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Honor Magic V5 Global Debut: A Foldable That Wants Samsung’s Throne
At Squaredtech, we keep a close eye on how foldable smartphones are reshaping the mobile market. Few devices highlight this shift more clearly than the Honor Magic V5, a foldable that officially launched in China in July 2025 and made its global debut in London on August 28, 2025. Honor has been steadily chipping away at Samsung’s dominance in the foldable category, and the Magic V5 is its boldest move yet.
The Honor Magic V5 arrives at a time when competition is intense. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 hit the market with appealing upgrades. Vivo introduced the X Fold 5, a device with strong performance despite older hardware. Meanwhile, Google showcased the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which debuted in late October. Each of these devices adds fuel to a category that is no longer experimental but increasingly mainstream.
Read More About Our Article of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, Flip7, and Flip7 FE Launch with Major Upgrades Published on July 11th, 2025 SquaredTech
From our perspective, what makes the Magic V5 stand out is how it blends elegant hardware design with performance and long-term usability. The device is priced at £1,699 ($2,286) in the U.K. and €1,999 ($2,324) across Europe, undercutting Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, which sells for £1,899 for the 512GB model. With such pricing, Honor is clearly trying to capture buyers who want premium foldables without the Samsung premium.
The Magic V5 comes in Ivory White, Black, Dawn Gold, and Reddish Brown. International buyers get a 16GB RAM and 512GB storage configuration, ensuring strong hardware support for demanding tasks. On paper, it checks nearly every flagship box, but Squaredtech’s analysis shows the story goes deeper.
Read More About Our Article of Pixel 10 Pro Fold Review: Why Google’s Boldest Foldable Redefines Smartphone Power Published on August 25th, 2025 SquaredTech
Honor Magic V5 Hardware: Thin, Sleek, and Built for Daily Use
Honor claims the Magic V5 is the thinnest foldable in the market. While our testing shows that Vivo’s X Fold 5 is technically 1mm thinner and Samsung’s Z Fold 7 is 2mm thinner, the Magic V5 still delivers one of the sleekest designs available. Honor continues to use the “thinnest foldable” claim in its marketing because the phone was first announced before its rivals launched.
Dimensions and Build Quality
- Unfolded: 156.8 x 145.9 x 4.2 mm
- Folded: 156.8 x 74.3 x 9.0 mm
- Weight: 226g
The hinge system deserves special attention. It feels smooth, stable at multiple angles, and has no visible crease when unfolded. Honor has invested heavily in hinge technology, and the Magic V5 reflects that effort. While heavier than Vivo’s X Fold 5 by 4g, the Magic V5 still manages portability with grace.
The phone’s camera island design, however, is controversial. The octagonal module adds significant bulk, making the phone wobble when placed on flat surfaces. Including the camera bump, thickness reaches 16.5mm, compared to 14.7mm on the Z Fold 7. This design choice compromises usability, especially during table-top usage.
Still, Squaredtech notes that the Honor Magic V5 has one of the best ingress protection ratings of any foldable: IP58 and IP59 certification. This offers strong dust and water resistance, beating Samsung’s IP48-rated Z Fold 7. For users concerned about durability, this is a meaningful advantage.
Display Performance: Honor’s OLED Panels Lead the Pack
The standout feature of the Honor Magic V5 is its display technology. Both the inner and outer OLED panels rank among the brightest and most comfortable to use in any foldable tested by Squaredtech.
- Outer Display: 6.43-inch, 120Hz LTPO OLED, 2376×1060 resolution, 5,000 nits brightness, 4,320Hz PWM dimming.
- Inner Display: 7.95-inch, 120Hz LTPO OLED, 2352×2172 resolution, 5,000 nits brightness, 4,320Hz PWM dimming.
Even under direct sunlight, the panels remain legible, delivering vibrant colors and high contrast. Honor also integrates eye-care features such as hardware-level blue light reduction, adjustable PWM dimming, natural tone adjustment, and defocus eyecare. These features go beyond Samsung’s and Google’s current offerings, giving Honor an edge for users who prioritize eye comfort.
