2024 Winners and losers: Honor

It’s been another strong year for Honor, which has cemented itself as one of the world’s leading Android manufacturers. Honor has launched some of the best foldable devices, with its flagship Magic 6 and mid-range digital series devices also standing out.

Its strong smartphone lineup also includes a range of excellent tablets and laptops, with the MagicBook Art 14 being one of our favorites for 2024. There have been some growing pains along the way, so let’s summarize the pros and cons of Honor’s 2024 event.

Winner: Magic V3

Honor is arguably the best foldable phone of 2024 Magic V3. The thinnest and lightest book-folding phone on the market feels like a generation (or two) ahead of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 and most of the other major competitors in the space.

With its slim 4.4mm width and 226g weight in unfolded mode, Honor has delivered an 8-inch device that takes up about the same space in your pocket as the flagship iPhone Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy Ultra phablet.

It’s not just the looks, the Honor V3 also brings all the bells and whistles – a reasonably sized 6.43-inch cover screen, a large 7.92 main display that supports stylus input, a flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and a powerful triple lens. Backed by reliable software and a long-lasting battery.

Winner: Magic6 Pro

It is one of the first flagship Android phones launched in 2024, Magic 6 Pro Still a factor throughout the year. It ticks most of the boxes for a current flagship – a bright and clear LTPO OLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, a great camera with a top-notch 180MP periscope and top-notch battery life. It’s also the only Android flagship phone to offer a 3D face unlock system that’s comparable to the iPhone.

Unreliable video capture and some minor software glitches aside, the Magic6 Pro is a worthy flagship and remains competitive with the best in the industry. We can only hope that the Magic7 Pro will hit the global market soon.

Winner: MagicBook Art 14

This is one of the best-looking laptops we’ve reviewed this year. Magic Book Art 14 The hardware doesn’t disappoint either. From the gorgeous 14.6-inch OLED 120Hz touch screen to the cool aluminum chassis and Intel Core Ultra 5 chip, the MagicBook Art 14 leaves little to be desired.

At just 980 grams, the Art 14 weighs next to nothing, and the clever hidden camera module is a great party trick that will appeal to the privacy-conscious crowd. The titanium keyboard and giant glass trackpad are a joy to use, and the 60Wh battery allowed us to get through a full day’s work. We also expect to see these numbers go up with the Snapdragon X Elite version we’re reviewing.

Loser: International availability

For all the great devices it has launched over the past twelve months, Honor continues its policy of selling some of its devices exclusively in China. Great phone, e.g. Non-professional version of Magic6, Magic V flipand X50GT Unfortunately it is not available outside of China.

Honor Magic6•Magic V Flip•X50 GT

In addition, the brand’s latest Magic7 series of mobile phones are still only sold in China nearly two months after their release, and it has not yet been revealed which mobile phones will enter overseas.

Loser: MagicOS

Despite Honor’s continued promise, MagicOS isn’t one of our favorite looks at Android. From the Magic Capsule’s pill-shaped cutout to the control center, it’s clear that Honor’s software team sees iOS as inspiration. This is a common theme among Chinese smartphone makers, but we feel Honor’s powerful hardware is held back by its software.

latest Magic OS 9.0 It looks promising, but we’ll have to get a global launch first to see if it can really catch up with 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 in the Android market, so we can’t help but wonder why the brand doesn’t put more effort into high-end smartwatches. this Honor Watch 5 and Watch GS 4 It’s the only smartwatch coming from the manufacturer in 2024, and while both are capable devices, they’re still a long way from being a true WearOS smartwatch.

A WearOS Honor watch with a Porsche design look would be a welcome addition

Honor already has a vast ecosystem of high-end devices ranging from smartphones to tablets and laptops, so it only makes sense to complete the cycle with a flagship smartwatch. With Porsche’s expertise in designing smartphones, we are confident that Honor can create a great high-end smartwatch that will breathe fresh air into the stale WearOS market.

Honor Magic V3

Honor Magic6 Pro