The HONOR Magic V5 recently launched in China as the thinnest book-style foldable on the market right now, narrowly beating out the competition by a mere 0.1mm. The brand has confirmed that its new flagship phone will be launching locally as well, and ahead of said launch, we’ve been offered the opportunity to get acquainted with the device.
So, let’s address the elephant in the room: yes, it’s incredibly thin, and according to HONOR, it weighs 217g and measures 8.8mm in its folded state. Or at least, the Ivory White variant does. The model we were provided with is the Dawn Gold version, which is thicker and heavier, though only by a small margin.
That said, if you’re like me and don’t particularly care about the fraction of a millimetre difference, then the device is thin enough. In its folded state, it’s more or less as thick as an average non-foldable, making it comfortable to hold, and even fits in my pocket quite easily. That said, it doesn’t change the fact that it leans a bit on the heftier side, even when you consider how flat it is.
Gold is an obvious colour choice for a premium phone, but HONOR does manage to incorporate it in an interesting way. There’s a gradient on the rear panel, so the phone is not uniformly the same shade throughout. Depending on the lighting and angle, the effect is either very subtle or quite pronounced, so it’s almost like seeing a new phone with each glance. It lends a kind of mystique to the overall look, making the device feel a little more opulent.
I am a touch disappointed with the hinge design, though. The official renders gave the impression of a textured surface but in reality, the hinge, like the phone’s body, is completely flat. I do think the geometric patterns kill the luxurious vibe it has going for it, looking out of place and frankly, kind of cheap. Fortunately, the patterns only live within the boundary of the hinge, so they’re out of sight and out of mind when it is completely unfolded.
The thinness of the body also means that the camera island sticks out quite a bit – the camera modules have to fit somewhere, after all. But the bump does look comically huge compared to the rest of the phone. It’s especially noticeable when the device is, again, completely unfolded.
Speaking of cameras, the V5 sports a triple-camera main array, similar to its predecessor, although the periscope telephoto gets upgraded to a 64MP unit. I’ve taken a few shots so far, and the results look pretty good, although there seems to be some reliance on AI for pictures taken in poor lighting conditions. The camera comes with a few colour profiles, which I can always appreciate.
Camera Samples
The HONOR Magic V5 is set to launch in Malaysia on 15 July, with the livestream of the launch being hosted on the brand’s Facebook page. In the meantime, I’ll be taking the phone for a spin, so you can expect a full review.
