Foldables are no longer futuristic prototypes. They’ve matured, entered the mainstream, and today, they stand tall as the very symbols of ultra-premium smartphones. In 2025, no conversation about the foldable landscape is complete without mentioning Honor.  With the Honor Magic V5, the company isn’t just participating in the foldable race; it’s sprinting ahead with a bold redefinition of what consumers should expect. Priced at £1699.99 with a £300 (£1399.99) saving at the launch from Honor and also available from EE/O2 and Vodafone/Three.

The Magic V5 arrives as the next iteration of Honor’s flagship foldable line. It brings with it a refreshingly uncompromising philosophy: if you’re going to release one global version of your foldable, then make it the absolute best. That’s why the Magic V5 comes with only one configuration—16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage—and it’s powered by Qualcomm’s newest beast, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform.

But this isn’t just another specs-heavy announcement. The Magic V5 is a statement piece in almost every regard. With its record-shattering 5,000-nit brightness, paper-thin unfolded profile of just 4.1mm, 5,820mAh battery, and durability rated at IP58 & IP59, Honor is not just catching up to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series—it’s raising the bar. Add to this 7 years of OS and security updates, and you have one of the most future-proof foldables on the market.

So, how does it perform in the real world? Does it deliver the luxury and practicality worthy of a device that aims to be both a phone and a tablet in one? Let’s dive into a full review that unpacks the design, displays, performance, cameras, software, and—perhaps most importantly—what the Honor Magic V5 means for the future of foldable smartphones.

Design and Build Quality: Engineering Precision Meets Everyday Usability

Dimensions and Handling

The first impression the Magic V5 makes is with its sheer refinement. When folded, it measures 8.8mm thick (Ivory White), already slimmer than most foldable competitors. Open it up, and the device almost disappears into your hand, with an unbelievable 4.1mm profile—thinner than many conventional smartphones. This engineering feat makes the V5 feel less like a chunky experiment and more like a sleek piece of precision technology.

At 217 grams  (Ivory White) or 222 grams (Dawn Gold/Black), it’s relatively lightweight for its category, balancing well in the hand. For anyone who has previously hesitated to embrace foldables due to bulkiness, the Magic V5 feels refreshingly approachable.

Materials and Durability

Foldables often face scepticism around durability, and Honor has answered emphatically. The Magic V5 is certified with IP58 and IP59 ratings, meaning it’s protected not only against dust and splashes but also against more serious water and particulate intrusion. This makes it one of the most rugged foldables to date, reassuring for buyers wary of fragile designs.

Honor has also included the Super Armoured Inner Screen, a specially reinforced OLED panel designed to withstand long-term folding and everyday pressures such as stylus use or accidental bumps. The hinge mechanism has been rated for 500,000 folds, translating to well over a decade of average daily usage. Simply put: this isn’t a device you need to baby.

Colours and Aesthetic Choices

Globally, the Magic V5 ships in three colours: Dawn Gold, Ivory White, and Black. The Dawn Gold variant has subtle iridescent undertones that catch light at different angles, giving it a slightly more premium, luxurious feel. Ivory White presents itself as clean, minimalist, and futuristic, while Black is the classic option for professionals and those who prefer understated elegance.

Combined with Honor’s refined hinge design and polished aluminium chassis, the phone looks and feels every bit like a flagship piece of technology. This is no experimental gadget—it’s a foldable, ready to be taken seriously.

Displays: A Visual Masterpiece

If there’s one area where Honor refuses to compromise, it’s the display experience. The Magic V5 is equipped with a 7.95-inch OLED inner screen, paired with a cover display that ensures usability when folded.

Inner Display

• Size: 7.95 inches

• Resolution: 2352 × 2172 pixels

• Pixel Density: 403 PPI

• Colour Depth: 1.07 billion colours, 100% DCI-P3 wide colour gamut

• Refresh Rate: Up to 120Hz with LTPO variable refresh technology

• Brightness: Industry-leading 5,000 nits peak brightness

• Special Features: Stylus support, HONOR Super Armoured Inner Screen

This inner panel is nothing short of stunning. With over 5,000 nits of brightness, it surpasses every mainstream flagship in sunlight readability. Outdoors, where foldables often struggle with reflections and glare, the Magic V5 maintains crisp visibility. HDR content—whether Dolby Vision films or HDR10+ YouTube streams—bursts with detail and dynamic range.

