+ Editor's Advice:
If you value stability and a synchronized ecosystem, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is a safe choice.
On the contrary, if you want to experience new breakthroughs in design, camera and battery in the world of folding smartphones, Honor Magic V5 is a breath of fresh air to try.
Design and display
In recent years, the foldable smartphone market in Vietnam has gradually become more vibrant with the appearance of many new names. Besides the familiar Galaxy Z Fold line from Samsung, most recently users have another option, the Honor Magic V5 model.
These two devices compete with each other in the high-end foldable mobile segment. However, each device has its own strengths and targets two separate user groups.
The Honor Magic V5 inherits the soft design of the Magic V3, with curved corners and a premium metal frame. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold7 continues to use the square design typical of devices in the Z Fold series. The different designs also make the experience of holding the device different.
The white version of the Honor Magic V5 is currently the world's thinnest foldable smartphone, measuring 4.1mm thin when opened and 8.8mm thin when folded.
The Galaxy Z Fold7 also has significant improvements over its predecessor, with a thickness reduced to 4.2mm when opened and 8.9mm when folded. The weights of the Honor Magic V5 and Galaxy Z Fold7 are 217g and 215g respectively.
In terms of specifications, the two devices have some differences in size and weight. However, in actual daily use, users will not notice any difference between the two products. Both Samsung and Honor are showing good optimization in product design and bringing thin and light foldable screen devices.
The camera cluster on the Honor Magic V5 is large, creating a highlight for the back. However, this camera part protrudes quite a lot from the surface. When used in screen folding mode, the large camera cluster makes the weight of the device unbalanced and feels heavier at the top. At the same time, users also need to get used to and change their holding position to avoid touching the camera cluster with their fingers.
Meanwhile, the camera cluster of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 has a more compact design. The elongated body and evenly distributed weight make it more comfortable to hold when used in folded mode. However, when used in full-screen mode, the right angles cause a rather uncomfortable feeling in the hand. This is completely not encountered when using the Honor Magic V5 in full-screen mode.
Both devices have the ability to fold the two screen parts together without creating a gap in the middle. However, the way these two hinges work is quite different.
The hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold7 has a stiffer design when opened and closed, allowing users to customize multiple screen opening angles when in use. In return, opening and closing the two screen parts on the Galaxy Z Fold7 will be more difficult because the hinge is stiff, while the two flat beveled edges do not have a suitable support point to open.
The Honor Magic V5's hinge is designed to be softer, making it easier to fold and open the two screen parts. However, the device supports fewer folding angles than the Galaxy Z Fold7. Therefore, depending on usage habits and preferences, each user will be suitable for different folding and opening styles on the two devices.
In terms of durability, the hinge on the Honor Magic V5 can lift up to 104kg, withstand 500,000 folds and achieve a tensile strength of 2,300MPa. The Galaxy Z Fold7 has a thinner and lighter Armor FlexHinge, with a teardrop design and a multi-rail structure for increased durability.
The Honor Magic V5 has a 7.95-inch main screen, almost identical to the 8-inch size on the Galaxy Z Fold7. Both devices offer a spacious display experience for entertainment, work, and multitasking.
The Magic V5's outer display measures 6.43 inches, while the outer display on the Galaxy Z Fold7 measures 6.5 inches.
This year, the Galaxy Z Fold7 has also overcome the inherent limitations of previous generations. The external screens of both devices provide a user experience equivalent to that of conventional bar-shaped smartphones. Therefore, texting and gaming on the external screen both meet the user experience well.
Likewise, the crease inside the screen is almost indistinguishable. In real-world use, the crease is almost invisible. Even when you run your finger over the crease on the screen, the ripple is very small and barely affects the swiping experience.
Both devices support water and dust resistance, giving users more peace of mind when using them. However, the Honor Magic V5 is somewhat more prominent thanks to the two IP58 and IP59 standards and the Honor Nano Crystal Shield coating. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold7 still only supports the IP48 standard, similar to its predecessor.
Camera
On the Magic V5, Honor continues to work with Harcourt to refine the camera system and image quality of the device. The triple camera system includes a 50MP main lens, a 50MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 64MP telephoto lens that supports 3x optical zoom.
The camera system on the Galaxy Z Fold7 has a more minimalist design with vertically placed lenses. This camera cluster includes a 200MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 10MP telephoto lens that supports 3x optical zoom.
Actual usage experience shows that the camera systems on the two devices have relatively different processing methods. In outdoor conditions, the images produced by the two devices are quite similar in terms of detail level.
However, the color of the photos on the Honor Magic V5 is processed in a brighter, more flattering direction. Meanwhile, the color of the photos taken from the Galaxy Z Fold7 tends to be more rustic and realistic.
With the ultra-wide-angle camera, the photo quality from the Honor Magic V5 is slightly better in terms of detail and color, especially in dark areas. The color of wide-angle photos taken from the Galaxy Z Fold7 camera is somewhat lighter.
