After parting ways with Huawei, the HONOR brand has been gaining a reputation as an excellent tech manufacturer. The company regularly adds the latest and greatest to its flagship phones. Back in Europe, HONOR introduced the successful Magic4 Pro in 2022. Now, a year later, in 2023, we get perhaps an even more interesting solution – the HONOR Magic5 Pro, which can be bought for a price of ~$1230.
Magic 5 Pro is equipped like the best phones on the market. It has a large, crisp 6.81-inch OLED display with 120Hz resolution and is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. The focus here is on photography, with a 5100mAh battery that is supported by 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging as another super-touch.
Magic5 Pro is the leader of the DXOMARK rating in the display category and the winner of the gold award in the camera category. Are we really dealing with a top-of-the-line device? Can this smartphone stand up to the flagships of Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi? I will try to help you decide. I invite you to the review.
HONOR Magic5 Pro technical specifications
- Screen: 6.81″ OLED, 1312×2848, 120 Hz, screen to body ratio 92.33%
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
- Operating system: Android 13, MagicOS 7.1
- ROM: 512 GB
- RAM: 12 GB LPDDR5X
- Rear cameras: 50 + 50 + 50 MP (wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, telephoto)
- Front camera: 12MP + TOF 3D
- Video: Supports 4K (3840×2160) video recording
- Battery and charging: 5100 mAh, 66W fast charging, 50W Qi wireless charging
- Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.2, NFC, USB 3.1 (DP 1.2), 5G NR/LTE TDD/LTE FDD/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA/WCDMA/EDGE/GPRS
- Sensors: Accelerometer, infrared sensor, fingerprint scanner, gyroscope, compass, NFC, proximity sensor
- Protection against dust and water: IP68
- Dimensions: 163×77×9 mm
- Weight: 219 g
Positioning and price
The Magic5 Pro was announced at MWC on 27 February 2023 and was initially available only in China. The Magic5 Lite smartphone was the first to hit the market. The flagship 5G smartphone HONOR Magic5 Pro and the foldable Magic V2 model will be available from the third quarter of 2023.
We have only one powerful configuration – 12/512GB GB, which costs from UAH 46,000.
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Package contents
A big box and a lot of contents! Something you rarely see these days. In the box we have: standard documents – a warranty card and user manual, a USB cable and a needle for removing the SIM card slot, as well as a 66W SuperCharge charger.
It comes with a simple transparent case and a screen protector already installed on the screen.
Design, materials and structure
At the front, we have a 6.81-inch screen with rounded edges and ultra-narrow bezels at the top and bottom. The screen-to-body ratio is a whopping 92.33%.
In the corner of the screen we see an elongated oval recess with a selfie camera and a ToF sensor. I know that this arrangement is responsible for more advanced and secure face recognition, but personally I don’t like this strange design, it doesn’t look inconspicuous, it catches the eye, it takes up space on the screen.
On the rear panel, we see a large round camera with three lenses, with the main body slightly tilted towards it. This is especially noticeable on the green model, where the black lenses protrude from the body in a distinctive triangle. The solution is not as elegant as, for example, in the latest Samsung flagships.
We tested the phone in Meadow Green colour, which shimmers in an interesting way in the light. The device is also available in black, blue, purple and orange (the latter is eco-leather). But in European markets, you can only buy the smartphone in green or black.
The smartphone measures 163×77×9 mm and weighs 219 g, which is quite a lot. However, the Magic 5 Pro is only 8.8 mm thick, which makes it thinner than other smartphones and, as a result, more comfortable to hold in your hand. The “infinity” curved screen also contributes to this. The design of the smartphone is sturdy and provides a fairly secure grip.
The layout of the elements is impeccable, as befits a flagship. At the top of the phone is an almost invisible speaker grille, as well as an infrared transmitter for controlling various home devices using the phone. Below is another speaker grille, a tray for two SIM cards and a USB-C port. HONOR uses “full” speakers on the top and bottom to provide stereo sound, as befits a flagship. On the right side is the power button, and above it is the volume control. All buttons work reliably and pleasantly, responding instantly, perhaps due to their size.
The phone has separate Bluetooth and Wi-Fi antennas located in different parts of the body to eliminate interference, increase speed and reduce latency for both types of connection.
The fingerprint scanner is at a comfortable height and works instantly. 3D Face ID is also flawless – in my experience, it recognises the owner faster than the latest iPhone.
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HONOR Magic5 Pro screen
We are looking at a 6.81-inch LTPO OLED display with a resolution of 1312×2848 and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which reaches brightness up to 1300-1800 nits – not every flagship on the market today can boast of such a result!
It’s not QHD+ like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but it’s still much better than the FHD+ of the Samsung Galaxy S23! It offers the exact same pixel density of 460 ppi as the iPhone 14 Pro. So HONOR looks like a strong opponent.
