Review: Honor’s Magic V5 takes Samsung crown for best big-screen foldable

Описание: When you think of folding phones, you usually think of Samsung.
It all but invented the idea and sells the most, in Ireland anyway.

But there’s one rival that has just about overtaken Samsung in what you get for your money.

And that’s Honor’s Magic V5, currently the best large foldout phone deal that you can get on the Irish market.

Like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7, it has both a front-facing smartphone display that looks and acts the same as a normal large-screen phone and a larger interior display of just under 8-inches when folded out, which you can either use for one app or divide into two or three.

It’s around the same size, weight and thinness as the Fold7, too, although a special white version of the V5 is a tiny bit thinner, at 8.8mm closed or 4.1mm opened out.

And it uses the same top-end chip — a Snapdragon 8 Elite — that helps to support AI for its triple rear camera system of a 50-megapixel ultrawide, 50-megapixel main lens and 64-megapixel telephoto lens at 3 times optical zoom.

But that’s where the like-for-like comparisons end.

Honor has mostly packed superior specifications into the Magic V5 and has done it for at least €160 less than the Fold7, or €260 less if you compare models with the same amount of storage.

Battery life is a good example. Honor is using the latest silicon carbon battery technology which can last longer and charge more quickly than the older fashioned technology used in Samsung batteries.

The result is a 5,820mAh battery that beats the Fold 7 by between 5pc and 10pc in my real world testing.

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You get more storage at the base level with the Magic V5 than the Fold 7, too — 512GB compared to 256GB. And you get more Ram memory — 16GB compared to 12GB.

The screens are brighter on the Magic V5 than the Fold 7, too — up to 5,000 nits on the 8-inch main display. And the larger screen has an anti-reflective coating, while the Fold 7 does not, making it easier to see in sunshine.

With an IP59 rating, the V5 is more resilient to dust and liquids than the IP48 rating of the Samsung. Also, if you’re someone who likes to use a stylus with a phone, you can do that with the Magic V5 whereas you can’t with the Samsung Fold 7.

The cameras are more of a mixed bag. While both brands' large phones feature a 3-times optical telephoto zoom, the Magic V5’s larger 64-megapixel sensor lets you extend the zoom digitally to 100-times, far beyond the 30-times digital zoom on a Samsung Fold 7.

On the other hand, the Fold 7’s main 200-megapixel camera is generally better than the Magic V5’s main 50-megapixel lens, with a bigger sensor to let more light in for things like portraits of people.

It’s possible to argue that the overall finish on the Fold 7 might be a little more refined-looking than the Magic V5 — especially its choice of colours.

And I’d also say that the V5’s main display can get a little smudgy from fingerprints.

But other than that, the only thing that’s really better about the Galaxy Fold7 is that it ships with Android 16 instead of Android 15, which you get on Honor’s flagship foldable. Honor says that will soon change, and promises seven years’ software updates.

The crease in the middle of the screen is barely noticeable, and only when the display is dark. The hinge, Honor says, is guaranteed for 500,000 open-close sequences.

This phone feels great in hand — its extra slimness now makes it feel like a normal smartphone and not a brick. When you fold it out into what is effectively a tablet, it really does feel lighter than any big-screen device you’ve used before.

Like all large foldout phones, the Magic V5 costs a lot -- €1,999 for 512GB of storage. But that's cheaper than either Samsung's Galaxy Fold 7 and also the 512GB version of Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

THE BIG THREE FOLDOUT PHONES COMPARED

1. Honor Magic V5
Pros: amazing all-round performance, best battery life of large foldable, thin and light, cheaper than Samsung, much faster charging, more resilient with IP59, can use stylus
Cons: not quite as premium-looking as Samsung
Price: €1,999 (512GB)
...
2. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
Pros: very premium look and feel, very polished, great software
Cons: very expensive, battery life not as good as normal flagship phones, can’t use stylus
Price: €2,149 (256GB), €2,259 (512GB) or €2,559 (1TB)
...
3. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Pros: great easy-to-use software, good AI
Cons: thicker and heavier than rivals, battery life not as good
Price: from €1,929 (256GB), €2,059 (512GB) or €2,329 (1TB)