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The HONOR Magic V2 was one of the most talked-about, if not the most talked about foldable smartphones in the last couple of months. How does it stack up to probably the best-known one? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out. In this article, we’ll be comparing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs HONOR Magic V2. The very best foldable smartphone from Samsung vs the best from HONOR.
If you have the option of getting the HONOR Magic V2, now that it’s available outside of China, this may interest you. HONOR really made true strides with the hardware, and the difference truly is interesting. We’ll first check out their specifications side by side, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare the two phones’ designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance.
Specs
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 & HONOR Magic V2, respectively
– Screen size (main):
7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (120Hz, HDR10+, 1,750 nits)
7.92-inch Foldable LTPO OLED (120Hz, HDR10+, IMAX Enhanced, 1,600 nits)
– Screen Size (cover):
6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (120Hz, 1,750 nits)
6.43-inch LTPO OLED (120Hz, 2,500 nits)
– Display resolution (main):
1812 x 2176
2156 x 2344
– Display resolution (cover):
2316 x 904
2376 x 1060
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5)
16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
512GB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, 123-degree FoV), 10MP (telephoto, 3x optical zoom)
50MP (wide, f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, OIS, Laser AF), 50MP (ultrawide), 20MP (telephoto, 2.5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF)
– Front cameras:
4MP (under display, main display, f/1.8 aperture), 10MP (cover display, f/2.2 aperture)
16MP (wide, f/2.2 aperture)
– Battery:
4,400mAh
5,000mAh
– Charging:
25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (no charger)
66W wired, 5W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions (unfolded):
154.9 x 129.9 x 6.1mm
156.7 x 145.4 x 4.7-4.8mm
– Dimensions (folded):
154.9 x 67.1 x 13.4mm
156.7 x 74.1 x 9.9-10.1mm
– Weight:
253 grams
231/237 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Side-facing fingerprint scanner
– OS:
Android 13 with One UI
Android 13 with MagicOS 7.2
– Price:
$1,799+
€1,999
– Buy:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (Samsung)
HONOR Magic V2 (HONOR)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs HONOR Magic V2: Design
Both of these devices are made out of aluminum and glass. The HONOR Magic V2 also comes in a variant with a vegan leather backplate. These two phones do feel entirely different in the hand. The HONOR Magic V2 is a much thinner and considerably lighter smartphone. That’s actually one of its main advantages over any other foldable. It’s the thinnest and lightest inwards-folding large-format foldable in the market.
The HONOR Magic V2 measures only 4.7-4.8mm when unfolded, and 9.9-10.1mm when folded. The Galaxy Z Fold 5, on the other hand, measures 6.1mm when unfolded, and 13.4mm when unfolded. The Magic V2 weighs 231 grams or 237 grams, depending on the model. The vegan leather variant is lighter. The Galaxy Z Fold 5, on the other hand, weighs 253 grams. That is a difference you will feel in the hand, that’s for sure.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 also has a very narrow cover display, narrower than any other regular smartphone. The HONOR Magic V2, on the other hand, has a regular cover display width, thus it’s more useful as a regular smartphone (when unfolded). Furthermore, the crease on the Magic V2’s display is very well maintained, while that’s not the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Both smartphones do fold flat, however.
You will find three cameras on the back of both phones, though those camera islands do look a bit different. The cameras are vertically aligned on both devices. The power/lock key also doubles as a fingerprint scanner on both of these smartphones. Samsung’s foldable does have the advantage of offering an IPX8 water resistance rating, while the Magic V2 doesn’t have any such rating.
The HONOR Magic V2 actually feels like a regular smartphone when you’re holding it in its folded form. When you’re using it too, it’s probably the first smartphone that can say that for itself. That’s definitely not the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs HONOR Magic V2: Display
Both phones include two displays, one foldable, and one non-foldable. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 features a 7.6-inch 1812 x 2176 Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel as its main display. That display has a refresh rate of 120Hz, and it supports HDR10+ content. It also has a 6.2-inch cover display which offers a resolution of 2316 x 904 pixels. That is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The maximum brightness of these displays is 1,750 nits. Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2 protection is used here.
The HONOR Magic V2, on the other hand, has a 7.92-inch 2156 x 2344 Foldable LTPO OLED display for its main panel. That panel can project up to 1 billion colors, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. This display does support HDR10+ content, and it’s IMAX Enhanced. It has a peak brightness of 1,600 nits. The cover display measures 6.43 inches, and it’s an LTPO OLED display. It can also project up to 1 billion colors, its refresh rate also goes up to 120Hz, and it also supports HDR10+ content. This panel has a max brightness of 2,500 nits, and it’s protected by the nanocrystal glass 2.0.
