The triple 50MP camera of the Honor Magic 5 Pro looks powerful on paper. The primary sensor isn’t 1-inch away, so the cameras should deliver results comparable to superphones like the Xiaomi 12S Ultra (Opens in new tab), and the Vivo X90 Pro (Opens in new tab). Unlike those two phones, though, it launched with an imminent Western release on the cards, and not one, but two accolades from DXOMARK best smartphone camera and screen.
Now, this is not Honor’s first foray into the premium smartphone segment. Last year’s Honor Magic 4 Pro (Opens in new tab) seriously impressed us with its own triple camera system, so it’s not outlandish to think that its successor might be one of our best camera phones (Opens in new tab) can top the list. , or at least be one of the best Android phones (Opens in new tab) on the scene.
Factor in its other specs – a latest-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip for top-tier gaming power, tons of storage, a high-capacity battery, fast charging, and premium design, and after a short time with the phone, we’re already looking forward to review And put it through its paces.
Specifications
Rear Cameras: 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto
front camera: 12MP + 3D Depth Camera
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Memory: 512GB Storage + 12GB RAM
screen size: 6.8-inch 28481312
Battery: 5,100 mAh
Shape: 162.9 x 76.7 x 8.77 mm
colour’s: black field green
(Image credit: Basile Kronfly) (Opens in new tab)
design and screen
We got our hands on the black Honor Magic 5 Pro and with its new, circular, curved glass design and rich finish, we had to clean it up within no time. Yes – the black one is polished so tends to stick to fingerprints. The green, however, is matte, so keeps them at bay. If you don’t plan on carrying a case with your magic, our tendency would be to recommend it in green.
We also notice how chunky the phone is. While it doesn’t weigh much more than the 240g iPhone 14 Pro Max (Opens in new tab), at 219g, it’s still one of the heaviest smartphones around. Its cool, stark metal frame and glass back feel premium, and the camera bump that lifts easily sits comfortably on top of an index finger. But while its size doesn’t make it unattractive, it’s far from a compact option.
(Image credit: Basile Kronfly) (Opens in new tab)
The front of the Honor Magic 5 Pro is completely screen, barring the pill-shaped cutout that houses the 12MP selfie camera and 3D depth sensor. It has a small bezel, and the display glass curves into the sides to elegantly complement the metal frame.
The right side houses the power button and volume rocker, while the base is where you’ll access the SIM card slot, USB-C port, and loudspeaker. Apart from the protruding camera ring at the back, the Honor Insignia draws focus.
Most confusingly, there’s “100x 1:1.6-3 ASPH” around the back. While we understand most of what it means – 100x is speak for digital zoom, and refers to the 1.6-3 aperture, with its maximum optical zoom of 3.5x, it feels like a usable 100x zoom in a phone Is.
(Image credit: Basile Kronfly) (Opens in new tab)
As for the screen, it is a large, 6.81-inch OLED panel with 20:9 aspect ratio. The phone’s 2848 x 1312 resolution means it’s roughly as sharp as the iPhone 14 Pro (opens in new tab). With HDR credentials and 1800 nits of peak brightness, whether watching content indoors or using the phone on a sunny day, optimized video should look rich, and we expect what’s on-screen to be easy to discern Will happen.
(Image credit: Basile Kronfly) (Opens in new tab)
camera glasses
The triple camera system of Honor Magic 5 Pro has different sensors. Most impressive is the 1/1.12-inch primary camera sensor, especially considering the fact that it’s matched with an f/1.6 aperture, so it should deliver extremely soft bokeh. With its 23mm wide angle, the main camera should also be versatile enough for group portraits and to match that, with its 50MP resolution and OIS, a usable shot with less distortion than cropping in at around 35mm will be produced.
When you want to go all out, the ultra-wide 50mm camera combines a wide 13mm focal length (122 field of view) and a wide f/2 aperture with a 1/2.5-inch sensor. While significantly smaller than the main camera, it’s not small for an ultra-wide sensor size, and the camera is also packed with autofocus.
Lastly, for the rear camera trinity, it is a periscope camera with an open f/3 aperture. Interestingly this year, Honor dropped both the resolution and the sensor size, compared to the Honor Magic 4 Pro, which had a slightly larger 64MP sensor.
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(Image credit: Basile Kronfly)(Image credit: Basile Kronfly)(Image credit: Basile Kronfly)(Image credit: Basile Kronfly)(Image credit: Basile Kronfly)
Flipping the phone around and the front camera isn’t just a photography tool. Similar to iPhones, the Magic 5 Pro features 3D face scanning thanks to the secondary depth sensor. However, unlike iPhones, Honor’s face scanning does not replace the fingerprint scanner, which resides under the display.
When you need to take photos on it, you can count on the 12MP selfie camera with f.2.4 aperture and wide 100 field of view.
extra glasses
Launched with the latest flagship Android chip on the block, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the Magic 5 Pro doesn’t skimp on power, and with 12GB of RAM, whether multitasking or gaming, it should be able to tear through tasks, apps, and games. Must be able to. ,
Honor also packed in a massive 512GB of storage, which should see smartphone users wading through file hoarding without even getting close to a low storage warning.
It’s great to see Honor’s new flagship running Android 13, the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. MagicOS, however, is an evolution of Huawei’s EMUI, the phone’s interface. Since the two brands split, Honor has struggled to differentiate its interface, so we look forward to seeing meaningful updates in the latest version of MagicOS.
Our main issue with the Honor Magic 4 Pro was its modest battery. This year, Honor has bumped up the capacity to 5100mAh slightly bigger than the competition. It also has slower charging, to 66W wired, 50W wireless, versus 100W wired and wireless on the 4 Pro. Strange step down for Honor prioritizing size over speed, which makes sense from an end-user perspective.
(Image credit: Basile Kronfly)
quick decision
When we first saw the Magic 5 Pro in a leak, we were curious. Then it launched and we had some time with it, and we were excited to try it out. Now, with DXOMARK’s bold claim that it’s the better camera phone, it’s up to us to put it up to speed with its best-in-class camera phone of the moment, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (opens in new tab) keep through. -Classic zoom and suite of photography tools.
check back for complete review In the coming weeks, and to see how the Honor Magic 5’s three biggest competitors stack up against each other, read our Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro camera showdown.
