Honor Magic V5 Launched: The thinnest foldable?

Honor has officially unveiled the Honor Magic V5 , which claims the title of the world’s thinnest foldable phone—at least if you ignore the raised camera module and focus on the white version. Launched first in China, the Magic V5 is set to reach international markets “soon,” according to Honor.

Honor Magic V5: Thinner Than the Competition, But Only on Paper?

The Magic V5 boasts an impressive 8.8mm thickness when folded, just edging out the Oppo Find N5’s 8.9mm. The 0.1mm difference is barely noticeable in real use, although the device’s slight curvature does make it feel a touch slimmer in the hand. However, this figure applies strictly to the “Ivory White” version; other colors are a shade thicker at 9mm, suggesting different finishing materials are used.

But here’s the catch: as soon as you factor in the camera module, the “thinnest” claim becomes questionable. The triple rear camera module on the Magic V5 is significantly more prominent—almost twice as tall as Oppo’s—making the device feel noticeably bulkier in the hand. Admittedly, superior cameras with larger sensors and faster apertures may justify the extra heft, but the marketing pitch about being the “thinnest device” needs a serious asterisk.

When unfolded, the Magic V5’s frame measures just 4.1mm, slightly thinner than Oppo’s 4.2mm. Still, neither of these phones beat the Huawei Mate XT with its trifold design, which at its thinnest is only 3.6mm—though it omits the USB-C port in that segment.

The Battle of Millimeters and Grams

This competition over millimeters and grams isn’t new for Honor. Before the Oppo Find N5 arrived, last year’s Honor Magic V3 held the title of the thinnest foldable phone. Next week, Samsung is expected to unveil a significantly slimmer Galaxy Z Fold 7, but it will likely remain just a bit thicker than Honor’s latest effort.

In addition to its thin profile, the Magic V5 is likely also the lightest foldable phone on the market, weighing just 217 grams—matching the Vivo X Fold 5 announced last week.

If this all sounds like splitting hairs over trivial differences, that’s because it is. As previously noted in reviews, the foldable market is entering a phase of “diminishing returns,” where each new generation brings fewer tangible innovations in design and size. Without drastic changes like removing the USB-C port or adopting asymmetric designs, there’s simply not much room left to make these devices thinner. Manufacturers will soon need to find new ways to generate excitement around future models.

Honor Magic V5 : Top-Tier Specs With No Compromises

Fortunately for Honor, the Magic V5 isn’t relying solely on its slim figure. Under the hood, it features the cutting-edge Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, up to 16GB of RAM, and a large 5,820mAh battery. Both displays use LTPO OLED panels with a 120Hz refresh rate, there’s wireless charging, and the phone has IP58 and IP59 ratings for dust and water resistance—rivaling the durability of many traditional smartphones.

The Honor Magic V5 is a testament to just how far foldable phones have come in recent years. Today, you no longer have to choose between a thinner profile and flagship-level performance, even if marketing departments still love to exaggerate any objective advantage.