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The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is right around the corner, but many of you may still consider getting the Fold 4 instead. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 will offer some improvements in comparison, but seemingly not a lot. Having said that, in this article, we’ll compare Samsung’s current-gen book-style foldable to an offering from HONOR. We’ll be comparing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs HONOR Magic Vs.
The HONOR Magic Vs is one of those book-style foldables that is not exclusive to China. Therefore, it competes with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in more markets. These two phones are fairly different, though, not only from the design standpoint, but from the software standpoint as well. That should make for an interesting comparison, though. So, let’s get started, shall we?
Specs
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 | HONOR Magic Vs | |
| Screen size | Main: 7.6-inch fullHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (foldable, 120Hz) Secondary (Cover): 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (flat, 120Hz) |
Main: 7.9-inch fullHD+ OLED (foldable, 90Hz) Secondary (Cover): 6.45-inch fullHD+ OLED display (flat, 120Hz) |
| Screen resolution | Main: 1812 x 2176 Secondary (Cover): 2316 x 904 |
Main: 1984 x 2272 Secondary (Cover): 2560 x 1080 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| RAM | 12GB (LPDDR5) | 8GB/12GB |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 3.1), non-expandable | 256GB/512GB, non-expandable |
| Rear cameras | 50MP (f/1.8 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.0um pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, 67mm lens, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 123-degree FoV, 12mm lens, 1.12um pixel size) |
54MP (f/1.9 aperture, 27mm, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF) 8MP (f/2.4 aperture, telephoto, 3x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS) 50MP (f/2.0 aperture, 13mm lens, 122-degree FoV) |
| Front cameras | Main: 4MP (f/1.8 aperture, 26mm lens, 2.0um pixel size, under-display) Secondary: 10MP (f/2.2 aperture, 24mm lens, 1.22um pixel size) |
Main: 16MP (f/2.5 aperture) Cover: 16MP (f/2.5 aperture) |
| Battery | 4,400mAh, non-removable, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 4.5W Wireless PowerShare Charger not included |
5,000mAh, non-removable, 66W fast wired charging, 5W reverse wireless charging Charger included |
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3mm Folded: 155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8mm |
Unfolded: 160.3 x 141.5 x 6.1mm Folded: 160.3 x 72.6 x 12.9mm |
| Weight | 263 grams | 261/267 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | Side-facing fingerprint scanner | Side-facing fingerprint scanner |
| OS | Android 12 (upgradable) One UI 4.1.1 |
Android MagicOS 7.1 |
| Price | $1,799 | €1,599 ($1,747) |
| Buy | Samsung | HONOR |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs HONOR Magic Vs: Design
Both of these phones are book-style foldables, but they feel a bit different to use. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is narrower than the HONOR Magic Vs, quite a bit. Its cover display is even too narrow for some people, to the level of making it odd to type on. The Magic Vs has a more regular aspect ratio, but that’s something we’ll talk more about in the display section. Both phones are narrow enough to feel good to use, even with one hand, despite the fact they’re not small by any means, as they’re quite tall.
The HONOR Magic Vs is taller, wider, and thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Part of the reason why is because it folds flat, unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The Magic Vs also has larger displays, by the way. Both phones are made out of metal and glass, though there is also an eco leather variant of the Magic Vs, but in China only. They have considerably different hinges, as the Magic Vs’ has a lot fewer moving parts on the inside. The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s hinge does allow for better control, but it doesn’t allow the phone to fold flat.
The two phones are very similar in terms of weight, the difference is only a couple of grams. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 does have the advantage of offering water resistance. It comes with an IPX8 rating, which is something the HONOR Magic Vs does not offer. Both phones feel like premium devices in the hand, but as I said, they do feel different to use.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs HONOR Magic Vs: Display
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 features a 7.6-inch 1812 x 2176 main display. That is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10+ content, and gets up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness. The cover display on the phone measures 6.2 inches, and it offers a 2316 x 904 resolution. This is also a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, and it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus+. It has an aspect ratio of 23.1:9.
The HONOR Magic Vs includes a 7.9-inch 1984 x 2272 foldable OLED panel. That display can project up to 1 billion colors, and it offers a 90Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10+ content, and gets up to 800 nits of brightness at its peak. The cover display measures 6.45 inches, and it’s an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. It can project up to 1 billion colors, and supports HDR10+ content. This panel gets up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness, and has a resolution of 2560 x 1080.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 does have the advantage of having two 120Hz displays, while its main panel is also a bit brighter outdoors. Do note that you likely won’t notice the difference when it comes to refresh rate, as the main panel on the HONOR Magic Vs feels great to use, and it’s quite smooth while scrolling. All displays are vivid, and offer good viewing angles. Another thing worth noting is that neither the Fold 4 nor the Magic Vs are great at crease control. All things considered, however, all displays are quite compelling.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs HONOR Magic Vs: Performance
These two phones include the same SoC. Both are fueled by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. That is no longer Qualcomm’s flagship SoC, but it’s the closest thing to it. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 also includes 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 1TB of UFS 3.1 flash storage. The HONOR Magic Vs, on the other hand, comes with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Both of these phones are on a high level when it comes to performance. Regular, everyday tasks are a breeze, while they can also fire up pretty much any game from the Google Play Store with no issues. You will notice the difference in software, though. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has far more software features for foldables than the Magic Vs. HONOR still has some catching up to do, but it’s slowly getting there.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs HONOR Magic Vs: Battery
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 packs in a 4,400mAh battery. On the other hand, the HONOR Magic Vs, has a 5,000mAh battery on the inside. Truth be said, Samsung’s foldable does have smaller displays, but it also has a higher refresh rate on its main panel. The good news is, the battery life is really good on both phones.
Getting to around 7 hours of screen-on-time with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 proved to be doable. The HONOR Magic Vs is on the same playing field. Your mileage may vary, of course, but during our usage, these two phones provided similar numbers. Around 7 hours of screen-on-time in a single day, sometimes a bit more, with light gaming, and rather intense usage otherwise.
What about charging? Well, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 supports 25W wired, and 15W wireless charging. On top of that, it also supports 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The HONOR Magic Vs has support for 66W wired charging, and 5W reverse wired charging. It does not support wireless charging. The Magic Vs does, however, ship with a charger in the box, unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs HONOR Magic Vs: Cameras
There is a 50-megapixel main camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. A 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (123-degree FoV) is also included, as is a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The HONOR Magic Vs includes a 54-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (122-degree FoV), and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom).
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 takes good photos, with plenty of detail, and they end up looking sharp too. At times, they can seem a bit too sharp. The HONOR Magic Vs also provides enough detail during the day, though the Galaxy Z Fold 4 does a better job in demanding HDR conditions, and the images do end up looking slightly sharper. Still, the images from the Magic Vs do look closer to real life. Ultrawide cameras do a good enough job, but they’re a step below the main units.
In low light, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a tendency to light up the scene a lot more than the Magic Vs. As a result, the photos do end up looking a bit unrealistic, but great at the same time. The Magic Vs tries to keep such photos closer to real life, but it loses a bit of detail as a result. Neither telephoto camera is great, but they are usable. You may want to stick to the main camera in low light, though.
Audio
There is a set of stereo speakers on both of these phones. They sound good on both devices, but the Galaxy Z Fold 4 seems to have a wider soundstage, at least it seems like it. Its speakers are also slightly louder.
Neither phone has an audio jack, however, so you’ll need to use their Type-C ports for wired audio connections. On the wireless side of things, Bluetooth 5.2 is supported on both smartphones.