China’s Honor Smartphone officially announced its next-generation foldable, the Honor Magic V5, during a flashy event at MWC Shanghai on Wednesday. The event confirmed a July 2 launch in Shenzhen, China.
The company hails the Magic V5 as the thinnest and lightest book-style foldable ever made. It is positioned as a direct challenger to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which will debut a week later at Galaxy Unpacked.
Armed with a massive 6,100 mAh silicon-carbon battery, cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon, and a camera setup that includes a 200MP periscope telephoto, Honor’s latest foldable aims not just to steal headlines but users, too, with a spec sheet that reads like a power user’s wishlist.
But if you want one, you’ll need more than just deep pockets.
The foldable fight escalates
With Samsung’s next Galaxy Fold due on or around July 9 at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, Honor is getting the jump, at least in its home market. The Magic V5 event kicks off Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST (that’s 7 a.m. Eastern), and if Honor’s claims hold up, the device could walk away with more than just early bragging rights.
Let’s talk numbers, because Honor’s not holding back. When folded, the Magic V5 measures just 8.93 mm, and when unfolded, it’s an almost impossibly thin ~4.2 mm, which is slimmer than many smartphones, let alone foldables.
It tips the scales at a featherlight ~219 grams, despite housing a massive 6,100 mAh silicon-carbon battery. That’s the largest we’ve ever seen in a book-style foldable.
Charging is handled by 66W wired fast charging, though some rumors suggest an even faster 80W variant may be in the works. Inside, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version, clocked higher than the base model, with 16GB of RAM and Android 15 running the show.
It sports a sharp 6.45-inch LTPO OLED cover screen and opens up to an immersive 8-inch 2K+ LTPO inner display, both running at 120Hz.
And then there’s the camera: A bold 200MP periscope telephoto, flanked by a 50MP main sensor with OIS and what’s expected to be a versatile ultrawide. Water resistance is covered, with an IPX8 rating likely at launch.
Where Samsung is refining, Honor is going for more: More battery, more memory, bigger sensors, and a full-stack AI engine aimed at delivering true “PC-level productivity”, all in a device thinner than your laptop’s power brick.
Honor’s ‘Alpha AI’: Gemini killer or pipe dream?
Unlike Samsung’s reliance on Google Gemini and cloud AI, Honor is betting the house on its in-house Alpha AI Plan. This strategy hinges on local, multi-agent intelligence, meaning the phone does more without depending on a signal or server farm.
It’s an aggressive pitch: Real-time productivity, full-stack knowledge bases, and a foldable that could potentially double as a mobile workstation. The company says MagicOS 9 (based on Android 15) will support cross-device interoperability, which is a big shift from the brand’s more insular roots.
The catch? You’ll need a passport to buy it
Here’s the twist: Even if you’re sold on the Magic V5, buying one won’t be as simple as hitting “Add to cart.”
The device is launching exclusively in China, with no confirmed global release until at least September, likely timed for IFA Berlin. That means international fans face a familiar headache made even worse by Trump’s tariffs — importing the device.
But the bigger issue is China’s real-name registration system. To buy and activate the phone on a Chinese network, you’ll need:
- A valid Chinese citizen ID card or passport.
- A local SIM card.
- A residence permit or visa stamp if you’re not a citizen.
No local ID? No phone. Even resellers face hurdles registering and shipping unboxed, unactivated units abroad.
If you're in the U.S. or Europe, your only real option is waiting… or recruiting a well-connected friend with a Chinese ID and a working carrier plan, but that’s not recommended.
A foldable fantasy… just out of reach
Honor’s Magic V5 might be the most technically advanced foldable ever made. It’s thinner, lighter, and tougher than anything that Samsung, Oppo, or Huawei have on shelves. The only problem? It’s not actually on your shelf. Not unless you’re in the right place, at the right time, with the proper papers.
It may well be the case that Samsung’s upcoming Fold 7 looks somewhat conservative next to the V5. That may be intentional; Samsung seems to be playing the long game to achieve a polished device with global distribution while Honor is still making a name for itself in the West.
And as it turns out, you may literally need to name yourself at customs to get one of these in your pocket.
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