Honor's Magic V5: A Foldable Powerhouse with a Dragon's Hoard Price Tag – But Is It Your Next Portable Gaming Portal?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Honor's Magic V5 foldable phone arrives with a hefty price tag, but Eurogamer's review reveals a genuinely excellent device with significant upgrades in performance, display quality, battery life, and durability – making it a tempting, albeit expensive, portable gaming powerhouse despite minor software quirks.
Right, so you know that feeling when a dev studio skips a number in their sequel because the last one was *too* good, or maybe because of some ancient, arcane superstition? Well, Honor just pulled that move, jumping straight from the Magic V3 to the new Magic V5. Apparently, the number four has an 'unlucky reputation' in China, which honestly, is more charming than most PR spin. But forget lucky numbers, mate – what we really care about is whether this new foldable is a magical upgrade or just another shiny trinket for your inventory.
I've been tinkering with the specs and what the tech wizards at Eurogamer (specifically, contributor Reece Bithrey) found in their deep dive, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. They recently put this pocket-sized portal through its paces, publishing their findings on August 28, 2025. Now, let’s dig into whether this premium piece of kit is worth its salt (and its frankly eye-watering price tag of £1699.99), especially for us gamers who demand more than just a pretty screen.
First off, the **Design** – Honor’s been on a diet, apparently. The Magic V5 is even slimmer than its predecessor, clocking in at 4.1mm unfolded for the ivory white model (the black and dawn gold are a hair thicker at 4.2mm). That’s practically identical to Samsung’s latest foldable and makes the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold look like a positive porker by comparison. It feels good to know we’re finally at a stage where foldables aren’t cumbersome; this one fits into a regular pocket and adult hands without feeling like you’re wrestling a small tablet. My only minor gripe, a casual observation really, is that it seems to have lost the textured finish of the V3, making it a bit more slippery. Keep a good grip, eh? Wouldn't want it tumbling to its doom during a heated boss battle.
But here’s where the true wizardry (or maybe just good engineering) comes in: the 'super steel' hinge. Honor makes some big claims, like suspending 30kg of stuff from it – reckon I’ll stick to not suspending my entire PC setup from it, thanks. What *is* genuinely impressive is the durability rating of 500,000 cycles and, more importantly for us clumsy lot, a full-fat IP58/IP59 dust and water resistance. That’s a proper upgrade from the V3’s IPX8, meaning a bit of rain or an accidental spill is less likely to brick your gaming session. Finally, a foldable that can survive more than a light drizzle!
Now, for the main event for us pixel-peepers and frame-rate fanatics: the **Display**. Honor has maximised screen real estate and brightness with the Magic V5, pushing the main display to a delightful 7.95 inches. The cover screen holds steady at 6.43 inches. Both are OLEDs, delivering immense depth and lovely colours, but the real showstopper is the peak brightness: a truly eyeball-searing 5000 nits with HDR. My eyeballs are already screaming 'thank you' and 'ouch' simultaneously! A 1440p-esque pixel count on the main screen (2352x2172) makes it fantastic for everything from binging content to – crucially – *gaming*. With a 120Hz refresh rate on both panels, everything from scrolling Twitter to navigating the most demanding mobile games feels buttery smooth and responsive. Sure, some apps might give you the letterbox effect, but you can force games to fill the screen, taking full advantage of that expansive real estate for some truly immersive mobile action in titles like COD Mobile or EA FC Mobile. That’s proper gaming comfort right there.
On the **Camera** front, Honor’s gone all-in with their 'AI Falcon' setup, promising a flagship experience. We’re talking a 50MP main, a boosted 64MP periscope-lens telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide. In tests, the general detail and colours are pleasant, though they do lean towards over-saturation for that extra 'pop.' Low-light performance is cleaner with less noise than before, which is a good step. While cameras aren't usually the make-or-break for gaming phones, it’s a nice bonus to have a competent one. Plus, being a foldable, you can prop it up and use the far superior rear lenses for those all-important, erm, 'vain photos of yourself.' Who needs a tripod when you’ve got a flexible phone, eh?
Internally, the Magic V5 gets the proper flagship treatment for 2025, as you’d expect for a phone at this price. We're talking the new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 16GB of RAM, and a hefty 512GB of storage. This is where it really flexes its muscles for gaming. In the GFXBench tests, it hits a glorious 60fps in the Aztec Ruins High Tier test (up from 46fps on the V3!) and 60fps in Car Chase. Now, that’s a stern test for any mobile device, especially with that higher-res internal screen. The PCMark Work 3.0 results also show a healthy boost, proving it’s a beast for both intensive gaming loads and general productivity. In real-world use, it’s a zippy customer – no noticeable slowdowns, whether you’re streaming video, working in Google Docs, or deep in a mobile dungeon crawl. Even better, Honor has managed the performance drop-off during extended stress testing far better than previous generations, recording only a 33% drop where predecessors saw over 50%. That’s like finding a rare health potion mid-boss fight – extended gaming sessions without your phone throttling itself into oblivion? Yes, please!
Now, let's talk **Software & Battery**. Out of the box, it’s running MagicOS 9, Honor’s take on Android 15. I've had a bit of a love-hate relationship with MagicOS over the years; it’s not always as slick as some competitors. And fair dinkum, it still comes with some unwanted crud like Facebook and Instagram pre-installed. Easily removable, but that isn't really the point, is it? However, Honor *has* optimised multitasking, making it incredibly easy to create dual or even triple-pane windows. This 'Multi-Flex mode' is very handy for power users, letting you reference a walkthrough while playing, or keeping a chat open during a grind session. There’s also the usual AI gubbins baked in, with Google's Gemini service powering features like summarising notes or real-time recording transcriptions. The Game Manager app also makes a welcome return, offering quick access to screen recording, filters, and a 'touch enhancer' for more responsive inputs. A lot of these options are on-or-off, without granular control, but still a neat tool for optimising your play session.
As for the **Battery Life**, Honor has beefed it up to a massive 5820mAh (from the V3’s 5150mAh), using silicon-carbon cells which are reportedly better for the planet and work in colder environments. In testing, it comfortably managed a couple of days of regular use, which is excellent. The PCMark V3.0 benchmark delivered over 11 hours of screen-on time, about two hours more than its predecessor. That’s like finding an infinite mana potion for your phone – peace of mind for those long gaming commutes or weekend binges.
So, the Honor Magic V5. It’s a bit like a legendary artifact: incredibly powerful, beautifully crafted, and boasts some serious performance gains, dazzling screens, and improved battery life. It’s thinner, stronger, and finally has proper water and dust resistance, ticking nearly all the boxes for a top-tier foldable. The MagicOS Android distro still holds it back a tad with its quirks, but the raw power and display quality make it incredibly compelling for gamers. However, at that £1699.99 asking price, you’ll need to defeat a particularly stingy dragon (and empty its hoard) to get your hands on it. It offers serious competition to Samsung and Google, continuing Honor’s upward trajectory, but whether it’s worth that kind of coin for your next portable gaming rig? Well, that’s a quest for your wallet, mate.
Tags: Mobile Gaming, Foldable Phones, Gaming Hardware, Tech Review, Performance Boost
Original article: Eurogamer