Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Honor Magic V5: Battle of the flagships

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold launched Aug. 20 alongside the rest of the Pixel 10 lineup, and it'll be widely available in October. It comes with a similar design to the current model with slight tweaks to the outer display and processor. Honor recently launched a pretty formidable rival, the Magic V5, and everyone wants to know whether North American foldables like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold can really compete.

Although the Honor Magic V5 is yet to make its way to more markets, it's one stunning-looking foldable. It's incredibly slim and light, is powered by Qualcomm's finest silicon, and it features a massive battery with very fast wired and wireless charging. When both phones do hit global markets, which great foldable should you consider buying?

Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Honor Magic V5: Design and display

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The design of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn't too different from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Unfortunately, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is thicker, measuring 5.2mm when unfolded and 10.8mm when folded. Compared to the Magic V5, it's going to be more of a handful for sure. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold weighed 257 grams, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold weighs in at a slightly-higher 258 grams. It can't compete with the Magic V5 in terms of compactness or portability.

The Magic V5 looks absolutely stunning thanks to its incredibly slim design. The prominent curvature along the edges, subtle curves and raised edges around the camera module, and four stunning colors make the V5 a thing of beauty. Despite packing massive displays and a large battery, it weighs just 217 grams and unfolds to a thickness of just 4.1mm. Those are some bonkers specs right there. Instead of glass, Honor uses an aerospace fibre for the back panel, which keeps the weight down and improves durability.

The Honor Magic V5 boasts of two impressive AMOLED displays. There's a 6.43-inch outer screen and a 7.95-inch folding one. Both support LTPO 120Hz refresh rates, up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness, and an incredibly high 4,320Hz PWM dimming rate. The phone even supports the Honor Magic Pen on both displays, offering up to 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, similar to Samsung's S Pen.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold comes with a slightly-larger 6.4-inch cover screen and a higher peak brightness of around 3,000 nits. The phone features an 8-inch folding display with the same peak brightness level, which is less than that of the Honor Magic V5.

However, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first foldable phone to feature an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, which is an amazing feat. Honor makes durable foldables, but the certification doesn't lie — the Pixel 10 Pro Fold does a better job at keeping dust and debris away than the Magic V5.

Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Honor Magic V5: Hardware and specs

The Honor Magic V5 hasn't hit the U.S. yet, but it has launched in Malaysia for MYR 6,999 (roughly $1,655). That's less than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which starts at $1,799 like the previous model. Both are costly phones, but the Pixel will be easier to buy in most parts of the world, and should also have better after-sales support. Plus, currency conversions are only a guess at global pricing, so we don't really know how a Magic V5 would be priced in the U.S.

In terms of core specs, there's plenty of RAM and storage options for the Honor Magic V5, and even the 10 Pro Fold is getting a 1TB variant this time. Honor uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC in its foldable, which has proven to be very reliable, powerful, and power-efficient. Raw power is one area where Pixels have always been lacking, but this changes with the 10 series.

The Tensor G5 is built using TSMC's 3nm process node for the first time, and the entire chip is overhauled as a result. There are more custom components, including a new ISP that's said to greatly improve camera quality. In terms of performance, Google claims the Tensor G5's CPU is 34% faster on average than the Tensor G4.

One area where the Honor Magic V5 has the Pixel 10 Pro Fold beat for sure is battery life. We've not tested either phone yet, but the specs are heavily in Honor's favor. The V5 has a 5,820mAh battery, which is positively huge for such a slim foldable.

There's also very quick charging, like 66W wired and 50W wirelessly. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold has a larger battery than before, at 5,015mAh, and slightly faster wired charging at 23W, which is not even close to what the Magic V5 offers. Google does have the edge in wireless charging compatibility, as the Pixel 10 Pro Fold fully supports the Qi2 standard with inbuilt magnets. You can use any Qi2, MagSafe, or Pixelsnap accessories with it.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold didn't have impressive cameras, as the hardware was mostly reused from the original Fold. The same is true of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold's rear cameras, though the new ISP should improve quality in software.

The Magic V5, on the other hand, comes with some impressive camera hardware on paper, like a 50MP main sensor, 64MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide. Even the selfie cameras on the outer and inner screens are 20MP each, which is higher than what Google offers.

Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Honor Magic V5: Software

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold ships with Android 16 and gets seven years of software updates, which includes OS upgrades and security patches. Meanwhile, the Magic V5 runs MagicOS 9, which is based on Android 15. It's unclear how many OS revisions this phone will receive over the years. In terms of staying up to date with software, the Pixel is always going to be a safer choice.

The Magic V5 runs Gemini and comes with its own custom AI suite. There's AI Call Translation and AI Deepfake Detection, and Honor Share, which works with even iOS and Mac devices. Along with Gemini, there's Honor's own AI assistant called YONO, although this might be exclusive to the Chinese version of the phone.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, of course, has Gemini and Google AI as well. There are new exclusives this year, like Magic Cue and Camera Coach. Magic Cue tries to be one step ahead, providing you with contextual info before you even need to ask. Camera Coach will make you a professional photographer with scene and lighting tips powered by AI models. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold debuted new features like Add Me and Video Boost, which will come to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold too, along with the new exclusives.

Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Honor Magic V5: Which one should you buy?

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a a safer buy for most users. The wide availability, strong after-sales support, and long-term software update commitment are the biggest reasons you should choose this foldable over the Honor Magic V5. The better performance and improved durability are key perks that come with buying a Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

The Honor Magic V5 is an engineering marvel and is certainly on the cutting edge of foldable tech. It should cost roughly the same as the Pixel when it does launch in more markets, but before snagging one, keep in mind that long-term software support, AI features, and serviceability probably won't be as good as the Pixel.