By Irishexaminer.com,Noel Campion

Copyright irishexaminer

While the V3 was slim, the V5 is slimmer. Folded, it measures just 9mm (for black and gold models), and when unfolded, it’s impressively slim at 4.2mm. That makes it thin enough to slip into a pocket without the bulk that weighed down earlier foldables. Open it up, and you’re greeted with a bright, expansive display that not only looks gorgeous but also unlocks benefits you simply don’t get on a traditional, non-folding phone, from multitasking with split-screen apps to enjoying videos on a truly tablet-like canvas.

Honor has upgraded the hinge mechanism, which feels smooth and well-balanced, opening with a controlled ease rather than a stiff snap. There’s a distinct click when it closes, a rather satisfying sound. Honor claims the hinge can withstand incredible forces, and I’ve seen enough video evidence online to believe their claims.

My Dawn Gold review handset has a brushed finish on the back that catches the light in interesting ways, and although it looks textured, it’s actually smooth to the touch. The phone is lightweight but doesn’t feel cheap, thanks to the premium materials used. The only niggle is the sizable camera bump, which causes the device to wobble slightly when placed on a desk, but nowhere near as much as the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That said, the bump houses serious hardware, so the trade-off is understandable, even welcome.

Stereo speakers have been cleverly positioned to provide balanced sound, regardless of how you hold the device. This is a detail often overlooked on foldables, and I appreciated how immersive it made video watching and gaming. Sound quality is decent, but as you’d expect from such a thin device, the bass isn’t particularly powerful.

Both the outer (6.43-inch) and inner (7.95-inch) screens are a pleasure to use, packed with the latest features and hardware technology. The cover screen is wide enough to be practical for everyday use, yet not so narrow that typing or browsing feels cramped. I found myself using it most of the time because it felt like using a regular phone. It’s perfect for everyday tasks, from using the UI to watching videos without needing to unfold the device immediately.

Open it up, however, and you’re met with the real showpiece — a large, vibrant inner display that feels like a compact tablet. Colours are rich and accurate, making everything from streaming films to editing photos a delight. The 120Hz high refresh rate ensures scrolling and swiping feel silky smooth, and adaptive adjustments keep power consumption in check without compromising responsiveness.

The crease is impressively subtle. While it’s not invisible, Honor has managed to narrow it to the point where I barely noticed it during day-to-day use. It doesn’t catch reflections aggressively and is easy to forget about once you’re immersed in content. This adds to the sense that you’re looking at one seamless screen rather than a folded panel.

Both displays have a peak brightness of 5,000 nits, and watching HDR-supported content on YouTube and Netflix delivered striking contrasts, with deep blacks and punchy highlights that gave scenes a cinematic feel. Even standard content benefits from the display’s natural vibrancy and sharpness, with text remaining crisp for reading long articles or eBooks.

Brightness levels are more than sufficient for most conditions. Indoors, I often found myself reducing the brightness simply because it could get overwhelmingly strong. Outdoors, the screen held its own against glare, making it practical for everything from navigation to snapping photos. Combined with wide viewing angles, the display consistently impressed me across a range of tasks.

Where the inner panel excels is in its multitasking capabilities. Apps expand gracefully across the generous canvas, and text-heavy apps, such as email or document editors, feel noticeably easier to use than on a traditional phone. Split-screen multitasking works seamlessly, and there’s enough room to comfortably view content side by side without straining your eyes.

Whether folded or unfolded, the Magic V5 offers excellent utility, vibrancy, and smoothness, and together they make the device feel like more than just a novelty.

Magic V5’s camera system is top-notch, unlike many other foldables that compromise on thinness for the sake of compactness. Yes, the camera bump is massive, but it’s justified. The main 50MP sensor captures bright, detailed shots, often leaning towards slightly more vibrant colours than reality. Some will find this flattering, while others may feel it exaggerates, but the photos consistently look social-media-ready with minimal editing. There’s also an impressive 50MP ultrawide camera (13mm – 35mm equivalent) that delivers excellent detail and outstanding dynamic range. It’s particularly adapted for capturing sweeping landscapes, tight indoor spaces, or large group shots where you want to fit everything into the frame without losing clarity. Even at the edges, images remain sharp with minimal distortion.

The 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom is the real standout. Images at 3x look superb, and even when stretched to 30x, maintain impressive clarity. Beyond 30x, the AI-assisted super-zoom kicks in, delivering surprisingly sharp shots at extreme ranges. Of course, AI can be unpredictable, sometimes producing garbled text or made-up details, but when it gets it right, the results can be astonishing.

I also enjoyed using the telephoto for macro photography. Unlike many other phones, you can capture close-ups without needing to move so close that you cast shadows or risk disturbing the subject, such as an insect. The result is fine detail captured with ease.

Low-light photography holds up well, with good control over noise and strong detail retention. Occasionally, exposures swung too bright or too dim, showing some inconsistency, but overall results were better than I expected from a foldable.

Portrait mode also impressed, handling tricky hair detail and background blur with finesse.

On video, the phone matches the stills experience with bright, colourful, and steady. Some might prefer a more natural look, but for sharing clips straight out of the phone, the processing works in its favour.

Performance

Under the hood, the Magic V5 features the latest flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage on my review unit, making it as fast as any top-tier smartphone. Apps open instantly, gaming is smooth even at high frame rates, and multitasking takes full advantage of the large inner screen. The software allows you to run three apps side by side with smooth drag-and-drop gestures, or open floating windows that are genuinely useful for quick replies or reference. There’s even a “Quick Layout” option to jump straight into split-screen mode, something I found myself using more often than I expected.

Battery life

Honor uses the latest battery tech to allow a large capacity without compromising on slimness. With 5820 mAh inside, I routinely ended the day with 30–40% left, even after heavy use.

Charging is fast too, at 66W, and 50W wirelessly, comfortably outpacing many rivals. It’s reassuring to know that even with such a large display to power, the V5 won’t leave you scrambling for a charger by mid-afternoon.

The Magic V5 comes with Android 15, with Honor’s MagicOS 9 on top. Honor’s custom software is polished in places but quirky in others. Animations are smooth and eye-catching, and the ability to customise lock screens and widgets, called “cards” here, gives the phone a unique flavour.

There’s no shortage of AI-powered features here, ranging from photo editing to translation and even handwriting recognition. Stylus support is included, though you’ll need to purchase one separately as it’s not bundled with the device.

The breadth of features is impressive, and it’s clear Honor wants its software to stand out rather than blend into stock Android. Whether you find that refreshing or overwhelming will depend on how you use your phone.

The Honor Magic V5 is a strikingly capable foldable, blending premium design with a versatile camera system, smooth performance, and class-leading battery life. If there’s ever been a reason to switch to a foldable, the Magic V5 is it.

€1,800 Harvey Norman