Ever since HONOR has stepped out as an independent smartphone manufacturer, the brand has gone from strength to strength. They have successfully launched their own smartphones packing their own MagicOS based on Android with Google Play Store access for a couple of years now. While they have not been able to completely shake off their HUAWEI ties or association, they do make respectable smartphones that are rather appealing too.
Their latest addition to the stable is the Magic5 series announced in MWC 2023. You get to choose between vanilla model or a Pro variant in this series. They also launched a rather interesting foldable, the Magic Vs alongside the Magic5, but we are going to focus on the Magic5 series here.
HONOR Magic5 Pro
The Magic5 Pro is built to be the true 2023 flagship for HONOR. They started out with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 system on a chip (SoC), the fastest and most powerful processing chip for an Android smartphone to date. The octa-core chip is then paired to 12GB of RAM for good measure and to avoid bottlenecks in multitasking conditions. You get 512GB of storage too for good measure.
Part of the 512GB of storage holds the Android 13 based MagicOS 7.1 interface that shows on the large 6.82-inch display. The OLED panel offers 2,848 by 1,312 pixels, which is not quite QHD+, but more than Full HD+. It is a 10-bit display offering up to 1.07 billion colours and up to 1800nits in brightness though. It is also an LTPO panel that offers up to 120Hz in refresh rate for that extra smooth feel. The glass that protects the display also protects a 12-Megapixel front-facing camera supported by a 3-Megapixel depth sensor with up to 4K resolution video recording capabilities.
The HONOR Magic5 Pro’s party piece, the Falcon Triple Main Camera as HONOR puts it, is its main camera array at the back. Arranged in a familiar ‘halo’ design, the HONOR Magic5 Pro offers three 50-Megapixel sensors at the back. One is obviously a regular 24mm wide-angle shooter, the other is an ultra-wide shooter, and the last one is a telephoto lens capable of 3.5x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom. All of them offer optical image stabilisation (OIS) too if you are worried about your clammy hands. Of course, the camera array supports video recording at 4K resolution. They say also that the camera is faster than ever before, hence the name Falcon.
Keeping everything running for an entire day and possibly more is a 5,100mAh battery pack within the glass and aluminium constructed body. It supports HONOR’s 66W Supercharge technology which will still allow you to get going with a full charge in just about an hour’s time. If you prefer to just leave your device on the table to get it wirelessly charging, the device is capable of a 50W charge wirelessly.
HONOR Magic5
The more premium Magic5 Pro may be appealing and can be recognised as the true flagship for HONOR. The vanilla is not too far behind though, in that case we think that the vanilla Magic5 is worth more than a look thanks to the value it offers. It is everything that is the Magic5 Pro with a few minor differences.
It packs the same SoC, for one. It also comes with the same amount of RAM. The storage is a little smaller though at 256GB. While the display is smaller at 6.73-inch, you still get an OLED panel that offers more than Full HD+ in resolution. You still get up to 120Hz in refresh rate and DCI-P3 colour gamut at up to 1600nits in brightness.
You lose one camera out in front. You also lose a little resolution the camera at only 12-Megapixel, but no matter, you still shoot videos at 4K resolution. Out the back is a more powerful main camera at 54-Megapixel. The ultra-wide camera remains the same at 50-Megapixel. The trade off is on the telephoto camera that offers 32-Megapixel and only up to 50x digital zoom.
It is still an Android 13 device offering MagicOS 7.1 interface though. Within the glass and aluminium construction is still a large 5,100mAh battery. It still charges at 66W but does not get wireless charging.
Price and Availability
The HONOR Magic5 starts at MYR 3,499. You can get one in either Glacier Blue or Black colour. The vanilla HONOR Magic5 will go on sale starting 28th of April 2023. There are no pre-order programmes for this one.
The HONOR Magic5 Pro does have a pre-order programme. You can now pre-order your HONOR Magic5 Pro up until the 13th of April 2023. Shipping starts the day after that and you can pre-order your device from their own online stores, partner retailers, and even their official stores on Shopee and Lazada. Each pre-order entitles you to free gifts worth over MYR 1,200 while stocks last. The HONOR Magic5 Pro is available in Meadow Green and Black Colour options for MYR 4,299). For more information on HONOR’s Magic5 and Magic5 Pro, you can visit their website.