Product Review: New HONOR Magic V5 - Smart, Slim, And Built To Last

There's a certain desirability about foldable mobile phones – an X-factor that makes them at once workhorses for tech savvy professionals and coveted fashion accessories for the style conscious. And HONOR understands this well.

Despite being at the cutting edge of consumer electronics technology, foldable phones have suffered from one major problem – bulk. It's all very well to whip out this stylish device and then appear uber cool while unfolding it to reveal its large screen, but that same device, when folded away, used to be a fashion faux pas as its silhouettes jutted out in a brick-like manner from pockets, or made it difficult to carry in sleek and slim handbags, purses and clutches.

In the recent past, HONOR changed all that with its Magic V3, which took the crown of the world's slimmest foldable phone, and quickly became a favourite of the geeks and fashionistas alike. And now, the brand has gone one step above. HONOR's latest foldable - the Magic V5 - slims down the dimensions further to retain the crown of the slimmest foldable, while also impressing with the ways it blends thoughtful AI-driven usability and next-level durability with remarkable slimness to make one sophisticated package. Building on its predecessor, the Magic V5 achieves new heights of desirability without sacrificing form or function.

The first thing you'll notice is just how thin this foldable is. Measuring only 8.8mm when folded, the Magic V5 takes the title of the thinnest foldable phone on the global market. And HONOR manages this elegance without ditching performance or battery life.

Inside that slim frame lies a massive 5,820 mAh HONOR Silicon Carbon Battery, delivering some of the best endurance we've seen in a foldable. In our testing - light browsing, messaging, and calls - it consistently lasted around two days. And when you do need to juice up, the 66W wired and 50W wireless HONOR SuperCharge are extremely capable: we moved from zero to full in roughly 50 minutes with the wired adapter that ships with the package.

Despite its svelte dimensions, the Magic V5 relies on hazard-resistant hinge and optimised internals - namely, a titanium vapor chamber and aerogel-based insulation, promoting efficient heat dissipation while remaining lightweight.

In performance, it shines: powered by a top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite, paired with 16 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB UFS 4.1 storage, it handled gaming, multitasking and video editing with ease. And though the power under the hood is formidable, HONOR's upgraded cooling kept temperatures in check even under load.

Clever AI assistant and smart features

HONOR isn't just flexing hardware capabilities here. The Magic V5 brings several intelligent assistants and tools that genuinely enhance the user experience.

AI Assistant by Gemini is barely visible yet wide-reaching - ready to assist with text suggestions, translations, or chat clean-ups via AI Writing, AI Translate, Call Translation, and even Deepfake Detection (inherited from the Magic7 Pro), which can perform tasks such as alert you when a caller is using AI-generated visuals on a video call. It's seamless, intelligent, and acutely aware of modern user needs.

Among its AI features, the Magic Sidebar floats on-screen for quick access to apps and tools, providing a subtle yet handy addition that reduces taps and keystrokes.

The HONOR Connect feature unifies devices across platforms, making the experience fluent and intuitive whether you're syncing with Android or iOS gear. Meanwhile, the TapTap feature adds more convenience, letting you accomplish tasks with a simple double-tap without needing to look at your screen.

These elements contribute to an experience that feels thoughtfully designed, not overloaded. Combined, they make you feel like the phone is not just responsive, but perceptive - ready to edge in when you need help.

Foldables often compromise sturdiness for style, but the Magic V5 disrupts that narrative. HONOR has taken durability very seriously, building the device with ratings of IP58 and IP59 for dust and water resistance, offering comprehensive protection from intrusion that previous models (like the Magic V3, capped at IPX8) couldn't match.

For many users, opening and closing the main screens of foldables has always seemed a delicate task, fraught with the danger of spoiling the hinge or the inside screen. But not in this new HONOR. The V5 sports HONOR's Super Steel Hinge which is engineered for longevity, rated to withstand over 500,000 folding cycles - equivalent to folding it more than 100 times daily for 13 years.

Of course, in the slightly over a week that we had our test mule, we could not even fold it a fraction of those times, but the feeling that the device gave us makes us believe HONOR's claims. From the reassuringly smooth and seamless way it opened every time to the soft yet firm thud when closing it – opening the closing the HONOR V5 gave us an assurance of solidity in its build quality and components.

And it's not just the hinge – the Aerospace Special Fiber material that HONOR has used for the backplate enhances impact resistance by 40% compared to earlier models, while a Ultra-Hard NanoCrystal Shield coating resists scratches and cracks on both screens.

Inside, the main folding display features a non-Newtonian fluid layer that remains flexible during normal use but locks up under impact - adding a smart second layer of protection. In use, this translated to real-world peace of mind. The hinge felt reassuringly rigid and smooth, and the screen demonstrated resilience in pocket scrapes. In the couple of times or so that we dropped (accidentally) the V5, there was peace of mind that it would get barely a scratch, and we were suitably reassured when it emerged completely unscathed. It seems HONOR's durability isn't just protective - it's deeply engineered.

