The foldable smartphone market is heating up this year. Both Google and Honor recently launched their latest foldables, both showcasing cutting-edge technology and unique designs.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold offers a refined form factor and high-end specs, while the Honor Magic V3 impresses with its ultra-slim build and powerful performance. But which one makes for the better folding phone?
Here’s a comparison that will help you decide which flagship foldable is the best fit for you.
Build & Design
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold features a robust and premium design, following the aesthetic of the Pixel 9 series. When folded closed, it has a boxy, iPhone-like shape, which feels sturdy but not the slimmest or lightest. It measures 8.9mm thick when folded and weighs 257g.
The hinge is highly adjustable, allowing for various angles without snapping shut. Its frosted matte rear and smooth, flat side rails give it a polished look, but its hinge is still prone to smudging.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 takes thin and light to a new level for foldables, being just 9.2mm thick when folded and weighing only 226g. Its ‘Super Steel’ hinge is robust, and the ‘Special Fiber’ body material provides durability without feeling flimsy.
Its IPX8 rating ensures water resistance up to 2.5m, although it lacks dust protection. The sleek design, coupled with a distinctive octagonal camera bump, sets it apart visually, making it a highly portable option in the foldable category.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 wins in this category due to its incredibly slim and lightweight design, making it easier to handle and more portable without compromising durability.
Display & Speakers
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 6.3-inch cover display and an 8-inch internal LTPO OLED screen. Both support a peak 120Hz refresh rate, however, the cover screen lacks the dynamic refresh rate of the main display. With peak brightness at 2700 nits for the cover and 1800 nits for the main display, visibility is excellent under various lighting conditions.
The Pro Fold’s stereo speakers provide good sound quality, though one speaker can get muffled in landscape mode.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 features a 6.43-inch cover display and a 7.92-inch internal screen, both using LTPO OLED tech, with a dynamic 1-120Hz refresh rate.
The screens offer vibrant colours and deep blacks, ideal for media consumption. The internal display’s almost-square aspect ratio might lead to black bars when watching videos, though.
Its stereo speakers are powerful but are better suited to use in folded mode, due to their placement.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 edges out the Pixel 9 Pro Fold here, with its superior display technology and dynamic refresh rate on both screens, providing a more versatile viewing experience.
Performance
Powered by Google’s own Tensor G4 chip and 16GB of RAM, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold excels in daily tasks, app navigation, and AI-based processes.
However, it lags behind Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered devices – including the V3 – in terms of raw performance, making it less suitable for intensive gaming.
A choice of 256GB and 512GB storage options provides ample space for users.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 – equipped with the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 12GB of RAM – offers superior performance, especially in gaming and high-intensity tasks.
It transitions seamlessly between the cover and internal screens, although demanding games may result in a slight performance drop on the larger screen.
The 512GB storage is non-expandable but sufficient for most users.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 takes the lead in performance, thanks to its more powerful Snapdragon chip, making it the better choice for users looking for top-tier performance, particularly when gaming or multitasking.
Cameras
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold sports a 48Mp main camera, 10.5Mp ultrawide, and a 10.8Mp 5x periscope telephoto sensor. Daytime photos are vibrant and detailed, though low-light performance relies heavily on software.
The dual 10Mp selfie cameras are adequate but lack autofocus, making them less impressive, compared to the competition.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 boasts a 50Mp main sensor, 50Mp telephoto with 3.5x zoom, and a 40Mp ultrawide lens. Its main and telephoto lenses produce exceptional results, particularly in low-light scenarios.
Portraits are a standout feature, with precise edge detection and various stylistic modes. However, the ultrawide lens shows a noticeable drop in quality.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 wins this round with its more versatile and higher-quality camera system, particularly in low-light conditions and portrait photography.
Battery & Charging
The 4650mAh battery in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold can last through a day of moderate use but requires nightly charging. Its 21W wired and 7.5W wireless charging speeds are underwhelming compared to its competition, taking around 100 minutes for a full charge.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3’s 5150mAh battery offers strong longevity, even with heavy use of the internal display.
It supports 66W wired and 50W wireless charging, with a full charge taking just under an hour. The included charger is a plus, providing faster recharge times, compared to the Pixel.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Honor Magic V3 is the clear winner in battery and charging, offering better battery life and significantly faster charging speeds.
Software & Apps
Running Android 14 with an update to Android 15 available, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes exclusive features like the Gemini AI suite and seven years of software updates.
The interface is clean, with a focus on usability and quick access to Google services. However, it lacks more advanced multitasking features seen in some competitors.
Luke Baker
The Magic V3 runs MagicOS 8 over the top of Android 14, offering a range of AI-powered features. While some tools – like Magic Portal, for seamless data transfer – are impressive, the heavy bloatware and inconsistent AI implementation detract from the experience.
Software update commitments are less clear compared to Google’s generous seven-year policy too.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the better choice here overall, in terms of software and app experience, thanks to its clean interface, longer update support, and better integration of Google services.
Price & Availability
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is available globally, priced at £1,749/$1,799 for the 256GB model and £1,869/$1,919 for the 512GB version.
It’s sold through Google’s online store in UK and the US online Google store, as well as Amazon UK and Amazon US.
The Honor Magic V3 is priced slightly lower, at £1,699.99 in the UK.
It’s available through the Honor website and via Amazon, Argos and Very in the UK, but is not sold in the US. Its competitive pricing – given the specs – makes it an attractive option, especially in regions where it’s available.
Should you buy the Pixel 9 Pro Fold or Honor Magic V3?
Choosing between the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Honor Magic V3 is not straightforward.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold offers a refined, robust experience with long-term software support and a premium build, albeit with some compromises in performance and charging speed.
It’s an excellent choice for those who value software consistency and Google’s ecosystem, though.
Luke Baker
The Honor Magic V3, on the other hand, stands out for its exceptional hardware, lightweight design, and superior camera capabilities.
It outperforms the Pixel in most hardware aspects but comes with a less polished software experience and a shorter update cycle.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
For those seeking the best foldable phone, we think the Honor Magic V3 is the better option. However, it’s a close call and if you prefer software stability and longer support, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold remains a solid choice.
