JM Communications

It’s the summer holidays so have you got your passport ready? By that, I mean the new passport-shaped foldable that Samsung unveiled yesterday – alongside its more traditional form factor offerings. The trio of foldables comprises the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, the new Fold8, plus the classic Flip8. I popped along to the launch afterparty to check out the new devices for myself, and compare the flagship Fold8 Ultra with a Honor Magic V6.

The Magic V6 will come in a range of colours, including red, gold, white, and black in the UK. At the time of going on sale it will be available for £1499.99, with a £500 discount on its standard price of £1999.99. In addition, customers can also get an accessory bundle that includes a projector, headphones and smart watch – with a total retail value of £549.97. You can purchase the Honor Magic V6 from the Honor web store from 1000. Check the hands-on above, or read the full press release below.

Lasting longer than the now-terminated 3G networks running on a technology that was pretty awful and everyone should be thankful to see the back of (my words not O2’s), the process to end the second generation phone network (which was also the first digital phone network, replacing the analogue networks introduced in the 1980s) will take place between 2029 and 2033.

The latest smartwatch from Honor is designed to ‘unleash your athletic potential’ with a traditional looking design inspired by the racing world. With over 120 sport modes and an AI assistant to step in to offer guidance, plus incredible battery life, the 41g aluminium bodied watch (that is just 10.99mm thick) offers something for every budding athlete, or indeed those just wanting the basic health tracking features we’ve come to expect from all smartwatches today.

Honor doesn’t just want to become number one for smartphones or tablets, but other accessories too. For some time there have been a range of audio and wearable products available, and the obligatory selection of phone cases and chargers, but now the company is going to expand its offerings of items as part of the Honor CHOICE ecosystem. This will comprise a growing list of products that can co-exist with other devices, or stand alone in their own right.

Honor today launched two new Honor 600 series devices in the UK, including the impressive Honor 600 Pro that brings flagship-level camera tech from the range-topping Magic 8 Pro. It also launches the extremely entertaining AI Image to Video 2.0 service, that brings your content to life in exciting new ways.

The Honor 600 and Honor 600 Pro joins the already released Honor 600 Lite, with the Honor 600 Pro offering many flagship features for those looking for something a little more affordable than the flagship Magic 8 Pro. I can’t publish all the specifications or pricing for the UK models yet, but I am allowed to talk about the following; Battery, Chipset and AI software features.

For anyone that has already bought the Magic V5, you can safely relax in the knowledge that your current flagship foldable smartphone hasn’t been resigned to the scrapheap just yet. The differences are relatively small, so you can still feel safe buying the current model if you take advantage of the many deals that can see hundreds of pounds taken off the standard retail price – and often with a load of bundled stuff too.

Expected to get a release later in the year, the Honor Robot Phone is not pretending to be a mainstream addition to the world of smartphones – but, like the humanoid robot unveiled yesterday, it demonstrates the direction that Honor is taking to become more than a regular phone manufacturer.

I am at the launch event to get hands-on with the new products, and will have more information about them all later. Note: Most of this text was written based on pre-briefing information and before the event took place or the press materials were obtained. The article has now been updated to include the press release at the bottom.