Best of MWC 2026: Live updates on phones, concepts, and robots we're seeing
The thinnest foldable yet packs a massive battery and extreme brightness, making Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 look outdated.
Honor has stolen the spotlight at MWC 2026 with the launch of the Magic V6, a flagship foldable that directly challenges Samsung's dominance in the category. ZDNET's hands-on testing reveals a device that makes the Galaxy Z Fold 7 appear immediately outdated, primarily through its groundbreaking 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery—a staggering 50% larger capacity than Samsung's 4,400mAh offering—all while achieving a remarkably thin 8.75mm profile when closed. The phone also sets a new benchmark for display technology, with Honor claiming peak HDR brightness of 6,000 nits on the outer screen and 5,000 nits on the inner foldable display, numbers previously unseen in the foldable market.
Technically, the Magic V6 is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and boasts robust IP68 and IP69 ratings for water and dust resistance, addressing key durability concerns for foldables. This combination of extreme thinness, massive battery life, and industry-leading display brightness represents a significant leap in foldable engineering, shifting the competitive focus from simply having a folding screen to delivering best-in-class core specifications. The announcement signals a major escalation in the high-end foldable wars, forcing rivals like Samsung and Google to respond with more substantial hardware innovations rather than incremental updates.
- Features a massive 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery, over 50% larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 7's 4,400mAh cell
- Achieves record 6,000 nits peak HDR brightness on the outer display and 5,000 nits on the inner foldable screen
- Maintains a slim 8.75mm profile when closed with full IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance ratings
Why It Matters
Raises the bar for flagship foldables, forcing competitors to improve battery life, display quality, and durability significantly.