
The Magic Touch: HONOR has the world's slimmest foldable smartphone again — meet the HONOR Magic V5
Honor's latest foldable flagship immediately distinguishes itself with its almost impossibly slender design. At a mere 8.8mm when folded, and an astonishing 4.1mm unfolded (for the Ivory version), the Magic V5 isn't just thin — it's a statement. It reclaims the 'world's thinnest foldable' title, a testament to the brand's engineering prowess. This isn't just about bragging rights; it fundamentally changes the in-hand feel. This foldable truly feels like a regular candy bar-style smartphone when closed, shedding the bulky perception that has plagued many of its predecessors. When folded, the device is just 8.8mm. Unfolded, it is 4.1mm.
But thinness without substance is just a gimmick. Fortunately, the Magic V5 has the substance to back it up as a true flagship device. Underneath its sleek exterior lies the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, and this is complemented by a generous 5,820mAh silicon-carbon battery — an impressive feat given the phone's dimensions; and with extended usage times, this is a significant leap forward for foldable battery life. In the box, there's a 66W charger that supports Honor SuperCharge — Honor's term for fast charging — and 50W wireless fast charging too.
Durability, often a contentious point for foldables, is also a major focus for Honor. The 'Super Steel Hinge' is rated for over 500,000 folds, promising over a decade of daily use. Coupled with IP58 and IP59 ratings for dust and water resistance, and the 'Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield' on the outer display, the Magic V5 is positioned as a robust device designed for real-world scenarios. The internal screen even boasts a Non-Newtonian Fluid Material that hardens on impact and an AI-powered system to detect foreign objects, showcasing a comprehensive approach to protection. The beautiful display unfolded.
The display experience is incredible too. Both the expansive 7.95-inch inner foldable OLED and the 6.43-inch outer OLED screens boast a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, 1.07 billion colours, and a decent brightness of 5000 nits. The crease is also noticeably less pronounced on the Magic V5 (compared to previous models).
The triple-camera setup features an impressive 64MP Ultra Sensing Periscope Telephoto Camera with OIS, a 50MP Ultra Light-Sensitive Falcon Main Camera with OIS, and a 50MP Ultra-Wide Camera. There's also dual 20MP front-facing cameras on both screens for good-quality selfies and video calls, regardless of the phone's orientation. The rear triple camera system on the Honor Magic V5.
Depending on the focal distance, the Magic V5 auto selects the most appropriate lens to shoot with; so you can go up close to an object and Macro mode activates. There's a Motion Sensing Capture function as well that shoots in burst mode, and in Portrait Mode, you can manually adjust the bokeh, or try AI Enhanced Portrait that sharpens subjects so you capture every detail. Not a fan of crisp pictures? There's a built-in Beauty filter where you can adjust how smooth you want your subject to be. South Beach Quarter, shot on Honor Magic V5.
Roast Duck, shot on Honor Magic V5.
Two Cyclists, shot on Honor Magic V5.
Boots, shot on Honor Magic V5.
Beyond the hardware, Honor has integrated AI deeply into the MagicOS 9.0.1 (based on Android 15) experience. The YOYO intelligent assistant offers a range of AI-powered features, from screen recognition and image editing to file search and memory management. The seamless cross-platform sharing with iOS, Android, HarmonyOS, Windows, and macOS is a further welcome addition, bridging ecosystems and enhancing productivity. The gorgeous case that comes in the box. The case has a useful built-in kickstand.
The Honor Magic V5 feels like a mature, refined step forward for foldable technology. It's not just about pushing the boundaries of thinness; it's about delivering a cohesive, powerful, and durable device that genuinely elevates the foldable experience. If Honor can maintain this impressive balance of design, performance, and innovation in its global rollout, the Magic V5 will be the foldable that convinces a wider audience to embrace the future of smartphones.
Singapore will be the first country outside of China to receive the Honor Magic V5. It will be available in four colours: Dawn Gold (featured throughout here), Ivory White, Silk Brown, and Black, all in a single configuration of 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage.
