It’s the start of a new year, but the phone’s rumors and leaks continue to flow in – and here we look at more details that have emerged around the first foldable phone from Honor, Honor Magic V.
According to the well-known tipster Digital Chat Station on the Chinese social network Weibo (via Phandroid), the upcoming folding smartphone will be powered by the top Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.
It rings in with another leak as we saw a few days ago and that means the Honor Magic V would probably be the first foldable phone to hit the market with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It’s likely that the chipset will show up in a lot of Android flagships in 2022.
Display, camera, software
We also have some details about the monitors, which apparently will have refresh rates of 120Hz and 90Hz. It sounds as if the 120Hz screen will be the external one (when the phone is closed) and the 90Hz screen will be the larger, internal one.
A punched hole apparently sits in the upper right corner of the internal screen. As for the main camera, it is supposedly powered by a 50 MP sensor, while there is also 66 W charging available to juice up the foldable handset.
The last little treat is that Android 12 will be on board out of the box – though the tipper adds that these specifications are based on a prototype design that can be changed before the foldable sees the light of day. A message may arrive as early as this month, though the phone may only be available in China.
Analysis: Foldable parts will continue to improve in 2022
Rumors surrounding a foldable phone from Honor have been hovering around for a few months now, and it’s no surprise to see another brand get involved in a foldable phone market that has so far been led by Samsung, Huawei and Motorola.
Last year we saw Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 launched by Samsung, shows the two main form factors available to consumers: the larger book-style fold and the smaller clamshell-style fold.
The Honor Magic V will be a foldable book style when it shows up, and with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 under the hood, it’s probably one of the best foldable phones to date. Samsung then returns with Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Further down the line Google Pixel Fold and a foldable iPhone should appear before too long, giving us even more folds to choose from – and expect that the technical quality in terms of hinges and screens will also continue to improve.