Honor Magic 5 Professional

Verdict

The Honor Magic 5 Professional is a pleasant all-in-one package deal with options that rivals among the hottest smartphones in the marketplace at a less expensive value, coming in at simply £949 with a whopping 512GB of storage onboard. It doesn’t all the time hit the mark, however there’s actually so much to love right here.

Introduction

Honor has its sights set on the flagship smartphone market with the Magic 5 Professional, boasting a singular design, an awesome show and a succesful triple 50MP rear digital camera setup. 

The query is, can Honor tempt customers from extra recognisable manufacturers like Samsung, OnePlus and Apple on the excessive finish of the market? I’ve spent the previous few weeks utilizing Honor’s 2023 flagship and I’ve been pleasantly stunned in regards to the expertise on provide, from succesful {hardware} to software program with genuinely helpful tweaks.

One of the best half? It appears to be like to undercut a lot of the flagship competitors, coming in at a lovely £949 with a whopping 512GB of storage. For context, the 512GB Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely is available in at £1399/$1379 and the iPhone 14 Professional Max is available in at an eye-watering £1529/$1399. 

Design and show

• Curvy, premium design
• Odd stereo speaker setup
• High-end 6.82-inch OLED show

If there may be one phrase to explain Honor’s Magic 5 Professional, it’d be “curvy”. 

The telephone is curvy in almost each sense of the phrase, from the curved corners to the quad-curved show to the curved digital camera housing on the rear that Honor says is impressed by the Gaudi Curve, a well-liked fashion of structure. Does curve even sound like a phrase any extra? I’m undecided.

It does, nevertheless, really feel exceptionally good in hand, particularly in comparison with boxier flagships like Samsung’s top-end Galaxy S23 Extremely. The Gaudi Curve-inspired digital camera housing is constructed immediately into the rear of the smartphone relatively than utilizing totally different supplies for an total clear look, in an identical vein to the digital camera housing of the Oppo Discover X5 Professional and Xiaomi 13 Professional. 

There’s no lacking that digital camera bump although, taking on round a 3rd of the rear of the telephone. In my expertise through the evaluation interval, it’s the factor that individuals discover first – and never simply buddies however shopkeepers after I’ve used the telephone for Google Pay. It’s actually noticeable, for higher or for worse, although I’ve grown to fairly prefer it. 

It could be right down to the truth that the place and raised lip of the rear digital camera housing enable my finger to comfortably relaxation round its edge, serving to present a extra stable, sturdy grip when utilizing the telephone one-handed. It’s a bit like having a Pop Socket, although not fairly as excessive. 

It’s out there in two color choices, an understated Black end and a barely extra engaging Meadow Inexperienced, with the latter being a private favorite of mine. The inexperienced glass rear is roofed in a frosted end that helps conceal fingerprints, and it enhances the matching metallic band to additional add to its premium look. 

In essence, it is a very handsome telephone that feels simply as premium within the hand as top-end choices from Samsung, Xiaomi and Oppo, full with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and IP68 water resistance too. 

You’ll discover a energy button, quantity controls and an IR blaster constructed into the highest of the telephone to manage TVs and different IR-enabled units, in addition to stereo audio system – although the latter are somewhat odd. 

Reasonably than being front-facing, the speaker grilles are discovered on the highest and backside edges of the telephone. That’s nice for scrolling by means of TikTok, however when enjoying video games in a horizontal facet ratio, your palms are likely to muffle the audio system. The dearth of a front-facing speaker additionally makes the telephone appear quieter than it truly is except you actually crank the quantity.

That additionally extends to the telephone’s earpiece, which isn’t fairly front-facing, so it’s important to modify the angle of the telephone to obviously hear the recipient – or, alternatively, you possibly can simply put the decision on speaker. It’s a lot simpler, although not as handy in public areas. 

The saving grace is built-in DTS:X Extremely tuning which goals to enhance the general high quality of audio each on speaker and when utilizing headphones, with the latter specifically offering a way more reasonable spatial soundscape, although not fairly to the identical stage as Apple’s AirPods. 

