For years, Samsung’s Fold series has owned the foldable conversation. It was the early mover, the poster child, the premium Android flex. But now, HONOR is clearly making its case for that role.
HONOR isn’t just trying to compete; it’s firing a clear shot across the bow — of Samsung’s flagship. The Magic V5 is thinner, just as powerful, and arguably more practical than the recently announced Fold7. It also happens to cost nearly SGD 700 less in an apples-to-apples comparison (512GB models compared).
What once looked like a polite, me-too entry is quickly turning into something far spicier. HONOR’s move feels like the opening salvo in a foldable cold war — a tit for tat that could finally light a fire under a category that’s coasted on novelty a bit too long.
Singapore isn’t usually the first stop for global launches, but it is for the Magic V5. Landing just weeks after its China debut, the phone’s arrival here underscores one thing: HONOR is moving fast. The pre-order offer is stacked too — up to SGD 837 in extras, including a HONOR Pad 10, Magic Pen, and 1-year extended warranty. It also includes a purchase-with-purchase option for a SGD39 (U.P. SGD 79) portable folding keyboard. For telco bundles, SGD 0 upfront plans sweeten the deal even more. It’s clearly a full-tilt push to own the conversation.
It’s not just slim. It’s serious
The Magic V5 clocks in at just 8.8 mm folded and a razor-thin 4.1 mm unfolded, narrowly edging out Samsung’s Fold7 profile. It weighs 217 g — fractionally more than the Fold7, but let’s not kid ourselves that we can tell the difference. It also features the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite chip that powers Samsung’s best.
The display is another flex — literally and figuratively — with peak brightness hitting 5,000 nits, making it one of the brightest foldables around, and easily legible even under Singapore’s midday sun.
But it’s the utilitarian hardware choices that set the new HONOR phone apart. A 5820 mAh silicon-carbon battery (with 66W wired and 50W wireless charging) gives it longevity and flexibility that Samsung’s 4400 mAh pack (with 25W wired and 15W wireless) can’t match. The camera setup — a 64MP periscope with 100x zoom, backed by 50MP wide and ultra-wide arrays —is more than respectable, especially with HONOR’s AI image suite applying the finishing touches.
Durability also gets a boost: the Magic V5 features a carbon fibre-reinforced inner display, HONOR’s Nano-Crystal Shield on the outer screen, and an IP58/IP59-rated chassis. Its super steel hinge offers 2,300MPa of tensile strength—engineered to withstand daily folds and the occasional drop. HONOR demonstrated its strength at the launch event by hanging dumbbells and a chair.
It also comes with a promise of longevity—not just in hardware, but also in software: four major Android updates and five years of security patches, as you would expect from a flagship.
HONOR or Samsung — that is the question
Samsung’s Fold7 is arguably the most polished, thanks to its well-established and stable software ecosystem. But HONOR’s Magic V5 closes the gap in surprising ways. It matches the processor, outpaces it on battery, charges faster, and adds meaningful AI features like Three Split Screen, AI Eraser, and context-aware productivity tools that don’t just look good on paper — they’re actually useful.
At SGD 2,199 with full-fat 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, the Magic V5 still isn’t cheap, but it undercuts Samsung’s Fold7 by a wide margin, especially once you factor in the launch bundle.
The shake-up foldables need?
For a long time, foldables have existed in a kind of bubble, characterised by high prices, limited competition, and early adopter foibles. But if HONOR keeps swinging like this, we might finally get something the category has lacked — legitimate competition that drives momentum.
The real question: Is this the shot in the arm foldables needed? Or just the start of a proper fight?
