After much teasing, HONOR has officially launched its first ever foldable smartphone, the Magic V, in China earlier this evening. To date, it is also the first ever device of its class to feature Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset, as well as receiving an IMAX Enhanced certification.
Much like its competitors, the new HONOR Magic V features an outward folding form factor where it can transform from standard single-handed smartphone, to a larger tablet-like device. Its exterior display is a 6.45-inch screen with an aspect ratio of 21:9, a resolution of 1080 x 2560 pixels, and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The brand says this particular screen features a special durable glass that is capable of protecting it from impacts such as falls, which HONOR CEO Zhao Ming demonstrated by actually dropping the phone on stage from shoulder height. Impressively, the foldable did not exhibit any damages whatsoever.
Meanwhile, its interior display measures at 7.9-inches diagonally when unfolded. Unlike the phone’s external screen, it features a lower refresh rate at only 90Hz but features a larger resolution at 2272 x 1984 pixels. It also comes with an upper layer that lowers reflection and has a 1920Hz Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) to reduce eye strain. As mentioned earlier, the phone is the first smart device to receive an IMAX Enhanced certification, thanks to its display performance.
The Magic V features a hinge with 213 components which enables it to fold its interior screen like a water drop, thus ensuring the slim profile of the phone in folded form. The company claims that the mechanism is durable enough to be used to fold and unfold the device 50 times per day for 10 years without fatigue.
Under the hood of the foldable phone is Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset to power its overall performance. In terms of memory configurations, HONOR says it will come in two storage options of either 256GB or 512GB, paired together with 12GB of RAM. Battery-wise, the Magic V has a capacity of 4750mAh, which also comes with 66W fast charging support via USB-C. Besides that, the foldable features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, DTS-X enabled dual speakers, and HDR10+ support.
On the back of the device is a triple camera setup consisting of a 50MP primary, a 50MP spectrum-enhanced shooter, and a 50MP ultra-wide, alongside a 8×8 dTOF laser focus system. Meanwhile, housed within both punch-hole cutouts on its external and interior displays is a 42MP front-facing camera.
The Honor Magic V will be available in three colours: black, white, and burnt orange. It’s worth noting that all three options feature different finishes, with the first two sporting glass casings with unique patterns, while the orange is presented with a faux leather case – a design the company had teased several days prior to the launch event.
HONOR confirmed that it will be releasing the new Magic V foldable phone only in China at this time, with first sales commencing on 18 January 2022. On that note, the 12GB + 256GB variant will retail at CNY9,999 (~RM6,601), while the 12GB + 512GB model is priced at CNY10,999 (~RM7,261).
(Source: HONOR [Youtube])
