I attempted main Samsung rival’s new mega cellular – it is my final journey gadget & comes with over £100 of free presents too

TECH corporations are flipping out over foldable telephones.

But how many individuals do you really see utilizing one out and about?

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The market share continues to be a tiny teeny 1.5 per, in response to IDC estimates.

Samsung, Motorola, Google and Hauwei have all thrown their weight behind them in recent times, in addition to Honor, who’s simply launched a model new Magic V5 handset.

Honor tends to do fairly effectively on the price range finish – however this new skinny beast doesn’t come low-cost, even when there are some methods to get £300 off and bag free presents value greater than £100 to sweeten the deal for the time being.

As The Sun’s Assistant Technology Editor and primary Android smartphone reviewer, I’ve bought palms on with various foldables now.

This yr appears like corporations are lastly nailing it and the Magic V5 is up there among the many finest.

Find out why under…

Honor Magic V5: Look and really feel

The Honor Magic V5 seems to be like an odd non-foldable smartphone at first, which may be very a lot a superb factor.

Early foldables felt cumbersome and clunky however we’re now at a stage the place they really feel like conventional mobiles with an added bonus of an enormous display screen hidden within the center.

However, now they’ve all had a jab of “digital Ozempic” and the Magic V5 is thinnest round at 8.8mm when folded (albeit solely by 0.1mm in comparison with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 so most individuals will not discover the distinction).

The digicam bump is sort of intensive however Honor has tried to make it look as elegant.

Unfolded, it is 4.1mm which is scarily skinny however it would not come throughout weak or simply damaged.

Weight-wise it is 222g which is across the identical as many non-foldable telephones too and it feels superb in my palms.

The color I’m testing is Ivory White and it offers me a wealthy champagne vibe (there’s additionally Dawn Gold and Black).

It has a matte impact materials on the again, good for folks like me with clammy fingers because it makes smears far much less seen.

When you might have the Magic V5 open I’m shocked by how a lot you do not discover the crease, it is virtually invisible.

The show is brilliant and shiny – and it is turn into my final journey gadget to exchange a pill, utilizing it to observe motion pictures on a latest flight.

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Honor Magic V5: Performance and options

The Magic V5 is Android 15-based with Honor’s personal pores and skin on prime known as MagicOS 9.0.1.

MagicOS is not my most well-liked look, I often like a pure Android design – at occasions it feels a bit iOS-esque.

However, it’s totally straightforward to make use of and fortunately there aren’t any indicators of any annoying bloatware in contrast to different Honor telephones I’ve tried beforehand.

The agency is pledging to supply seven years of Android model and safety updates, which is nice to maintain it contemporary with new options, in addition to making your funding last more.

Who provides free updates longest?

The longer you obtain updates, the longer you possibly can safely proceed utilizing your smartphone – with the newest options thrown in too at no cost.

Samsung
For the Galaxy S25 collection, Samsung mentioned it could present at the least seven generations of OS updates and 7 years of safety updates.

OnePlus
At the launch of the OnePlus 13, OnePlus dedicated to at the least 4 years of Android updates and 6 years of safety updates.

Xiaomi
Xiaomi provides 4 years off Android updates and 5 years safety updates.

Google
For the Pixel 10 collection, Google mentioned that gadgets would obtain at the least seven years of assist.

When unfolded, you get among the finest options on the Magic V5.

Firstly, it is nice for multitasking with the power to have three apps operating in a cut up display screen directly.

They may even be pushed a bit off the display screen, making it really feel extra like a pc expertise.

There are a load of AI options too carried over from earlier Honor telephones, reminiscent of stay translations.

All of that is made attainable with the highly effective Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile chip inside which retains issues ticking over mega easily.

Honor Magic V5: Battery

Going skinny often means one massive sacrifice – battery.

But not right here.

Honor has managed to cram in a 5,820mAh unit, which is approach above the common.

It means you will get by way of your day with out energy anxiousness simply.

As for charging, you will get a full cost in just below an hour with assist for 66W wired charging.

A 66W charging cable would not come as normal – however it is likely one of the free presents Honor is giving freely for a restricted time which is effectively value grabbing.

Honor Magic V5: Camera

The Magic V5 can take some gorgeous pictures due to the large digicam association.

We have a primary 50-megapixel digicam, alongside 50-megapixel ultra-wide and a 64-megapixel telephoto digicam with 3x optical zoom.

These present wealthy, detailed, very satisfying pictures with some AI instruments to spice up your photographs when you like.

While you possibly can zoom in fairly a bit I discovered it trickier to good with any small motion – however the outcomes had been nonetheless fairly good.

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Honor Magic V5: Price

The Magic V5 is cheaper than different foldables round however it’s nonetheless a hefty ask, beginning at £1,699.99.

However, there’s a low cost accessible from Honor’s web site that knocks £300 off to avoid wasting cash, plus they’re giving freely some free extras value over £100 for a restricted time.

This consists of the Honor Magic Pen, Honor SuperCharge Power Adapter (Max 66W), and Honor Screen Protection for each the inside and outside.

Discount code AV5UK300 brings the value right down to £1399.99.

Honor Magic V5: Verdict

The Honor Magic V5 is a superb little bit of equipment that brings finesse to the foldable area.

It’s superbly skinny and light-weight with out sacrificing on toughness.

So a lot so, I can do with no pill on flights now and use this as a substitute which is tremendous helpful.

However, the software program would not fairly sustain with that premium feeling.

And the digicam bump is only a bit too massive for my liking – regardless of one of the best efforts to make it look elegant.

Offers to deliver the value down are useful however it’s nonetheless an enormous ask for folks to pay out this form of cash on a cellphone.

Rating: 4 / 5

All costs on this article had been appropriate on the time of writing, however could have since modified.

Always do your personal analysis earlier than making any buy.