Honor Magic V5 review: the foldable smartphone that might finally win people over

You would think that the folding smartphone offers the perfect tech solution - it's half phone, half tablet. A smartphone in your pocket, a tablet in your hand. But uptake has been rather slow.

There are some valid reasons for this, and developing the technology to overcome these issues has been a big headache for tech firms.

The biggest problem to overcome has been reducing the physical size of the handset. Folding a tablet into something the size of a physical phone isn't easy.

And this is made even more challenging when you consider people still want to see flagship tech like big batteries, trick cameras, bright displays, and water and dust resistance. Especially if they're paying a four-figure sum for their device.

It's fair to say no brand has really got the formula right. Until now, perhaps. Because Honor has finally lifted the lid on its Magic V5 folding smartphone and, on the face of it at least, it's seriously impressive.

The big headline here is how thin the handset is. Unfolded, it's just 4.1mm, just beating the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7. And when folded it's only 8.8mm - again beating the Samsung, and it's actually only a few tenths of a millimetre thicker than the Google Pixel 10.

This means you've finally got a sensibly-sized phone in your pocket, and a 7.95" tablet when it's out in your hand. And there are no compromises on build quality, either. It feels reassuringly weighty and well made.

There is a visible crease on the unfolded screen, if you look for it, but creases generally aren't an issue on modern foldables now. The only other physical problem the Magic V5 has is a rather bulbous camera bump. It's not really any worse than its Honor Magic 7 Pro stablemate, but it's always there, and can get in the way a bit. Especially when it's sat partially folded on a surface.

Happily, Honor has worked hard on both displays. The internal screen has a 2352x2172 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and supports stylus input, while the outer 6.43" screen has similar resolution, and the same refresh rate. It's capable of up to 5,000nits of peak brightness, and the bezels are refreshingly thin.

Performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is as good as you would expect. It's hard to put the device through anything that might serve up lag, or generate heat, and the Magic OS 9.0 operating system isn't without its compatibility issues, but it's a nice interpretation of Android nonetheless.

Battery life has always been a bugbear for fans of foldable phones, and Honor has addressed this by packing in a 5,820mAh battery, which is as big as some standard flagship phones.

Obviously, it's got to do some heavy lifting in a dual-display smartphone, so don't expect miracles if you're a heavy content consumer, but 50W wireless charging is impressive, and the battery is made of silicon carbon, so it's built to last.

Camera tech is by no means a limitation in the Magic V5. You might have to live with that large bump, but it's there for a reason - to pack in some decent tech.

It's not going to outclass a conventional flagship smartphone, we're not quite there yet, but it does have a 50MP main sensor, 64MP periscope telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide sensor. Honor's AI software is included, which helps to fill in for any hardware limitations, but overall it's a decent performance from the rear cameras. Not a market leader by any stretch, but seriously impressive in the world of foldables.

For foldable tech to finally make it out into the mainstream, there are still some compromises to scrub away at, least of all the price point. That price point, incidentally, is going to be £1,699 in the UK, neatly undercutting the Samsung Z Fold 7. However, if you’re quick, there’s a £300 voucher on the Honor website, along with a few freebies, for “early bird” buyers. So it’s an inviting price.

Overall, of all the folding phones I've tested, the Magic V5 has been the one I've enjoyed living with the most. It's by far the most credible offering, and the one that's come closest to making me want to live the dual-display life.

The compromises are still there but, in the main, they're so insignificant now, and it feels like we've finally got a foldable that's worth upgrading to without fear of it feeling like a faddy gimmick.

At long last, this might be the device that starts a shift towards foldables. It really is that good.