The curved screen has its supporters and opponents, and for me, unfortunately, it is not a plus. I prefer screens without curves, it was easy for me to press or move something on it while running or on the street, holding the phone in one hand. These are just my feelings, and I know that there are many fans of such displays.
What else does HONOR say about its Magic5 Pro? It is TÜV Rheinland certified and has a Dynamic Dimming feature that provides more natural lighting to reduce eye fatigue. The smartphone also has a Circadian Night Display feature that adjusts the display to match your rhythm as you end the day. It is the first LTPO display to feature Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) brightness control at 2160Hz, which helps minimise screen flicker for improved visibility.
In terms of the screen, you can’t expect anything more, it’s simply the best in its class. There are also a lot of familiar and useful settings, including, for example, an e-book mode (but we’ve already seen this on Huawei, which is not surprising).
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HONOR Magic5 Pro performance
The Magic5 Pro with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and 12GB of RAM on board is particularly fast, and this came as no surprise to me. I’m delighted – for me, it runs smoother and faster than the latest Samsung flagships, even though I thought they were the best. For me, HONOR is the new leader among this year’s flagships. Applications open instantly, multitasking works seamlessly, and no websites with a lot of multimedia content can slow down the phone. This is a true flagship.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also uses Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, so I compared them in the test results:
- HONOR Magic5 Pro
- Geekbench: single core – 1 816, multi core – 4 800
- 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test: best – 3 674, lowest – 1 642
- 3DMark Wild Life Extreme: 3 661
- PCMARK Work 3.0 performance: 14 479
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test: best – 3 810, lowest – 2 070
- 3DMark Wild Life Extreme: 3 766
- PCMARK Work 3.0 performance: 15 521
Magic5 Pro is available in one version, but it is very powerful: 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. In addition to this, we get up to 512 GB of storage. This is a large amount for modern flagships. As for the storage, 512 GB is quite enough, there can be no complaints. But there is no memory card slot.
HONOR Magic 5 Pro cameras
As with most flagship smartphones, the Magic 5 Pro’s cameras take centre stage. It has three 50-megapixel sensors that deliver impressive photographic capabilities. This model produces some of the clearest and most saturated images among the latest flagships.
We have the following set of cameras:
- The main camera uses a custom 1/1.12-inch sensor and 23mm optics with f/1.6 aperture. It has OIS and EIS stabilisation
- The second camera is a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 1/1.56-inch sensor and a 122° viewing angle (f/2.0 aperture)
- The third is a camera with a telephoto periscope lens (Sony IMX858, f/3.0, 90 mm) and OIS, which provides 3.5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom
- Front-facing 12MP selfie camera with 3D depth sensor for better face recognition.
We can describe all the charms of the camera, but it’s better to see examples with your own eyes. So let’s take a look!
The photos below, taken with the main camera, have amazing exposure, lots of detail, and sharp, clear images in all lighting conditions. We have two modes – Normal and Pro.
The ultra-wide-angle camera uses a smaller sensor and a slightly smaller f/2.0 aperture. How this affects quality – In general, images are minimally darker with a slight drop in dynamic range, and some noise appears in some images.
The wide-angle camera takes great pictures and captures details in sharp focus better than others. Although some graininess is visible up close, the overall image does not affect the clarity of images taken with other cameras.
The zoom allows you to take pictures with 100x magnification, but it’s better to use the 10x magnification that the camera interface offers by default. The photos are detailed and well exposed, but the zoom is not the strongest point of this camera. Photos taken with the 3x zoom are just perfect! Here are some examples of zoom:
We also have a supermacro mode (using a wide-angle lens), and a few shots with it:
When it comes to photos in night mode, I’m delighted. In the last tests, I already thought that all new phones do not pay enough attention to this mode. HONOR, on the contrary, is impressive, I could not believe the super quality of these photos, see for yourself.
And now a small comparison of 3 cameras in one frame: regular, wide-angle and 3.5x zoom:
The front camera is fine, good colour reproduction and contrast is just right. I have the impression that now all flagships have the same quality front camera, the photos are great for social media, the portrait mode works well.
Among the more interesting modes, there is also a high-resolution mode, which does not differ in quality from other photos, examples of which can be found here.
Let’s move on to the topic of video. We can shoot from the front camera with a resolution of up to 4K and a frequency of 30 frames per second, and from the rear camera with a resolution of 4K and a frequency of 60 frames per second. There’s no 8K option, and the 4K recording duration cannot exceed 15 minutes – a strange decision!
But in good light, the quality of the footage is phenomenal. There’s no noise, and close-ups are high-quality and detailed – from wide-angle shooting to 10x zoom. For comparison, just play any video from our Samsung S23 tests. The HONOR is definitely impressive.
