Honor Magic V5 Review

The Magic V5 is the foldable that finally makes the format feel normal. Folded it is 8.8mm thick and about 222 grams, close to a regular slab, so it slips into a pocket without the usual foldable bulk. Open it and the 7.95 inch inner OLED is bright and smooth at 120Hz, with a 6.43 inch cover screen that works fine as an everyday phone.

What sets it apart is that Honor did not gut the rest of the phone to hit that profile. There is a 5,820mAh battery inside, larger than what many thick slabs carry, and it comfortably lasts a full day with room to spare, then refills at 66W wired or 50W wireless. The Snapdragon 8 Elite keeps everything fast, and an IP58 and IP59 rating means dust and water are far less of a worry than on most folding phones.

The cameras are the best reason to pick this over a Pixel or Samsung fold. A 50MP main at f/1.6 sits next to a 64MP periscope with 3x optical reach and a 50MP ultrawide, so you get real range rather than the token telephoto foldables usually settle for. Photos are punchy and detailed, and the zoom in particular pulls ahead of the class.

The catches are software and price. MagicOS 10 on Android 16 is fast and feature rich, and Honor now promises seven years of updates, but the interface is busier than stock Android and Honor's Western support is younger than Google's or Samsung's. At around 1,999 dollars it is a luxury. Even so, if you want a large foldable with the fewest compromises, the Magic V5 is the one to beat.