Design and displays: The best of both worlds

A foldable that's both elegant and durable isn't easy to pull off, but HONOR nails it with the Magic V5. The matte metallic cream back of our review piece sported a refined ivory sheen, set off by a large, symmetrical camera array trimmed in metallic gold. Not only is that luxurious look eye-catching, but HONOR's symmetrical housing design also ensures stability when the phone lies flat while folded - no wobbling. The hinge and sides carry the same gold trim, making the whole package look premium and unified.

On the front, there's a 6.43-inch LTPO OLED with 2,376 × 1,060 resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3, and a stated 5,000 nits peak brightness. It even supports stylus input, which becomes difficult to engineer when you make a foldable this ultra-thin. A punch-hole houses the 20MP selfie camera, paired with a small slit speaker.

Open it up and you're greeted with a 7.95-inch LTPO OLED, boasting 2,352 × 2,172 resolution, a 120 Hz refresh, and similarly vivid brightness - also built for stylus use. A perennial concern with foldables is the centre crease, but in the V5 it is impressively minimal, and both screens offer ultra-fast dimming and an Eye Comfort mode to lessen strain during prolonged reading sessions.

Viewing was vibrant, crisp and comfortable, whether indoors or under the harsh Dubai summer light. The touchscreen is responsive, and animations are buttery smooth thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite and high-refresh OLEDs.

HONOR also bundles useful accessories: a clip-on back protective casing that doubles as a kickstand, a USB-C cable, a 66W wired SuperCharge adapter, and even a pre-applied screen protector, though with the NanoCrystal coating, you might never need it.

Cameras: Impressive for both stills and video

The Magic V5 continues HONOR's commitment to photography with a strong triple-camera setup. Its lens array is a 50MP f/1.6 main camera (OIS), 64MP f/2.5 telephoto (OIS, 3× optical zoom), and a 50MP f/2.0 ultrawide.

Together, they deliver up to 3× optical and 100× digital zoom for photos, and 4K@60fps video with 10× digital zoom. Selfie cams (20MP) on both screens still offer decent image quality for casual photos and video calls.

Daylight photos impressed us with lifelike colours, excellent dynamic range, and sharp detail up to 6× zoom. Beyond that, quality dipped, but AI improvements helped maintain readable shots, especially for inanimate subjects like architecture or foliage.

Low-light shots fared well at up to 2× zoom, with accurate colour and reasonable noise control. The Harcourt portrait modes - Classic mono, Colour, and Vibrant - add a vintage studio polish to portraits, plus film-style filters for creative flair.

Video is dependable too: the rear cameras capture steady 4K footage with accurate colour. Selfie cams work fine for social sharing, but the main setup clearly offers more serious photography capability.

Battery life is one of the Magic V5's highlights. Our testing logged roughly two days of real-world usage, even with the powerful display and Snapdragon chip in play. Social media scrolls, texts, video calls and music leaned more into endurance than power drains.

Charging remains swift: 66W wired had the phone full in under an hour. We also tried a 50W wireless charger and saw a time to full charge that was only marginally more. Performance across the board was excellent, from quick app launches and seamless task switching to smooth rendering in games and video editing. And thanks to upgraded cooling (titanium vapor chamber + aerogel), thermal throttling was minimal, even under sustained load.

In the final analysis, the new HONOR Magic V5 doesn't just target one standout trait; it strikes a rare, thorough balance. At just 8.8mm in thickness when folded, and 4.4mm when open, it is slim yet substantial while being HONOR's thinnest foldable. But this slimness comes at no compromise on the battery, which remains a massive 5,820 mAh unit with fast wired and wireless charging.

On the AI features front, the HONOR Magic V5 is is a device with accessible intelligence, with Gemini-powered AI, Magic Sidebar, HONOR Connect, and TapTap offering thoughtful convenience and cross-platform fluidity.

And when it comes to durability, the device is extremely well-built, with IP58/IP59 protection, Super Steel Hinge, aerospace-grade materials, and advanced screen shielding that gave us the impression that it would effortlessly and genuinely stand up to real-world wear.

Available now for pre-order at Dh6,499, the phone will come with a pre-order gift package worth of Dh3,695 , comprising a HONOR Magic Pen, extra HONOR Magic V5 case and a Bose Revolve Bluetooth speaker. What's more, a 12-month, 1-time HONOR Care-Screen Protection is also bundled in for free, as is a 24-month 8-times HONOR Care-Customised Service.

Even without these deal-sweeteners, the HONOR Magic V5 is good enough to go to the top of your shopping list. If you're after a premium foldable that delivers on durability, battery life, performance and everyday intelligence, the HONOR Magic V5 is a compelling pick - blending elegance, expertise and endurance into one sleek, fashionable and stylish package that only a well-made foldable can provide.

Price: Dh6499

Pre-orders start: August 14, 2025

Pre-order gift package worth of Dh3695 includes:

• HONOR Care-Screen Protection 12-month 1-time

• HONOR Care-Customized Service 24-month 8-times

• HONOR Magic Pen

• Additional HONOR Magic V5 Case

• Bose Revolve Bluetooth Speaker

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