It was another strong year for Honor as it solidified itself as one of the leading Android manufacturers globally. Honor makes some of the best foldables out there, and its flagship Magic6 and midrange number series devices also stood out from the crowd.
Adding to its strong smartphone lineup is the bevy of great tablets and laptops, with the MagicBook Art 14 being one of our 2024 favorites. There were some growing pains along the way, so let’s summarize the good and not-so-good Honor’s 2024 campaign.
Winner: Magic V3
Honor delivered arguably the best foldable of 2024 with the Magic V3. The thinnest and lightest book-style fold on the market feels like a generation (or two) ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6 and most of the other key competitors in the space.
With its crazy thin 4.4mm width in unfolded mode and 226-gram weight, Honor delivered an 8-inch device that takes up about the same space in your pocket as a flagship iPhone Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy Ultra slab phone.
And it’s not just looks, Honor brought all the bells and whistles with the V3 – a reasonably sized 6.43-inch cover screen, a massive 7.92 main display that supports stylus input, the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and a capable trio of cameras all backed by a solid software and a decently lasting battery.
Winner: Magic6 Pro
It was among the first flagship Android phones to launch in 2024 and the Magic6 Pro remained a factor throughout the year. It ticked most of the boxes for a current-gen flagship – a bright and crisp LTPO OLED display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, great cameras with a top-notch 180MP periscope and top-tier battery endurance. It was also the only Android flagship to offer an iPhone-rivaling 3D face unlock system.
Unreliable video shooting and some minor software mishaps aside, Magic6 Pro is a worthy flagship and remains competitive against the best in the business. We can only hope that the Magic7 Pro is coming to global markets soon.
Winner: MagicBook Art 14
It was one of the best-looking laptops we reviewed this year, and the MagicBook Art 14 did not disappoint on the hardware front either. From its gorgeous 14.6-inch OLED 120Hz touchscreen, to the cool aluminum chassis and the Intel Core Ultra 5 chip, MagicBook Art 14 left little to be desired.
Art 14 weighs next to nothing at 980 grams, and that neat tuck-away camera module is a great party trick that will appeal to the privacy-focused crowd. The titanium keyboard and huge glass trackpad are a joy to use and the 60Wh battery got us through a full day of work. We’re also expecting to see those numbers go up with the Snapdragon X Elite version, which is in our review pipeline.
Loser: International availability
For all of the great devices it launched in the past twelve months, Honor has continued its policy of keeping some of its devices China-exclusive. Great phones like the non-Pro Magic6, Magic V Flip, and X50 GT are sadly not available outside of China.
Honor Magic6 • Magic V Flip • X50 GT
In addition, the brand’s latest Magic7 series phones are still only sold in China nearly two months after their announcement, with no word on which phones will make the jump abroad.
Loser: MagicOS
Despite Honor’s continued commitment, MagicOS is not among our favorite Android skins. From the Magic Capsule pill-shaped cutout to the control center, it’s evident that Honor’s software team sees iOS as an inspiration. That’s a common theme for Chinese smartphone manufacturers but we feel like Honor’s capable hardware is held back a bit by the software.
The latest MagicOS 9.0 looks promising, but we’ll have to get our hands on the global release to see if it’s truly caught up to the likes of Samsung’s One UI or Google’s Pixel UI.
Loser: Flagship smartwatch
Honor’s flagship smartphones and foldables are some of the best on the Android market so we’re left wondering why the brand doesn’t put more effort into a premium smartwatch. The Honor Watch 5 and Watch GS 4 are the maker’s only smartwatches to launch in 2024 and while both are capable devices, they are a long way away from a proper WearOS smartwatch.
A WearOS Honor Watch with Porsche Design looks would be a welcome addition
Honor already has a vast ecosystem of premium devices ranging from smartphones to tablets and laptops, so completing the circle with a flagship smartwatch would only make sense. With its expertise from its Porsche Design smartphones, we’re certain that Honor can make a standout premium smartwatch that would put some fresh air in the stale WearOS market.
Honor Magic V3
Honor Magic6 Pro