Honor is not the first to launch a foldable smartphone on the market. However, with his Magic V, the manufacturer demonstrates his technological mastery, both in terms of the folding hinge and the rest of the components.
It’s Honor’s turn to enter the foldable smartphone dance. The Chinese brand has indeed just lifted the veil on its Magic V, a folding phone that adopts the format of a tablet when it is unfolded. A few months after the return of Google services on its smartphones, Honor demonstrates its technological know-how.
For now only available in China, the Honor Magic V does not have the only advantage of being foldable. It is a resolutely high-end phone, which embeds the best components that can be found at the start of 2022.
Two very fluid screens
The Honor Magic V is a foldable smartphone that has two screens. The first, and the largest, is visible when the phone is unfolded. The second appears on the front when the phone is folded. This foldable format thus makes it possible to obtain a large display surface in a rather compact frame.
When opened, the main screen of Honor’s folding smartphone measures 7.9 inches, in a 10: 9 aspect ratio. It is an almost square screen, which allows two applications to be used simultaneously and very comfortably. Especially since this large folding screen is an OLED panel, with a refresh rate of 90 Hz.
The foldable screen is also the only one on the market to be IMAX Enhanced compatible. It is a format of images and sound which tends to approach the cinema experience. When the sequences were filmed in IMAX for example, the upper and lower black bands disappear.
When the Honor Magic V is folded, the phone takes the form of a classic smartphone, with almost traditional dimensions. Indeed, the 6.45-inch screen on the front panel adopts a 21.3: 9 aspect ratio, barely longer than a phone that does not fold. This offers a very good grip. Here again, it is an OLED panel, but this time with a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
It bends, but does not break
Aware of the challenges posed by the foldable smartphone, Honor has done a very special job on the hinge of the Magic V. It is the most important element in a foldable smartphone, the one that ensures the longevity of the device, but also the discretion of the mechanism. According to Honor, the Magic V is designed to withstand 200,000 folds, or just over 50 folds per day for 10 years. A longevity that reassures, since it is rare to use a smartphone for so long, even with a classic format.
Finally, Honor says it has reduced the size of the hinge compared to competing foldable smartphones. The folding on the screen is thus much more discreet, and does not disturb reading when the screen is on.
The most powerful processor around
Of course, a foldable screen is not enough to make a good smartphone. The Honor Magic V does not only rely on its hinge, since it includes high quality components. Let’s start with the processor, since Honor’s folding smartphone features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It is Qualcomm’s latest ultra high-end processor. As much to say to you that the smartphone should not have difficulties to launch the most greedy applications which exist. It also benefits from 5G compatibility.
The phone is also equipped with 12 GB of RAM, and 256 or 512 GB of storage depending on the version.
A very promising photo configuration
The Chinese manufacturer has also taken care of the photo part of its new flagship. In total, there are five photo sensors on the Honor Magic V. There are two 42-megapixel selfie cameras, which are located inside and on the front of the smartphone. They allow you to capture selfies of the same quality, whether the phone is unfolded or not. On the back is a triple photo sensor, in the following configuration:
- a 50 megapixel main sensor (f / 1.9)
- an ultra wide angle lens with a 50 megapixel sensor (f / 2.2)
- a 50 megapixel Spectrum Enhanced sensor (f / 2.0)
The latter supports the other sensors when taking pictures. He will look for additional information in the contrasting pictures. This is what makes it possible to have dark and bright areas detailed within a single photo. Colors are also reproduced more faithfully.
Finally, on the battery side, the Honor Magic V is equipped with two accumulators, for a total capacity of 4,750 mAh. It also benefits from very fast charging at 66 watts. Connected to the mains, it only takes 15 minutes to go from 0 to 50% battery.
The release of the Honor Magic V is scheduled for the next few days in China. For now, we do not yet know if the smartphone will be entitled to a release in France.