We’ve seen some impressive devices from Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and most recently, OPPO, but are we looking at the most impressive foldable yet? Former Huawei subsidiary Honor has entered the foldable market following the launch of the Honor Magic V.

It is the company’s first folding smartphone and the first one with Qualcomm’s latest and fastest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 under the hood. Its design is similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3; the device looks like a normal phone when folded, with the Honor Magic V sporting a 6.45-inch FHD cover screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera.

The external screen also boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for gaming and regular use. It looks way more usable than the awkwardly narrow cover screen on the Galaxy Z Fold3. In fact, Honor stressed the advantage of having a functional outer display that isn’t difficult to use for typing and other everyday tasks during its presentation.

In China, the Honor Magic V ships in Titanium Silver, Black, and Burnt Orange colors, with price starting at ¥9,999 (around $1,568 or P80,357 converted) for 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The top-end model with 512GB storage will set you back ¥10,999 ($1,725 or P88,394). For context, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 was priced at P87,990 ($1,720) and P95,990 ($1,877) for 256GB and 512GB of storage, respectively, at launch in the Philippines.

Honor Magic V launch in China. Program starts at the 1:06:00 mark

Honor’s first folding phone will hit stores beginning January 18. Don’t hold your breath for an official release outside China, though; the company says there are currently no plans to make the phone available globally.

As for the main display, the Magic V reveals a tablet-like 7.9-inch flexible OLED screen when unfolded. It has a resolution of 2,272 x 1,984 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate. You likewise get 10-bit colors and HDR10+ support, as well as 800 nits of peak brightness. The Magic V is also the first folding handset to receive an IMAX Enhanced certification, just for good measure.

Both displays on Honor’s foldable are sourced from BOE, a Chinese electronics components firm and one of the few premium display suppliers for iPhones and other high-end smartphones.

In the camera department, the Honor Magic V boasts three 50-megapixel cameras at the back — one for ultra-wide scenes and another for boosting color rendering. The main and secondary displays each get a 42-megapixel camera in a punch hole for taking selfies.

Other notable specs include stereo speakers, a 4,750mAh battery that supports 66-watt wired fast charging, and Honor’s Magic UI 6.0 based on Android 12.

Honor Magic V specs

• 7.9-inch main OLED display, 2,272 x 1,984 resolution, 90Hz refresh rate
• 6.45-inch secondary OLED display, 2,560 x 1,080 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate
• 4nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 5G
• 12GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 256GB/512GB UFS 3.1 storage
• Triple 50-megapixel main, 50-megapixel ultra-wide, 50-megapixel color-spectrum rear cameras
• Dual 42-megapixel front cameras
• Side fingerprint reader
• 4,750mAh battery with 66-watt fast charging
• Magic UI 6.0 based on Android 12
• Color: Space Silver, Black, Burnt Orange

Image via Honor and Esquire on Weibo

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