Google Pixel Fold vs HONOR Magic V2

Both Google and HONOR have flagship-grade foldables that managed to attract a lot of attention since launch. In this article, we’ll compare those two devices, the Google Pixel Fold vs HONOR Magic V2. Both of them originally launched last year, but the Magic V2 arrived to global markets this year. They are both book-style foldables, but they are also entirely different at the same time.

The Pixel Fold is considerably wider and shorter, as it aims for a more landscape-like orientation when unfolded. That’s only one of the hardware differences, though. As per usual, we’ll first list their specifications and will then move to compare the two phones across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance.

Specs

Google Pixel Fold & HONOR Magic V2, respectively

– Screen size (main):
7.6-inch Foldable OLED display (120Hz, HDR10+, 1,450 nits)
7.92-inch Foldable LTPO OLED (120Hz, HDR10+, IMAX Enhanced, 1,600 nits)
– Screen Size (cover):
5.8-inch OLED (120Hz)
6.43-inch LTPO OLED (120Hz, 2,500 nits)
– Display resolution (main):
1840 x 2208
2156 x 2344
– Display resolution (cover):
2092 x 1080
2376 x 1060
– SoC:
Google Tensor G2
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5)
16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB (UFS 3.1)
512GB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, OIS), 10.8MP (ultrawide, 121-degree FoV), 10.8MP (telephoto, 5x optical zoom, OIS)
50MP (wide, f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, OIS, Laser AF), 50MP (ultrawide), 20MP (telephoto, 2.5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF)
– Front cameras:
8MP (main display, f/2.0 aperture), 9.5MP (cover display, f/2.2 aperture)
16MP (wide, f/2.2 aperture)
– Battery:
4,821mAh
5,000mAh
– Charging:
21W wired, 7.5W wireless (no charger)
66W wired, 5W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions (unfolded):
158.7 x 139.7 x 5.8mm
156.7 x 145.4 x 4.7-4.8mm
– Dimensions (folded):
139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1mm
156.7 x 74.1 x 9.9-10.1mm
– Weight:
283 grams
231/237 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Side-facing fingerprint scanner
– OS:
Android 13 (upgradable)
Android 13 with MagicOS 7.2
– Price:
$1,799+
€1,999
– Buy:
Google Pixel Fold (Best Buy)
HONOR Magic V2 (HONOR)

Google Pixel Fold vs HONOR Magic V2: Design

The moment you take a look at the two phones, you’ll notice immense differences. If you end up handling both, you’ll realize they’re even more different than you thought. Both of these phones are made out of metal and glass, though the Magic V2 also comes in a variant with a vegan leather backplate. The Google Pixel is a lot shorter, and quite a bit wider too. It’s also noticeably thicker than the HONOR Magic V2. On top of all that, it’s also a lot heavier at 283 grams, compared to 231/237 grams (depending on the variant) of the Magic V2. The difference is huge, actually.

Both phones have a centered display camera hole on their cover displays. The HONOR Magic V2 also has a hole punch on the main display, while the Pixel Fold does not. It does, however, have considerably thicker bezels on the main display, and the camera is hidden in them. Speaking of the main display, the crease on the Pixel Fold is a lot more noticeable than on the HONOR Magic V2.

The Pixel Fold’s camera island looks completely different in comparison to the HONOR Magic V2. Both phones do pack three cameras in them, however. A fingerprint scanner is placed on the right-hand side of both phones, as their power/lock buttons double as fingerprint scanners. The Pixel Fold comes with an IPX8 certification for water resistance, while the HONOR Magic V2 does not offer any such certification.

In the hand, the two phones feel entirely different. The HONOR Magic V2 actually feels like a regular slab phone when folded, and expands into a great-looking tablet. The Pixel Fold feels very heavy in the hand, and it’s also quite thick when folded, especially if you compare it to the HONOR Magic V2. The HONOR Magic V2 kind of feels more premium because of all that, it also has a great-feeling folding/unfolding mechanism. Both phones are extremely slippery, though, though the vegan leather Magic V2 model does change things up a bit.

Google Pixel Fold vs HONOR Magic V2: Display

The Google Pixel Fold comes with a 7.6-inch 1840 x 2208 main Foldable AMOLED display. That display has a 120Hz refresh rate and supports HDR10+ content. Its brightness goes all the way up to 1,450 nits. The cover display measures 5.8 inches, and it offers a resolution of 2092 x 1080. That display has an aspect ratio of 17.4:9, and it supports HDR content. It also offers a 120Hz resolution, and its brightness goes up to 1,550 nits. This display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus.

