Honor Magic V5 Review vs Magic V3

I beforehand reviewed the Honor Magic V3 a yr in the past and the Magic V2 in January of 2024, and was extremely impressed; they had been much better than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 I reviewed again in 2023 as a result of show design and total cellphone dimensions, plus many different issues, together with battery life.

Honor is now again with the Magic V5, which is now simply 8.8mm thick for the ivory white mannequin, making it the thinnest inward-folding cellphone in the marketplace. For conventional slab telephones, I’m detached to the thickness of the cellphone, however with these foldables, getting it as skinny as doable makes the cellphone have comparable dimensions to non-foldable telephones.

Within the case of the Honor Magic V5, its dimensions are literally smaller than the Honor Magic7 Professional and simply 0.6mm thicker than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely.

Past that, Honor has upgraded most of the different necessary features of the cellphone, together with an improved digicam system with upgrades to the periscope lens and ultrawide lens. Small enhancements to the interior show, which has a barely bigger show and determination, and a a lot larger peak brightness. A considerably improved battery life, which is at all times welcome, particularly on foldables. Then, in fact, the standard chipset improve.

As you would possibly count on, the Honor Magic V5 continues to be top-of-the-line foldable telephones in the marketplace with a way more interesting specification than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7.

Specification

Unboxing / Design

At 8.8mm folded, the Magic V5 approaches the consolation of a regular slab flagship, and when unfolded, the panel is simply 4.1mm at its narrowest, making it really feel nearly impossibly svelte. The White model is the lightest at 217g; if you happen to go for Black or Daybreak Gold, it edges as much as 222g, however nonetheless sits under most rivals.

Dealing with is nearer to a standard smartphone than earlier generations, passing the “does this really slot in my denims pocket” check. I seen this particularly after prolonged commutes with a number of gadgets in tow.

Sturdiness is at all times a fear for any foldable. The V5 steps up with a twin IP58/IP59 ranking, which means mud and water resistance now covers high-pressure jets and immersion (as much as 1m for half-hour). For sensible use open air within the inclement UK climate, this provides real peace of thoughts. The carbon fibre supported interior panel is rated for as much as 380GPa deformation resistance, while the hinge steps up its “Tremendous Metal” to a tensile power of two,300MPa, statistically stiffer than final yr’s V3.

The interior display’s scratch resistance (marketed as 15 instances that of typical glass) and outer NanoCrystal protect are welcome, although real-world sturdiness remained mine-and-yours-to-test over months moderately than weeks.

The cellphone does include a case, however it solely covers the again cowl. I’d hope that third occasion options get launch for improve safety. Even with its sturdy design, I’m not certain I’d belief myself with such an costly cellphone and not using a good high quality case.  

Shows

The rise in brightness is a headline determine, however not a gimmick. Each inside and exterior panels attain as much as 5,000 nits peak, which makes them useable in direct daylight, one thing even the Z Fold 7 struggles with. The interior show grows very barely to 7.95in; it’s marginally taller and wider than the V3 however not a lot that you simply’ll discover except evaluating facet by facet. Decision ticks as much as 2,172 x 2,352 px (~403ppi). The outer show sticks to six.43in, with successfully equivalent specs because the interior.

I measured the color accuracy and dynamic vary with supported Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+ content material; the 100% DCI-P3 protection is actual, and films look excellent. The 4,320Hz PWM dimming, together with dynamic dimming and hardware-based blue gentle discount, offers confidence for these susceptible to eye pressure after lengthy intervals. Circadian gentle and evening show choices are software program tweaks I discovered extra situational, however they’re there for the few who want them.

The largest improve is seen not just below sturdy daylight however in auto-brightness behaviour: the V5 doesn’t fall dim in harsh circumstances, sustaining legibility for navigation and digicam utilization. For these coming from older or midrange foldables, this could make out of doors usability much less of an inconvenience.

Digicam

Honor manufacturers the V5’s rear setup because the “AI Falcon Digicam System”. In apply, this consists of a brand new 64MP Extremely Sensing Periscope Telephoto (3x optical, as much as 100x digital zoom), a 50MP Extremely-Mild Delicate Falcon essential (f/1.6, 1/1.56in sensor), and a 50MP Extremely-wide (122° subject of view, f/2.0). This can be a clear shift up from the Magic V3, which used a 50MP essential, 50MP periscope (3.5x optical), and 40MP ultra-wide (112°).

