Honor beats Samsung to the punch with ‘thinnest ever’ Magic V5 Foldable

What you need to know

• At MWC Shanghai, Honor announced that the “world’s thinnest” foldable, the Magic V5, will launch on July 2 in China.
• The device is said to bring the company’s intelligent AI software and rival Samsung’s Fold 7 as a “compelling alternative.”
• Honor unveiled its major shift into AI at MWC in March, known as the “Alpha AI Plan,” for human-centric software.

Honor is preparing to turn some heads with its next foldable launch that claims it sits atop the thin hill.

In a press release, Honor announced during MWC Shanghai that its next-generation foldable, the Magic V5, is on deck for a launch on July 2 in China. The company says it plans for the Magic V5 to continue the legacies left behind by the V2 and V3 devices. As you might’ve guessed, Honor is staking its claim that the newest phone is the world’s thinnest (foldable) device.

In Honor’s keynote at the event, it stated that it has implemented a suite of AI technology features. As such, Honor says these features will drive the Magic V5’s capabilities up to near PC-like levels. More information on these features will likely surface a little closer to launch.

However, Honor is shying away from the market, as it looks at direct competition with Samsung.

The post calls out Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7, labeling its upcoming Magic V5 as a “compelling alternative.” Honor says its foldable leans on “cutting-edge design aspects, performance, and portability.”

Human-centric AI

While we await the Magic V5, Honor’s recently started down its Alpha AI path, which saw the company invent ~$10 billion. During MWC in March, Honor announced Alpha AI Plan, a three-step strategy that highlights intelligent phones, AI ecosystem, and AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Honor said it wants to facilitate devices with human-centric AI to maximize our potential.

The intelligent AI software Honor plans for its Magic V5 foldable likely leverages the company’s R&D with its Alpha AI Plan. Honor’s Magic series is also the first area it already foresaw as the origin for this intelligent AI future.

Additionally, the Magic V3 was 12.1mm when it launched in 2024, combating the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Honor says this next iteration will be the world’s thinnest yet, and we won’t have long to wait to see just how much thinner we go.