On Thursday, August 28, HONOR launched several products in the UK and EU, and I was invited to attend the launch event in London, which is where I was for the last few days, returning home this weekend. Although you can read up on the specifics for the MagicBook Art 14 (2025), MagicPad3, and Magic V5 that we published at the time, I was given a demo unit after the keynote to play around with.
Initially, I was supposed to receive the Magic V5 weeks before the event, but some issues with customs meant that I was unable to have our review ready when the embargo lifted last Thursday, so a review will be forthcoming once HONOR ships the boxed version to me.
First up, let"s dive into the specs:
| Specification | HONOR Magic V5 |
|---|---|
| Front Display: | LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 5000 nits (peak) 6.43 inches, 1060 x 2376 pixels, 404 ppi, Honor Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield |
| Foldable Display: | LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 5000 nits (peak) 7.95 inches, 203.2 cm2 (~88.8% screen-to-body ratio) 2172 x 2352 pixels (~403 ppi density) Honor Super Armored Inner Screen, Mohs level 4 |
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 156.8 x 145.9 x 4.1 mm or 4.2 mm Folded: 156.8 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm or 9.0 mm |
| Weight: | 217 g or 222 g (7.65 oz) |
| CPU: | Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm) Octa-core (2x Prime 4.3 GHz + 6x Performance 3.5 GHz) |
| GPU: | Adreno 830 |
| Internal: | 512GB 16GB RAM |
| Rear cameras: | 50 MP, f/1.6, 23mm (wide), PDAF, OIS Laser AF, LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Video features: | 4K@30/60fps (10-bit), 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, OIS |
| Front camera: | 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide) HDR |
| Video features: | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
| Battery and charging | Si/C 5,820 mAh 66W wired 50W wireless 5W reverse wired |
| Connectivity: | 2x Nano-SIM + 2x eSIM (max 2 at a time) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth 6.0, A2DP, LE, apt-X HD Infrared port |
| Sensors: | Gravity Sensor |
| NFC | Yes, HCE, NFC-SIM |
| Ports: | USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG |
| Bands | 5G NR, 4G TDD-LTE / FDD LTE, 3G WCDMA, 2G GSM |
| GPS: | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a) |
| Durability: | HONOR NanoCrystal Shield, 70X drop resistance IP68 and IP69-Rated water and dust resistance |
| Security: | Fingerprint (side button), 2D face unlock Emergency SOS via satellite (messages and calls) |
| Material: | Glass front (NanoCrystal Shield), glass back |
| OS: | MagicOS 9.0 (Powered by Android 15) |
| Colors: | Ivory White, Dawn Gold, and Black |
| MSRP: | € 1,999.90 / £ 1,699.99 |
Pricing and availibility
One thing that you might notice immediately is that there is no U.S. pricing. That"s because it is not officially available there. However, Americans have been buying the China variant, which totally works in the U.S. and sharing their findings on places like Reddit. In addition, although there are different storage options available in China, right now you can only buy the 16 GB / 512 GB variant in the U.K. and Europe.
Another thing people may have noticed is that the Magic V5 is quite a bit cheaper than the Samsung Fold7, which starts at €2,099 (12 GB/ 256GB). If you want 512 GB of storage, you will be paying €220 / £200 more for Samsung"s foldable, and that will only have 12 GB vs the 16 GB in the Magic V5.
You might also be confused at the different thicknesses between models, that"s because the Dawn Gold variant is the thinnest, while Black, and Ivory White, is 1 mm thicker unfolded or 2 mm thicker folded due to the different materials used in those colors.
I"ve put the full bands it supports in a table below.
| Bands | |
|---|---|
| 2G: | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 |
| 3G: | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1x |
| 4G: | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 |
| 5G: | 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA |
| Speed: | HSPA, LTE, 5G |
Looking at the specs on paper, this is a quality flagship that can rival anything out today and even exceed in some areas, like having the thinnest body, while retaining an ample-sized battery, which is the largest of any foldable on the market.
