to capture.
While the fashionably thin smartphone trend of 2025 does not seem to be continuing into 2026, foldable phones need to retain that thinness when open to stay comfortably inside the footprint of a regular candybar phone when closed. Honor has shaved a tenth of a millimetre from the depth of the Magic V6 when compared to last year's Magic V5, and the reworked hinge allows for a more compact form when closed, leading to a saving of three-tenths of a millimeter.
Getting there has required Honour to rework the design of all the major components. Changes to the antenna assembly, speaker, SIM card housing, USB-C controller, NFC aerial, and vibration motor required new engineering approaches to reduce their volume. The dimensions have all been brought down without compromising on the already established performance levels.
You can also add advances in construction, providing greater protection and resistance across the frame, stronger glass, and a shallower crease when the Magic V6 is open. And it's all IP68 and IP69 certified.
The Magic V6 continues Honor' strong run of working well as a 'regular' smartphone in the hand. It does have a slight asymmetry to allow for the hinge on the left and two bevelled edges on the right, but otherwise it can pass itself off as a flagship quite easily, especially as it is the first foldable to sport the best-in-class Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.
Unfolded, the Magic V6 feels well-balanced, even with the triple-lens main camera under the right-hand side. The all-important crease is shallower than the Magic V5; you can still feel it when dragging your finger across but there's no valley to work through, it's a comfortable blip in the road. In terms of the core functions of being a good foldable, the Magic V6 is an obvious pass.
One of the interesting comparisons Honor makes is between the 8.75mm deep, 219g Honor Magic V6 and the 8.75mm deep, 231g iPhone 17 Pro Max. There's no doubt that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is seen as one of the yardstick phones to be measured against, but Honor is specifically calling out for a comparison to Apple.
Apple is always in the room, and Honor has turned to face Tim Cook and his team head-on with the Magic V6, except it’s a little bit more comfortable than you would expect.
Honor is declaring the Magic V6 is "Apple-Ready." Its Honor Connect software allows the V6 to sync notifications between an iPhone or iPad, and an Apple Watch can show notifications and messages from both devices. The connectivity options continue through to macOS with the Honor Workstation app. This allows for wireless screen casting between devices and file transfers.
I'm curious to see just how much leeway Apple will allow Honor to have in creating this cross-device ecosystem once it is released to the public. Some regions, such as Europe, have mandated Apple open up the platform to promote competition. Others have taken a hands-off attitude to Apple's domination, and Honor may have an uphill battle in those regions.
What's curious is that Apple doesn't yet have a foldable iPhone for sale. While it is widely expected to arrive in September 2026, the only foldable devices right now come from the Android ecosystem. With these tools, Honor is offering those inside the House of Tim Cook a way to get a foldable device and still maintain connectivity with their existing hardware.
No matter how this pans out, it's a statement of intent that no frontier is too far.
While the Honor Magic V6 is an important smartphone in its own right, setting out the company's technical ability and styling prowess, the timing of the launch is perhaps the most intriguing and telling part of Honor's MWC.
The Honor Magic V5 was announced in July 2025, eight months ago (arguably just six months for European and global markets). Why announce the next foldable phone so early in the life of the Magic V5? The V5 was priced at £1,799 ($2,400), a not inexpensive smartphone, and while no features are being taken away, the early adopters who flocked to the V5 are going to feel slighted.
Speaking to Honor ahead of the Magic V6 launch and its close proximity to the Magic V5, the visibility offered by MWC is a key part of the decision; "the current situation and moment is indeed a very special period of time in terms of the competition. MWC is a very important global platform, and with all the innovators and influencers to be there. So we think it's a good platform to announce Magic V6 innovation to the public."
Honor's MWC slate includes the headline-grabbing Honor Humanoid Robot and Robot Phone, the high-end MagicPad 4 tablet for creators, the workhorse MagicBook 14 Windows 11 laptop, and the class-leading Magic V6 folding smartphone. These all speak to building up a portfolio of innovation and increasing their competitive momentum to match competitors.
Alongside MWC, Apple will hold a launch event on March 4th. Samsung has just held its Galaxy Unpacked event to launch the Galaxy S26 family. If we look ahead six months or so, Apple will hold an iPhone 18 launch event in early September, and Samsung will hold a Galaxy Unpacked event to launch upgrades to Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip.
Both of these companies get two bites at the media cherry to put their new innovations front and centre and stay at the forefront of mobile innovation, ensuring press and public are aware of steps they take.
With Honor's growth, is it any wonder that they want to have their two days in the sun throughout the year?
Using MWC as the 'six-month' step between major events in September allows the company to do that. I wouldn't be surprised to see another major event near the end of Q3, likely to upgrade Magic Pro smartphones and bring a raft of AI and hardware advances across its portfolio. That would leave Magic V foldables to return and anchor March event when 2027 rolls around.
Two events, folded into one year, building on success of what came before. Turns out Magic V6 really does reflect Honor's approach in 2026 and beyond.