I highly recommend getting the global version not the Chinese! If the V3 wasn't released locally in your country (ex US or Canada) then you can get it from many different stores like Average dad tech store or wanda mobile or others. But make sure they have offer warranty. Edit (2024-Aug-20): Great news, assistant and Gemini work great now on Chinese ROM and can be launched from earbuds + can do all of the actions. Read the updated notion document below. Everything I found doesn't work on the Honor Magic V3 Chinese version and workarounds for most issues: maddada.notion.site/Things-that-don-t-work-on-the-Chinese-rom-Honor-Magic-V3-9686b8f2b53e4ed48e93f3ee39b1a9ec?pvs=4
I second this 100%. It's Probably the most detailed review of a phone that I have seen to date. If you work on your entertainment portion of your review, you are going to kill it! Great Job @maddada
Great analisys!!! . Nowadays big RU-vidrs usually make very bad reviews: read specs, some pictures without context an opinion without even have used it and done. This are the reviews we need. I'm between vivo x fold 3 Pro China (cheaper now than honor), V3 China or wait for v3 global (vivo global is too expensive for not even having easy warranty because is imported) Between vivo and Honor... I exactly get the same points as you... I think I'll buy the v3 by the outer screen ratio and the thickness. I'll wait until sept to see the prices and decide. Thanks again
Thank you my friend, I'm just sharing my honest opinion. I don't gain anything if you buy this or the Vivo, just want to help by providing my perspective as a Fold power user and first time chinese device buyer. Read the document attached that shows all of the issues with chinese phones too. If you don't have any deal breakers there then you can be more confident in your decision. Which country are you from btw?
@@maddada I'm from Spain. Coming from galaxy z fold 2(never found a big jump in Samsung to upgrade) . Yes I had China phones before(Meizu, ZTE, Huawei p40...) and I have played with them a lot(bootloader, root, roms, adb, Magisk...) and I know the issues...today all phones are bootloader locked so no more fun 🤣. They are nowadays more closed to global phones (they come with partial Google services installed but inactive) but not many workarounds as before with root. Z fold 6 256gb is already in 1260€(1380$) in Spain shops (3 warranty years)... Hope this make v3 global don't go to high.
After watching this review, I am going to do everything I can to get my hands on the Honor Magic V3 Global. I have a Pixel Pro 9 Fold on pre-order, but I don't think it will hold a candle in design and weight.
Thank you very much Bro, you have solved my question Marks 😂, I appreciate your time and help. I have both global version and Chinese phones and I don't really use android Auto because Mercedes Benz don't let me use it in full screen, never used S-pen when I had Samsung, and only 2 or 3 apps of Samsung Goodluck are useful in real life, in terms of software and hardware, camera, screen and battery I still believe vivo xfold 3 pro has the upper hand after watching all your videos about honor technically you were the best person with complete honest reviews and not only that, thanks for answering all of our questions., you left all the professional reviewers behind.👍
@@AloMal-wj6fx I appreciate your kind words my friend! Yes the Vivo is an amazing option too. If you aren't bothered by what's missing or needs workarounds on Chinese devices then go for it (phone link, assistant actions, auto, wear os watches, etc)
@@maddada you're welcome brother, I'm a Tech guy who discovered the hidden secrets of Chinese technology and happily Divorced Apple and Samsung 😂. They're charging people the same or with less Chinese technology for a double price, which is sad. For example, instead of buying an iPhone 15 Pro with the same money 💰 I purchased a Vivo X 100 pro for photography, a Realme GT5 150w for work and Huawei watch Gt4. This is a great sample of how much we get ripped off. So, Vivo, Honor, Xiaomi could make a very slim foldable but Apple forgot about it and Samsung galaxy z4,z4,z5,z6,z7,z8 are same 💩💩.
Thank you for all the details and the HONEST review. I was about to purchase the Vivo chinese ROM (to save some), but you said it right, I'm already paying much for a foldable so why not pay a little bit more and save all the hassle. Thanks again mate!
Best of luck with your channel, one of the most comprehensive view of the software. I hope when you get the international version you can share your thoughts. Well done for a great review.
I want to thank you for your detailed videos about Honor. I wish you all success in your tech and normal lives; you helped me decide to buy Honor, and I really appreciate it. Again, you missed highlighting that Honor is supporting "E-SIM," which is important for people who regularly travel, and it will even be a deal breaker.