As I said at the start of this article, the one I was given for a first impression is a demo unit. I do not have the box it came in, no accessories, or even a case. It is clear this one has been handed around because it has some deep scratches on the outer screen.
| Outer screen | Inner screen |
|---|---|
As you can see above, it is best to apply a screen protector to the outer screen. However, I could not find a single scratch on the inner screen, so bearing in mind how much the demo unit has probably been banded around, this bodes well for the quality of the inner screen.
Anyway, you came here for my first impressions, right? Well, call quality was excellent from the limited time I had transferred my eSIM to it, which is the minimum anyone should expect from a premium flagship smartphone anyway.
How it feels
It feels good in the hand, but on a personal note I do not like using phones without a case, because I find most phones too "slippery" without, and the Magic V5 is no exception with its smooth rear. Holding it folded open is perfectly fine without a case, because it has just the correct weight to do it one-handed. I balance it between my little finger and thumb with my hand in a sort of "L" position, using the other three fingers to prop it up.
Folded is fine too, and the width of the outer screen is just the correct width to use one-handed, which is something I struggle with my own Galaxy S23 Ultra.
(Top, bottom, right, left sides)
The Magic V5 also looks quite uniform when folded; there are no uneven gaps, and it also does not make a noise when opening or folding, except for a little click with the hinge meeting both sides when opening fully.
Let"s also talk about thickness. Although a lot was made about the Honor Magic V5 being the thinnest foldable on the market, it is, if you ignore the giant camera hump on the back. I had the opportunity to check out the Galaxy Fold7 while I was in London"s Canary Wharf on Friday, and the camera hump on the Fold7 is significantly smaller.
The image above should give you an idea of what I mean. This phone is only lying down flat when you place it down on the front screen, but to indicate thickness, this is where we are. Thanks to the Honor Magic V5 weighing 17 grams less than my S23 Ultra, it does feel lighter.
Here is another example with the phone lying flat down on the front screen, and again with the Magic V5 unfolded.
Usage
I have some experience with Magic OS 9 already, having reviewed the Magic7 and HONOR Pad V9, but let me tell you, this is my first experience with a foldable, and I love it!
At first, I thought I would be annoyed with the offset camera on the right of the inner screen, but when watching YouTube videos in widescreen, it does not even fill the 4:3-or-so screen anyway. You can go full screen, but then you are cutting off the original video, which sort of defeats the purpose.
The colors pop, and the display is sharp and looks vibrant, no complaints here. And working in apps like Slack feels far less restricted than doing so on a candybar phone with a far smaller viewport. I don"t know about you, but I sometimes find myself deciding to wait until I get home to do management tasks, due to the small working space of the Galaxy S23 Ultra"s screen, but I do not find it so restrictive on the Magic V5.
The keyboard initially took some getting used to, and I think I would have to fully switch over from my Galaxy S23 Ultra to discover if a foldable is in my future. Slack is just one app, I find browsing in Chrome, my email (Zoho) to be far nicer, along with a bunch of other apps like nzb360, Synology Photos and more.
To clarify, although I own a few, I do not use a tablet on a regular basis. I never really found a use for it. For me, it"s my PC, phone or laptop that I use more regularly. I have a tablet perched on my treadmill for the doorbell camera that I use if I am expecting a package; that"s about it.
Pricing
Right now, the price is a little out of my comfort zone, €2000 for a new phone! On the flip side, it is fully supported for seven years (although the warranty is only two years). I paid €1080 for my Galaxy S23 Ultra in March 2023, buying it outright on a SIM-only contract, which, thanks to discounts, was down from the normal price of € 1399. I did plan to upgrade to the S25 Ultra back in March with my contract renewal, but I didn"t find the spec bump to be compelling enough, which is where I am at today. I am totally open to switching to HONOR if I can find the right price and discounts.
I should receive a loaner box version of the Magic V5 within a couple of weeks, after which I will be switching to it and doing a full review, if you have any questions about the phone you can drop a comment and I will do my best to answer it.