HONOR Magic V5 In-Depth Review: The Foldable That Gets Everything Right

Previously, we’ve already touched on how the HONOR Magic V5 nails the basics, including battery life, camera performance (partially), and durability, all Without Compromise. But what about the rest? Does the experience hold up when you push the phone beyond those three key areas?

After using the HONOR Magic V5 for over a week, I can say with confidence: Yes, it absolutely does. From performance and design details to multitasking and productivity tools, HONOR proves that you don’t have to trade off one thing to get another, and the Magic V5 is definitely the foldable that finally gets everything right.

So here’s my full take after using the Magic V5 day in and day out.

Design - Slimmest Than Ever

The HONOR Magic V5 comes 4 different colours - Ivory White, Dawn Gold, Silk Brown and Black. The one that I got is Silk Brown, and from the outside it does look pretty much similar to the V3.

It's only 9mm when folded, and just 4.2mm when unfolded (The Ivory White is 0.1mm thinner, 8.8mm and 4.1mm). Compared to the 9.3mm folded and 4.4mm unfolded on the V3, that's a pretty huge improvement. For context, it’s as thin as three stacked bank cards, and even slimmer than an old 50 cents coin.

The weight is now 222g (217g for the Ivory White) and while it didn't change much (was 230g on the V3), you can definitely feel that the Magic V5 feels much more balanced in the hand, especially when folded, giving a closer experience to a regular bar phone.

And yet despite the thin body, it still manages to house a proper flagship battery, camera, and processor. You don’t feel like you’re holding a delicate piece of tech. It’s compact, solid, and surprisingly premium in the hand. One minor but QOL change that I love about the design is that the Volume button is now at the same side with the Power Button. This makes controlling easier as you won't have the buttons at the opposite side when unfolded, and changing the volume is also now easier in Hover Mode.

No Compromise on Battery

This was one of the first things I tested, and it continues to impress me. The 5820mAh silicon-carbon battery is a huge step up from the previous 5150 mAh, and it held up really well across both casual and heavy usage. Here are some of the usage scenarios:

• 1440p YouTube streaming on the inner screen used 32%.

• 1 hour of Honor of Kings at max settings used 21%.

• 1 hour of Honor of Kings at max settings on the inner screen used 28%.

  
  

All these thanks to the new HONOR E2 Power Enhanced Chip that manages power distribution more efficiently. Background processes don’t drain your battery like crazy, and the phone feels cool even during long usage.

Charging is as impressive as well. Despite stilll being 66W wired HONOR SuperCharge like the V3, and took around 50 minutes from 1% to 100%, which is roughly the same time taken with the V3 as well, it's actually still more efficient considering the increased battery size. It also supports 50W wireless charging, which is super handy for those who prefer a cable-free setup. You can also long press the center to activate the Super-charging Boost Mode. While the temperature does rise slightly during the process, you do notice a significant faster charging speed especially in the earlier percentages.

Time charged	Normal Mode	Super-charging Boost Mode
10 minutes	20.42%	26.99%
20 minutes	41.84%	53.96%
30 minutes	63.27%	78.42%

No Compromise on Camera

The HONOR Magic V5 comes equipped with a solid camera setup for a foldable, which consists of a 64MP periscope telephoto lens with 100x zoom, a 50MP main sensor with OIS and EIS, a 50MP ultra-wide camera with a 122° field of view, and 20MP selfie cameras on both the inner and outer screens.

Earlier we tested both the AI Super Zoom and Night Mode features continue to impress. Zooming in on faraway landmarks produced clear and usable results, even at 100x. This works at night as well, and you can see how clear is the other moon shot that I taken. And night shots came out vibrant with good control over highlights and shadows, and minimal noise. Depending on the scene, both Normal and Night Mode have their strengths, but overall, low-light performance is solid. Do refer back to our previous review for more photos sample.

Night mode vs Normal Mode

The main camera does a great job in everyday conditions. Photos are sharp, colours are accurate without looking overly processed, and dynamic range is handled nicely, even under harsh lighting. I found it especially reliable when shooting under mixed indoor and outdoor lighting — skin tones look natural, and the details in both shadows and highlights are well preserved.

The ultra-wide lens also delivers decent results. It’s wide enough to capture group shots or architecture, and distortion at the edges is fairly minimal. The fact that it being 50MP now means you won't need to sacrifice the quality a single bit to get a wider shot, and this definitely adds value to the overall camera experience.

As for the selfie cameras, the 20MP cameras on both the inner and outer displays are sufficient for daily video calls and some casual quick snaps. If you wanted to take some candid selfies, you can use the Rear Selfie feature, which makes use of the better rear camera, and that'll gives you every single advanced feature including the Harcourt Studio Mode, which offers more stylised and professional portrait photography.

On top of all that, HONOR also included a solid set of AI-powered editing tools, such as AI Cutout, AI Eraser, AI Outpainting and AI Upscale. These come in handy when you want to clean up a shot, remove background clutter, or even stretch out a scene creatively, all directly in your phone’s gallery, without needing to open any third-party app. It really makes post-editing feel a lot less tedious. Personally I think a minor improvement can be done for the AI Eraser, which is to allow me to confirm what I want to remove as sometimes my fat fingers seems like overcircling the areas.

