Honor Magic V2 receives more bloatware with first global update

Honor has released its first global software update for the Magic V2, roughly a fortnight after the company began selling its Galaxy Z Fold5 (curr. $1,499.99 on Amazon), OnePlus Open and Pixel Fold competitor globally. For context, global versions of the Magic V2 currently ship with MagicOS 7.2.118, Android 13-based software that also features the October 2023 security patch. While Honor has started upgrading Magic V2 units to MagicOS 8 in China, the same cannot be said for their global counterparts.

Instead, the company is now distributing MagicOS 7.2.0.124, which also carries the extended build number C431E1R2P2 on our device. Incidentally, Honor pushed MagicOS 7.2.0.123 to Chinese units in November. However, it seems that MagicOS 7.2.0.124 does not share any of its direct predecessor's changes, which included functionality that shipped with global models like a pure status bar mode that hides all but a few core status bar icons. As the screenshot below shows, MagicOS 7.2.0.124 makes two specific changes, including the installation of a Music Player as a system app that can be uninstalled.

Additionally, the update adds Honor Docs, another first-party app that can easily be removed. Moreover, MagicOS 7.2.0.124 moves the Magic V2 onto the January 2024 set of security patches and allows it to also move onto the Google Play system update of the same month. Elsewhere, Honor claims to have optimised system performance and stability in undefined areas, although it remains to be seen how much these changes contribute to the update's 544 MB file size. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen when the Magic V2 will receive MagicOS 8 globally. By contrast, Honor has indicated that it intends to upgrade the device in China to MagicOS 8 and Android 14 later this month.