Last year, the Honor Magic V3 shocked the world with its slim design and high-end specifications, but in the time since, we’ve seen even slimmer devices hit the market. Huawei’s crazy tri-fold Mate XT is impossibly slim, while the Oppo Find N5 holds the title of thinnest book-style foldable, measuring just 4.21mm unfolded.
Now, though, the Honor Magic V5 has launched in China (and a global launch is on the horizon, too), it measures just 4.1mm thick when unfolded, or 8.8mm when folded, besting the Find N5‘s 8.93mm girth.
Now, does 0.1mm make a noticeable difference? Absolutely not. In fact, when I compared the Magic V5 to its predecessor, which is 9.2mm thick when folded, I could barely see the difference after seeing the device in person. But hey, one phone has to be the slimmest, and as of right now, folding phone hardware doesn’t get any better.
The Magic touch?
Oddly, the camera bump has actually increased in size compared to its predecessor; it almost makes the phone twice as thick, and I’m certain that’s going to be a controversial decision.
In my eyes, though, that’s a good thing: larger camera bumps make space for better optics. The V3 was already one of the best folding phones for photography, and I’m hoping we see further improvements this year.
both the telephoto and ultrawide get more megapixels, and the telephoto gets a wider aperture, too
At this early preview event, I wasn’t able to test the cameras or the software; it was purely a hardware showcase. So, we’ll have to wait for the global launch to see how these lenses fare in the real world.
For now, though, we know it’s a 50Mp f/1.6 main snapper, a 64Mp f/2.5 3x telephoto and a 50Mp f/2.2 ultrawide. Each screen has its own 20Mp punch-hole selfie camera.
Compared to the older model, both the telephoto and ultrawide get more megapixels, and the telephoto gets a wider aperture, too. I wasn’t able to get any information about the sensor sizes, but that chunky camera housing implies we may see an upgrade there, too.
Of course, it’s not just the cameras that have seen an upgrade; the V5 makes the jump to the latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip (up from the 8 Gen 3), and it comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
The battery has been supersized too, now boasting a 5820mAh capacity, up from 5150mAh, with the same impressive 66W wired and 50W wireless charging speeds.
Honor did one of the scariest demonstrations I have ever seen
The interior screen measures 7.95-inch, slightly larger than the V3’s 7.92-inch panel. It has one of the shallowest creases I’ve ever seen, and it’s much stronger than before.
Honor says it has 15 times the scratch resistance and 10 times the drop resistance, thanks to a new Alumina coating and non-Newtonian silicon gel matrix (whatever that means), as well as a carbon fibre support layer.
The hinge is upgraded, too. Honor is calling the new design a Super Steel Hinge, and to showcase its strength, Honor did one of the scariest demonstrations I have ever seen. The phone was clamped to a table, and a tote bag filled with eight 330ml Coke cans was hung over half of the screen.
That’s over 3kg of force pulling the hinge in the wrong direction. Not to mention the fact that the bag handles and clamp were pushing down on the relatively fragile inner display. The phone survived without issue, which is impressive for any foldable, let alone the thinnest one on the market.
In addition, the IP rating has been upped to IP58/IP59, while the older model was only IPX8. It’s still not completely dust-tight, but it can now withstand full submersion in fresh water, as well as blasts from jets of hot water.
Other than the Vivo X Fold 5, which also launched in China this week, it’s the only folding phone to achieve such a high IP rating.
But what about Samsung?
On all fronts, the Honor Magic V5 is shaping up to be one of the most impressive foldable phones ever made, but there’s a big Samsung-shaped question mark looming over the occasion. The brand is set to debut its latest foldable devices at Galaxy Unpacked on 9 July.
Rumours say the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be the Korean giant’s thinnest foldable so far, and could give the Magic V5 a run for its money. It’s sure to be powerful, and the cameras will no doubt be impressive, but at the very least, I can’t imagine Samsung competing on battery life.
Evan Blass
After all, the Z Fold 6 has a measly 4400mAh cell, and only charges at 25W with a wire and 15W wirelessly. If the Z Fold 7 manages to match the Magic V5’s 5820mAh capacity and 66W wired / 50W wireless charging speeds, I will be truly gobsmacked.
As of right now, the Honor Magic V5 looks to be one of the most well-equipped folding phones available, and I can’t wait to spend some more time with it. If you’re a fan of folding devices, strap in, because the next few months are going to be very exciting.
Check out our list of the best foldable phones.
