Honor claims that its Magic V5 is “the world’s slimmest foldable,” but a comparison between Honor’s device and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 seems to show that Samsung’s device is actually just a bit thinner.
Announced earlier this month in China ahead of a later global launch, the Honor Magic V5 is the self-proclaimed “world’s slimmest foldable.” The company includes that line on SEO data for its website, though doesn’t show that exact phrasing on its website. Still, Honor says that Magic V5, at least in its “Ivory White” variant, is 8.8mm thin when folded, beating Samsung’s 8.9mm measurement on the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Why, then, does the Galaxy Z Fold 7 look thinner than the Honor Magic V5 in a side-by-side comparison?
@UniverseIce shared a video on Twitter/X showing the Magic V5 right next to a Galaxy Z Fold 7, and at a glance the two devices look just about the same thickness. But a card on top of the two shows that there’s a tiny difference between the two, with Galaxy Z Fold 7 being a hair thinner than Honor Magic V5. This is further emphasized as the video shows a ball rolling down the card.
The difference is tiny, quite literally splitting hairs, but it does really look like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is thinner than the Honor Magic V5, despite the claims of both companies being contrary. That’s backed up by a micrometer, which shows Samsung’s device as thinner. Another comparison video shows that Honor’s device seems to be closer to the Oppo Find N5.
We’ve stitched those two videos together for brevity and easy viewing:
So, what’s up?
Honor’s claim seems dubious with this in mind, but the company has yet to respond to it. One reasonable explanation, though, would be that Honor is simply measuring in a different way to achieve this result. The company’s website even says as a disclaimer to the 8.8mm measurement:
Data comes from the HONOR Lab. 8.8mm refers to the thickness of the Ivory White model in the folded state. The overall thickness does not include the inner and outer screen protective films and the raised part of the camera… The actual data may vary depending on configurations, manufacturing processes and measurement methods. Please refer to the actual device.
It’s tough to say Honor is “lying” here, as many have accused, but it certainly seems possible that there’s some stretching of the truth here. In any case, in real life, is does seem like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the thinner foldable. But, when we’re splitting hairs like this, does it really matter?
Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and Galaxy Watch 8 are now open through Samsung.com with up to $1,100 in trade-in values, plus an additional $50 in Samsung credit when you order through 9to5Google’s links below, but that credit only applies if you check out within 30 minutes.
More on Galaxy Z Fold 7:
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