Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs Honor Magic V3: Battle for the future of foldables

We’re 5 years into the foldable smartphone thought now, and issues are lastly beginning to warmth up. The Samsung dominance is crumbling as increasingly manufacturers begin to discover this futuristic smartphone design.

Google, for instance, launched its second iteration of the foldable Pixel, nesting it underneath the Pixel 9 household, whereas Honor is a pair generations forward with the extraordinarily skinny Magic V3.

After Google determined to retouch the unique Pixel Fold, the brand new system is far nearer to the Galaxy Fold than earlier than, whereas Honor has been perfecting the V mannequin for a while to supply the world’s thinnest foldable (no less than for now) within the face of the V3.

Which one among these two deserves your consideration and hard-earned cash? Time to seek out out!

Desk of Contents:

Keep in mind the time when telephone producers competed to create the thinnest telephone ever? Again in 2006, Samsung unveiled the X820, dubbed “the world’s slimmest telephone” with a thickness of 6.9 mm. Effectively, we’re again combating that battle once more.

Within the realm of foldable telephones, although, shedding thickness actually issues since you fold the factor in half, successfully doubling the mentioned thickness. Honor has managed to beat the 2006 file, making a smartphone that is simply 4.35 mm thick (9.2 mm folded).

Google, however, managed 5.1 mm (or 10.5 mm folded), and regardless that we’re speaking a couple of millimeter right here, the distinction may be very clear. Holding each gadgets in hand, the Honor V3 is sleeker and in addition ligher. It actually appears like a traditional telephone when folded.Now, there are some design variations as effectively; the Pixel 9 Professional Fold has flatter sides, and the radius is larger on the curved corners. The digital camera system additionally appears to be like totally different; the Honor has an octagonal digital camera bump, whereas the Pixel sports activities a extra standard square-ish system.

The inside shows of those telephones at the moment are at a stage the place they’ll absolutely compete with non-folding, non-flexible panels. Not solely can they refresh at 120 Hz, however they’re additionally very brilliant. By way of brightness wars, Google wins this one, because the Pixel can output 1,500+ nits. The Magic V3 is now slouch eigher, with just a little over 1,000.

The decision and PPI are a tad higher on the Honor Magic V2, in addition to coloration accuracy, however total these are actually shut.

The Pixel 9 Professional Fold makes use of Google’s in-house developed Tensor G4 chipset, a fourth technology of the silicon, which is optimized for machine studying duties however lags behind in uncooked energy artificial benchmarks.

However, the Honor V3 comes with the present greatest Qualcomm processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and, unsurprisingly, wins the benchmark battle. Each of those telephones can be found with 16GB of RAM, however the base mannequin of the V3 comes with solely 12GB.

Efficiency Benchmarks:

To be truthful, the only core efficiency scores are usually not that far aside, and this is likely one of the most essential metrics, as virtually all apps and video games cannot make the most of a couple of (efficiency) core. The identical goes for the graphics scores, we see that underneath load the 2 outcomes are shut collectively. What this implies in observe is that in regular, real-life use these two will almost definitely carry out very shut.

Digicam

A periscope in a 4.35mm physique? How?

Foldable telephones have additionally catch as much as their extra inflexible cousins within the digital camera division, particularly in recent times. The Honor Magic V3 is spectacular on paper with its triple digital camera system, which features a 50MP, 5x periscope zoom lens. The principle digital camera is a 50MP sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, there’s additionally an ultrawide digital camera which is 40MP, sitting underneath an f/2.2 lens.

The Pixel 9 Professional Fold is a little more modest, the principle sensor is a 48MP, 1/2.0″ with an aperture of f/1.7, which is near what the Honor has, however the ultrawide and the telephoto cameras are just a little over 10MP, probably missing within the element division. However let’s not overlook that Google has its picture processing algorithms on its aspect. So, let’s verify the samples.

PhoneArena Digicam Rating:

Our refined and detailed digital camera rating takes into consideration totally different parts of a picture, together with coloration copy, wonderful element, focus, white stability, and far more. Trying on the scores above, it seems that these two are fairly shut, regardless of the Pixel missing in pure specs. 

Essential Digicam

The principle cameras of each telephones produce very nice photos, they really look fairly comparable relating to white stability and stage of element. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold photograph appears to be like a bit brighter, whereas the Honor Magic V3 was capable of reproduce the body nearer to what we noticed with our personal eyes. Total, each look nice and you will not be dissatisfied with both.

In low-light situations, there are some variations that begin to pop-up. The Magic V3 pattern is once more darker and in addition appears to be like a bit hotter. The main focus, publicity and dynamic vary look a tad higher on the Magic V3 pattern as effectively, in all probability because of the bigger sensor and bigger pixel dimension of the principle digital camera. Nevertheless, the distinction is not enormous.

Zoom High quality

Each telephones include devoted telephoto cameras, and at 3x zoom it appears that evidently the Magic V3 does a greater job. The picture appears to be like clearer and sharper with extra particulars and higher dynamic vary. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold photograph appears to be like considerably washed away, gentle and “dusty”, if that is smart. 

At 5x, which is the native optical zoom of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, issues look a lot nearer. Each telephones had been capable of resolve loads of element, and right here the dynamic vary is fairly shut between the 2. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold photograph appears to be like hotter nonetheless, whereas the colours within the Magic V3 pattern look extra pure.

At 10x magnification the picture processing algorithms begin to kick in exhausting, and we see a shift towards the Pixel 9 Professional Fold. The pattern appears to be like clearer and extra pure, the dynamic vary is best, and the extent of element additionally good. The Magic V3 just isn’t far behind, however there’s some oversharpening happening. It is a delicate distinction and total we might name this a tie.

Extremely-wide Digicam

The upper megapixel rely of the Magic V3 ultrawide digital camera contributes to a minor enhance intimately, and right here the tonality of the photograph is hotter on the Honor aspect. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold produces a brighter picture, total akin to the one snapped with the Magic V3. There is a distinction within the area of view as effectively, the Pixel has a wider 127˚ FOV, whereas the Magic V2 can “see” 112˚.

Selfies

The Pixel 9 Professional Fold manages to drag out extra particulars within the selfie class (try the material of the shirt within the left pattern). The general publicity and dynamic vary are additionally higher within the Pixel pattern. The Honor Magic V3 pattern is softer and brighter, we might say even a bit washed out.

Video High quality

Here is a brief video comparability between the Pixel 9 Professional Fold and the Honor Magic V3. What do you suppose, which one has higher video capabilities?

Battery Life and Charging

Benefit Honor

Now, the Honor Magic sequence telephones have all the time demonstrated glorious audio capabilities. Truly, the Magic 6 Professional continues to be probably the greatest sounding telephones we have ever examined. This has transferred to some extent to the Honor Magic V3, the sound high quality is superb, and the loudness is there as effectively.

Keep in mind that the loudspeakers are within the left wing of the physique, which can result in unusual mono-sounding audio relying on the orientation of the telephone. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold additionally comes with respectable audio and haptics, not as highly effective or as robust because the one within the V3, however comparable.