Phone manufacturers have long tried to attract fashion lovers by producing smartphones with innovative designs, unique colors and original cases. Honor has a different approach.
The Honor V Purse is a foldable smartphone concept that transforms (sort of) into a handbag. Unlike a real handbag, you can’t put anything in it. It’s essentially a smartphone designed to be carried like a handbag. It offers a customizable wallpaper and detachable straps to carry it across the body or by hand. Honor hopes he “will mark the beginning of the perception of electronic devices as a whole new category of fashionable consumer goods.”
A single-screen folding smartphone
Unlike most book-style folding phones, which open to reveal two screens that merge into one, the V Purse has a single screen that wraps around the body of the phone. This gives it the appearance of two screens (one on each side of the device) when folded. Please note: this screen is always on.
This wallpaper responds to touch – Sareena Dayaram/CNET
This is where the V Purse becomes more fashionable. It allows you to change the wallpaper on both sides of the phone to match your outfit of the day. You can add chain link straps and beaded handles. Some of these wallpapers are interactive, like the furry one featured by Honor, which reacts to your touch by moving around the screen.
There is also another bracelet-shaped wallpaper with charms that are actually interactive elements. For example, if you tap the camera charm, it will open the Camera app, while the musical note charm will take you to the default music player. We must recognize that the Honor team showed great creativity. These features are really fun, but we worry that they will drain the battery very quickly, since the screen is always on, and you’ll probably leave it on most of the day to view the wallpaper.
You can launch the music player on the V Purse by tapping the music note on the far right of the screen – Honor
When we asked Honor about this possible battery life issue, as well as the battery size and camera, the company responded that the V Purse’s focus is on how it folds and that it is a portable device and not traditional hardware. We are also concerned about the durability of this device, whose screen is permanently exposed.
The V Purse as a phone
The V Purse bears an uncanny resemblance to 2019’s Mate X from Huawei, Honor’s former parent company. Like the V Purse, this smartphone stands out for its elegant and unusual design.
Like the Mate X, the Honor V Purse has a single screen, which is rare for a foldable phone. The V Purse also departs from the design of Honor’s latest folding smartphones, the Magic V2 from 2023 and the Magic VS from 2022. These two models fold inwards and have an additional screen on the front.
The Honor V Purse is a unique concept that shows how smartphone technology can be integrated into fashion in an original way. It’s unclear if it will ever be available to the public, but it’s an attention-grabbing device that offers a window into a possible future for foldable phones. If priced right, with decent hardware and battery life, it could very well appeal to people who want to stand out from the crowd.