Daytime pictures are sharp, with punchier colors than final yr’s sensor; low gentle autofocus is improved, although I discovered an inclination in the direction of slight over-smoothing on faces in comparison with the V3. The 64MP periscope lens is a lot better than final yr’s, notably for distant topics and stabilisation at excessive zoom. I used to be in a position to get usable pictures at 20x, although something past 30x is, as at all times, extra of a celebration trick.

AI-fuelled options, together with portrait enhancements, movement sensing for sharper motion pictures, and a set of edit instruments like Cutout and Eraser, ran quicker and cleaner than on the V3. Eradicating backgrounds and objects works high-quality for many, although edges can get aggressive, particularly in busy scenes. For customers wanting a extra skilled expertise, RAW and HDR enhancements might assist, however don’t count on this to beat devoted pro-level cameras.

Video affords 4K at 60fps, and OIS retains shake fairly in test. Honor claims “picture to video” and automatic cut-downs, which had been satisfactory for informal use however not fairly creator-ready.

The selfie digicam is unchanged from the V3: 20MP, vast, succesful for video calls and social media. Cowl cameras retain comparable high quality, although color stability is a little bit hotter on the V5. Each report 4K video at as much as 30fps.

Photograph Samples

Efficiency and Benchmarks

The bounce to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite (second-gen, on a 3nm node) means loads of further headroom. The V5’s 8-core structure and Adreno 830 GPU delivered sturdy figures: AnTuTu scores hit 1,636,564 in my exams. GeekBench scores at 1106 for a single core or 5022 for multi-core for the V5 are stable, sitting almost 30% above the V3’s Gen 3 chip.

The 3DMark Wild Life Stress Take a look at can also be spectacular, with a greatest loop rating of 20380 and a lowest rating of 11967, giving it a stability ranking of 57.4%. This equates to a 22% and 41% uplift in efficiency for the excessive and low scores.

Multitasking, launching heavy apps, and flipping throughout break up screens all labored with out lag, with MagicOS 9 exhibiting snappier transitions and a marked enchancment over the V3. The Oryon CPU core pairing enhances workload dealing with, notably for gaming and video modifying, which foldables more and more require as customers transition from informal to productive use.

The AI options for multitasking do declare a forty five% efficiency increase, and in cross-app splitting and window resizing I did see tangible enhancements. Whether or not this issues to informal customers is questionable, however for these intending to make use of the stylus to run three apps concurrently, V5 is a transparent step up.

Battery Life

Honor’s 5,820mAh cell (with 15% silicon content material) leads the section, edging out the Magic V3’s 5,150mAh and trouncing many rivals. Silicon-carbon chemistry permits larger vitality density, which means longer energetic use with out added weight. My exams yielded roughly 10 hours of screen-on time with the V5, in comparison with simply over 9 hours on the V3. Heavy days, streaming, digicam utilization, split-screen navigation, and a few gentle gaming, left me with 20% by midnight. If battery is your sole concern, the V5 outlasts almost all present foldables.

Charging pace stays quick: 66W wired and 50W wi-fi, The V5 can hit 50% in 16 minutes and a full cost in 43 in my trials. The V3 is fast, however not fairly this snappy. Quick charging is proprietary, so purchase suitable chargers in order for you most pace. Each telephones supply reverse charging however solely at 5W (wired).

Software program Expertise with Android 15 & MagicOS 9

As you’d count on, this ships with the newest model of Android and MagicOS 9.

MagicOS 9 impresses with genuinely helpful multitasking. Multi-Flex, which runs three apps facet by facet with customisable window proportions, is the very best implementation I’ve seen on a foldable and higher than Samsung’s present One UI efforts for my part. The stylus works throughout each screens, together with in break up view, making this genuinely appropriate for productiveness. In apply, I managed analysis, note-taking, and calls seamlessly.

Google Gemini comes pre-loaded and feels much less bolted-on than rivals; double-tapping for fast launch cuts friction, and context-aware window and drag-and-drop options carry out reliably moderately than performing like mere novelties. AI name translation is processed absolutely on-device and helps English, Chinese language, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. I examined bilingual calls, and the standard was first rate, if not flawless; privacy-conscious customers within the UK will admire the shortage of distant processing.

The built-in Translate app is supposed for 2 customers sharing a tool, functioning very like “face-to-face” choices seen elsewhere, although Honor’s low-latency {hardware} made it tractable for journey. Magic Portal is one other contextual “drag and ship” utility, helpful for sending addresses or pictures straight to apps with out a number of guide steps.