The device is now available for pre-order at $2,199. Pre-order by 22 July to receive up to $837 in premium gifts — including a Honor Pad 10, Honor Magic Pen, and a 1-Year Extended Warranty — while stocks last. You'll receive the Honor Magic V5 by 23 July 2025.

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CNA
5 days ago
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Honor 400 Pro review: Is this near-flagship phone worth buying?
The Honor 400 Pro is part of a growing group of near-flagship devices. These offer higher specs than mid-range phones but are priced cheaper than flagship devices. The Honor 400 Pro offers plenty for its S$899 retail price. Highlights include a capable 200MP main camera, support for 100W fast charging (charger and cable included) and a 6,000 mAh battery that easily offers one full day of battery life. Honor differentiates the 400 Pro from the pack by going big on AI-imaging features. One of the highlights of this is an image-to-video feature that converts photos into five-second video clips. Processing is handled by a previous-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which powers last year's Android flagships like the Samsung S24 Ultra and Xiaomi 14. We'll explore its AI and camera capabilities, performance and battery life. Whether you're shopping for the best near-flagship phone in Singapore or just curious about the Honor 400 Pro's capabilities, this review has you covered. AI FEATURES The Honor 400 Pro goes big on AI, integrating features like AI Eraser, Face Tune, upscaling low-res images and AI cutouts into its gallery app. If you enjoy editing your photos, then it's very useful to have all these functions integrated into the Gallery app instead of using third-party apps like Snapseed. Paired with a camera array that includes a capable 200MP main lens, it also offers AI-enabled 50x zoom. Image to video is arguably the phone's party piece. It uses Google's Veo 2 AI video engine to automatically generate five-second animated clips from photos. It takes one to two minutes to generate clips. Unlike the full-fat Veo 2 and Veo 3 engines, this version doesn't accept prompts. So, if you're dissatisfied with your results, you'll need to re-submit the photo. 00:05 Min Your results will vary tremendously. It produced a convincing clip of my dog "walking". Other attempts produced mixed results that ranged from curious to creepy. One animation of a family picture in a restaurant added random people walking behind us, even though we were in an enclosed booth. Our expressions and movements also appeared unnatural. Pro tip – don't try to create an animation from a passport photo, unless you enjoy scaring yourself silly. CAMERAS The Honor 400 Pro's rear camera array includes three lenses: 200MP Ultra-clear AI Main Camera(f/1.9, OIS) 50MP Telephoto Camera (f/2.4 , OIS) 12MP Ultra Wide Camera(f/2.2) The 200MP main camera is quite impressive, capturing detailed photos even in low light. The telephoto lens is decent though image quality does suffer at full 50X zoom. While the ultra-wide lens is useful for 0.5 selfies, images can be soft in low-light. It produces decent results in brightly-lit environments although it lacks the detail and contrast of the main lens. PERFORMANCE The Honor 400 Pro may use a year-old processor but it doesn't feel compromised in use. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset still posts competitive benchmark scores and has 12GB of RAM and 12GB of virtual RAM. In daily use, it feels fast and responsive. It performs everyday tasks smoothly. Scrolling socials and videos, editing images, chats and browsing are smooth – even when multiple apps are open. Gaming performance is good. Demanding titles like PUBG: Mobile and Call of Duty are smooth, even at high graphics settings. Honor's Magic OS 9.0 is generally fast and smooth in daily use. However, it is prone to bloatware. For instance, some pre-installed apps and services like Honor Docs duplicate more popular apps, though these can be uninstalled or disabled. DISPLAY Its 6.7 inch Amoled display, has a 2,800 x 1,280 resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. It offers deep blacks and rich, vibrant colours and supports HDR10+. This makes it outstanding for viewing video content on supported apps like Prime Video and YouTube. BATTERY LIFE The Honor 400 Pro's 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery easily offers enough power for an entire day of use. After about one-and-a-half days of use, I had about 30 per cent of battery life remaining. This included this included four to five hours of surfing, listening to music and watching videos. HOW IT STACKS UP The Honor 400 Pro (S$893, Usual Price: S$899) delivers a compelling blend of performance and price. From its 200MP main camera and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset to its 100W fast charging, Honor has packed serious value into this device. The Honor 400 Pro stands out for users who prioritize photography, battery life, and AI-powered features. If you're shopping for a powerful phone for under S$1,000 in Singapore, this is worth considering. Pros: Great display with HDR support, good main camera, AI-integrated imaging, automatic photo-to-video generation, good battery life Cons: Average ultra-wide camera, photo-to-video feature produces mixed results