Honor also includes a unique ebook mode that converts the display to monochrome for comfortable reading. While niche, it highlights Honor’s willingness to explore features that broaden device use cases.
Performance, Gaming, and Battery Life
The Honor Magic V5 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm chipset, paired with 16GB RAM. It comes with MagicOS 9.0.1, which is based on Android 15.
Benchmark Comparisons
| Device | Geekbench 6 Single-Core | Geekbench 6 Multi-Core | 3DMark Solar Bay FPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vivo X Fold 5 | 2184 | 6330 | 21.72 |
| Honor Magic V5 | 990 | 4921 | 42.07 |
| Galaxy Z Fold 7 | 2908 | 9452 | 32.83 |
These results show an interesting pattern. While Honor lags in Geekbench’s CPU tests, it dominates GPU-heavy workloads, outperforming both Vivo and Samsung in demanding 3DMark graphics benchmarks. This makes the Magic V5 an excellent gaming device.
However, heat remains a limitation. Squaredtech recorded a maximum temperature of 47°C during extended gaming. While higher than competitors, it never reached uncomfortable levels.
Battery and Charging
The global model uses a 5,820mAh battery, slightly smaller than the Chinese version’s 6,100mAh unit. Despite this, the Magic V5 lasted longer than both the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Vivo X Fold 5 in our tests, thanks to higher silicon content in the battery design.
- Charging: 66W wired charging, 50W wireless charging
- Charging time: 0–50% in 18 minutes, full charge in under 50 minutes
This performance makes the Magic V5 one of the most reliable foldables for heavy users who demand all-day endurance.
Camera System: Honor Competes at the Top
The Honor Magic V5 packs a triple rear camera system:
- 50MP main lens with OIS
- 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS
- 50MP wide-angle lens
It also includes dual 20MP front cameras under both displays, with support for 4K video recording.
Our research confirms that the Magic V5 takes outstanding photos in daylight and low light. Color reproduction is accurate, dynamic range is strong, and images retain fine detail. The telephoto lens performs well even up to 10x zoom, and AI-powered enhancements extend usability further.
Video recording is equally strong, with 4K60fps available across all rear lenses. Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Honor’s camera output looks sharper and more balanced. Vivo’s X Fold 5 remains competitive in color tuning, but Honor’s results are close.
Software and AI Features: Strong Potential but Needs Refinement
While competitors like Samsung and Google ship their latest foldables with Android 16, the Honor Magic V5 ships with Android 15. MagicOS 9.0.1 provides seven years of promised updates, aligning with Samsung and Google’s long-term policies. However, one update cycle is effectively lost in upgrading to Android 16, which should have been pre-installed.
We observes that MagicOS still carries design elements from older builds, giving the interface a less modern feel compared to Vivo, OnePlus, and OPPO skins. That said, Honor invests heavily in AI-driven tools, including:
- Real-time call translation
- On-device transcription
- AI-assisted photo and video editing
- Productivity utilities integrated with Google services
These features improve daily use, but the lack of polish in visual design holds the software back. Honor also needs to add multitasking refinements, such as the ability to pin the taskbar, which Samsung already offers.
Final Verdict: Honor Magic V5 is a True Galaxy Z Fold 7 Rival
At Squaredtech, our conclusion is clear: the Honor Magic V5 is the most serious challenge yet to Samsung’s foldable dominance in Western markets.
Strengths:
- Sleek hinge design with no visible crease
- Superior OLED panels with advanced eye-care features
- Excellent camera system with versatile lenses
- Long-lasting battery with fast charging
- Competitive price point
Weaknesses:
- Camera island adds bulk and limits usability
- Ships with Android 15 instead of Android 16
- MagicOS still lacks polish compared to rivals
For users looking for a stylish, feature-rich, and competitively priced foldable, the Honor Magic V5 offers tremendous value. Samsung may still have brand recognition, but Honor is proving it can deliver equal — if not better — hardware in key areas. In 2025, the Magic V5 stands as one of the most compelling foldable phones available globally.
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