File and system sharing are rather more polished: Honor Share works cross-platform (together with iOS and macOS) and the Tremendous Workstation manages as much as 60MB/s file transfers. Customers, typically navigating between Android and Apple PCs, will admire the intensive native file assist, from Keynote and Pages to DOCX and CAD.

Seven years of OS and safety updates is a market-leading promise, outpacing even Google’s Pixel gadgets, although, as ever, watch for long-term suggestions earlier than taking any company claims at face worth.

Connectivity and Options

Assist for 21 5G bands means the V5 is extra “world prepared” than the V3, and each characteristic dual-eSIM and nano-SIM choices. Wi-Fi 7 makes an look, up from Wi-Fi 6e within the V3, bettering future-proofing for these eager to remain forward of community upgrades. Bluetooth 6.0 with aptX HD is supported; vary and high quality did seem superior to final yr’s {hardware}.

Each supply infrared, although the V5 drops radio assist which isn’t uncommon, however value noting if you happen to’re upgrading from older handsets. The V5 makes use of a side-mounted fingerprint reader, which stays fast and dependable.

USB Sort-C 3.1 stays, with assist for DisplayPort 1.2.

Worth and Various Choices

On the time of writing, I’ve not been informed the RRP of the brand new Magic V5, however the V3 launched at £1700. For pre-order bonuses, you bought an Honor Watch 4 & Magic-Pen & Earbuds X6 & SuperCharge Energy Adapter 66W.

You’ll be able to at present get the Magic V3 for £1200, which is out there from each Amazon and straight from Honor.

Samsung’s Z Fold 7 stays the first competitor, however it’s heavier (215g), thicker, and lacks the ultra-bright show discovered within the V5. Software program polish is a little bit superior for desktop multitasking owing to DeX, however Samsung’s replace dedication varies, and real-world battery nonetheless doesn’t match Honor’s silicon-carbon cell.

For the bottom mannequin, which comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, the worth is £1800. The highest-end mannequin, which options 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, is priced at £ 2149.

The Pixel 9 Professional Fold has an RRP of £1749 and is at present accessible from £1399. The Pixel 10 Fold is because of launch on the twentieth of August (I wrote this on the fifteenth)

The OnePlus Open obtained rave evaluations and was arguably the very best foldable when it was launched. The launch worth was £1700, and it seems to be out of inventory from most locations now.

Total

Honor has managed to convey significant upgrades to the foldable kind issue with the Magic V5, particularly in ways in which enhance real-world usability: thinner, lighter, brighter, and longer-lasting with up to date {hardware} and software program. Whereas some advertising claims ought to be taken with a pinch of salt, and proprietary equipment stay a frustration, the V5 stands out as a sensible selection for critical customers. The additional yr of updates is notable and should tip the stability for cautious patrons.

For present V3 house owners, the selection is much less clear-cut, as many of the sensible upgrades are incremental moderately than transformative. However for anybody shopping for new, the V5 earns sturdy suggestion, not for headline-grabbing innovation, however for quietly making foldables really feel like regular telephones once more.

Total, Honor’s Magic V5 isn’t revolutionary, however it’s completely the very best foldable for many UK customers proper now. Solely probably the most demanding creators or desktop multitaskers would possibly think about a Samsung Z Fold 7 as a substitute, however for my cash, and most sensible use instances, the V5 is the place foldables lastly come good. If yow will discover it round RRP and wish the upgrades, don’t hesitate. For those who personal the V3, weigh your wants earlier than taking the plunge.

I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the Editor and Proprietor of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Keen about all issues know-how, my experience spans from computer systems and networking to cell, wearables, and good dwelling gadgets.

As a health fanatic who loves working and biking, I even have a eager curiosity in fitness-related know-how, and I take each alternative to cowl this area of interest on my weblog. My various pursuits permit me to convey a singular perspective to tech running a blog, merging way of life, health, and the newest tech traits.

In my tutorial pursuits, I earned a BSc in Info Techniques Design from UCLAN, earlier than advancing my studying with a Grasp’s Diploma in Computing. This superior examine additionally included Cisco CCNA accreditation, additional demonstrating my dedication to understanding and staying forward of the know-how curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has persistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of many high know-how blogs within the UK. With my dedication to know-how and drive to share my insights, I intention to proceed offering my readers with participating and informative content material.