Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 now or wait for Honor's Magic V5? I've tried both so you don't have to

It's all happening in the world of foldables; the same month Samsung dropped its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, Vivo launched the X Fold 5 in select markets, and Honor is gearing up for its global Magic V5 announcement.

Meanwhile, earlier in the year, Oppo launched its Find N5 (Asia-only), and Xiaomi withdrew from the book-style foldable race, with no follow-up to the China-only Mix Fold 4 planned for this year. OnePlus put a pause on its plans, too.

If you're sensing a limited-availability theme with many of these big-screen foldable contenders, you're spot on. Only Google and Samsung sell their foldables in the US, while lucky customers in Europe, the Middle East, and a few other parts of the world can buy Honor foldables without having to import them. The rest are typically limited to China and parts of Asia.

So, with Google yet to reveal its 2025 flagship Fold, it's a face-off between the Honor Magic V5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 for most looking to upgrade. And despite Samsung's excellent set of improvements for 2025, on paper and in many ways, in the flesh, the Honor Magic V5 might be the frontrunner.

I got an early hands-on with the V5, trying out the camera, ogling the design, and also used it alongside the Z Fold 7. If Honor can improve the software experience – its Achilles' heel in the past – it could be lined up for victory.

So how does it stack up – should you buy a Samsung now or wait for Honor? Here are the ways the Magic V5 beats the Z Fold 7, and three ways that Galaxy remains ahead.

Honor Magic V5's wins

Battery and charging

The Honor Magic V5 has a much, much higher capacity battery than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 – with a 5820mAh cell compared to Samsung’s 4400mAh. Considering the Honor has slightly smaller screens, too, these factors suggest it should last significantly longer.

Samsung is known for excellent battery management and optimisation over time, with the S25 Ultra outperforming some higher-capacity alternatives with its screen-on time. But I still reckon Honor has got this one in the bag, especially if you're using the large inner screen a lot, which drains the Z Fold 7 extra quickly.

Going beyond battery capacity, Samsung’s charging speeds are also prehistoric compared with Honor's, at an ultra-slow 25W wired and 15W wireless. Meanwhile, the Magic V5 powers up at a much nippier 66W wired and 50W wireless.

Zoom and ultra-wide cameras

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Honor has fitted a 64-megapixel high-resolution periscope zoom on its Magic V5, while Samsung has stuck with its dated 10MP pancake zoom, which we've regrettably seen for generations.

While in bright scenes it can help get you closer to a subject, its low resolution, small sensor and poor low-light performance as good as guarantees Honor's dominance here. That's before factoring in the Magic V5's telemacro function, focusing as near as around 10cm for high-impact close-up shots.

Even if Honor just brings back the Magic V3's zoom, it would blow the Z Fold 7's 10MP tele camera out of the water.

There's also a good chance the V5's ultra-wide camera will be as good or better than the Fold 7's. After all, its 50MP resolution should help it eke ahead in darker environments, as it's likely slightly larger than Samsung's 1/2.55-inch sensor, though both pack autofocus for macro photography.

Durability

The Galaxy Z series was the first to introduce dust resistance to foldables with the IP48-rated Z Fold 6, though Honor leapfrogs Samsung this year with the IP58/9-rated Magic V5.

IP is short for ingress protection, with the first number referring to dust and the second number, water resistance (or complete proofing). Each number represents an extra level of durability, with higher numbers reflecting greater protection.

So, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is dust-resistant against large particles and water-resistant when submerged, the Magic V5 can keep slightly smaller particles out, and also handle jets of high-temperature water as well as submersion.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 wins

Main camera

One of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7's most notable updates is its 200-megapixel primary camera. This has a huge 1/1.3-inch sensor, which makes a massive difference over the Z Fold 6, improving low-light photos and videos, and capturing richer-looking shots with more natural background blur and dynamic range.

While the Honor Magic V5 wins out on the secondary camera specs with its superior ultra-wide and zoom hardware, its main camera's more modest 1/1.56-inch sensor falls behind.

Of course, a lot comes down to processing, so watch this space for the full Honor Magic V5 review for a definitive comparison. But at this stage, each system has its clear strengths.

Crease and hinge

Having covered foldables for years, I never thought I'd see the day a Samsung foldable had a less noticeable crease down the middle of the screen than an Honor foldable, but here we are.

Samsung has outdone itself with its new hinge mechanism and foldable screen tech. The Z Fold 7 snaps into place once unfolded, its crease is visually less bumpy than Honor's one, and slightly less noticeable to the touch.

Anyone coming from a Z Fold or Flip of old will be blown away by just how much better this generation of Samsung's foldable feels.

Style

This is very subjective, but I think the Galaxy Z Fold 7 looks fantastic, and yes, better than the Honor Magic V5.

Don't get me wrong, the V5 looks and feels premium, especially in the black copper colour, but the jet blue Z Fold 7 – or 'Blue Shadow', as Samsung calls it – is stunning with its diffuse finish and colour-matched matte metal frame.

Samsung’s confident corners admittedly don't feel as comfortable in the hand, digging in a little more after long bouts of use, but visually, it absolutely nails it.

Samsung or Honor: Which should you buy?

I can't comment on the latest Magic V5 software, but if it improves over the Magic V3 significantly, Honor could pull ahead of Samsung despite the Z Fold 7's ultra-skinny, ultra-premium design.

After all, the Magic V5 packs a more complete camera system with its specced-out zoom and ultra-wide cameras, it crams in a much higher capacity battery with faster wired and wireless charging, and the extra dust and water resistance ratings are very welcome, especially considering foldables haven't quite shaken their reputation for being more fragile than traditional phones.

Of course, Samsung will be the obvious choice for anyone in the USA. The Z Fold 7's design is also more classical and sleek, and its main camera's big sensor totally levels-up the photography experience compared to its predecessor.

Check back for the full Magic V5 review, expected to drop when the phone launches globally, and check out some of the best phones of 2025 if neither of these two are quite right for your next upgrade.

Cost also comes into the equation, as these aren't budget handsets. You pay a premium price for premium tech, with the Z Fold 7's £1799/$1999/AU$2,899 asking price likely to be similar or perhaps undercut by Honor – but we'll have to wait until that information is official at launch to know for sure.