Is the Honor Magic V5 Worth Compromising for an "Extra Millimeter"?

In 2021, driven by curiosity, I purchased the most "eccentric" foldable phone at the time – the OPPO Find N, which prioritized being "short and fat." I chose this compact model over mainstream large-screen foldables due to my perspective on foldable phones – the experience when folded is just as crucial as when unfolded. The OPPO Find N was the only option on the market that met this criterion.

However, after a year of use, I decided to replace it – its folded thickness reached 15.8mm, and its weight soared to an astonishing 275g, making it feel like a burden in my pocket.

It was precisely because I was "discouraged" by the thickness and weight of foldable phones that when I saw the Honor Magic V5 released on July 2, 2025, I became intrigued by this foldable phone that boasts being "the thinnest" on the market.

Image source: Leitech

So, how is the experience of this "currently the thinnest and lightest (horizontally folding) foldable phone" on the market?

A Large Foldable Phone Without Compromising Design and Feel

Despite having some understanding of the Honor Magic V5 beforehand, when I actually held the phone, I was still amazed by its thinness. The Dawn Gold version of the Honor Magic V5 we received this time is a "full-size foldable" phone that successfully controls its body thickness at 4.2mm, and even when folded, it is only 9mm, not much thicker than the non-foldable phone (7.85mm) I am currently using.

Image source: Leitech

However, the folded thickness of 8.8mm is just the engineering limit of the Honor Magic V5. Thanks to its ingenious design, the "perceived thickness" of the Honor Magic V5 when held in the hand is even thinner than the official figure of 9mm.

In simple terms, the frame of the Honor Magic V5 adopts a "suspended" design, and the 7.95-inch 2K resolution LTPO adaptive refresh rate inner screen and the back cover protrude from the frame in a "2.5D" form, "stealing" a lot of thickness from the 9mm body. In terms of "perceived thickness" when in contact with the palm and thumb, the feel of the Honor Magic V5 in the hand is even comparable to that of a 7mm-class lightweight flagship.

Image source: Leitech

Now that we've discussed thinness, let's talk about the lightness of the Honor Magic V5. To reduce weight, the Honor Magic V5 made several compromises in material selection – its back cover is made of composite fiber, and the inner screen does not use mature UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass). But from Honor's perspective, stepping out of the norm also means more choices.

The Honor Magic V5 Dawn Gold version we received weighs 222g. Its back cover is made by layering high-toughness fibers such as aramid fiber, S-grade glass fiber, and PBO fiber, which are widely used in aerospace suits. This not only reduces the phone's weight but also provides excellent body strength. Additionally, the composite fiber back cover leaves more design space for the Honor Magic V5's back cover – the curved weave pattern of the Dawn Gold version looks quite exquisite in sunlight.

Image source: Leitech

Of course, due to limitations in materials science, it is still challenging for the composite fiber back cover to replicate the cool and firm touch of metal, glass, or ceramic back covers, and there is still a gap compared to non-foldable flagship phones.

As for the screen, to compensate for the change in inner screen strength caused by the absence of UTG, the Honor Magic V5 uses a reinforced carbon fiber lining. This material, widely used in racing, has proven its characteristics of high strength and light weight. In fact, because the inner screen has a plastic film attached to it (a common practice for large foldable screens), not using a UTG screen did not significantly affect the sliding touch of the Honor Magic V5's inner screen.

If I have to say something, not using UTG may cause the phone screen to develop creases earlier. However, during my usage, creases did not become a bothersome factor. Additionally, Honor provides a one-year inner screen shatter insurance with the Honor Magic V5, so the absence of a UTG inner screen does not make me "worried".

Image source: Leitech

By the way, if the inner screen is folded with dust or foreign objects, the Honor Magic V5 will also actively send a notification to the phone, prompting the user to check for inner screen foreign objects and actively extending the overall lifespan.

However, from a user experience standpoint, this inner screen detection seems a bit too sensitive – I just wiped the phone clean and was ready to take a photo, and the Honor Magic V5 prompted that there might be foreign objects caught in the inner screen. Moreover, I usually put the phone in my bag after folding it, but the phone immediately popped up a notification. When I took it out, I found it was a false alarm from the smart detection, which was indeed an "annoying" experience.