LTPO technology means the refresh rate can dynamically scale between 1Hz and 120Hz, optimising both smoothness and battery efficiency. Scrolling feels fluid, animations are seamless, and games benefit from consistently high frame rates without unnecessary power drain.

The HONOR Super Armoured Inner Screen ensures that, despite being flexible, it doesn’t feel fragile. Add stylus support into the mix, and the V5 doubles as a productivity powerhouse—perfect for note-taking, sketching, or professional edits on the go.

Cover Display

The cover display maintains high usability, offering a compact, smartphone-like experience when folded. Thanks to Honor’s slim folded profile, typing, scrolling, and navigation on the outer display feel comfortable and natural—an area where some foldables still stumble.

Together, these displays make the Magic V5 equally capable in phone and tablet modes, ensuring you never feel like you’re making trade-offs.

Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite and Uncompromising Specs

Hardware That Defines a Flagship

At the heart of the Honor Magic V5 is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, Qualcomm’s 2025 flagship processor built on advanced 4nm process technology. This isn’t a minor upgrade—it represents a leap forward in AI performance, GPU capabilities, and thermal efficiency.

Paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage, the Magic V5 is configured as a no-compromise powerhouse. Whether you’re a power user, a creative professional, or a gamer, the Magic V5 delivers maximum performance straight out of the box.

Everyday Usage

In day-to-day use, the Magic V5 feels instant. Apps launch without hesitation, multitasking across three or four apps simultaneously is effortless, and Honor’s foldable-optimised MagicOS interface makes switching between inner and outer displays seamless.

With 16GB of RAM, background apps rarely reload—even when juggling multiple demanding processes. For users who rely on their phone as a true productivity hub, this consistency is invaluable.

Gaming and Graphics

The Snapdragon 8 Elite’s next-gen Adreno GPU takes mobile gaming to new heights. It supports advanced features like real-time ray tracing, higher fidelity textures, and sustained performance even in extended gaming sessions.

On the Magic V5’s 120Hz, 5,000-nit OLED screen, games like Genshin Impact, Fortnite, and Call of Duty Mobile look and feel breathtaking. HDR detail is preserved, response times are sharp, and the phone manages to stay cool thanks to an advanced vapour-chamber cooling system.

AI and Smarter Experiences

AI isn’t just a buzzword here—it’s embedded into the daily experience. The Snapdragon 8 Elite’s upgraded NPU powers Honor’s on-device AI, which enhances photography, optimises battery usage, and personalises performance. Examples include:

• Real-time photo and video scene recognition for professional-grade shots.

• Adaptive brightness and refresh rate scaling based on usage patterns.

• Enhanced voice recognition for multilingual commands and translations.

• Context-aware multitasking recommendations that learn how you use apps.

This AI integration helps the Magic V5 feel like more than just raw specs—it becomes a device that genuinely anticipates user needs.

The thinness headline starts with the hinge

Honor’s biggest brag with the Magic V5 is its profile: around 8.8 mm folded and 4.1 mm when open (Ivory White variant), 9.0mm (Black and Dawn Gold). You don’t get those numbers by shaving bezels alone—the hinge architecture has to carry the load while removing bulk. Honor’s approach blends two ideas: a precision “Luban” shock-absorbing hinge to smooth motion and absorb drop energy, and a “Super/Shield-grade steel” material set to keep tolerances tight without resorting to heavy parts. The result is a hinge that packs smaller, allowing a near-tablet panel to fold into a candy-bar silhouette.

At a structural level, Honor describes the hinge as a mortise-and-tenon, shock-absorbing design—think interlocking parts that spread stress across a larger contact area rather than concentrating it on a few pins. Combined with high-strength steel in the pivot and swing-arm elements, the assembly resists deformation over time, which is crucial for maintaining alignment and preventing wobble. With a reported compressive/tensile strength up to ~2300 MPa give the hinge its stiffness without the weight penalty of thicker, lower-grade metals.

Strength you can measure

Hinge durability claims can be hand-wavy; Honor backs them with a couple of numbers (and stunts). First, a 500,000-fold rating—that’s well beyond a decade of heavy daily use—indicates the hinge’s bearings, cams, and backplate don’t meaningfully wear or loosen within that cycle budget. Second, Honor showcased the hinge’s load-bearing by hoisting 100 kg+ in controlled demos, a feat that converted into a Guinness World Record headline. While that doesn’t map directly to real-world use, it demonstrates headroom in structural integrity, suggesting the hinge is operating far below its failure threshold during normal folding.