The 6.81-inch OLED show is simply as premium with a dynamic 120Hz refresh price with the power to drop right down to as little as 1Hz to save lots of battery life through LTPO know-how and a pixel-packed 2848 x 1312 decision. 

The scale of the show would possibly sound somewhat too large on paper, particularly as I had complaints about usability with the similarly-sized Galaxy S23 Extremely, however the curved design of the body and show make it really feel simpler to make use of one-handed. Certain, it’s nonetheless lots large, however it didn’t really feel that it was unwieldy in use. 

It additionally boasts superior options like 2160Hz PMW dimming that Honor says ought to make the glint much less apparent and, as such, trigger much less eye pressure when used within the night – particularly mixed with Eye Consolation, which considerably reduces the quantity of blue mild. 

Actually, Honor claims that its show tech can enhance melatonin focus by as much as 20%, offering round half-hour of additional sleep on common. I’m very cautious about such wild claims, and it’s one thing that’s nearly not possible to quantify with out devoted sleep lab testing, however I’ll be aware that I’ve been sleeping fairly nicely these previous few weeks. 

Elsewhere, you possibly can look ahead to an impressively vibrant show at 1300 nits and a boosted 1800 nits when watching HDR content material, and with a devoted show chipset, the telephone can upscale SDR content material to HDR, and HDR content material to HDR10+. 

That’s a roundabout means of claiming that the show is gorgeously detailed, vibrant with deep blacks and energetic colors regardless of in the event you’re scrolling by means of social media or watching a film on Netflix, and it’s vibrant sufficient that I’ve had no concern utilizing the telephone even in direct daylight on a vibrant April afternoon. 

The default vibrant color setting could also be a bit a lot for some tastes, however you possibly can simply sufficient tailor the color palette within the settings app. 

Cameras

• Falcon Seize takes sharp pictures of fast-moving topics
• Respectable low-light efficiency
• Can’t report video utilizing the ultrawide lens

Honor appears to be like to be going all-in with the Magic 5 Professional’s digital camera setup, comprised of a triple 50MP digital camera providing break up between a fundamental lens, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens with a 3.5x optical zoom, although the latter can go all of the as much as 100x with a periscope digital zoom.

In fact, it’s the primary 50MP lens the place issues are most attention-grabbing with an f/1.6 aperture that delivers a pure bokeh in pictures and permits for extra mild seize, particularly when mixed with a 1/1.12in sensor. It’s not fairly as large because the 1-inch sensor of the Vivo X90 Professional and Xiaomi 13 Professional, however it’s nonetheless fairly massive for a smartphone. 

Actually, Honor claims that it’s 35% bigger than the Galaxy S23 Extremely and iPhone 14 Professional Max, leading to 13% and 24% higher mild consumption respectively. 

Whereas that’s exhausting to quantify, I’ve been impressed with the Magic 5 Professional’s low-light efficiency, managing to suck in as a lot out there mild to seize one thing extra true to life than artificially brightened scenes generated by some options. Simply you’ll want to allow the devoted Evening mode, as pictures captured on the usual Photograph mode aren’t fairly as spectacular.

It’s not fairly on the stage of the Vivo X90 Professional in full darkness, however it delivers good balanced pictures with some environmental mild – like a lamp or a streetlight – out there. Issues can look somewhat bit gentle in locations when zooming in, however they’re greater than satisfactory at a floor stage. 

As mild ranges enhance, the efficiency solely will get higher, capturing detailed, vibrant pictures in most environments with out concern, right down to finer particulars like blades of grass and the fur of a German Shepherd referred to as Luna. The blacks of Luna’s face do look somewhat darker and crushed in comparison with actual life, although that’s a difficulty you’ll discover on most smartphone snappers capturing in JPEG. 

I’ve, nevertheless, seen that the pictures can seem somewhat on the cool facet with a notable blue tinge in some pictures. It’s nothing that may’t be fastened with a fast edit, however it’s not superb. Photographs can even look somewhat too oversaturated with the AI mode enabled, notably the greens of grass and the blues of the sky. 

