Honor’s new Magic V5 foldable Android phone splits hairs with an impressive 8.8mm thickness. Literally — it’s just one hair’s width thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but only if you get the white version.
To make things interesting and increase device durability, Honor did some research and development beyond what was expected of the brand. The new Magic V5, which launched today in the UK and Europe, utilizes a backing made of an “aerospace-grade fiber tether.”
That weave, as Honor explained in its launch event, is as hard as other strong material choices, but not nearly as thick. The benefit is that it offers twice the strength of tensile steel at just 0.014mm. The material is essentially a hardened fabric, much like carbon fiber, but nowhere near as brittle.
The trick to getting the Magic V5 to reach 8.8mm in thickness is in the backing. With the integrated fiber, Honor can slim the phone down without a durability on the chopping block. Even better, the phone becomes stronger than its predecessor, according to the company.
Here’s the thing. Honor’s new backing is only available in one color: Ivory White.
Every other color, including Reddish Brown and Dawn Gold, is a whopping 9mm thick. That is, by the laws of math — a proven concept — thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
In response to 9to5Google on why the thinnest version comes in one color, Honor said this:
We applied different advanced materials for the back cover. [The] difference in materials impact the thickness. Also, the actual data may vary depending on configurations, manufacturing processes and measurement methods.
Does it matter? No, not really.
These foldables are getting so thin that they’re teetering on uncomfortable when unfolded. Yes, it’s incredible that Honor got the Magic V5 down to that size, but two-thirds of the phone lineup doesn’t actually fit that spec. If you really want to get technical, when all variations are taken into consideration, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Honor Magic V5 average out to be the same thickness. That’s not how the real world works, though, and it’s interesting that one smartphone configuration can come in multiple dimensions.
Now, in the hand, the Magic V5 does feel thinner. This has been my experience with the thicker Dawn Gold version. Honor designed the phone to be thicker from the back panel to the front, but it appears thinner due to the curve of the panels from each edge. That design makes the Galaxy Fold 7’s boxy nature look like a brick.
But it isn’t, and that’s what the takeaway should be. Both devices are thin, and that’s insane in itself. Foldables were cool, but required a sacrifice just two years ago. It’s was a brick that can do more!
That has completely changed, and almost every foldable is nearing invisible if you look at it from the side. That is, except for the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which gave up a thinner profile for Qi2.
In any case, it’s important to be aware that the Magic V5 is 8.8mm thin in Ivory White, while it can be a little more robust in Honor’s other colors. It shouldn’t matter, but that information doesn’t seem to be common knowledge. If you’re in Europe and looking to pick up the company’s new flagship foldable, make sure you’re getting the right one — it carries the same €1,999 price tag.
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