Shock absorption and “book-close” feel

The “shock-absorbing” part isn’t just a safety net for drops; it also tunes the torque curve—how the hinge resists movement across its arc. Users and early reviews note a natural, book-like close with consistent damping rather than a snappy magnet yank at the final millimetres. This implies careful selection of cam profiles and friction materials so the leaf (display) doesn’t flutter or slam, which can induce micro-stresses in the panel stack. The adsorption/closing force has been called out as “just right,” which is what you feel as premium hinge tactility. 

IP ratings on a folding joint—why that’s hard

Magic V5’s IP58/IP59 claims are significant for a moving, segmented mechanism. Dust and water ingress usually attack at the hinge’s gaps; achieving these ratings suggests layered sealing: labyrinth channels, overlapping shields, and hydrophobic barriers around the torsion path. Unlike a slab phone, the hinge must keep contaminants out without adding friction or compromising the fold radius. Doing so while staying under 9 mm closed is a notable mechanical packaging achievement.

Materials: steel where it counts, fibre where it helps

Honor carried forward learnings from Magic V3 (steel and aerospace-grade fibres for stiffness-to-weight), but doubled down on steel in V5’s hinge while using lightweight composite skins and frames elsewhere. The aerospace fibre layers help resist torsion (twist) across the chassis when open—the condition most likely to introduce panel shear—so the display’s fold axis isn’t forced to compensate for whole-device flex. This division of labour—steel for concentrated loads, fibre for distributed loads—is how you end up with 217 g mass rather than a boat anchor.

The display stack: radius, crease, and (maybe) no UTG

A foldable’s screen tech is as important as its hinge. The V5’s dual 120 Hz LTPO OLEDs can hit ~5000 nits peak HDR, but for the inner panel, the critical parameters are fold radius, layer elasticity, and surface hardness. A tighter radius makes the device thinner but increases panel strain and crease visibility; a larger radius is gentler but adds bulk to the hinge. Honor’s hinge appears tuned for a minimal radius without over-stressing the OLED, helped by a multilayer stack and controlled torque. 

There’s also active pen support on both screens, which puts constraints on the display cover layer: it must be compliant enough to bend yet rigid enough to register pen pressure without “dimpling.” Honor’s engineering here points to a carefully balanced elastic modulus across layers—likely thin hard coats atop elastic substrates—to keep the writing feel consistent near the fold.

Precision manufacturing is the unsung hero

Getting a hinge this small to swing smoothly for half a million cycles is as much a matter of manufacturing as it is design. Honor touts high-precision assembly for the V5 hinge (community chatter pegs tolerances in the single-micron to a few-micron range), which matters because minute misalignments amplify wear on cams and bushings. High assembly accuracy also keeps the displays co-planar when open—critical for pen input and for minimising visual distortion across the fold. 

Managing energy through the fold

“Shock-absorbing” isn’t just marketing—it’s about how the hinge routes impact energy away from the OLED. In a drop, the open V5 behaves like a thin beam; the hinge’s damping elements (think synthetic pads or engineered friction) and arm geometry can deflect and dissipate energy so the fold line sees less peak strain. That’s likely part of why Honor feels confident bundling durability claims and why the device can hold its thinness without a thick sacrificial spine. While the exact elastomer recipes aren’t public, the behaviour (softer land, no rattle, controlled close) is consistent with multi-stage damping. 

Everyday UX: what the tech buys you

All of this engineering shows up in small ways you feel every time you open the phone:

• Even resistance through the arc: less “hinge break” near 90° makes laptop-style propping more stable on a table.

• Reduced gap and a tight closed seam: better pocket protection and fewer dust paths. 

• Minimal crease visibility in typical lighting, despite the compact fold radius.

• Confidence from durability headroom: 500k-fold testing and those dramatic weight-lift demos indicate the hinge isn’t operating near its limits in normal use. 

Context versus the competition

Plenty of foldables chase thinness, but hitting this envelope while claiming dual IP ratings, pen on both screens, and 500,000 cycles is rare. Some rivals emphasise ingress protection or wider fold radii to soften creases; Honor pushed packaging density and material strength instead, then compensated with shock absorption and precision assembly to keep reliability intact. The trade-offs (potentially softer inner surface if no UTG) are mitigated by coatings and warranty support, and in practice have not emerged as deal-breakers in early testing.