Thank you for the kind words! Hope you enjoy the V3! I'm on the Chinese version which doesn't support e-sim that's why I didn't mention it. It's supported on the global edition though 👍
Global version of the V3 is coming very soon. Your video is great to consider getting the international one. Please continue this kind of content. It's very helpful. I saw another content about early release of V3 global version and he stated that it has bugs here and there especially with animations and multitasking. What's your experience with it? Many thanks! 😊
It's very stable for me, didn't face any notable bugs with animations or multitasking. They're also releasing a lot of updates to stabilize it and improve the battery life and camera performance (which is already good). I got 2 updates within 2 weeks. So I'm glad to see that they're focusing on this phone.
I think it's only there if you enable navigation bar? I have it if I do that. But on the Samsung even when enabling navigation gestures I still have the rotation Icon pop up. There's a different way to do it though which is "Smart rotate" (rotates based on the user's face orientation).
@@Muhairi89 you can fix delayed notifications, see the notion see in pinned comment. Sadly you can't flash global rom on Chinese that's why I recommend everyone just get global and avoid the headaches. Tell me if you still miss notifications after doing the steps in the notion doc.
There are many sellers online but how do I tell which is the global and which is the chinese version? there are some passing off the chinese version as global
@@TheRealMcCoyAndChipsAhoy the global is only 512gb with 12gb ram and the Chinese is 256gb+12gb, or 512gb+16gb ram, or 1tb+16gb. Check out Average dad or Wonda they're both trusted and have (global) mentioned there.
It is known that the previous version v2 does not allow the installation of any external launcher and this is what happens to me on my device. My question to you is, does the new version face the same problem? Because I tried many times to install Nova Launcher on v2 version but it refused. Can you install Nova Launcher and activate it on v3?
If you're on global V2 or V3 then you can easily set any launcher. (confirmed with multiple people) If you're on Chinese version (v2 or v3) then it's not possible.
It's working perfect on the global version. The error I'm getting says it's because I'm using a Chinese device. I highly recommend everyone get global and not Chinese if you're thinking of getting any phone.
Thanks for doing this test. HONOR is underrated . You gotta try the red magic 9 , I have it and it can play every console game I have at 60 fps it's unbelievable
Hi bro can you show how WhatsApp is being used on outter main screen as I do my business on WhatsApp and I want to be able to work without opening the fold, I got the z 6 fold but outter screen is to small
Thanks for the video brother, quick question, i want to upgrade from s23U to Honor magic v3, but i am afraid not to have same user experience from the UI itself, would u recommend me taking this step or should i wait for Samsung to make a clean foldable phone (probably in 2 years xD)
@@mosala7001 I would recommend it to be honest. This was the biggest thing I was afraid of to be honest (I was on the Fold 4 before) but the hardware you get is so worth it. I actually don't find myself missing anything on Magic OS as they now have near feature parity with One UI. (Most features are on both. Samsung has some extra things and Honor has some extra things)
It is one of the best detailed reviews. I appreciate that you took the time to do it all. Would the android auto work on the international version? My car supports android auto. And I have the fold 5, would you recommend the change to the V3?
@@nooralnmn4366 Yes, Android Auto works great on the Global V3. It's up to you if you want to upgrade or not. The outer screen, weight, and thickness of my Fold 4 were killing me so I'm so happy with the switch. The Fold 5 is similar in some of these aspects so you'd feel a massive difference for sure. Moving from One UI to Magic OS was the biggest question mark for me but I really enjoy using it on the V3. I would say try the phone in the store if you can and then make up your mind.
If it's the one that has a USB C built into it then I can't guarantee it would work because the camera is on the same side as the USB C port on the phone. The Game Sir X2 wireless Bluetooth works great for me, and there's a newer Game Sir X3 too I believe. But don't get the version that uses USB C to connect to the phone, get the Bluetooth one instead.
It's better in a few ways but if you're happy with the V2 then you can skip it honestly. The major improvements are water resistance, better cameras, brighter screens. Most of the software features will come to the V2 soon so those aren't a reason to upgrade.
Yes the global version works with Android Auto and there's a dock that you can Swipe on any screen to show and then drag apps from to split screen or make them floating. Works really well.
Great video, I'm not a fan of Hanz tech talk as he always criticizes Honor. I may be a bit bias as I have a honor magic 5 pro but I use to be a Samsung fan boy. Love the Chinese flagships, they're really pushing the limits with what is possible with smartphones 💯
I don't mind if he criticizes any company, I'm not getting paid to defend Honor or Samsung or who ever. But his "comparison" was so rushed and full of errors. 1- He missed to mention the Pen support on both screens, which is one of the biggest features for the Honor, and the main reason I went with it. 2- Also you didn't mention the thickness and weight difference where the Honor is better. 3- He clearly had the "beauty" feature enabled on the Magic V3 but disabled on the Vivo in the photo comparisons which ruined that whole segment. (the photos on my V3 have a lot of details and do not look cartoonish like he showed) 4- Hans said that it failed to pass antutu and heating up a lot but you can see it's passing fine and playing games without too many issues so I'm not sure what he's doing or if he's even on the last update. Average dad did another comparison video yesterday where he mentioned that the Honor has Android Auto already (it doesn't work yet) and forgot to mention the pen. But other than that it was a much more fair and balanced review.
