Does smack-talk marketing work? Honor comes hard for Samsung at the Magic V3 IFA launch

During my time at the IFA 2024 tech extravaganza, I swung by Honor’s launch event for its latest foldable phone – the Honor Magic V3. This book-style foldable follows up last year’s Honor Magic V2 and comes hot on the heels of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. With the foldable market growing more and more each year, brands need to be doing something special in order to stand out and for Honor, that means delivering the thinnest full-size foldable yet.

Now, I’ve already had some hands-on time with the Honor Magic V3, and to say that I was impressed with the slender build would be an understatement. Moreover, while I haven’t been able to fully test it just yet, the spec sheet left me with few doubts that it would stand up well to Samsung’s top-of-the-line handset. So why is the marketing behaving like the Magic V3 has some major deficiency that needs to be covered up?

To be clear, I do understand the impetus to take a swing at Samsung. For what feels like the entire life cycle of book-style foldables, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series has been sitting on top of the pile, with most reviewers (us included) highlighting them as the best of the bunch for most consumers.

This year, however, Samsung’s domination is shifting. In a recent showdown between the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Motorola’s Razr 50 Ultra, I declared the latter to be the better of the two flip phones, and the compact foldable that we recommend above all others. Equally, in our review of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, we highlighted the lack of improvements and increasingly exorbitant price to be particular points of concern.

As you can see above, rather than letting the product speak for itself, Honor has decided to go a less subtle route and directly call out Samsung in its marketing for the Magic V3. The above truck was rolling around Berlin during IFA, emblazoned with quotes from two people named Sam Sung, both declaring the Magic V3 to be “the best foldable phone” and applauding its incredibly slim and lightweight build.

Now to be honest, I do find this a little funny. It’s tongue-in-cheek enough that, by itself, it would feel like a harmless swipe at the competition – plus, with Samsung, it’s always going to be punching upwards. What felt a little less flippant to me was the laser-engraved etching that Honor has had branded upon the slender hinge of a Magic V3 handset, offering up an “apology” to Samsung’s customer base.

If you don’t fancy squinting at that picture, the full quote reads:

“Dear Samsung Galaxy Z Fold owners, we’re sorry. We know you were excited to buy a phone that folds in half and fits in your pocket, awkwardly. You were promised the future, a technical marvel, a world of boundless multitasking and performance.

And now, you’re probably looking at the new Honor Magic V3 and feeling a little… betrayed. Size matters, and we feel your pain. Like being tipped for a gold medal and then coming last in the race, the knowledge that a thinner, lighter, and more durable foldable exists is enough to make anyone question their choices.

We get it. You were an early adopter, a pioneer bravely venturing into the uncharted territory of foldable screens with questionable durability. You deserve better. In fact, you deserve a gold medal.

In all seriousness, we at Honor are committed to pushing the boundaries of technology and bringing you the best possible foldable experience. We’re just saying… it’s okay to feel let down. We’d feel the same way.”

That’s British micro-artist Graham Short using a microscope and diamond-tipped pins to etch the 166-word inscription onto the Magic V3. It took him over 90 hours to complete and each line is roughly the height of a human hair. This is decidedly more effort than a silly billboard, and comes across – to me, at least – as somewhat mean-spirited. And not solely towards Samsung.

It reads a little condescending towards consumers who opted to buy from Honor’s key rival instead of the company itself, making fun of them for not being smart or patient enough to choose the world’s thinnest foldable. I don’t like monopolies any more than the next journalist but taking a swipe at the very people you are hoping will switch to your product strikes me as an odd strategy. If I was one such potential customer, I might be a little put off by this pettiness.

What’s most unusual is that as far as I can tell from my first impressions, the Honor Magic V3 could very well surpass the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. I’ve got a review sample in my hands now and will be thoroughly testing it to find out. It may be that in a week or so, I’ll be declaring the Magic V3 Expert Reviews’ new favourite book-style foldable. Or perhaps I’ll uncover some drastic flaw that wasn’t apparent in the initial hands-on, and Samsung’s reign will continue.

Either way, what’s not going to help Honor eat away at Samsung’s market share is venting frustrations on the very people whom it is trying to court with its marketing. What I imagine consumers would care much more about is that the Honor Magic V3 is launching for £1,699 – a full £200 less than the equivalent storage variant of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6. Even the cheapest Samsung, the 256GB model, is £100 more than the Magic V3, at £1,799.

If the marketing missteps haven’t put you off, you can see more about the Honor Magic V3 on the brand’s website, and you can check out my first impressions in my hands-on review. I’ll have my final verdict in the next few days so be sure to look out for the full review to find out whether or not Honor can overtake Samsung in the old-fashioned way – by offering a better product for a more attractive price.