Nylon
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The Magic Touch: HONOR has the world's slimmest foldable smartphone again — meet the HONOR Magic V5
Foldable smartphones have been around for years, but recently, there appears to be a race to have the slimmest foldable in the market. The Honor Magic V5, freshly unveiled on July 2nd, has been making a compelling case for itself as the device that might just have cracked the code. The Honor Magic V5 is a luxurious foldable smartphone with the look and feel of a high-quality device. Honor's latest foldable flagship immediately distinguishes itself with its almost impossibly slender design. At a mere 8.8mm when folded, and an astonishing 4.1mm unfolded (for the Ivory version), the Magic V5 isn't just thin — it's a statement. It reclaims the 'world's thinnest foldable' title, a testament to the brand's engineering prowess. This isn't just about bragging rights; it fundamentally changes the in-hand feel. This foldable truly feels like a regular candy bar-style smartphone when closed, shedding the bulky perception that has plagued many of its predecessors. When folded, the device is just 8.8mm. Unfolded, it is 4.1mm. But thinness without substance is just a gimmick. Fortunately, the Magic V5 has the substance to back it up as a true flagship device. Underneath its sleek exterior lies the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, and this is complemented by a generous 5,820mAh silicon-carbon battery — an impressive feat given the phone's dimensions; and with extended usage times, this is a significant leap forward for foldable battery life. In the box, there's a 66W charger that supports Honor SuperCharge — Honor's term for fast charging — and 50W wireless fast charging too. Durability, often a contentious point for foldables, is also a major focus for Honor. The 'Super Steel Hinge' is rated for over 500,000 folds, promising over a decade of daily use. Coupled with IP58 and IP59 ratings for dust and water resistance, and the 'Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield' on the outer display, the Magic V5 is positioned as a robust device designed for real-world scenarios. The internal screen even boasts a Non-Newtonian Fluid Material that hardens on impact and an AI-powered system to detect foreign objects, showcasing a comprehensive approach to protection. The beautiful display unfolded. The display experience is incredible too. Both the expansive 7.95-inch inner foldable OLED and the 6.43-inch outer OLED screens boast a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, 1.07 billion colours, and a decent brightness of 5000 nits. The crease is also noticeably less pronounced on the Magic V5 (compared to previous models). The triple-camera setup features an impressive 64MP Ultra Sensing Periscope Telephoto Camera with OIS, a 50MP Ultra Light-Sensitive Falcon Main Camera with OIS, and a 50MP Ultra-Wide Camera. There's also dual 20MP front-facing cameras on both screens for good-quality selfies and video calls, regardless of the phone's orientation. The rear triple camera system on the Honor Magic V5. Depending on the focal distance, the Magic V5 auto selects the most appropriate lens to shoot with; so you can go up close to an object and Macro mode activates. There's a Motion Sensing Capture function as well that shoots in burst mode, and in Portrait Mode, you can manually adjust the bokeh, or try AI Enhanced Portrait that sharpens subjects so you capture every detail. Not a fan of crisp pictures? There's a built-in Beauty filter where you can adjust how smooth you want your subject to be. South Beach Quarter, shot on Honor Magic V5. Roast Duck, shot on Honor Magic V5. Two Cyclists, shot on Honor Magic V5. Boots, shot on Honor Magic V5. Beyond the hardware, Honor has integrated AI deeply into the MagicOS 9.0.1 (based on Android 15) experience. The YOYO intelligent assistant offers a range of AI-powered features, from screen recognition and image editing to file search and memory management. The seamless cross-platform sharing with iOS, Android, HarmonyOS, Windows, and macOS is a further welcome addition, bridging ecosystems and enhancing productivity. The gorgeous case that comes in the box. The case has a useful built-in kickstand. The Honor Magic V5 feels like a mature, refined step forward for foldable technology. It's not just about pushing the boundaries of thinness; it's about delivering a cohesive, powerful, and durable device that genuinely elevates the foldable experience. If Honor can maintain this impressive balance of design, performance, and innovation in its global rollout, the Magic V5 will be the foldable that convinces a wider audience to embrace the future of smartphones. Singapore will be the first country outside of China to receive the Honor Magic V5. It will be available in four colours: Dawn Gold (featured throughout here), Ivory White, Silk Brown, and Black, all in a single configuration of 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage. The device is now available for pre-order at $2,199. Pre-order by 22 July to receive up to $837 in premium gifts — including a Honor Pad 10, Honor Magic Pen, and a 1-Year Extended Warranty — while stocks last. You'll receive the Honor Magic V5 by 23 July 2025.