@@maddada he has always been critical of honor though. At the moment Vivo is probably top of the Chinese flagships no question. He just never gives them credit for anything, so I feel it's never a fair comparison whenever he reviews Honor products IMO...
Yes it does, I like it better than the Samsung one because you can access it by just dragging from the side and holding so you don't always see an indicator on your screen like on One UI.
Both are great, which to get depends on where you live. I would only get the global version of either one, and the Magic V3 global is available in many more countries than XF3P (India and Indonesia only)
Yes, the V2 is wonderful, wish I got it instead of the Fold 4. The V3 is that + water protection, bit thinner, bit faster, better cameras, wireless charging, better hinge, and brighter screens. Hope they offer great deals for trading-in when the Global V3 comes out where you're located because I would personally go for it.
@@maddada all makes sense. i was expecting this to be better, the only concern is the software. with the V2 international it is basically a samsung experience ... with the chinese version, previoulsy i had some challenges. If they do trade in ... then all-in :). Great stuff One "feature" i would really hoping for was an honor case that can host the pen ... without .. as an ex Note use, it is very "un natural" to carry the pen with me all the time in another bag or pocket ... Thanks again for the video!
I believe there are cases that can carry the pen on Ali express but it adds bulk which I dislike. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have coming software-wise for the global V3.
@@maddada thanks man. That's helpful to know. one more question about Magic desktop - is it true that it's max supported resolution is only 1920x1080? (Samsung dex supports 4k resolution).
If LG is still around, i’m curious what they will bring to the foldable game. LG was pretty interesting. A shame they fold their mobile business. HTC are back, HMD/Nokia are back. It would be nice if LG comes back.
Really like your deep dive! I want to know your thoughts on the Vivo X Fold 3 pro with the gamesir controller, does it fit? And if so how's the lag on the Bluetooth for gaming? Like good enough for FPS games? Or more for slower RPG's?
Yes should fit fine, lag is not bad at all if you're not a veery competitive person. There's other game sir controllers that plug into usbc maybe one of those could work for fps games, but I didn't look into that.
Just search glass screen protector on Ali Express and take 3 pieces at least (they're a bit hard to apply) Make sure non of the glue goes in the hinge too!
So.. I just got my V3 today and set it up. I am EXTREMELY POSITIVE about this phone. I am from Europe, so was a bit sceptic about the CN SW, but almost everything is working! You can also disable like 99% of chinese bloatware. What im most surprised is, how the software is fluid, very very fast in the same time and dynamic 120Hz mode works perfectly! Even in youtube, once video is playing, its 60hz, but once i touch comments, its 120hz.. my Vivo X100 Pro had problem with that and it was always 60hz even in high mode. Wow... Also, changing from outer to inner screen is seamless, like it was not like this even on my X Fold3 Pro or Fold6, that I tried. Honor really nailed it. Hopefully it will be great in my upcoming use of it, but so far, after I set up all, its really like REALLY good. :)
@@maddada it's also thanks to you! I'll reach out if something. Thanks! Just can't find esim option, but I guess it's not here even though some sites mention that it should be.
Battery life is amazing, it lasts the whole day on medium use, but if you use it very heavily and drain the battery, you can bring it back from 0 to 60 with only ~22 mins of charging.
Yes it has both of those, see the first video I made to see all of the settings and features. I'll do a video about multi-tasking and advanced features soon.
Can you give us an recommendation - can we use the V3 without a case or is it to slippery for that? How thick/heavy is the V3 with the included case? Thanks 👍
Not really heavy with the included case and you get protection for the cameras and the hinge, added grip, and a kickstand built in. So I would recommend using it since this is an expensive device and you wouldn't want to damage it :) Honestly the slipperiness depends on how dry your hands are, if they're dry then the back is slippery if not then it's not that slippery, but you can put on a skin from dbrand or others if you want it to be grippy without a case.
