HONOR Magic V launched: Another intriguing foldable you can't get

HONOR has been teasing the Magic V foldable phone for a few weeks now, with its own images showing a book-style foldable in line with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series.

Now, the company has fully launched the Magic V, and we’re indeed looking at a similar form factor as the Galaxy Z Fold 3. That means you’ve got an external, smartphone-sized display on the outside and a tablet-sized folding screen on the inside.

The HONOR Magic V has bigger screens than Samsung’s device though, featuring a 6.45-inch curved OLED panel (FHD+, 21.3:9, 90Hz refresh rate) and a 7.9-inch 120Hz OLED panel (2,272 x 1,984). HONOR also claims that the latter screen is creaseless, although we’ll have to wait for a real-world look before we can definitively say so.

These bigger screens come with a slight size penalty though, as the foldable is a little taller and wider than the Galaxy Z Fold 3 — albeit a little thinner. It’s slightly heavier too, weighing in at 288 to 293 grams (depending on the variant) compared to the Samsung foldable’s already hefty 271 grams.

What else does it offer?

As for the meat and potatoes, the HONOR Magic V is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of storage. That chipset means the device should handle everyday tasks and advanced games just fine in theory.

You’re also getting a 4,750mAh battery with 66W wired charging, with HONOR claiming a 100% charge in 40 minutes.

True to leaks, you’re also getting a triple 50MP rear camera system. This setup consists of a 50MP f/1.9 main camera, 50MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens, and a 50MP “spectrum enhanced” camera. A 42MP camera is available in a punch-hole cutout on the smartphone screen, while another 42MP shooter resides in a punch-hole on the inner screen. 

Other noteworthy features include Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, dual stereo speakers, Magic UI 6.0 atop Android 12, and 4K HDR video support (no 8K here).

Unfortunately, those hoping for water resistance and wireless charging will be disappointed, as the company told Android Authority that these features aren’t available here.

HONOR Magic V pricing and availability

The HONOR Magic V will retail for 9,999 yuan (~$1,569) for the 12GB/256GB model. Want more storage? Then you’ll be paying 10,999 yuan (~$1,726) for the 512GB variant. The phone is available in Black, Space Silver, and Burnt Orange colorways and comes with a 66W charger, 66W car charger, and fiber case.

The trend of Chinese OEMs restricting their foldable phone launches to China continues with the Magic V though. HONOR told us that it doesn’t have plans for a global release right now.

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