In terms of zoom capabilities, the Honor Magic V5 is superior when equipped with a 64MP telephoto lens that supports 3x optical zoom and allows up to 100x electronic zoom. In addition, the device is also integrated with an AI system to help reproduce details when taking photos from a distance.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is only equipped with a 10MP telephoto lens that supports 3x optical zoom and allows a maximum electronic zoom of 30x.
Actual testing shows that at 1x, 2x, 3x zoom levels, the image details captured from the two devices are almost the same. At 10x, 20x and 30x zoom levels, the image details captured from the Galaxy Z Fold7 drop significantly, while the Honor Magic V5 still handles well and retains more details.
The difference is even more evident when taking photos in low light conditions. Honor Magic V5 has better noise control, color and detail levels are reproduced consistently between lenses. Meanwhile, dark photos from Galaxy Z Fold7 are prone to noise and pale colors.
For portrait photos, the Honor Magic V5 also produces bright and flattering colors. The overall image has quite clear colors. Photos taken from the Galaxy Z Fold7 have a cool tone and a slight blue tint.
Both devices reproduce facial details well, skin color is naturally reproduced, and the subject stands out from the background. However, the algorithm on the Honor Magic V5 is better at reproducing hairs in the peripheral areas, and processing them more naturally. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold7 tends to process hairs in the peripheral areas quite harshly and blurs this part.
Performance and AI
As the top-of-the-line foldable smartphones from both companies, the Honor Magic V5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 both come with some of the most premium hardware specifications available in the Android smartphone world.
Honor Magic V5 integrates Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 16GB RAM and 512GB internal memory. Galaxy Z Fold7 integrates Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, optional RAM 12/16GB and maximum memory 1TB.
Judging by some performance benchmarking software like Antutu Benchmark and Geekbench 6, the two devices give quite similar scores. The difference that the two devices show is almost negligible.
The difference becomes more apparent when users “force” both devices to run at full performance for a long time. These two devices have two completely different ways of handling things.
Tested with the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test for 20 minutes, the Honor Magic V5 has about 15% better processing performance and 10% higher stability than the Galaxy Z Fold7.
However, the heat emitted by Honor Magic V5 is also higher, up to a maximum of 47 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, Galaxy Z Fold7 operates cooler with a maximum temperature of only 40 degrees Celsius.
These are the differences when tested through some performance benchmarking software. However, in actual daily use, users will hardly notice the difference between the performance of the two devices.
Both devices can meet all the needs of multitasking, gaming and entertainment. Although the performance is strong enough, in reality, both of these products are thin and light devices and are not aimed at users who need to play heavy games continuously for a long time.
In terms of foldable app optimization, both devices do quite well. Popular apps like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have been optimized for foldable screens on both devices.
In terms of battery life, the Honor Magic V5 stands out thanks to the integration of a new generation Silicon-carbon battery with a capacity of 5,820mAh, supporting 66W fast charging. The Galaxy Z Fold7's battery still retains the same capacity of 4,400mAh, supporting 25W fast charging similar to its predecessor.
In real-life use, the Honor Magic V5 can easily meet the needs of use throughout the day. Although Samsung has tried to optimize the software and performance on the Galaxy Z Fold7, users will still need to recharge the device if using the device at high intensity.
Both Honor and Samsung equip their products with a series of AI features that support image editing, language translation, or text and document editing. However, each company has different development directions.
Samsung focuses on developing a separate Galaxy ecosystem when equipping the Galaxy Z Fold7 with a series of features to enhance the experience such as Samsung Dex. On previous generations of Galaxy Z Fold, Samsung supported a stylus so users could write and draw. It's quite unfortunate that this feature has been removed on the Z Fold7.
Meanwhile, Honor supports a stylus so users can take full advantage of the large size of the foldable smartphone. The Magic V5 is also the first foldable smartphone with AI Deepfake Detection, helping users protect themselves from the increasingly sophisticated wave of deepfakes and high-tech scams.
Summary
In the Vietnamese market, Samsung is known as a manufacturer with many years of experience in selling foldable screen smartphones.
Meanwhile, Honor has left many marks on the international market, but the Magic V5 model is only the second folding product available in Vietnam.
The Galaxy Z Fold7 will be the right choice for users who are familiar with Samsung's ecosystem and want a device that can provide a safe experience.
The device has a square appearance, good performance, diverse AI features, but still has some limitations in camera and battery life.
Meanwhile, Honor Magic V5 will target more practical users. In the Vietnamese market alone, Honor has less experience in the foldable smartphone business, so the company needs to strengthen market confidence with new technologies and features. The device can meet a more comprehensive experience in many aspects from design, performance, camera to battery life.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/honor-magic-v5-doi-dau-samsung-galaxy-z-fold7-smartphone-gap-nao-phu-hop-20251018124659399.htm
Comment (0)