Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 7 last week, and boldly called it the thinnest and lightest in its portfolio of foldable phones. Buzz was aplenty when Honor threw down the gauntlet, pointing to its Magic V5, which it claims is thinner on paper. But interestingly, when we compared them back to back, it appeared Samsung’s device has the slimmer profile overall when you factor in real-world use. Here’s what transpired.

Paper specs vs. Real specs 
Device Folded Thickness (as stated) Real Champion Thickness
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 8.9 mm Slightly thinner than Honor
Honor Magic V5 8.8 mm Slightly thicker than Samsung

Honor’s specs show that Magic V5 thickness when folded is 8.8 mm, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s folded thickness stated 8.9 mm. That measly one-tenth of a millimeter advantage displayed in marketing material was all Honor needed to squawk superiority. Although tipster Ice Universe’s comparison images suggest otherwise: in practice, Samsung’s foldable looks marginally thinner.

Measurement Habits: What Lies Beneath the Numbers?

At the core of the issue are measurement habits. Honor’s footnote specifies that its 8.8 mm spec only includes the device’s thickness excluding all the screen protectors – inner and outer – and the protruding camera module. While companies typically would exclude the camera module in their measurements, it’s rare for them to exclude screen protectors but this measurement habit is why Magic V5’s advertised number comes from a number that looks reasonable compared to the end user experience.

Samsung appears to consider all layers as shown by a past picture indicating the new Galaxy Z Fold 7 is thinner even with the addition of full screen protection.

Dimensions and Weight: Minor Edges All Around

Here are the official dimensions:

Galaxy Z Fold 7: 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm folded; 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.2 mm unfolded.
Magic V5 (Ivory White color): 156.8 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm folded; 156.8 x 145.9 x 4.1 mm unfolded.

There’s a bit more to this head-to-head. Weight-wise, Samsung again is better off: while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 weighs 215 g, the Magic V5 weighs 217 g. These toe-to-toe thoughts indicate that Samsung does in fact have quite literally a slight edge not just in thinness, but also in lightweight.

Ultimately, practical use should win out over specification. A slimmer feeling and lighter feeling in everyday use matters. The Galaxy Z Fold 7’s minor advantages do carry forward to usability and the overall feel in your pocket – leaving the door open for Samsung to claim to be the lightest foldable in its segment, and asserting that raw specifications are not what counts the most when you factor in experience.

While Honor’s selective metrics may lend some marketing advantages, in the hands of the consumer, Samsung has the upper hand with its authentic design advantages. For consumers who value thickness, weight and foldable ergonomics, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the leader at the moment – regardless of the endless spec page comparisons.

Conclusion
On Paper, you will get that Honor’s Magic V5 is thinner, but in practice, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 is thinner than the Magic V5:

Measurement Fidelity: Samsung’s full-component measurement captures real-world use.

Design Advantage: A thinner and lighter pocketable foldable.

Consumer Usability: Mere millimeters and grams make huge real-world usability impacts.

Also Read: Slow Wi-Fi Connectivity On Mobile? Try These Easy Fixes To Boost Your Internet Speed

In the foldable race users’ interaction with their foldable is far beyond a mere marketing pitch—it is a feature that customers experience—and Samsung has the edge over the rest of the foldable competition with its latest version.

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