Honor’s Magic5 series got off to a quiet start with the Magic5 Lite, but the company maintained top performance for MWC. However, it does not follow a straight path to upgrade.
In fact, the phone designers like curves and the whole phone is rounded. Despite the expansive 6.81-inch display, the phone is lighter, weighing in at 219g. For comparison, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is 234g and the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 240g. If you’re holding the Magic4 Pro in your hand, it’s about the same weight, slightly slimmer (8.8mm vs 9.2mm) but wider (76.7mm vs 74.7mm).
The Honor Magic5 Pro is for people who like big phones, but not too much (the aforementioned Galaxy and iPhone, for example, are about 1mm wide). Like last year, the phone is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance. The company has not disclosed the origin of the phone’s glass panel.
We spent some time with the new Honor Magic5 Pro flagship (shown here in Glacier Blue).
Pro models come in five color options: Glacier Blue, Meadow Green, Coral Purple, Orange and Black. The unit in charge is Glacier Blue. Note that the purple and orange colorway comes with a vegan leather back.
The display size and resolution are the same as last year: 6.81 inches, 1,312 x 2,848 pixels (19.5:9, 461ppi). Of course, it’s a 10-bit LTPO panel that supports HDR10+. The refresh rate range is from 1Hz to 120Hz. However, there are many improvements to improve display performance and reduce eye strain for users.
First of all, it’s much brighter. The new display can reach up to 1,800 nits when displaying HDR content, with a top global brightness of 1,300 nits. For comparison, the old display peaked at “just” 1,000 nits. Honor also improved its high-frequency PWM dimming system, boosting it to 2,160Hz (from 1,920Hz). The company calibrated the display’s color accuracy to a deltaE of 0.27 at two brightness levels (120 nits and 800 nits) (in other words, the human eye can’t perceive deviations from true color).
The rear camera has a multispectral color temperature sensor for measuring ambient light. Shall we talk about cameras? The triple module still resides on a large circle that Honor calls the “Eye of Muse”. This year, the camera his trio has been rearranged into a triangular constellation. The periscope has been moved to the top, and the main his camera and ultra-wide camera have been placed at the bottom.
All three use 50MP sensors this year. The main camera is of particular interest. Last year Honor used his IMX766. This is his 50MP 1/1.56 inch sensor found in flagships and some cheap phones. up from f/1.8). The unnamed sensor has 1.4µm native pixels and 4-in-1 binning support.
This has a big impact on night shots. We will not keep you waiting. Check out the camera samples below. Do you know of anything else that can help you take handheld photos in the dark? Of course, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) is available in the Magic5 Pro’s main camera (an omission from the Magic4 Pro was last year’s It was a shame).
Honor the Magic5 Pro camera sample from the darkly lit bar (main camera)
Honor has optimized the phone for high-quality video, capable of recording 4K footage at 60 fps in either HDR10+ or Magic-Log 10-bit log format. There is an IMAX branded app that allows you to edit the videos you shoot on your phone, no computer required. One thing it lacks compared to other flagships is the 8K mode.
Magic5 Pro brings a new periscope telephoto camera. The optics still offer 3.5x magnification and have a brighter aperture to boot (f/3.0 versus f/3.5 on the old Pro). The new module uses the 50MP Sony IMX858 sensor (instead of the 64MP sensor). Digital zoom up to 100x.
Before we get into more camera samples, it’s worth noting that the ultra-wide camera rounds up a 3x 50MP setup. It has a 122° field of view and f/2.0 aperture (versus f/2.2 on the old Pro). Here are some photos taken with each of the three cameras.
Honor Magic5 Pro camera samples: ultra-wide, main, telephoto and even zoom
Honor Magic5 Pro Camera Samples: Ultra Wide Angle, Main Camera, Telephoto, Zoom
Honor Magic5 Pro Camera Sample: Ultra Wide Angle Camera
Honor Magic5 Camera Sample: Main Camera
Honor Magic5 Pro Camera Sample: Telephoto Camera
Interestingly, the phone has two cameras that can take macro images. The ultra-wide angle module can shoot at a close distance (2.5cm/1 inch) and the telephoto camera can shoot at a distance of 30cm/12 inch.
Honor Magc5 Pro is of course equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Honor has simplified the phone’s memory configuration. 12GB LPDDR5X and 512GB UFS 4.0.
Honor added some custom features like a discrete display chipset that always renders video in HDR10+ and has the option to convert 30fps content to 60fps. The phone also has a security system co-developed with Qualcomm to keep your passwords and biometric data safe.
That biometric data includes a 3D face scan. A pill-shaped hole in the upper left corner contains a 12MP selfie camera (1.22µm, unfortunately with a fixed focus lens) and a depth sensor for more accurate and safer face scanning. By the way, the selfie camera has a wide viewing angle of 100°, so you can easily take group photos.
Last year, the Magic4 Pro impressed me with its 100W charge both wired and wireless. This year, Honor has adjusted speeds (66W wired, 50W wireless) and increased battery capacity from he 4,600mAh to 5,000mAh. Honor includes his 66W SuperCharge adapter in the retail package. Here’s what it looks like:
The Honor Magic5 Pro will be available in Q2 (April-June) for €1,200 (equivalent to $1,270/£1,055/Rs 105,000) in the 12/512 GB configuration (which is the only option at the moment). increase. For comparison, the Magic4 Pro sold globally at a price of £950 for the 8/256GB unit.