I have to say that all four displays are actually really good. They are vivid, have great viewing angles, and they are also more than sharp enough. They do get bright enough as well, and neither main display feels too plasticky or anything of the sort. It is worth noting that the HONOR Magic V2 has a much less noticeable crease on its main display, though, it’s not even close. Also, its cover panel has a more “normal” aspect ratio, though some of you may prefer the very narrow ratio of the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s cover display.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs HONOR Magic V2: Performance
Both of these phones are fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, but the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has the overclocked version. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 also includes 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. The HONOR Magic V2 sports 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage as well. The Magic V2 does have more RAM, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has higher clock speeds, but in order to performance-related hardware, they’re on the same playing field, pretty much.
They do show their power when it comes to performance. Both smartphones do deliver great performance with no lag or anything of the sort. An occasional stutter is present, but that’s pretty much it. Truth be said, we did notice that those happen a bit more frequently on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. HONOR’s MagicOS 7.2 may not be the most modern-looking skin, but it does offer really smooth performance. They both do a fantastic job when it comes to regular, everyday performance, regardless of what you’re doing. They’re great for multitasking, though the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has more features that take advantage of its main display. We’ve enjoyed using it for multitasking a bit more.
In terms of gaming, both of these phones do a really good job. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 may not be the best chip Qualcomm has to offer at this point, but it’s not far from it. Even games like Genshin Impact run really well on both of these phones, so if you’re planning to use them for gaming, that’s perfectly fine. They both do get quite warm if you push them with games, but we did not notice any drops in gaming quality after 30-60 minutes of intense gaming. Neither phone got too hot to handle either.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs HONOR Magic V2: Battery
Samsung’s handset includes a 4,400mAh battery, while the HONOR Magic V2 features a 5,000mAh battery. HONOR is using a more advanced silicon-carbon battery in its phone, which explains how the company managed to fit such a huge unit in such a compact body. Is the battery life any good, though? Well, they both offer good battery life, but the HONOR Magic V2 does have an edge, at least that was the case for us.
We were able to get up to 7 hours of screen-on-time on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but very rarely. It was more like 6-6.5 hours, depending on the day. The HONOR Magic V2 is capable of going over the 7-hour mark on a regular basis, without a problem. Do note that this is based on our mixed usage, with no gaming involved on those days, or very light gaming. We did not baby either phone, and have used them both under Wi-Fi and mobile internet, but mostly under Wi-Fi… for context’s sake.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 supports 25W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The HONOR Magic V2, on the flip side, has support for 66W wired charging and 5W reverse wired charging. Do note that only the HONOR Magic V2 comes with a charger in the box, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 does not. Also, the Magic V2 does charge a lot faster in comparison, though it lacks wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs HONOR Magic V2: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 features a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (123-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The HONOR Magic V2, on the flip side, has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit, and a 20-megapixel telephoto camera (2.5x optical zoom). The results that these cameras offer are different, though.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 likes to add a bit more saturation to images, while both phones tend to prefer to offer brighter rather than more color-accurate photos. Images during the day are sharp and nice-looking from both phones, though they both can push things a bit too far when it comes to saturation. During the night the Magic V2 tends to brighten up images a bit more, but both of them like lighter photos in lower light with brightened shadows. Ultrawide cameras are good on both phones, while the ones from the Magic V2 do provide a bit more detail, and keep up with the main camera a bit more overall.
Telephoto images look good on both sides, though nothing truly special in all honestly. The differences between telephoto images and the main ones are kind of obvious, especially when the light goes away. All in all, neither phone offers the very best camera performance, but both are really good, and the vast majority of people won’t really care about the difference, in all honesty. Video performance, on the other hand, is good on both, but nothing to write home about. It’s above average, but not outstanding.
Audio
When it comes to speakers, both phones offer stereo setups. The ones on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 are tuned by AKG, and the loudness both smartphones provide is good. Both sets of speakers are also well-balanced, though the ones from the Galaxy Z Fold 5 do provide a bit more oomph.
If you were hoping to get an audio jack on either of these two phones, well, you’ll be disappointed. Neither phone offers it, but you can always utilize their Type-C ports for audio connections. Both phones also come with Bluetooth 5.3 support for wireless audio.