The new Honor Magic V5 Android offers a gaming performance boost of almost 50%

We’ve just attended the Honor Magic V5 launch in London, as the Chinese tech brand introduced the world to its latest foldable Android flagship, as well as a fresh mid-range tablet. While the new form factor rival to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold was the star of the show, and quite rightly so, the Honor MagicPad 3 also looks like a pretty impressive bit of kit, giving the latest alternatives from the likes of Apple and OnePlus a run for their money.

Right out of the gate, the Honor Magic V5 is a proper contender for our guide to the best foldable phones, with its elegant, slimline design, OLED displays, super-fast 66W charging, and impressive triple camera setup. Not only that, but it also packs the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset as a lot of the top picks from our guide to 2025’s best gaming phones, which makes for a 45% CPU performance boost and 40% GPU performance boost compared to the previous generation, as well as a 35% boost to ray tracing capabilities. That’s a serious leap forward.

In my Honor Magic V5 review, I gave the new phone a stellar 9/10 score, highlighting the performance capabilities and intelligent but non-invasive AI features, especially Magic Portal. It’s just a fantastic handset, and the fact that it’s so slim – a mind-bending 4.1mm when unfolded – is some impressive technical wizardry from Honor. It’s rare that I review a phone and immediately want to make it my daily driver, but I’m pretty tempted to keep using the Honor Magic V5, and that’s the biggest compliment I can pay the phone.

Today’s event also saw the introduction of the Honor MagicPad 3, a follow-up to the MagicPad 2. The highlight of this tablet is its whopping 12,450 mAh battery, which beats out a lot of the competition, including some of the best iPads. It’s not just a battery life beast, though, as while it’s not a gaming-oriented device, its 165Hz display should offer some ultra-smooth visuals in your favorite mobile games.

Unfortunately, the Honor Magic V5 launch was just for Europe, and given the history of the brand, we’re not expecting a US launch anytime soon. If you’re reading this in the UK, though, the Magic V5 is now available to order, starting at £1,699.99 / €1,999, in Ivory White, Black, and Dawn Gold colorways. The Honor MagicPad 3 is also now available to order in Europe. You can pick from Gray and White colorways, and prices start from £599.99.

For more of the latest tech and hardware, be sure to check out our guides to the best handheld consoles and the best gaming tablets while you’re here. Or, if you’re holding out for Apple’s next series of flagship phones, see our iPhone 17 hub for all the latest details on the upcoming handsets.