The takeaway

The “fold” on the Magic V5 isn’t a single trick; it’s a coordinated system:

• A compact Luban shock-absorbing hinge with mortise-and-tenon interlocks and shield-grade steel for rigidity.

• Precision manufacturing so the hinge stays aligned and smooth for 500k cycles.

• A tuned fold radius and compliant display stack that balance thinness, crease control, and pen input.

• IP58/IP59 sealing that respects the realities of a moving joint.

Put together, that’s how Honor ships a foldable that’s as thin as 4.1 mm when open without feeling fragile—or looking like a compromise. It’s clever mechanical engineering in a pocketable package, and it’s the reason the V5’s fold feels less like a party trick and more like a mature, durable interface you can count on every day.

Software and Longevity: 7 Years of Updates

Honor ships the Magic V5 with MagicOS 9.x, built on Android 15. It’s a clean, efficient, foldable-optimised interface that feels mature, not experimental.

The headline software feature, however, is 7 years of OS upgrades and 7 years of security patches. For the first time, Honor joins the likes of Samsung and Google in promising true longevity. 

Key software features include:

• App Continuity: Apps transition instantly between folded and unfolded states.

• Multi-Window Tasking: Up to three apps on-screen at once, plus floating windows.

• Cross-Device Collaboration: Seamlessly share files, screens, and notifications with Honor laptops, tablets, and wearables.

• AI Personalisation: Tailors system performance, battery management, and display settings to user habits.

The Magic V5 feels like a true ecosystem device—not an isolated piece of hardware.

Cameras: A True Flagship Photography Suite

Foldables have long been criticised for compromising on camera quality compared to their slab-flagship counterparts. Honor, however, has flipped that narrative with the Magic V5. Instead of offering “good enough” cameras, Honor delivers a flagship-class triple rear setup backed by advanced AI processing, plus dual front-facing cameras for both folded and unfolded use.

Rear Camera System

• 50MP Wide Camera (f/1.6), OIS

• 64MP Periscope Telephoto Camera (f/2.5), OIS

• 50MP Ultra-Wide Camera (f/2.0)

• Photo Resolution: Up to 9216 × 6912 pixels

The main 50MP wide camera, with its large aperture and optical image stabilisation, is a low-light beast. Night shots come out with minimal noise, natural colour, and impressive detail. Honor’s AI algorithms further refine the experience, balancing shadows and highlights without oversaturation.

The 64MP periscope telephoto lens offers true optical zoom capabilities. Whether snapping portraits or reaching across cityscapes, it delivers crisp shots with real depth. OIS ensures handheld zoom photos remain sharp, even in less-than-ideal conditions.

Meanwhile, the 50MP ultra-wide lens provides versatility, capturing sweeping landscapes and group shots without distortion at the edges. With such a high resolution, details remain intact—ideal for those who love wide-angle photography but don’t want quality sacrifices.

Video capture supports up to 8K resolution, with excellent stabilisation for smooth handheld clips. Honor also offers cinematic features like real-time HDR video, portrait video bokeh, and AI-guided focus tracking—tools previously reserved for professional gear.

Front Cameras

• Dual 20MP Wide Cameras (f/2.2) — one for the interior screen and one for the exterior cover display.

• Photo Resolution: Up to 3840 × 5120 pixels

These twin setups mean you always have a high-quality selfie or video-call experience, regardless of whether the phone is folded or unfolded. Perfect for content creators who film in different modes, or professionals using the Magic V5 for remote work and conferencing.

Camera Samples

Camera Experience in Practice

Honor’s camera app is intuitive, yet brimming with professional options. From Pro mode (with granular controls over shutter speed, ISO, and focus) to AI-enhanced auto shooting, it strikes a balance between accessibility and control.

Battery and Charging: Power That Lasts

A foldable with two displays and a high-performance chipset needs serious battery life. The Honor Magic V5 delivers with a 5,820mAh battery, making it one of the largest in its category.

Real-World Endurance

In daily mixed-use, the Magic V5 easily pushes through a full day and a half on moderate settings. Even heavy users—those running multiple apps, gaming, and streaming—will comfortably last a day without scrambling for a charger.