Solid Performance Configuration, but Camera Lacks a Standout Feature

In terms of performance, the Honor Magic V5 uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and the version we received is the 16GB+512GB model, so there's no need to elaborate much on its performance. Similarly, "not much to say" about the camera performance of the Honor Magic V5.

But I don't think this is a good thing.

Image source: Leitech

Let's start with the good part: The Honor Magic V5 uses a rear camera combination of a 50MP main camera (23mm), a 50MP ultra-wide-angle camera (13mm), and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera (70mm).

Image source: Leitech

Image source: Leitech

With the aid of Honor AI, the Honor Magic V5 has quite good image sharpness and tolerance. Even if the highlight part of the camera viewfinder interface is severely overexposed, the photo will automatically optimize into a high-tolerance appearance after staying in the album for two or three seconds.

Image source: Leitech

Image source: Leitech

However, in my opinion, the camera of the Honor Magic V5 still lacks a standout feature – apart from the Elegant Portrait mode, the Honor Magic V5 does not provide an excellent and memorable tone style like other mainstream flagship phones. In 2025, when tone has become a required aspect for image flagship phones, the tone performance of the Honor Magic V5 indeed lacks some "viral" potential.

Is it Worth it for the Honor Magic V5 to Become "1mm" Thinner?

Here, let's summarize my impression of the Honor Magic V5 according to Leitech's standard template:

Pros:

1. A thin and lightweight body comparable to non-foldable phones;

2. Excellent flagship performance;

3. AI support brings ultra-high camera tolerance.

Cons:

1. The "double black borders" on the inner screen are more obvious.

As you can see, my evaluation of the Honor Magic V5, whether it's advantages or disadvantages, is inseparable from its thin and lightweight body and the "compromises" behind it. And such performance once again brings the often-debated theory back to the forefront – the thinner and lighter the foldable phone, the less users will perceive the "thinness".

Image source: Leitech

From my personal experience of being "discouraged" by foldable phones, making foldable phones lighter and thinner definitely has positive significance – four years ago, holding a foldable phone in your hand was like holding an extra power bank, which was impractical. But today, four years later, mainstream foldable phones are already very thin and light, leaving behind the past stereotype of being "bulky and heavy".

I'm not saying that "obsessing over the last 1mm" is meaningless, but in my opinion, this last 1mm is not as noticeable to users as improvements in other aspects. Taking the Honor Magic V5 as an example, Honor has already used the "suspended frame" to bring an excellent feel comparable to non-foldable phones. Since Honor can already optimize the feel with design, it can adopt a less radical approach in other areas.

Image source: Leitech

A while ago, we at Leitech had an in-depth discussion on the topic of "thin and light foldable phones." In that article, we mentioned:

Foldable phones do not need to excessively pursue thinness, just lightness will do. Being thin but not light is meaningless. Based on Leitech's years of evaluation experience, light + large battery may be more favored.

Taking today's protagonist, the Honor Magic V5, as an example, I am glad that Honor continues to challenge itself on the path of thinness and lightness. I am even happier to see that the Honor Magic V5, while being thin and light, has packed a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship processor and a 5820mAh battery (6100mAh for the 16GB+1TB version) into the phone. If the Honor Magic V5 can further narrow the screen black borders and optimize overall performance while being extremely thin and light, it is bound to achieve greater success.

Image source: Leitech

Of course, for the Honor Magic V5, Honor naturally has its own considerations – the primary reason why most users are reluctant to try foldable phones is the thickness and weight of folded phones. If extreme thinness and lightness can be made into the hallmark of the Honor Magic V5, this communication point will have positive significance for the promotion of Honor and even the entire foldable phone category.

Although there is a slight regret in the end, it is always a good thing for consumers that Honor is willing to use the Magic V5 as a positive example to lead the entire foldable phone category to make progress together.

Source: Leitech

The images in this article are from: 123RF Authentic Library. Source: Leitech