Design and workmanship
The Magic V5 is not only thinner, but also lighter. In the light Ivory White color variant, it weighs 217 g, making it lighter than an iPhone 16 Pro Max (227 g) or a Galaxy S25 Ultra (218 g). Other color variants, such as Black, Dawn Gold, or Reddish Brown, weigh slightly more at 222 g.
For the folding mechanism, HONOR relies on a new Super Steel Hinge, combined with a reinforced back made of aluminum-coated glass and an internal carbon fiber support structure. According to HONOR, this makes the Magic V5 15 times more scratch-resistant and 10 times more shock-resistant than the Magic V3. With IP58/IP59 certification, the Magic V5 is protected against dust, splashes, and even powerful water jets. Only the Vivo X Fold 5 currently offers comparable IP ratings among foldable devices.
A small but thoughtful detail is the power and volume buttons, which are now located on the same side of the case, regardless of whether the device is opened or folded. This was done differently on the Magic V3 and caused some confusion during operation.
Displays: AMOLED, LTPO, 120 Hz, 5000 nits
The outer display measures 6,43 inches, has a resolution of 2376 × 1060 pixels and uses an LTPO OLED panel with an adaptive refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz. According to first impressions, the display appears razor-sharp, the colors are vibrant and the brightness of up to 5000 nits (peak for HDR/Dolby Vision) should be sufficient even in direct sunlight.
Inside, HONOR installs a 7,95-inch foldable AMOLED display with 2352 × 2172 pixels, also of LTPO type and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. According to initial hands-on reports, the display crease is flatter than its predecessor and barely visible. It is only minimally noticeable at certain lighting angles.
Hardware: Snapdragon 8 Elite, up to 16 GB RAM
Inside is the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm's top chip for the second half of 2025. Unlike the Oppo Find N5, the full eight-core variant is used here, not a slimmed-down version with only seven CPU cores.
The SoC is combined with up to 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB or 1 TB of UFS storage. Performance should be at flagship level. Whether HONOR plans a smaller version with 256 GB of storage remains to be seen.
Camera: Upgrade on all levels
On the back there is a triple camera with the following specifications:
- 50 MP main camera (f/1.6, OIS)
- 64 MP telephoto lens (f/2.5, OIS, 3x optical zoom, up to 100x digital)
- 50 MP ultra wide angle camera (f/2.0)
Compared to the Magic V3, the number of pixels in the telephoto and wide-angle modules has been increased. The telephoto lens also offers a larger aperture. According to HONOR, software features such as AI-assisted superzoom and the Studio Harcourt portrait mode from the HONOR 200 series are also being utilized.
A 20 MP selfie camera is also integrated into both the inner and outer displays. It is currently unknown whether HONOR will make any further adjustments to sensor sizes or software optimizations for Europe.
Battery: 5.820 mAh with a case thickness of less than 9 mm
Further developments are also evident in the battery. Despite the extremely slim casing, HONOR installs a silicon-carbon battery with 5.820 mAh, or 6.100 mAh in the model with 1 TB of storage. This is more than any other foldable device currently on the market. For comparison:
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: 4.400 mAh
- Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold: 4.650 mAh
- Oppo Find N5: 5.600 mAh
- Magic V3: 5.150 mAh
Charging is possible via USB-C with up to 66 W, and wirelessly with 50 W. Whether the battery of the European Magic V5 will be as large remains to be seen. Due to regulatory requirements, particularly with regard to transport safety guidelines, there is currently a cross-manufacturer trend toward shipping EU models with smaller batteries.
HONOR Magic V5 vs. Magic V3
| Categories | HONOR Magic V5 (CN) | HONOR Magic V3 (EU) |
| Dimensions (folded) | 74,3 × 156,8 × 8,8 mm (white) 9,0 mm (other colors) | 74,0 × 156,6 × 9,2 mm (black) 9,3 mm (other colors) |
| Dimensions (unfolded) | 145,9 × 156,8 × 4,1 mm (white) 4,2 mm (other colors) | 145,3 × 156,6 × 4,35 mm (black) 4,4 mm (other colors) |
| Weight | 217 g (white) 222 g (other colors) | 226 g (black) 230 g (other colors) |
| Outdoor display | 6,43 ″ OLED LTPO, 1–120 Hz HDR peak: 5000 nits Global: 1800 nits | 6,43 ″ OLED LTPO, 1–120 Hz |
| Interior display | 7,95″ foldable OLED LTPO, 1–120 Hz HDR peak: 5000 nits Global: 1300 nits | 7,92″ foldable OLED LTPO, 1–120 Hz |
| Resolution outside | 2376 × 1060 pixels | 2376 × 1060 pixels |
| Resolution inside | 2352 × 2172 pixels | 2344 × 2156 pixels |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite (2× 4,32 GHz + 6× 3,53 GHz) | Snapdragon 8 Gen3 (1×3,3GHz + 3×3,2GHz + 2×3,0GHz + 2×2,3GHz) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | Adreno 750 |
| RAM | 12 GB / 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 512 GB |
| Rechargeable battery | 5820 mAh (typ.) 6100 mAh for 16 GB + 1 TB version | 5150 mAh (typ.) |
| Wired charging | 66W HONOR SuperCharge | 66W HONOR SuperCharge |
| Wireless charging | 50W wireless + Reverse Charging | 50W wireless |
| reverse camera | 50 MP (main, f/1.6, OIS) 50 MP (ultrawide, f/2.0) 64 MP (telephoto, f/2.5, OIS, 3x optical, 100x digital) | 50 MP (main, f/1.6, OIS) 40 MP (ultrawide, f/2.2) 50 MP (telephoto, f/3.0, OIS, 100x digital) |
| Front camera | 20 MP (inside + outside, f/2.2) | 20 MP (inside + outside, f/2.2) |
| Video recording (rear/front) | 4K with up to 3840×2160 pixels | 4K with up to 3840×2160 pixels |
| Water/dust protection | IP58 & IP59 | IPX8 |
| Operating system | MagicOS 9.0.1 (Android 15) | MagicOS 8.0.1 (Android 14) |
European launch possible as early as August
HONOR plans an international launch in summer 2025. With the launch of the Magic V5 in China, a Teaser page went online. Interested parties can leave their email address there to receive early updates on the device.
While there are no official release details yet, the European market launch is expected in August or September at the latest. This would bring the Magic V5 closer to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Erik
It's supposed to be launched for Europe on August 28th. I'm curious to see what the price will be and what the software can do. If it works out, the V5 will replace my V2. 🙂
Horse
I'm going to throw July 15th out there. Rumor has it that it'll be unveiled globally then. I'm curious to see whether we'll get a 6100 mAh model or just another slimmed-down version.
Simon
Expect an RRP of over €2.000. The V3 had a RRP of €1.999 back then and now costs around €1.399. The V2 had a RRP of €1.899. So I'm assuming an RRP of at least €2.099 initially. The price will probably drop quickly, though, or there will definitely be discounts again.