The foldable smartphone market is heating up this yr. Each Google and Honor lately launched their newest foldables, each showcasing cutting-edge expertise and distinctive designs.
The Pixel 9 Professional Fold provides a refined kind issue and high-end specs, whereas the Honor Magic V3 impresses with its ultra-slim construct and highly effective efficiency. However which one makes for the higher folding cellphone?
Right here’s a comparability that may enable you to resolve which flagship foldable is one of the best match for you.
Construct & Design
The Pixel 9 Professional Fold contains a sturdy and premium design, following the aesthetic of the Pixel 9 collection. When folded closed, it has a boxy, iPhone-like form, which feels sturdy however not the slimmest or lightest. It measures 8.9mm thick when folded and weighs 257g.
The hinge is very adjustable, permitting for varied angles with out snapping shut. Its frosted matte rear and clean, flat aspect rails give it a elegant look, however its hinge continues to be vulnerable to smudging.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 takes skinny and light-weight to a brand new stage for foldables, being simply 9.2mm thick when folded and weighing solely 226g. Its ‘Tremendous Metal’ hinge is powerful, and the ‘Particular Fiber’ physique materials offers sturdiness with out feeling flimsy.
Its IPX8 score ensures water resistance as much as 2.5m, though it lacks mud safety. The glossy design, coupled with a particular octagonal digicam bump, units it aside visually, making it a extremely moveable possibility within the foldable class.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 wins on this class attributable to its extremely slim and light-weight design, making it simpler to deal with and extra moveable with out compromising sturdiness.
Show & Audio system
The Pixel 9 Professional Fold has a 6.3-inch cowl show and an 8-inch inner LTPO OLED display screen. Each assist a peak 120Hz refresh price, nevertheless, the duvet display screen lacks the dynamic refresh price of the principle show. With peak brightness at 2700 nits for the duvet and 1800 nits for the principle show, visibility is great below varied lighting circumstances.
The Professional Fold’s stereo audio system present good sound high quality, although one speaker can get muffled in panorama mode.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 contains a 6.43-inch cowl show and a 7.92-inch inner display screen, each utilizing LTPO OLED tech, with a dynamic 1-120Hz refresh price.
The screens provide vibrant colors and deep blacks, preferrred for media consumption. The inner show’s almost-square side ratio may result in black bars when watching movies, although.
Its stereo audio system are highly effective however are higher suited to make use of in folded mode, attributable to their placement.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 edges out the Pixel 9 Professional Fold right here, with its superior show expertise and dynamic refresh price on each screens, offering a extra versatile viewing expertise.
Efficiency
Powered by Google’s personal Tensor G4 chip and 16GB of RAM, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold excels in day by day duties, app navigation, and AI-based processes.
Nevertheless, it lags behind Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered gadgets – together with the V3 – when it comes to uncooked efficiency, making it much less appropriate for intensive gaming.
A alternative of 256GB and 512GB storage choices offers ample area for customers.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 – geared up with the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 12GB of RAM – provides superior efficiency, particularly in gaming and high-intensity duties.
It transitions seamlessly between the duvet and inner screens, though demanding video games could lead to a slight efficiency drop on the bigger display screen.
The 512GB storage is non-expandable however ample for many customers.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 takes the lead in efficiency, because of its extra highly effective Snapdragon chip, making it the higher alternative for customers in search of top-tier efficiency, notably when gaming or multitasking.
Cameras
The Pixel 9 Professional Fold sports activities a 48Mp most important digicam, 10.5Mp ultrawide, and a ten.8Mp 5x periscope telephoto sensor. Daytime pictures are vibrant and detailed, although low-light efficiency depends closely on software program.
The twin 10Mp selfie cameras are enough however lack autofocus, making them much less spectacular, in comparison with the competitors.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 boasts a 50Mp most important sensor, 50Mp telephoto with 3.5x zoom, and a 40Mp ultrawide lens. Its most important and telephoto lenses produce distinctive outcomes, notably in low-light situations.
Portraits are a standout function, with exact edge detection and varied stylistic modes. Nevertheless, the ultrawide lens exhibits a noticeable drop in high quality.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 wins this spherical with its extra versatile and higher-quality digicam system, notably in low-light circumstances and portrait images.
Battery & Charging
The 4650mAh battery within the Pixel 9 Professional Fold can final by means of a day of reasonable use however requires nightly charging. Its 21W wired and seven.5W wi-fi charging speeds are underwhelming in comparison with its competitors, taking round 100 minutes for a full cost.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3’s 5150mAh battery provides sturdy longevity, even with heavy use of the inner show.
It helps 66W wired and 50W wi-fi charging, with a full cost taking just below an hour. The included charger is a plus, offering quicker recharge occasions, in comparison with the Pixel.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 is the clear winner in battery and charging, providing higher battery life and considerably quicker charging speeds.
Software program & Apps
Working Android 14 with an replace to Android 15 out there, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold consists of unique options just like the Gemini AI suite and 7 years of software program updates.
The interface is clear, with a concentrate on usability and fast entry to Google providers. Nevertheless, it lacks extra superior multitasking options seen in some opponents.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 runs MagicOS 8 excessive of Android 14, providing a variety of AI-powered options. Whereas some instruments – like Magic Portal, for seamless knowledge switch – are spectacular, the heavy bloatware and inconsistent AI implementation detract from the expertise.
Software program replace commitments are much less clear in comparison with Google’s beneficiant seven-year coverage too.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold is the higher alternative right here general, when it comes to software program and app expertise, because of its clear interface, longer replace assist, and higher integration of Google providers.
Value & Availability
The Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold is accessible globally, priced at £1,749/$1,799 for the 256GB mannequin and £1,869/$1,919 for the 512GB model.
It’s offered by means of Google’s on-line retailer in UK and the US on-line Google retailer, in addition to Amazon UK and Amazon US.
The Honor Magic V3 is priced barely decrease, at £1,699.99 within the UK.
It’s out there by means of the Honor web site and by way of Amazon, Argos and Very within the UK, however just isn’t offered within the US. Its aggressive pricing – given the specs – makes it a beautiful possibility, particularly in areas the place it’s out there.
Do you have to purchase the Pixel 9 Professional Fold or Honor Magic V3?
Selecting between the Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold and Honor Magic V3 just isn’t easy.
The Pixel 9 Professional Fold provides a refined, sturdy expertise with long-term software program assist and a premium construct, albeit with some compromises in efficiency and charging velocity.
It’s a wonderful alternative for many who worth software program consistency and Google’s ecosystem, although.
Luke Baker
The Honor Magic V3, however, stands out for its distinctive {hardware}, light-weight design, and superior digicam capabilities.
It outperforms the Pixel in most {hardware} elements however comes with a much less polished software program expertise and a shorter replace cycle.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
For these looking for one of the best foldable cellphone, we expect the Honor Magic V3 is the higher possibility. Nevertheless, it’s an in depth name and when you favor software program stability and longer assist, the Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold stays a strong alternative.