Honor has launched the Magic V folding smartphone at an event in China. It’s the first folding smartphone from the company and joins existing foldable devices in the market including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Oppo Find N.
When closed it has a 6.45-inch screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio, a 2560 x 1080 resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The body measures 72mm wide and 160mm long, with small bezels around the outer screen for a 90% screen-to-body ratio. Honor says special glass has made the outer screen very durable and demonstrated that by dropping the phone from shoulder height with no damage.
Unfold the Honor V Magic and you’ll find a 7.9-inch screen with a 10:9 aspect ratio, a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 2272 x 1984 pixel resolution. A layer over the screen lowers reflection, and it has a 1920Hz Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) to reduce eye strain. Honor says the closed Magic V is gapless and just 14.3mm thick, and 6.7mm thick when open. The hinge has 213 components and folds the screen like a teardrop, ensuring the slim profile of the phone, and is said to be durable enough to be folded 50 times per day for 10 years without fatigue.
There are three cameras on the back of the Magic V, which is covered in curved glass, each with 50-megapixels, plus there are selfie cameras on both the inner and outer screens, each with 42MP. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor powers the phone, and it comes with a dual-cell 4750mAh battery, recharged using a 66W fast charging system. There are dual speakers, HDR10+ and DTSX, the fingerprint sensor is set inside the power key on the side, and the device is available in three different colors: silver, black, or orange.
The phone runs Honor Magic UI 6 built over Google Android, and several apps have automatic switching so they adapt to the large screen instantly when you open the Magic V. The open screen supports multi-tasking and can show two apps alongside each other, including video and navigation apps.
The Honor Magic V will be released in China on January 18 and cost the local equivalent of $1,570 for the 12GB/256GB model, or $1,725 for the top 12GB/512GB version. Honor has not indicated if the Magic V will be released outside China.
Honor was once part of Huawei, but was sold by the company to ensure its survival after being hit by restrictions placed on it by the U.S. government. It has since launched several new smartphones, such as the Honor 50, with all Google services installed and a Qualcomm chip inside, giving us hope the Magic V will eventually make it to the U.K. and Europe.