CNA
13-06-2025
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Mid-range phones that offer flagship features at friendly prices
The mid-range phone is a Goldilocks device for savvy buyers. It hits the price-performance ratio sweet spot, offering good capability at a decent price thanks to trickle-down features from flagship phones. To help you choose your next mid-range device, we've shortlisted some handsets that offer capable hardware at a reasonable price. The Nothing Phone 3a brings style and substance to the mid-range game. It has a transparent design, bright AMOLED display, and triple-camera setup that includes a 2X optical zoom. Powered by the Snapdragon 7S Gen 3 and backed by a 5,000mAh battery with fast charging, it handles everyday tasks with ease. The Glyph lights on the case add design flair (though not real functionality) that sets it apart from bland designs. Shop here Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ (S$569; Usual Price: S$619) This features a 6.7-inch Amoled display that supports HDR10+, 3,000 nits of peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth visuals. Its 200MP main camera captures crisp, detailed shots, while the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip keeps things running smoothly for everyday use. It supports 120W fast charging and Xiaomi says it can go from 0 to 100% in under 20 minutes with supported chargers. Shop here Honor 400 (S$599) The Honor 400 features a 6.55 inch Amoled display with 5,000 nits peak brightness. Its 200MP main camera delivers sharp, vibrant shots. Its Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor offers smooth performance and is backed by six years of Android updates. Storage starts at 256GB and its 6,000 mAh battery is capable of lasting all day. Shop here (S$646) We tested the Galaxy A56 and liked its display and premium finish. Its 6.7-inch Super Amoled display offers 120Hz refresh and a sleek glass-and-metal design. Its 5,000 mAH battery supports 45W wired charging. Powered by Samsung's Exynos 1480 chip, it's great for everyday use, and offers six generations of OS upgrades and six years of security updates. Display: 6.77 inch Amoled, HDR10+, 120Hz refresh rate Resolution: 1,080 x 2,340 12GB RAM, 256GB storage 45W wired charging, 5,000mAh battery IP67 Exynos 1580 processor Shop here (S$699; Usual Price: S$799): The OPPO Reno13 5G offers IP66/IP68/IP69 protection in a stylish package. The camera setup includes a 50MP main shooter, 8MP ultrawide and 50MP selfie cam with AN underwater mode for creative shots. With a 5,600mAh battery and 80W fast charging, it's built to keep up with you (and the occasional splash). Shop here Google Pixel 9a (S$799) The Pixel 9a brings flagship-level smarts with its powerful Tensor G4 chip. It also offers a a clean Android experience with Google's latest AI features like Magic Editor and Circle to Search. The 48MP main camera and 12MP ultrawide deliver stunning photos, while the 5,100mAh battery keeps you going all day. It's backed by 7 years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates. The previous-gen Google Pixel 8a (S$599) is also crdible option at its reduced price. Display: 6.3 inch polymer Oled, HDR, 120Hz refresh rate Resolution: 1,080 x 2,424 8GB RAM, 128GB storage 23W wired/ 7.5W wireless charging 5,100mAh battery IP68 Google Tensor G4 processor Shop here