It’s not uncommon for brands to be treated similarly in the mobile industry. Samsung, which regularly ridicules Apple for its missteps, has been given a taste of its own medicine in the run-up to this year’s IFA showroom.
As part of a marketing stunt for the upcoming foldable Honor Magic V3 – also known as the world’s thinnest inward-folding foldable phone – Chinese mobile manufacturer Honor has apologized to owners of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 who may have felt “let down” by their new foldable purchase.
The Honor Magic V3 – which will be unveiled globally at IFA 2024 – measures just 4.35mm when unfolded and 9.2mm when folded. The Galaxy Z Fold 6, in contrast, measures 5.6mm when unfolded and a comparatively tall 12.1mm when folded. The upcoming Honor foldable is also significantly lighter, at 226g versus 239g.
To highlight these (admittedly noticeable) differences, Honor commissioned micro-artist Graham Short to engrave “the world’s smallest apology” onto the hinge of a special edition of the Honor Magic V3.
The full message reads as follows:
Dear Samsung Galaxy Z Fold owners, we’re sorry. We know you were excited to buy a phone that folds in half and fits awkwardly in your pocket. You were promised the future, a technological marvel, a world of limitless multitasking and performance.
And now you’re probably looking at the new HONOR Magic V3 and feeling a little bit… betrayed. Size matters, and we feel your pain. Like being tipped for a gold medal and then finishing last in the race, knowing that a thinner, lighter, more durable foldable exists is enough to make anyone question their choices.
We get it. You were an early adopter, a pioneer who bravely entered the uncharted territory of foldable displays with questionable durability. You deserve better. In fact, you deserve a gold medal.
In all seriousness, we at Honor are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of technology and giving you the best possible foldable experience. We’re just saying… it’s okay to feel disappointed. We’d feel the same way.
Gosh, what a hassle balls. To be fair to Honor, the company is right to pat itself on the back – at least when it comes to the Magic V3’s physical design. The upcoming device is objectively “thinner, lighter, and more durable” than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, with Honor describing Samsung’s latest foldable phone as the “sturdier alternative” in a press release that coincided with the aforementioned apology.
Even last year’s Honor Magic V2 is “thinner and lighter” than the recently released Galaxy Z Fold 6 – those are just the facts, folks.
Of course, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 isn’t a bad phone by any means. In fact, it’s an exceptionally powerful and versatile handset that we described in our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review as “a bold reinterpretation of Samsung’s flagship foldable phone.”
The AI-powered software is also best-in-class, and we doubt Honor’s upcoming foldable phone – despite coming equipped with impressive AI features including Face to Face Translation and AI Eraser – will have the software bite to match its design. That said, if you value a sleek aesthetic most in a foldable phone, the Magic V3 is the clear winner.
As mentioned, the Honor Magic V3 is scheduled for a global launch during Honor’s IFA 2024 keynote, which kicks off on Thursday, September 5 at 5am PT / 8am ET / 1pm BST. The new phone won’t be launching in the US, but American folks curious about whether Honor’s supreme confidence is warranted should still check out our upcoming Honor Magic V3 review.