The HONOR Magic V2, on the flip side, features a 7.92-inch 2156 x 2344 Foldable LTPO OLED display. That panel can project 1 billion colors, and it supports HDR10+ content. It is IMAX Enhanced, and it supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The peak brightness on it is 1,600 nits. The cover display measures 6.43 inches, and it has a resolution of 2376 x 1060. That is an LTPO OLED panel, and it can project up to 1 billion colors. It has a 120Hz refresh rate and supports HDR10+ content. This panel is protected by nanocrystal glass 2.0, and it has a 20:9 aspect ratio. This cover panel has a max brightness of 2,500 nits.

The main displays on both phones are good, but we prefer the one on the Magic V2 for two reasons. First, it’s less reflective than the one on the Pixel Fold, and the crease is much less noticeable. They’re both quite vivid, though, and have great viewing angles. The touch response is good on both, and the blacks are deep. The Magic V2’s panels are also a bit brighter, which doesn’t hurt at all. On top of all that, the bezels around the HONOR Magic V2’s main panel are considerably thinner.

Google Pixel Fold vs HONOR Magic V2: Performance

The Google Pixel Fold is fueled by the Google Tensor G2 processor. That is a 5nm chip, by the way. Google is also using 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM inside of this phone, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The HONOR Magic V2, on the other hand, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. It is equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage is used by the company.

The HONOR Magic V2 actually does have an edge based on the specs alone. It has a more powerful processor, and also newer and faster RAM and storage. Does that reflect in actual usage, though? Well, if you do compare them side by side, you will notice that the Magic V2 is a bit snappier. However, you really have to look for it, as the Google Pixel Fold does a great job with performance. Both phones do a great job with multimedia consumption, multitasking, launching apps, image processing, and anything else you can think of.

When it comes to games, the HONOR Magic V2 is a better choice. Not only did HONOR built-in some software related to gaming, but the phone’s chip is simply better for games in general. You won’t really notice the difference with games that are not graphically demanding, but once you fire up Genshin Impact or something similar to it, you will see that the HONOR Magic V2 does a better job. The Google Tensor G2 is not really made for gaming, so… it makes sense. Don’t get me wrong, though, you can totally use the Pixel Fold for playing games if you want to, but the performance won’t be on par with the Magic V2.

Google Pixel Fold vs HONOR Magic V2: Battery

The Google Pixel Fold includes a 4,821mAh battery, while the HONOR Magic V2 has a 5,000mAh unit. HONOR actually used a silicon-carbon battery inside of its foldable handset. That battery has higher density, and it’s more resistant to operation under extreme conditions. The fact that it has a higher density enabled HONOR to use such a high battery capacity in such a compact body.

That being said, both phones are capable of crossing the 7-hour screen-on-time mark, though we’ve noticed that the battery life was not as consistent on the Pixel Fold. In fact, it was not often that we were able to get to that 7-hour screen-on-time mark. The phone was usually dancing between 6 and 6.5 hours for us. The HONOR Magic V2 was almost always able to cross the 7-hour screen-on-time mark, however. It offered a better battery in our experience. The mileage may vary for you, though. Do note that we played games only for testing purposes, and the phones were connected to Wi-Fi on most days, with periods on 5G with a good signal.

The Pixel Fold supports 21W wired and 7.5W wireless charging. The HONOR Magic V2, on the other hand, supports 66W wired, and 5W reverse wired charging. Needless to say, the HONOR Magic V2 charges a lot faster than the Pixel Fold. On top of that, it comes with a charger in the box, unlike Google’s foldable handset.

Google Pixel Fold vs HONOR Magic V2: Cameras

The Google Pixel Fold includes a 48-megapixel main camera, in addition to a 10.8-megapixel ultrawide unit (121-degree FoV), and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The HONOR Magic V2, on the other hand, has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit, and a 20-megapixel telephoto camera (2.5x optical zoom).

Now, both of these phones do offer good camera performance, but the results are quite different. The Pixel Fold has the benefit of Google’s image processing, and the images have that contrasty look. They seem processed but in a good way. The HONOR Magic V2 does tend to use sharpening a bit more, which is something you’ll notice when you pixel peep. It prefers to offer bright and nice-looking images which mostly lean towards warmer colors, unlike the Pixel Fold.

In low light, both smartphones do a really good job, though we did prefer the results from the Pixel Fold. It was simply more consistent in low-light environments. Something similar can be said for its telephoto camera overall, even though the Magic V2 did take better images at specific zoom ranges (mostly between 2.5-5x). Ultrawide and telephoto camera on both phones can hold their own in low light, but the Pixel Fold did a better job most of the time.

Audio

Both of these phones include stereo speakers. Those speakers are good on both devices. They’re loud enough, and yet don’t show signs of distortion, even at higher volumes. We’ve heard considerably louder speakers, but these two sets are more than loud enough, they’re also well-balanced.

You will not get an audio jack on either of these two smartphones. They do include Type-C ports at the bottom, so you can use those for wired audio connections. Alternatively. The Pixel Fold and HONOR Magic V2 also offer Bluetooth 5.2 and Bluetooth 5.3, respectively.