That efficiency comes from multiple sources:

• The Snapdragon 8 Elite’s power management.

• LTPO display technology dynamically lowers refresh rates to conserve power.

• Honor’s AI-driven battery optimisation adapts to user habits.

Charging Speeds

• Wired Fast Charging: 66W

• Wireless Charging: 50W

• Reverse Wireless Charging: 10W

Plugging in for just 15 minutes delivers several hours of use, while a full charge takes around 45 minutes—a remarkable figure for a nearly 6,000mAh cell. Wireless charging, too, remains fast enough to be practical, and reverse wireless charging makes the V5 a handy backup power bank for accessories like earbuds or wearables.

Foldables often struggle with battery compromises, but Honor’s approach ensures longevity, speed, and flexibility.

Audio and Multimedia

Foldables are inherently multimedia devices, and the Magic V5 makes good on this promise. Equipped with stereo speakers tuned for Dolby Atmos, the phone delivers room-filling sound with impressive clarity and bass depth.

Whether you’re watching movies on the 7.95-inch OLED panel or gaming, the audio-visual combination is genuinely immersive. And with support for high-resolution audio codecs over Bluetooth, the Magic V5 pairs beautifully with premium wireless earbuds or headphones.

Connectivity and Extras

Honor ensures the Magic V5 isn’t just about core specs—it’s a holistic flagship.

• 5G Connectivity with global band support.

• Wi-Fi 7, future-proofing wireless performance.

• Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint pairing.

• NFC for payments and smart device pairing.

• Dual-SIM (Nano + eSIM) flexibility.

• Satellite communication support for emergencies (region-dependent).

Security is handled by both a side-mounted fingerprint reader (fast and reliable) and advanced face unlock via the front cameras.

Full Specifications: Honor Magic V5

Design & Build

• Dimensions: 8.8mm (folded), 4.1mm (unfolded)

• Weight: ~217 g (Ivory White) or 222 g (Dawn Gold, Black)

• Colours: Dawn Gold, Ivory White, Black

• Durability: IP58 & IP59

Display

• Inner Screen: 7.95-inch OLED, 2352 × 2172 pixels, 403 PPI

• Refresh Rate: 1Hz–120Hz LTPO adaptive

• Brightness: Up to 5,000 nits

• Colour: 1.07 billion colours, 100% DCI-P3 gamut

• Stylus support: Yes

• HONOR Super Armoured Inner Screen

Performance & Storage

• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform

• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X

• Storage: 512GB UFS 4.0

Cameras

• Rear:

  • 50MP Wide (f/1.6), OIS

  • 64MP Periscope Telephoto (f/2.5), OIS

  • 50MP Ultra Wide (f/2.0)

• Rear Photo Resolution: Up to 9216 × 6912

• Front Cameras: Dual 20MP Wide (f/2.2), one on the inner screen, one on the outer screen

• Front Photo Resolution: Up to 3840 × 5120

• Video: Up to 8K

Battery & Charging

• Capacity: 5,820mAh

• Wired Charging: 66W

• Wireless Charging: 50W

• Reverse Wireless Charging: 10W

Connectivity

• 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, dual SIM (Nano + eSIM)

• Satellite messaging (where available)

Software

• OS: MagicOS 9.x (based on Android 15)

• Updates: 7 years of OS + security

Final Verdict: The Best Foldable Yet?

The Honor Magic V5  is not just another foldable—it’s a declaration of intent. Honor is saying loud and clear that foldables deserve to be full-fledged flagships, not experimental side projects.

From its paper-thin 4.1mm unfolded profile to its 5,820mAh battery, 5,000-nit display, and flagship-class cameras, the Magic V5 excels in nearly every category. Again with the factor in 7 years of software support, and it’s arguably the most future-proof foldable available today.

Is it perfect? Not quite. The high price point and the inevitable crease, though subtle, are reminders that foldables still come with trade-offs. But compared to its competition, Honor’s execution feels polished, confident, and genuinely ahead of the curve.

For power users, creatives, and anyone seeking the best combination of smartphone and tablet in a single device, the Honor Magic V5 is the foldable to beat in 2025.

TNC Score: 4.6 / 5.0

Honor’s Magic V5 earns high marks for design innovation, stellar display, long-lasting battery, and unmatched software support in the foldable space. With only minor drawbacks, it’s one of the most complete smartphones on the market today.