Is HONOR‘s latest foldable flagship, which launched in China last month, coming to the Philippines? The short answer is: Yes, it will.

(Update, February 28: The HONOR Magic Vs and HONOR Magic5 series have been launched globally — and we have our quick hands-on with them!)

(Update, January 30: We have the HONOR Magic Vs’ global launch date!)

According to an email from the brand’s local team, the HONOR Magic Vs will be available in the country “very soon.” The smartphone comes in three colors — Orange, Cyan, and Black. No local launch date has been announced, and we have no idea how much the phone will cost when it arrives.

But take note that in China, the HONOR Magic Vs starts at ¥7,499 (around P59,581 or $1,075 converted) for 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. The 12GB/256GB configuration is priced at ¥7,999 (P63,553 or $1,147), while the top-end model with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage is ¥8,999 (P71,498 or $1,290). The HONOR Magic Vs Ultimate with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage and supports stylus input, on the other hand, sells for ¥10,888 (P86,507 or $1,561).

Similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, the successor to the Magic V folds like a book and transforms into a tablet-sized smartphone if you need more screen real estate. It has a 7.9-inch OLED foldable display with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It packs a smaller outer panel, too, with a 6.45-inch screen size and a 120Hz refresh rate. By comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold4’s inner and cover screens are smaller but sharper.

Coming in at 261 grams and measuring 12.9mm at its thickest point, the HONOR Magic Vs is among the most portable foldables in its form factor. To make the crease less visible when unfolded, it uses a sophisticated gearless hinge with fewer components than its predecessor. The hinge is also built using aerospace-grade materials and can withstand over 400,000 folds — or about 10 years of use with 100 folds per day.

Powering the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 5G chipset running the company’s Magic UI 7.0 based on Android 12. The latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 would have been nice, but then again, we’re not really complaining considering how powerful the last-gen processor is. Other notable specs include a 5,000mAh battery that supports 66-watt fast charging, a 50-megapixel main camera with a Sony IMX800 image sensor, a 50-megapixel ultrawide option that doubles as a macro cam, and an 8-megapixel telephoto shooter with up to 3x optical zoom.

The press release we received

HONOR Magic Vs specs

• 7.9-inch foldable OLED, 2,272 x 1,984 resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, 1,920Hz high-frequency PWM eye protection
• 6.45-inch external OLED, 2,560 x 1,080 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 1,920Hz high-frequency PWM eye protection
• 4nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 with 5G
• 8GB/12GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB
• Triple 50-megapixel, f/1.9 main, 50-megapixel, f2.0 ultrawide/macro, 8-megapixel, f/2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom rear cameras
• 16-megapixel, f/2.45 front camera
• Side fingerprint reader
• 5,000mAh battery with 66-watt fast charging
• Magic UI 7.0 based on Android 12
• Orange, Cyan, Black colors

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