GSMArena Team, 28 August 2025

Honor Magic V5 review

6. Final words, our verdict, pros and cons

The competition

The Honor Magic V5 launches at €1,999 in Europe and £1,699.99 in the UK but launch promotions bring that down to €1,700. That's for a 16GB/512GB unit, which seems to be the one commonly available tier across Europe. It comes as no surprise that just like most modern foldables, the Magic V5 is expensive. This effectively puts it into direct competition with nearly any other foldable on the market.

Honor Magic V5 • vivo X Fold5 • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7

And one of the slimmest and sleekest large foldables on the market, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 packs a high‑brightness 8‑inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED main display, a capable 200 MP OIS primary camera, and Galaxy AI features with seven years of promised updates. On the downside, its 4,400 mAh battery and 25 W wired charging are modest compared to the Magic V5's more generous 5,820 mAh battery and 66 W charging. For a more refined and feature-rich software experience, the Z Fold 7 is hard to beat, but for those who demand better endurance and faster charging, the Magic V5 edges ahead.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 • vivo X Fold5 • Oppo Find N5

Touting one of the lightest frames among large foldables, the vivo X Fold5 balances weight with substantial battery life, featuring a 6,000 mAh cell and extremely fast 80 W wired plus 40 W wireless charging. Its 8.03-inch LTPO AMOLED screen offers excellent visuals, and its cameras are not half bad either. That said, global availability is limited. Yet, if you value battery longevity and charging speed in a lighter package, the X Fold5 stands out.

With a strong 5,600 mAh battery and very fast 80 W wired plus 50 W wireless charging, the Oppo Find N5 delivers formidable stamina and convenience. Its 8.12‑inch foldable OLED is bright and ergonomically designed, while its 50MP main and 50MP telephoto (3× zoom) cameras contribute to balanced image capabilities, even if the ultrawide is just an 8MP one. Buyers interested in the Find N5 might appreciate its design, but the Magic V5's stylus support and water resistance arguably make it a more versatile choice.

Honor Magic V5 • vivo X Fold5 • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7

Our verdict

The Honor Magic V5 is, without a doubt, one of the most compelling foldables we've tested this year. It combines an impressively thin and lightweight design with premium materials, a robust hinge, and class-leading IP58/IP59 ingress protection - a rare achievement in this segment. Both displays are large, sharp and feature-packed, with stylus support and Dolby Vision certification, while the nice stereo speakers round out the excellent multimedia experience.

Performance is flagship-grade thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and Honor's generous memory and storage options leave little to be desired. Battery life is solid for a foldable, and the 5,820 mAh silicon-carbon cell paired with 66W wired and 50W wireless charging delivers consistently strong results. Software is also a high point, with MagicOS 9 on top of Android 15 running smoothly, meaningful AI features, great multitasking tools, and a seven-year update promise in key markets.

Cameras are another strength, with a versatile triple setup that covers wide, ultrawide, and 3x telephoto while delivering very good stills and video. Add in extras like an IR blaster and fast USB 3.1 transfer speeds, and the Magic V5 feels every bit the premium package.

Not everything is perfect - the crease is still noticeable and the eSIM support varies by region. Honor's software ecosystem isn't yet on Samsung's level either, and they are a bit behind in AI features as well. But these drawbacks do little to overshadow the fact that the Magic V5 is among the most well-rounded foldables available today.

Most importantly, Honor is now selling the Magic V5 in many markets, making it easy to buy in Europe and many other regions - something that wasn't always the case with its predecessors. At around €1,700, it goes head-to-head with the Galaxy Z Fold7 and other book-style foldables, and in many respects, it outshines them. If you're after a premium foldable in 2025, the Honor Magic V5 deserves to be at the top of your shortlist.