Honor launches the ‘world’s thinnest’ foldable

Honor has announced the Magic V5, which it says is the thinnest foldable telephone successful the satellite close present — though lone if you disregard the raised camera module, and lone for its achromatic version. The telephone launches contiguous successful China, but Honor says an planetary merchandise is coming “soon.”

At 8.8mm heavy erstwhile folded shut, the V5 is so impressively thin, and beats the 8.9mm Oppo Find N5. That 0.1mm quality is imperceptible successful practice, though a precise flimsy curvature does assistance Honor’s telephone consciousness a hairsbreadth thinner than the Oppo. That’s lone existent for the phone’s “Ivory White” mentation though, with the different colors precise somewhat thicker astatine 9mm, which suggests they’ll usage antithetic materials for the last finish.

Perhaps much tellingly, you’ve besides got to wholly disregard the camera. The Magic V5’s triple rear camera module rises astir doubly arsenic precocious arsenic Oppo’s, making the telephone consciousness thicker wide arsenic a result. Superior specs, with higher solution sensors and faster apertures astir crossed the board, whitethorn warrant the other heft, but it does diminish that “world’s thinnest” claim.

When open, the V5’s framework measures 4.1mm, again conscionable beating Oppo’s 4.2mm. It’s worthy remembering that neither of these phones are rather arsenic bladed arsenic Huawei’s trifold Mate XT erstwhile it’s open, dropping to 3.6mm astatine its thinnest point, a conception that doesn’t person the USB-C port.

This conflict of the millimeters isn’t caller territory for Honor. Before Oppo launched the Find N5 earlier this year, Honor’s Magic V3 was the thinnest foldable connected the market. Next week Samsung is expected to uncover a drastically thinner Galaxy Z Fold 7, though it’s apt to beryllium conscionable a small thicker than Honor’s effort. Honor isn’t highlighting it, but the Magic V5 mightiness beryllium the world’s lightest foldable too, oregon astatine slightest seems to stock that rubric with Vivo’s X Fold 5, announced past week — some measurement 217g.

If this each sounds similar quibbling implicit a gram present and a fraction of a millimeter there, past that’s due to the fact that it is. I said backmost erstwhile I reviewed the Oppo Find N5 that it would “mark the commencement of diminishing returns” for foldable phones, and present we are. Without dropping the USB-C larboard oregon adopting an asymmetric plan determination simply isn’t country for these phones to get meaningfully thinner, truthful foldable manufacturers are going to person to fig retired a caller mode to make hype for aboriginal launches.

Fortunately for Honor, the Magic V5 has beardown capable specs to impressment regardless. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite powers the phone, unneurotic with up to 16GB of RAM and a ample 5,820mAh battery. Both screens usage 120Hz LTPO OLED panels, there’s wireless charging, and IP58 and IP59 ratings for dust- and water-resistance that’s astir arsenic bully arsenic immoderate non-foldable’s.