Thin with few compromises

Review: Honor Magic V5 - Powerful

A truly flexible phone that combines a sleek format and large screen with top quality in many other aspects.

Published 9 December 2025 - 16:42

Foldable phones are clear examples of when thinness makes a real difference. When I first really use the Honor Magic V5, it doesn't just feel like a thin phone for being foldable, it feels thin even compared to many phones that aren't foldable.

Return with a statement

Honor has made a comeback in Sweden and the Honor Magic V5 is the company's flagship phone among foldable phones. During the years when Honor lacked presence in the Swedish market, we tested the new phones at international fairs and were impressed by both Honor and Oppo for often standing for real innovation and for taking the form factor further.

Looking first at the design, the thin dimensions are what define the Honor Magic V5. The appearance is very similar to the predecessor Honor Magic V3 which came out in the summer of 2024 and which we tested, but the new Magic V5 has taken things like durability and performance a few steps further.

Which is the world's thinnest foldable phone has been a debate between Samsung and Honor. According to the specifications, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the gold-coloured Honor Magic V5 that I am testing have almost the same thickness, both 4.2 millimetres in unfolded mode, but Honor is still slightly thicker in folded mode. Thanks to its slightly sharper instead of flat edges, it still feels thin.

Thin with few compromises

There is a clear trend now where phones are being made thinner, and for foldables, unlike regular phones, thin design is almost a prerequisite for them to become truly useful. We are there now, and it almost feels like thin mobiles were a byproduct of these foldables where it really matters.

A thin foldable should feel good in the hand even when folded and not take up too much space in the pocket. However, we know from experience that thin mobiles can come with some compromises. Traditionally, both battery life and cameras suffer, and sometimes other functions are also affected. These pitfalls have largely been avoided by Honor, thanks to its own innovation and general technological advancements. The battery, for example, has plenty of capacity and also supports both fast charging with a cable and wireless charging. Nor do the cameras need to be ashamed, as we have, for example, generous zoom thanks to a periscope lens, and I can take sharp, detailed images with up to 25 times magnification where the quality is still good. It is extreme in this thin format.

The Honor Magic V5 does not have particularly large camera sensors, so it cannot compete with the very best camera phones on the market, but that said, it goes a long way. Those who remember Huawei's heyday in mobile photography can feel some of the legacy here, as Honor and Huawei have a shared past. This is also evident in the phone's software.

7 years of updates promised

Magic V5 comes with Android 15 and Honor's interface called Magic OS. We are promised 7 years of system updates for Android, as many as Samsung and Google themselves, and the system features its own photo gallery app, health app, its own email client in addition to Gmail, and a range of AI tools. For example, I can have calls translated directly, even from/to Swedish, there are AI suggestions for writing, and I can get generated subtitles for films and video clips. Especially the latter works really well and is convenient if you need to watch something short without having the sound on.

The direct translation of calls works quite well. When I speak in Swedish, I notice that the phone sometimes hears or interprets incorrectly, so some words become completely wrong. Table reservation becomes table wrestling. The subtitles in films are more accurate, but unfortunately, I have to manually choose which language to subtitle, so if I switch between different short clips, it becomes unusable. One advantage, however, is that I can choose to only subtitle or also translate directly at the same time.

In the photo viewing app, there are also a number of different AI tools for you to change and edit your photos, for example, to remove unwanted objects.

Can do a lot

Everything I have mentioned is an example of how the phone should be able to offer productivity, but for it to be truly useful, both hardware and software need to provide the right conditions. With the Honor Magic V5, I think we have come quite far in multitasking. On the inner, foldable screen, you have an icon bar available constantly, either visible or you can swipe it up from any app. You can use it to split the screen into several parts, and you can have two apps side by side plus one floating over. Honor's system is among the better ones here, because when I work in an app, it can expand and get more space, which means I have the most room for what I am actually actively doing, while still keeping the context and parts of other active apps.

Questions and answers

Especially friendly with iPhone?

Yes, several manufacturers are currently working on making the transition from and interaction with iPhone users easier. Honor has file sharing here so I can receive and send files wirelessly between Honor and iPhone by holding the devices against each other, and it should also be easy to bring all your content if you were to switch from an iPhone to an Honor. However, the latter is rarely a problem, phone switching is easier than many think.

What additional productivity features are available?

The fact is that the Honor Magic V5 supports a pen on both the inner and outer screens. The pen from Honor is called Honor Magic Pen and is sold separately, even in Sweden, for around 1200 kronor. The competitor Samsung removed pen support in its latest Fold, so here Honor has a sudden advantage.

How does the phone feel, I mean in terms of quality and choice of materials?

A phone that costs 23,000 kronor naturally comes with certain expectations. Honor Magic V5 both promises quality and feels and looks luxurious. The phone is resistant to both water and dust, and my test unit in gold has an impressive look with brushed metal on the back.

An alternative

With Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 you get many of the same features but it is slightly more expensive.

Camera example

Generous optical zoom creates opportunities and even in the dark, we get good detail and colour reproduction.

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