Honor showed off the Honor Magic V at a launch event in China in January 2022. This was the company’s first foray into the foldable phone market. It’s only available in China, and there’s no word on when it will be available in other countries. It has high-end specs in a small, folding package. It has a similar shape to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, but the front-facing screen is a little bigger. It has a 120Hz screen on the outside, a 90Hz screen on the inside, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip that runs the whole thing.
When we were at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, we were able to play with the Honor Magic V. The company had a launch event for the Honor Magic 4 series. We were able to play around with it for a little while, even though it didn’t have any Google apps yet. This doesn’t mean that there will be an international launch event soon.
Honor Magic V: Design
The Honor Magic V looks and feels a lot like the Galaxy Z Flip 3. It has a 6.45-inch 120Hz FHD+ screen on the front with a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera. Across the back of the phone is a rectangular camera module that looks like faux leather. As soon as the device is unfolded, it shows a huge 7.9-inch foldable OLED screen with a 2272 x 1984 resolution and 90Hz peak refresh rate. A fingerprint sensor is also built into the power button on the right-hand side, so it’s easy to use when the tablet is folded or unfolded.
The Magic V, like the OPPO Find N, has a waterdrop hinge that prevents the display from creasing. Unless you looked for it, there was no obvious crease, and even then, you’d quickly forget about it. When compared to similar goods on the market, Honor claims that this hinge design is the slimmest. Finally, when the display is folded shut, there are no obvious gaps between the two sides. It’s also one of the thinnest out there.
Using it felt strong, and it felt good to use. Another thing about this phone is that it is one of the biggest foldable phones on the market. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a little smaller when you’re using it every day. There isn’t much of a difference, though. If this one goes on sale in the west, it will look almost the same. In the top right, there’s a cutout for the camera so that the screen might not be as clear. It looks a little out of place.
Performance
This year’s top processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, is in the Magic V. This should keep it going for a long time because it is the company’s best this year. When you buy a phone, you can choose from either 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. Both phones come with 12GB of RAM. Connectivity options include WiFi 6 and 5G standards to make sure the Magic V is still useful in the years to come. Read also; Review: Huawei P50 Pro Better Late Than Never
Cameras
50MP main wide-angle camera with an f/1.9 aperture is on the rectangular camera island at the back. A 50MP ultra wide-angle camera that can see 122 degrees is on the right, and a 50MP camera that can see more colors is on the left, too. As long as you like, you can take pictures without having to open the phone. A gimbal or selfie stick that can work with the Magic V when it is fully open is hard to come by, so good luck finding one!
Software
HONOR’s Magic Ui 6.0 skin is based on Android 12 and has the December 2021 security patch. It runs on that and has HONOR’s Magic Ui 6.0 skin. As of now, HONOR has not said how many Android updates the Magic V will get or how many years of Android security updates it will be able to use. In fact, if history is any guide, it will most likely get two major Android updates and three years of safety updates.
Battery
The HONOR Magic V has a 4,750 mAh battery that can be charged quickly with the 66W fast charger or the 66W car charger. It doesn’t work with wireless charging here. Because this was a hands-on experience, there was no way to figure out how long the battery can last before it needs to be charged. Read more; Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is way better than the Exynos
Pricing & Availability
The Honor Magic V is a lot of fun to use, and it’s great to see so many foldable phones. It runs MagicUI 6, which is based on Android 12. It still has a lot of the same features as EMUI. On this phone, there were no software features that made it easier to switch to multi-window mode from inside apps, but it was easier to switch to multi-window mode from inside apps. Even so, that’s more of a standard Android feature that just gets more useful on a bigger screen.
As of January 18, the Honor Magic V can be bought in China. It costs as follows:
- 12GB+256GB: CNY 9,999 (~$1,570)
- 12GB+512GB: CNY 10,999 (~$1,725)
If we learn more about it, we’ll let you know.
Final Thoughts
I would have liked the Magic V to come with a stylus because it has a lot of space for writing or doodling. One more thing that would be nice to have is the ability to wirelessly charge your cell phone (and reverse wireless charging since HONOR does release its own earbuds). Finally, the lack of IP certification is a big mistake because the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Flip 3 both have IPX8 certification.
People outside of China don’t know when the Honor Magic V will be released yet.