The place the primary snapper actually excels is within the pace of seize, particularly when Honor’s Flacon Seize and AI Movement sensing tech are at play. The mode, out there with the faucet of a button within the Digital camera app, takes near-instantaneous pictures of fast-moving topics with little or no blur – that’s the concept anyway. 

It’s not fairly as flawless in real-world use, with the telephone’s automated seize typically lacking the second by a break up second, however I’ve managed to seize completely crisp pictures of Luna operating full pace for her ball – and he or she’s fairly rattling quick. This mode is right not just for canines however kids and virtually some other fast-moving topic, from cyclists to vehicles. You’ll want a little bit of endurance however the outcomes are sometimes definitely worth the effort.  

The 50MP ultrawide lens enhances the primary digital camera providing, not solely matching the 50MP decision for equally detailed pictures however the color profile too. Other than the angle, it’s exhausting to inform the distinction between pictures taken with the primary and ultrawide in well-lit situations. The ultrawide doesn’t endure from a lot in the way in which of distortion on the edges both. 

It’s not fairly as performative in low-light situations with an f/2.0 aperture, nevertheless, missing the bigger sensor wanted for first rate low-light efficiency.

The three.5x telephoto lens is the same as a 54mm focal size, making it the go-to lens for portrait images. Edge detection is correct sufficient, accurately tracing hairlines and even tackling glasses with out concern, and the bokeh provides to the general look, although you received’t discover any fancy portrait filters right here like these from the iPhone 14 Professional or Xiaomi 13 Professional. 

The periscope design of the three.5x telephoto lens permits for digital zoom all the way in which as much as 100x, although outcomes at this stage are principally unusable, missing any actual sort of element, and there’s no particular moon seize mode like with different periscope lenses both. 

Even at a way more manageable 10x you possibly can see a notable loss intimately, particularly in finer particulars like grass and leaves that may look extra like massive gentle blobs than particular person strands. 

A competitor to the 10x and 100x zoom of the Galaxy S23 Extremely, this isn’t. 

Flip the telephone over and also you’ll discover what appears to be like like a twin digital camera setup, and looking out on the 0.8x and 1x taking pictures modes within the Digital camera app additional cements this concept, however solely one of many selfie cameras is definitely used for images – the opposite is used for facial recognition, however extra on that in a bit. 

High quality is first rate from the 12MP snapper, making it a go-to possibility for fast selfies, although it lacks the HDR and autofocus of the rear digital camera so any severe images must be restricted to the rear lenses. 

Video efficiency can also be first rate with the power to seize as much as 4K@60fps, although seize must be restricted to the primary lens with OIS serving to clean out jittery pictures. You do have the choice of taking pictures utilizing the telephoto lens, although it’s at present not possible to report utilizing the 50MP ultrawide, and I’m not fairly certain why… 

Efficiency

• High-tier efficiency from SD 8 Gen 2
• Face ID-level biometrics
• MagicOS 7.1 is straightforward to get used to

On the coronary heart of the Honor Magic 5 Professional you’ll discover Qualcomm’s newest top-end chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, paired with 12GB of RAM and a whopping 512GB of storage as normal. The latter is especially spectacular on the sub-£1000 value level contemplating 512GB variants of different premium flagships just like the iPhone 14 Professional Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely are available at over £1400/$1400.

As you’d anticipate from the top-end configuration, the Honor Magic 5 Professional had no concern maintaining with absolutely anything I may throw at it from high-end AAA gaming with most graphics enabled to scrolling by means of media-heavy apps like Twitter with out nary a stutter. Apps open immediately, the 120Hz refresh price helps issues really feel fast and responsive and picture seize is instantaneous too. 

That’s no totally different from some other high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-equipped various in 2023, however it’s good to see such excessive efficiency right here – and with out the telephone getting uncomfortably sizzling too.

That’s backed up by benchmarks, with the Honor Magic 5 Professional in a position to sustain with flagships just like the OnePlus 11, Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely and Vivo X90 Professional in each CPU and GPU assessments. 

