About a month ago, the Oppo Find N arrived to challenge the Galaxy Fold 3. Samsung’s biggest foldable handset is currently the standard in the industry, and the device should see increased competition this year. The Honor Magic V is one such device, coming from the former Huawei brand that spun off into its own company. Honor’s announcement makes it clear that the Magic V is coming after the Galaxy Fold 3 with a few fixes that target the flaws of Samsung’s foldable design.
Honor Magic V design
The Magic V has the same design as the Fold 3. The foldable screen sits on the inside, and a secondary display is found on the exterior. However, like the Find N, the Magic V has a different take on the concept, correcting one of the Fold 3’s problems.
Samsung went for a very unusual external screen design. The display is very tall, and the aspect ratio makes it more difficult to use. Honor compared the Magic V’s design to the Fold 3 during the launch event. And the criticism is obvious in the press release as well:
The Honor Magic V boasts a 6.45-inch 44° curved OLED display when folded, achieving a wider 21.3:9 aspect ratio which sets it apart from other foldables on the market. This makes the device exceptionally user-friendly and functional, as the screen functions as a traditional smartphone, rather than appearing long and narrow.
The phone also features an “innovative waterdrop hinge.” Honor says the hinge is the slimmest compared to similar products on the market. Again, the Fold 3 is the obvious target here.
Honor explains that the Magic V has a high-strength “titanium alloy, zirconium liquid metals, and high-strength carbon fibers.” These materials help reduce the weight of the phone.
The specs
The foldable display measures 7.9-inch and supports 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. Furthermore, the screen supports refresh rates up to 90Hz. Strangely, only the external screen supports 120Hz refresh rates. On the other hand, the Magic V is the first foldable to receive IMAX Enhanced certification.
Honor says the Magic V is the world’s first foldable to run on the new Snapdragon 8 Gen. 1 processor. The Oppo Find N comes with last year’s Snapdragon 888 chip inside. Other specs include 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage. An intelligent cooling system uses third-gen graphene tech and AI to cool down the phone more effectively and efficiently.
The Honor Magic V packs a triple-lens camera system on the back featuring three 50-megapixel sensors. A 42-megapixel selfie cam punches through the external display.
Anew Link Turbo X technology lets the phone switch between Wi-Fi and 5G to offer uninterrupted connectivity.
Finally, the Honor foldable features a 4,750 mAh battery that supports 66W SuperCharge speeds. You’ll get a 50% charge in just 15 minutes, thanks to that.
In terms of software, the Magic V will rock the new Honor Magic UI 6.0on top of Android 12. Honor also says the phone features a dual-security system for increased user security.
Release date and price
The Honor Magic V will be available in China starting January 18th. It comes in three colors, including Black, Space Silver, and Burnt Orange.
The new foldable costs 9,999 yuan ($1,568) for the 12GB+256GB version or 10,999 yuan ($1,725) for the 12GB+512GB version. These are extremely competitive prices, considering that the Fold 3 starts at $1,799.99 in the US.
