Is the pursuit of the thinnest foldable phone creating some unavoidable design compromises? Honor’s new Magic V5 boasts an incredibly slim profile and impressive specs, but there’s one rather large detail that might catch your eye. Could this be the future of foldables, or just a bump in the road?
The quest for the thinnest foldable smartphone has sparked an intense competition among manufacturers, with companies meticulously shaving off fractions of millimeters to claim supremacy. Honor has entered this high-stakes race with its Magic V5, theoretically achieving an impressive 8.8mm thickness when folded. However, this remarkable slenderness comes with a notable caveat: a prominently protruding camera bump that subtly challenges its overall sleekness.
Beyond its headline-grabbing thinness, the Honor Magic V5 presents a robust and well-engineered build. The device boasts IP58 and IP59 ratings, ensuring a commendable degree of resistance against dust and water ingress, adding to its durability. The second-generation Honor Super Steel hinge mechanism proved its mettle during extensive testing, providing a consistently solid and reliable folding experience throughout a week of rigorous use.
Powering this innovative foldable is a substantial 5,820 mAh silicon carbon battery, designed to easily endure a full day of diverse usage, including moderate gaming. For rapid power replenishment, the Magic V5 supports 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, though users will need Honor’s proprietary chargers to leverage these speeds. Impressively, Honor includes the 66W wired charger in the box, promising a charge from 0% to 50% in just 16 minutes and a complete charge to 100% in a swift 43 minutes, ensuring minimal downtime.
Photography enthusiasts will find a comprehensive camera system on the Honor Magic V5. The rear casing houses a versatile triple-lens setup: a high-resolution 50-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, a capable 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a powerful 64-megapixel telephoto lens offering 3x optical zoom for distant subjects. Additionally, the device features dual 20-megapixel selfie cameras, one strategically placed for each of the inner and outer displays, catering to diverse photographic needs.
In practical application, the Magic V5’s cameras deliver commendable performance across various lighting conditions, consistently capturing intricate details and generally exhibiting accurate color reproduction. While the computational algorithms occasionally tended to slightly boost red tones in specific scenarios, this was a minor observation. A standout feature is the phone’s exceptional super macro mode, enabling users to capture remarkably detailed close-up photographs of subjects like flora, preserving fine textures and nuances.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape mobile photography, many companies are integrating advanced AI image models to enhance zoom capabilities. Honor’s 100x zoom technology, for instance, proves proficient at capturing legible text from a distance and utilizing AI to clarify and sharpen the output. However, when applied to a broader range of objects, the AI-processed images sometimes exhibited an overtly “AI-generated” aesthetic, a distinction noted when compared to the more natural results produced by competitors like the Pixel 10 Pro’s comparable zoom feature.
The software experience on the Honor Magic V5 is driven by MagicOS 9, built upon the foundation of Android 15. The interface is generally clean and user-friendly, though some pre-installed Honor applications for smart home device integration and the myHonor community app were perceived as somewhat superfluous. The inclusion of the Honor Health app, which connects to Honor’s health devices and offers pre-loaded exercise content, serves a niche but potentially useful purpose for users within the Honor ecosystem.
Set for release in key markets including Europe, APAC, and the Middle East, the Honor Magic V5 positions itself as a competitive option in the premium foldable segment. With a starting price of £1,699.99/€1,999 for the 512GB variant in the U.K./Europe, it offers a compelling alternative, notably priced approximately £200/€1,999 cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7. While this aggressive pricing may not immediately dethrone Samsung from its dominant position, it undoubtedly strengthens Honor’s standing and potential market share within the rapidly evolving foldable smartphone landscape.
