Honor Magic V5 review: did Honor hurt itself?

With the Magic V3 last year, Honor showed the foldable market where the front is. How does the Magic V5 do? Honor first made negative headlines when it claimed the Magic V5 was the thinnest foldable smartphone in the world, meaning the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Both manufacturers seem to have gotten creative with their measurement methods: Honor measured too little, Samsung too much. The title actually belongs to the Z Fold 7. From my point of view, that doesn’t hurt the Magic V5. I tested it apart from questionable measurement methods, and in everyday use it has very few weaknesses.

Design and displays

Little has changed in the design compared to its predecessor, and that’s no wonder, because with the V3, Honor got almost everything right. The V3 was the first foldable with a sensible format that can be used folded like a normal smartphone.

• Outer display: 6.43-inch OLED. You aren’t forced to unfold the device.
• Inner display: 7.95-inch OLED.
• Brightness: Both displays reach up to 5,000 nits at their peak and are very easy to read in the sun.
• Screen protector: A film is stuck on the outer display from the factory. It survived a few weeks of everyday use on mine, but it bubbles and will need to be replaced soon.
• Reflections: I find that the inner displays of foldables are quite brutally reflective. I’m looking forward to an anti-reflective coating making its way in here at some point.

Compared to the competition, the Magic V5 has two design advantages. The camera module is large and centered, the device barely wobbles on a table, and you can tap on it effortlessly with one finger. Second, the colors are nice. I have the gold version with a gradient, which is mirrored in the included case made of high-quality faux leather. With the slightly flattened edges, the smartphone becomes an accessory.

Battery: far ahead of the competition

Honor built a 5,820 mAh battery into a smartphone that weighs 222 g and is 4.2 mm thin when unfolded, putting it way ahead of the competition. I easily get two days of use on one charge, at an average of 4 hours of screen time. That’s fun, especially if you’re on the move a lot.

Camera

Camera	Resolution
Wide-angle (with macro focus)	50 megapixels
Periscope telephoto	64 megapixels
Ultrawide	50 megapixels

As on earlier Honor smartphones, there is the AI portrait mode and a portrait mode that I’m a huge fan of. Then there is the AI Super Zoom, which only works with internet access. The camera quality is really good for everyday use and beyond.

Performance and AI

The Magic V5 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the current gold standard in mobile, with 16 GB of RAM. Everything runs seamlessly and without stutter. The familiar AI features are on board thanks to Gemini and Gemini Live. I have the impression that all manufacturers rely on Google’s AI and only build in small features of their own. At Honor, that’s the Magic Portal: If I copy an address from an email and drag it to the edge, the AI suggests matching apps, such as Google Maps. It learns from your habits. At MWC in Barcelona in February, Honor also announced its own AI assistant that controls the entire interface, so that you can even make reservations or Uber orders by voice. I’m curious about that.

The foldable in everyday life

This year I’ve gotten completely stuck on foldables. I use the unfolded inner display the way others use a separate tablet, for browsing, email and above all for videos, fully unfolded with the stand in the case or half unfolded. I have a smartphone and a small tablet in one and don’t have to charge or carry anything extra. That doesn’t apply to everyone, especially not to people who value a separate tablet and a bigger screen. Whether you need a foldable, or rather want one, is a personal decision.

The biggest flaw: the vibration motor

The only negative thing I noticed was the vibration motor. It is ultra weak, and in the first few days I missed pretty much everything, including calls. Honor is apparently aware of the problem: In the settings there is a vibration boost for calls that plays a sound that sounds like a vibration. Sounds crazy, but it helps.

Verdict

The Honor Magic V5 is a nicely designed, modern foldable that lacks nothing and only suffers from the fact that the competition has caught up considerably. On battery, the V5 is far ahead, and the camera is really good. You have to like the style and the Magic OS interface. If you decide on a foldable, the Magic V5 is a wonderful option.