Elsewhere you possibly can look ahead to 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC and an in-display fingerprint scanner. Nonetheless, Honor takes issues a step additional with superior facial recognition much like that of Apple’s Face ID, utilizing an IR scanner to scan your face to permit entry to the telephone, and like Apple’s possibility, it even works in complete darkness. 

It’s a lot extra handy than utilizing the fingerprint scanner whereas being safer than the overwhelming majority of Androids that supply primary camera-based facial authentication that may be tricked with a photograph or somebody that appears a bit such as you. Right here, you get each comfort and safety.  

That Face ID-esque digital camera setup additionally permits for the inclusion of low-power gesture management that means that you can swipe up or down with out touching the display screen – superb if, say, you’re following a recipe and have soiled arms however wish to scroll down the web page. You too can make a fist to take a screenshot. 

Nonetheless, it’s relatively restricted and it isn’t 100% dependable with its gesture recognition, so I’m undecided it’ll be as in style as Honor envisions. It does, at the very least, use much less energy than the notorious Soli sensors utilized in Google’s Pixel 4. 

By way of software program, anticipate the Honor Magic 5 Professional to ship with Android 13 with Honor’s MagicOS 7.1 pores and skin utilized on high. It’s not a pores and skin that’ll take too lengthy to get used to with minimal modifications to the core structure of the telephone and its varied options, although there are a number of notable tweaks that enhance the expertise. 

They embody a unique tackle massive folders with the power to entry as much as eight apps with out opening the folder, and the power to swipe up on app icons on the Residence display screen to entry shortcuts. The Cellphone app, for instance, will show your favourites with a swipe.

The caveat to the latter is that it’s solely out there in the event you resolve to show all apps on your private home display screen, relatively than utilizing the app drawer, and I’m undecided that’s one thing a whole lot of Android customers will wish to do. Nonetheless, it’s a pleasant contact that exhibits Honor is attempting to meaningfully improve the core Android expertise relatively than change it totally. 

You too can look ahead to three OS upgrades and 5 years of safety patches as per Honor’s OS promise. 

Battery life

• All-day battery with heavy use
• Two-day battery with mild use
• Full cost in slightly below an hour

Battery efficiency leads the pack with a battery barely bigger than what you’ll discover in a lot of the flagship Android competitors at 5,100mAh, which is a 7.8% improve in capability in comparison with final yr’s flagship, although with the caveat that the total capability isn’t out there for on a regular basis use – by default anyway. 

As a substitute, 100mAh is reserved for the telephone’s ‘Sensible Battery Capability’ function that permits the telephone to complete charging simply shy of its peak capability to increase the battery’s lifespan, although you possibly can resolve to disable the tech and use the total 5,100mAh battery capability within the Settings app. 

That mentioned, even with out that final 100mAh useful, the Honor Magic 5 Professional has completely no concern lasting all day on a single cost with a heavy mixture of texting, scrolling, listening to music and gaming, with the telephone normally attending to the top of a 16-hour day with round 40% cost left.

On days with lighter utilization – like when working from dwelling – that jumped as much as round 60% on common, with no actual concern lasting two days earlier than needing a top-up with such informal use, although heavier use noticed the battery run flat at round 6pm on the second day.

That’s backed up by benchmark testing too, with the Magic 5 Professional draining simply 5% of battery with half an hour of informal gaming and eight% in an hour of HDR Netflix streaming. 

Charging isn’t the quickest round at 66W, particularly with such a big capability battery, and that’s mirrored in testing. I discovered that although it’d regain 50% cost in simply 20 minutes, a full cost took simply shy of an hour – fairly sluggish in comparison with the 120W charging of the 5,000mAh Xiaomi 13 Professional that delivers a full cost in simply 24 minutes. The quick 66W charger does come within the field, at the very least. 

It additionally boasts 50W wi-fi charging, although you’ll want Honor’s Wi-fi SuperCharge base to reap the benefits of such speedy charging capabilities. 

Check out the beneath to see how the Honor Magic 5 Professional compares to the high-end competitors:

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