Honor’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 rival could be too late with its ‘global’ launch

Last updated: September 5th, 2023 at 14:29 UTC+02:00

A couple of months ago, Honor launched its feature-packed foldable phone—Magic V2—in China. During the IFA 2023 expo last week, the Chinese smartphone firm announced that the Magic V2 will launch “globally.” However, by global launch, Honor meant that the foldable phone would be launched in some Asian, European, and Latin American countries. But even by then, it would be too late to compete with the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Honor Magic V2 global launch is in Q1 2024, six months after the Galaxy Z Fold 5

It is being reported that the Honor Magic V2 will be available in select European markets sometime in Q1 2024. That’s almost six months after the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Reports indicate that the price of the Honor Magic V2 will be similar to the Honor Magic Vs, which means it could be priced around €1,600. That’s €300 cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. However, by the time the Magic V2 is launched, Samsung will likely have plenty of discounts on the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

The Honor Magic V2 won’t be much cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 because of the usual discounts from Samsung. And if that’s the case, people might still prefer the Galaxy Z Fold 5 due to Samsung’s longer software update promise. For the record, Honor has promised to offer three Android OS updates to the Magic V2, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will get four major Android OS updates. Samsung also has a much better software design and quality than Honor. The South Korean firm also has a better after-sales network and brand recognition in most Asian, European, and Latin American countries.

Honor Magic V2 specifications

The Honor Magic V2 has a thinner (10.1mm) and lighter (231g) design, an almost creaseless inner foldable screen, and screens on the outside and the inside. The cover screen is brighter, too, at 2,500 nits. Both screens are compatible with a stylus. The foldable phone features the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, up to 16GB RAM, and up to 1TB storage. However, the phone lacks an IPX8 rating for water resistance.

The Magic V2 has a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP ultrawide camera with autofocus, and a 20MP telephoto camera with 2.5x optical zoom. It has a 16MP selfie camera on the front, but it can’t record 4K 60fps videos like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 can. It can’t even record 8K videos with its primary camera. Its connectivity features are similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 5, except for the UWB.

Honor’s foldable phone has a much bigger battery, though, at 5,000mAh, and it can charge at 66W. Despite all these advantages, if Honor is late with the launch time frame, Samsung might have the last laugh due to its better brand recognition, water resistance, and better software update support.