Honor’s Magic V6 is the first foldable phone with an IP69 rating

to The third year in a rowHonor has announced what it says is the world’s thinnest book-shaped foldable phone. to Second yearThis is combined with the largest battery in any foldable phone as well. This year, in its third and final trick, the company went ahead and made sure it was the first foldable phone with an IP69 rating as well.

The Honor Magic V6 was announced at MWC in Barcelona today, though Honor played a bit quick with the timing to secure these three records: The V6 won’t go on sale in China until later this month, and the international release is still months away, in the second half of the year, so Honor hasn’t said anything yet about pricing. However, I got a sample of the phone a few weeks ago, so its big claims aren’t all hypothetical.

Last year, Google demonstrated its hardware capabilities with Pixel 10 Pro Foldthe first foldable phone with an IP68 rating, meaning a maximum rating for dust protection and a near-top rating for water. Honor has one-upped Google with the Magic V6, which features IP68 and IP69 ratings, meaning it’s rated for both submersion in water and exposure to high-pressure, high-temperature water jets. And now you can fold out both the bathtub and shower, not to mention the interior of an industrial car wash.

The V6 is 4mm thick when open, and 8.75mm thick when folded and closed (well, so is the white version – the other colors are fractionally thicker). This is the same iPhone 17 Pro Maxand is thinner than previous foldable devices, but just barely: it’s 0.15mm thinner Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7and is just 0.05mm thinner than last year’s Magic V5, although Honor has shrunk its massive camera module by a touch, too. We’re deep into hair-splitting territory now, but it’s still refreshing that a foldable device is as thin as a regular smartphone.

Most impressive is the battery. The Magic V6 has a massive 6,660 mAh battery, up from the V5’s 5,820 mAh, and 50 percent larger than the Z Fold 7’s 4,400 mAh battery. I didn’t spend enough time testing the phone to get a good idea of ​​how long this battery lasts in practice, which I’ll save for a full review closer to when it actually goes on sale, but even with two displays I expect it to be easy going all day and after that. The battery was big My favorite part of the Magic V5Now Honor has pushed it even further.

You’ve probably guessed by now that Honor pulled off the trick with a silicon-carbon battery. This year, the silicon content increased from 15 to 25 percent, allowing it to make the battery more energy-dense than before. The company claims to have developed a battery made of 32 percent silicon as well, which will be available exclusively in the 1TB version of the V6 in China. Honor has not yet mentioned the size of this battery, but it is clear that it will break the 7,000 mAh line.

Other specifications are usually advanced: a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 5th generationAnd 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, stylus support on both displays, 80W wired charging, and wireless charging too – but not Qi2 magnetic. The triple rear camera includes a 64-megapixel 3x periscope, which Honor claimed in a press conference as “the best telephoto in a foldable phone.” I can’t do a fair test yet since my phone model is still in beta for the camera software, but I’d be surprised if it can beat the close-up shots found on Vivo’s recent foldables.

The Magic V6 has another trick up its sleeve: Honor has leaned more heavily into its efforts to build cross-compatibility with Apple devices. Apparently the Magic V6 will be able to support the AirPods’ full suite of software features, even including Find My tracking (although strangely it won’t support any other Find My devices). This is in addition to the ability to sync notifications with the iPhone, send them to the Apple Watch, and share screens and files with the iPhone or MacBooks. Honor has not confirmed to me whether it has plans for this Join Google in supporting AirDropBut you have to imagine it being implemented.

The V6 may not be quite as exotic as Honor’s gimbal-equipped robotic phone, which was also shown off at MWC. Each of his three records may seem pretty simple in isolation, but hopefully they add up to a meaningful upgrade. We’ll find out for sure when the phone is out In reality Launching later this year.

Photography by Dominic Preston/The Verge