The camera application is familiar to us from Huawei smartphones, there is nothing unexpected here.
To summarise: Magic5 Pro cameras can take great photos, and sharpness, contrast and saturation are good. Regardless of the mode, the colours are superb, vibrant and pleasing to the eye. Photos taken with the telephoto lens may have minimal issues, but these are minor – they still have a lot of detail and excellent quality.
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Battery life
The 5100 mAh battery in Magic5 Pro is one of the largest offered by leading flagship manufacturers.
Combined with the improved energy efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which powers this device, the smartphone can compete with its big-name rivals in terms of battery life.
With daily intensive use of photos, videos, social media, listening to music on the go and surfing the web, one charge easily lasted for a day, I didn’t even have to charge it at night, although thirty-something percent would not have been enough for another day, but it’s still a good result. In any case, the power saving mode would have saved me.
We have a 66W fast charger that fully charges the phone in less than an hour. We go home with a discharged phone, half an hour (it will be 75%) and we can go on. There is no need to charge all night.
Sound
Magic5 Pro’s stereo speakers are perfectly suited to today’s requirements. There’s a great balance between the main speaker pointing downwards and the earpiece speaker. The sound is satisfactory, clear and the phone has enough bass. But it lacks depth and bass compared to some flagship competitors. Both speakers are also mounted on the extreme edges of the phone, so they are prone to blocking when held horizontally.
Magic5 Pro software
The HONOR Magic5 Pro comes with Android 13, the latest version of the operating system, with the HONOR MagicOS shell. It’s a more streamlined shell than before, with flat icons, more widgets and large folders for easier customisation of the home screen. We can still feel the Huawei vibe in the overall layout (even the font is the same), which is not too surprising, as these companies have just “split”. Perhaps, this is a way to attract Huawei users and gradually involve them in new proprietary HONOR solutions.
But there is the most important difference: Huawei does not have Google services, while HONOR GMS (GMail, Play Store, Google Pay, YouTube, etc.) has them and works like any other Android smartphone, this brand is not under sanctions.
What do we have inside the HONOR shell? Something that every manufacturer already emphasises – personalisation. Users can customise everything for themselves. Manufacturers go for a lot of simplifications and solutions that will make you feel special, because you can customise your phone yourself and, if necessary, change everything from scratch.
We have an entire settings panel to help you fully personalise the look and feel of your phone. All of these features are already familiar, so I’ll briefly describe them. For example, sidebars, split screen mode, flexible windows, smart sidebar, Always-On-Display, different wallpapers, fonts, icons, accent colours, quick switch, fingerprint animation. Everything is in the screenshots:
We also have HONOR connection, which is a seamless connection with other branded equipment (phones, tablets, computers), just like Huawei.
Among other more interesting developments:
- Video Enhancement – improves colour and contrast in full screen mode for a more vivid picture
- Increase the frame rate – may increase power consumption, but you’ll get an even smoother image in return
- Magic Text – extracts text from images and then pastes it into text boxes, but it only works in Chinese, French and English (sounds great, but it would be better if it was in all languages)
- TalkBack – it transmits voice messages and notifications, and you can use your phone or tablet without looking at the screen, which is a big plus for people with visual impairments
- Text-to-speech – adjust voice speed and pitch
- AI for private connections – minimises sound propagation and provides greater privacy
There are also some apps that need to be sorted out. HONOR pre-installs apps from TikTok, FB and Netflix to lesser known options like TrainPal. To the company’s credit, it at least offers a healthy mix of its own software and Google options when it comes to basic apps.
In general, my impression is that this is Huawei’s twin shell (EMUI), and this is not surprising.
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Conclusions
The old-new HONOR brand is back with its magnificent Magic5 Pro 5G as a flagship. This is a truly noteworthy smartphone. The “departure” from Huawei could have led to the idea of a drop in quality or a complete lack of interest in the brand, but instead we got Magic5 Pro, which competes with the top flagship brands and is not inferior to them!
Premium design and performance, IP68 protection, a stunning almost bezel-less screen, mega battery life, impressive cameras, super speakers – with all this, HONOR is one of the leading flagships of this year.
The software is worth working on. The MagicOS shell is not bad, but it is not inspiring and looks like it was downloaded directly from Huawei, and it contains a lot of unnecessary software. Also, it would be useful to work on the quality of the zoom over 10x and it’s a pity that there is no 8K video (but this is not such a problem for most).
But in general, we have a very successful premium model that keeps the bar high at the level of other recognised flagships. It is not inferior to Huawei, from which it split off, but at the same time has Google services. So, we recommend you to buy Magic5 Pro – you will definitely not be disappointed. Yes, it’s quite expensive, but don’t be afraid – HONOR is still on top of its game, so it’s worth it!
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