Edit: Disregard the info below. See the pinned comment for a workaround that makes everything work with gemini and assistant except for Hey Google. No, on the Chinese version you can't activate it by saying hey google, you can't activate it by holding your earbud stems, and you can't ask it to do "actions" such as calling someone, driving somewhere, replying to a message, setting an alarm. I didn't see many people report this but it's a big deal IMO. You can only use Gemini to ask it to search for stuff, answer questions, or create content. The Magic V3 global edition is coming out in September for sure, I would recommend waiting for that or getting the Vivo X Fold 3 Global Edition if it's released in your country (or a nearby country)
The overheating is worrying me when playing heavy games. You're npt thebonly one who said this, another reviewer saidbit gets hot after 20 minutes of playing.
@@MohammedMansor32If you're going to play heavy games all the time then don't get the V3 or the Fold 6 because this isn't the intended usecase for them. If you just play PUBG or Genshin impact or other similar games and don't mind lowering the settings in some cases then you can get very good performance with the V3 and the heat isn't that bad. There's also coolers than you can attach to it for better cooling (search for red dragon mobile gaming cooler) The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is most likely the best foldable for heavy gaming but the Global version for it isn't released anywhere except in India and Indonesia (can be imported but very expensive) I personally would recommend staying away from Chinese Rom as it's annoying at times. But you can research more about this topic.
It's called Gamesir X2, I believe the newer version is out, watch some reviews for it. And yes I believe you could make it work with Mobile Legends just needs some set up the first time.
Here you go but check out the ratings on the others and buy 3 at least as it's a bit hard to apply: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007375851378.html Also don't let the glue go in the hinge or speakers (Take it to a mobile shop if you've never done it before)
You have to enable a setting called force multi-tasking and then you can split any 2 apps horizontally (I tried with RU-vid and steam link like you asked and it worked great as I said). The person on Reddit might've been talking about the magic v2 which doesn't have this feature yet.
@@maddada awesome thank you so much! Glad they have added that. Have the vivo x fold 3 and love it but that does work my nerves about it. There's work arounds of course, but having it just supported is awesome
@maddada Can you recommend a ring-type kickstand for this phone? I plan to use it without a case, but I definitely would like to have a Ring Stand,. Oh yes, how would you rate the reception quality compared to other Flag Ship phones? My iPhone 15 Pro Max is garbage in rural areas and fringe reception areas. Lastly can you please link the Honor Charging stand in the description?
Search on Ali Express I'm sure you'll find something. But the case is good for added ease of mind and doesn't add any bulk so I'd say it's worth it to put it on. Didn't have any reception issues even when using it in a rural area (went to a farm for a day and everything worked well, got good data speeds)
Thank you for the review and work arounds! How did you get the pen to act as a remote shutter and play/pause media? Mine doesn't do that out of the box.
Just get "Button Mapper", you need to pay to unlock custom buttons mapping and add the pen's button there by clicking add then double tapping the button. You can disable button Mapper in the notes app so double tapping the button switches to the eraser there as usual. You also can set holding volume up to camera and holding volume down to flash. (I just have it disabled in some apps and also have it not activate when the volume panel is showing, this way I can tap one then hold to not activate camera or flash) Hope this helped, all the best.
Hello, I really want to buy global v3 but I'm seeing a lot of people on reddit complaining about wireless android auto and/or galaxy watch not connecting properly with magic v2. This is a deal breaker. Can you do a video specifically on this topic? Thanks!
I just bought my Vivo x fold 3 pro 1tb Chinese version 2 weeks ago from wondamobile. After a lot of research and comparison between the vivo and Honor But to be honest nothing can beat my Huawei mate 20x so far which is I bought back in 2018 from wondamobile and I'm still using it
The X Fold 3 Pro is also an amazing choice, especially if you don't need the pen and don't mind importing. Each of the 2 has it's plusses and minuses. Congrats and enjoy!
Great informative video. Thanks and keep up the good work. Would you please post the direct link to the pen you are using? Also how did you get Samsung pen to work? i couldn't find any guide for that. Thanks Aagain
If gaming is a very heavy use for your phone and you don't need the pen and don't mind the 10g extra weight and 2mm extra thickness then get the X Fold 3 Pro. It'll get better performance.
@@maddada I love it but got unlucky with it. It's overheating regularly and shuts down almost on daily basis. Being in the UAE not having any service sucks. Hope I ll get some support online tho.
Update: there's a workaround to get Assistant and Gemini working almost perfectly on the Chinese ROM. Only hey Google didn't work but everything else does. (See the pinned comment under my FAQ video) No, on the chinese version you can't activate it by saying hey google, you can't activate it by holding your earbud stems, and you can't ask it to do "actions" such as calling someone, driving somewhere, replying to a message, setting an alarm. I didn't see many people report this but it's a big deal IMO.
