HONOR’s latest foldable, the Magic V5, has earned a Guinness World Record for durability—lifting more than 100 kilograms while suspended from its hinge. The record was set on August 1, 2025, in Dubai, where the device supported 104 kilograms (229 pounds), making it the heaviest weight ever lifted by a foldable smartphone under controlled conditions.
The achievement, officially verified by Guinness adjudicator Emma Brain, highlights one of the main engineering challenges facing foldable phones: convincing users that the flexible hinge can withstand years of real-world use. HONOR says the Magic V5 is designed to survive up to 500,000 folds, with its hinge crafted from what the company calls second-generation “Super Steel.” According to HONOR, the material reaches a tensile strength of 2300 MPa, allowing the phone to maintain both slimness and strength.
At just 8.8mm thick when folded and weighing 217 grams, the Magic V5 is built to balance portability with resilience. The company is positioning this record-breaking durability as a way to address ongoing skepticism about the longevity of foldables, which have historically been seen as more fragile than standard smartphones.
The HONOR Super Steel Hinge is central to the design. Built with a compact structure to reduce bulk, it aims to provide enough toughness to withstand everyday use while enabling the device to handle extreme stress tests like the Guinness attempt. While lifting over 100 kilograms isn’t a scenario typical users will face, the demonstration is meant to underscore reliability in daily use.
The Magic V5 is launching in the UAE with a retail price of AED 6,499. Color options include Dawn Gold, Ivory White, Reddish Brown, and Black. Pre-orders come bundled with extras such as a Bose speaker, Magic Pen, case, and extended screen protection under HONOR’s VIP Care+ program. The phone will be sold through the HONOR Online Store, HONOR Experience Stores, major retailers like Sharaf DG and Carrefour, as well as online platforms including Amazon and Noon.
The record-setting demonstration gives HONOR a unique marketing hook in a competitive foldable market dominated by Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola. With durability concerns often cited as a barrier to adoption, showcasing a foldable that can literally lift its weight many times over may help reassure buyers that thin designs don’t necessarily mean fragility.
