Honor has made a hilarious dig at Samsung by engraving a micro message on its latest foldable phone

Honor has made possibly one of the best (and pettiest) digs ever at Samsung, by releasing an apology to Samsung owners in the form of a tiny engraving on its latest Magic V3 handset. The punchline is that people who own the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 have supposedly missed out on owning the world's thinnest and most durable foldable phone, which is said to be the upcoming Honor Magic V3.

The new smartphone will be officially launching globally on September 5, although there's no word yet on when (or if) the Honor Magic V3 will become available for US customers. You can purchase the Honor Magic V2 on Amazon in the US, however, so there's a possibility that it could make its way overseas at some stage.

Honor's microscopic 166-word apology has been engraved directly onto the slim hinge of the Magic V3, by renowned British micro-artist, Graham Short. The process took 90 hours and involved Graham meticulously hand-etching the statement into the phone using diamond-tipped pins. Each line of text is said to be the height of a human hair, at just 100 microns tall, and you'll need a microscope to be able to read it.

The full apology from Honor 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."

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This statement from Honor is probably the world's smallest and most insincere apology, and it playfully highlights the difficult position it has placed upon Samsung Galaxy Z Fold owners who have already purchased Samsung’s much chunkier next-gen camera phone.

To put the size of the Magic V3 into perspective, the device according to Honor measures just 4.35mm when unfolded, and 9.2mm when folded, while weighing in at just 226g. In comparison, Samsung's AI-powered Z Fold6 measures 5.6 mm unfolded, and 12.1 mm when folded.

Honor is preparing to launch its Magic V3 foldable in Europe very soon, and if we're lucky, we should be able to get a hands-on look at it when we attend IFA in Berlin next week. For now, take a look at our first impressions of the recently launched Honor 200 Pro smartphone which is AI-powered and excellent for photographers – endorsed by Rankin. Of course, if AI isn't your thing then there are always the best iphones for photography to consider as well.

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Beth is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer and has the fun job of finding you the very best prices and deals on creative tech. Beth kicked off her journalistic career writing for Digital Camera World, and has since earned bylines on TechRadar too. With a Masters degree in Photography, Beth loves getting to tinker with new cameras, especially camera phones, as the resident Samsung fan on the team. Her background working as a tester for CeX let her play around with all kinds of weird and wonderful products, including robots, and she’s recently gotten into 3D printing too. Outside of CB, you’ll find her gaming on her PS5, photographing local shows under the alias Bethshootsbands, and making TikToks of her dog, Tilly.