Original Photo; AI Eraser removed person in middle; AI Outpainting to stretch out the scene

No Compromise on Durability

This part still amazes me. Despite being the slimmest foldable in the market, the Magic V5 feels incredibly sturdy. The inner screen uses Non-Newtonian fluid tech, which means it stays soft under normal use but hardens instantly under impact. During the pre-briefing, HONOR showed a live demo where the screen took a solid hit and survived. That tech is now built into the Magic V5, making the inner screen much more drop-resistant.

There’s also the second-gen HONOR Super Steel Hinge, which can handle up to 35kg of weight. During the session, they even used three units to lift a 75kg sofa. HONOR says it can survive 500,000 folds, so even if you open and close it 100 times a day, you’re good for over 13 years.

The outer screen is protected with Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield, and the back casing is made of aerospace-grade carbon fiber (not for my Silk Brown version though), which is 40 times more impact resistant.

Plus, it has IP58 and IP59 ratings for dust and water resistance, and features an AI Foreign Object Detection system that can detect particles as small as 0.8mm entering the hinge gap. So far in my testing, I still haven’t seen this feature triggered, which is a good sign that no dust got in.

No Compromise on Performance

The HONOR Magic V5 runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, paired with a generous 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This combo means you can throw just about anything at it, from daily multitasking to heavy gaming or content creation, and the phone handles it effortlessly. In case it's still not enough for you, HONOR offers another 16GB of HONOR RAM Turbo, which is pretty much an overkill for most mobile scenario. Storage-wise, 512GB is plenty even for users who shoot a lot of 4K videos or install massive games.

I tested heavy titles like Genshin Impact and Honor of Kings on max settings. Both ran smoothly on their respective FPS without any lag or overheating, and all this thanks to the new Titanium Vapor Chamber cooling system, which improves thermal performance by 53%. Even after extended gaming sessions, the phone remained cool and consistent. At heavier usage, you could feel abit of the warmth but with the back cover on, it's literally non existent. No thermal throttling, no performance dips, just smooth gameplay.

No Compromise on Display

Both screens on the Magic V5 are stunning to look at. The inner display measures 7.95 inches, while the outer display comes in at 6.43 inches, and both are OLED panels with LTPO refresh rates up to 120Hz. Scrolling feels smooth, animations are snappy, and everything looks vibrant and rich.

The brightness peaks at an insane 5000 nits, so even under direct sunlight, I had no trouble seeing the screen clearly, whether replying to messages on the cover display or editing a photo on the big screen inside.

Color-wise, both displays support 1.07 billion colors and 100% DCI-P3 wide color gamut, with 403 PPI on the inner screen and 404 PPI on the outer. It's worth mentioning that both panels continues to support stylus input, which opens up more creative and productivity possibilities.

The amount of eye-care features HONOR packed in continues to impress me. There’s 4320Hz PWM dimming, AI Defocus Display, Motion Sickness Relief, Dynamic Dimming, and Circadian Night Display. I found the display surprisingly comfortable even after long hours of work or binge-watching.

Multi-Tasking That Goes Beyond a Bar Phone

One of the biggest advantages of using a foldable like the HONOR Magic V5 is how much more you can do at once. With the spacious inner screen and HONOR’s Multi-Task AI, juggling multiple tasks becomes second nature.

The Three Split Screen lets you open and interact with three apps at the same time. During a recent event, I recorded the session using AI Notes, checked my emails, and chatted with my team on WhatsApp, all in one view, without needing to switch between apps. It genuinely helped me stay on top of things without missing details, and the AI Summary tool made recapping way faster as well.

Planning a weekend getaway was also surprisingly smooth. I compared hotel prices across booking apps, searched for flights, and even used Gemini Live to get a second opinion, all while building a quick itinerary with help from Gemini AI.

Even shopping became a smart experience. I could look up my desired item across a few platforms, and when in doubt, I can ask Gemini to identify which one on my screen fit me the best. These might sound like small tasks, but when your phone helps you do them all in one go without slowing down, it really changes how you get through the day.

Seamless Cross-Device Experience

If you’re switching from iOS, or you own a Mac, this part’s important. The Magic V5 supports easy iCloud data cloning, including photos, notes, and documents. You would need to install HONOR Super Workstation for it to work. Peak transfer speed could hit around 60MB/s, not the very best but still fast enough for large videos and files. It even supports Apple formats like Keynote and Numbers, along with pro files like CAD and EPUB. For iOS, users will need to install the HONOR Connect app to get everything running, but once set up, it feels pretty seamless just like AirDrop.

Verdict: Slimmest, Strongest and Smartest

After using the HONOR Magic V5 as my main device for the past week or so, I can confidently say this is the most complete foldable experience I’ve ever had. It’s not just a design flex — it delivers real performance, durability, and smart features that make a difference in daily use. From gaming and photography to work and travel, it handles everything I throw at it, all while looking sleek and feeling surprisingly robust in hand.

So yes, “No Compromise” isn’t just a tagline. With the Magic V5, HONOR has really made it a reality. With a price tag of RM6999, which is the same launch price as the Magic V3, you would be surprised how many aspects HONOR has significantly improved. If you're thinking about getting a foldable, this one deserves a serious top spot on your shortlist.