Could Honor be the first to launch a reasonably priced foldable?
Samsung was the first company to jump on the foldable bandwagon, with Huawei following soon after. Since then, Motorola and a few other companies have teased or launched their own folding devices, but Samsung has continued to rule the market with its Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold series of devices. Huawei’s former sub-brand Honor now plans to enter the fray with its first “foldable flagship” — the Honor Magic V. The company teased the device’s launch in a social media post, though it was light on other details.
The rumor mill has not been particularly strong about Honor’s first foldable device. Nonetheless, a report from The Elec (via The Verge) claims it will feature an 8.03-inch inner folding display with a 6.45-inch cover screen. This suggests the device’s form factor will be similar to the Galaxy Z Fold, which can be unfolded to reveal a larger display. Chinese display maker BOE will seemingly provide the foldable display, and it will feature Ultra-Thin Glass on top.
Given the close ties between Honor and Huawei at one point, the Honor Magic V may share the same design, specs, and DNA as the Huawei Mate X2. The latter also features a 6.45-inch cover display and an 8-inch foldable OLED. It is powered by a Kirin 9000 chip and features a 4,500mAh battery with 55W fast charging support. The Mate X2 was priced at nearly $2,800 in China, but Honor is known for offering devices with flagship specs at mid-range prices. Hopefully, the company continues this trend with its first foldable device as well.
Huawei sold off Honor to a consortium of over 30 agents and dealers in November 2020 in a bid to save the business following the US trade ban. The move worked, and Honor was able to launch phones internationally with Google apps and services this year. The Honor Magic V should also be no different in this regard.
UPDATE: 2022/01/04 12:09 EST BY SCOTT SCRIVENS
Official unveiling coming January 10
Honor is set to announce its anticipated folding phone on January 10 in China. The Magic V could be the most affordable folding phone yet if the former Huawei sub-brand’s track record is anything to go by.
The latest teaser image shows off the top portion of the phone mostly unfolded. We can see that it’s going to be a book-style folder akin to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold lineup with a punch-hole camera cutout on the front display and three rear cameras. Aside from those details and the rather luxurious silver back texture, we don’t know much else about the foldable and its specs. We’ll learn more on Jan 10 at 11:30 UTC.
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