With this launch, the former Huawei sub-brand positions itself as one of the most competitive in the world. It is the cell phone with perhaps the best camera in the market, a dazzling display and other attributes that place it at the top of the table.
When Geroge Zhao, the charismatic CEO of Honor, presented the new jewel of the fledgling Chinese brand at the last Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, one of the most striking concepts he used was that the company was focusing on the fact of being”human centered”. That is to say centered on the human being.
Even if it is only a marketing pitch, it is still rare to see a “humanized” brand when presenting a product. Even less with the presence of the boss of the company himself, even answering questions from the invited press. This is a special detail that few companies can boast of.
Unlike other recent Chinese brands, Honor’s operations in our region have been somewhat slow. But of course, since he has structured an interesting portfolio, which grows over the months for all segments, supplemented by portable or portable, as recommended smart watch Honor GS 3 which we reviewed some time ago, in addition to other devices and accessories such as headphones, laptops and even televisions.
But the essence of Honor is in cellphones. And this year, the brand has moved into the big leagues by presenting, with events in Barcelona and Mexico, the excellent Honor Magic 5 Pro , a high-end mobile phone that comes to fight for the scepter of the most advanced, sophisticated and expensive phones currently on our market. Its camera, for example, ranks among the best this year. Let’s examine it in detail.
Technical specifications:
- Dimensions : 162.9 x 8.77 x 76.7mm
- lester : 219g.
- Filter : OLED 6.81″ (2848 x 1312)
- Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Memory : 12 GB
- Storage : 512 GB
- Front camera : 12MP/4K
- Rear camera : Main: 50 MP (1/1.12″ sensor, f/1.6) / Wide angle 50 MP (f/2.0) / Telephoto: 50MP (f/3.0).
- Battery : 5100mAh
- Operating system : MagicOS 7.1 (based on Android 13)
- Charger : Honor 66W SuperCharge
Powerful outside and inside
It is true that Honor, in the limited portfolio it has released in recent years, bears some resemblance to the original design of its former company, Huawei. But little by little the brand acquires a unique identity. Without going any further, we have chosen the Honor 70 as one of the cell phones with the best camera of the last year. Because, on the whole, Honor rightly manages to avoid the more obvious designs, and that’s how the Magic 5 Pro figure stands out.
For now, the color of the device we have tested is a very elegant and distinctive watery green which, on the back, is complemented by the powerful photographic module (which we will talk about later), which occupies a large space at the top ., tilting the weight slightly.
This means that sometimes the phone won’t sit so firmly on a flat surface, although in the long run – and with a protector or case, if you want – the problem can be fixed. The matte finish makes it very pleasant to the touch, although for some users it can be somewhat slippery. The good: fingerprints do not stay on the surface. Beautiful.
On the sides, there are few surprises: on the right side, we find the power button and the volume controls. The left side is conveniently deserted. At the bottom and in the center, the USB-C connector. The SIM card port is on its left and the stereo speaker is on the right. The outline of the mobile phone is completely curved, which gives it sophistication and the feeling of an infinite screen. Fans of flatter and more square formats will have to refrain from the Honor Magic 5 Pro.
One of the best screens on the market
In front we have its single screen. When you turn it on, it immediately wows you: it’s bright, big, covers every corner, and has crisp, detailed resolution that’s truly a sight to behold. It’s a 6.81-inch True Color OLED display, with up to 1800 nits of brightness and 1.07 billion colors. This makes it easier to view content in the midday sun.
It has a QuadHD resolution of 2,848 x 1,312 pixels, compatible with HDR10 and a dynamic refresh rate that reaches 120 Hz, which ensures smooth image fluidity. I really understand the high rating given by DXO Brand : obtained 155 points out of 160 possible.
One detail is that the notch that hides the front camera is located at the top left of the screen – as on Huawei models – and not in the center, as is the case with the vast majority of smartphones. It’s an interesting change, which isn’t too awkward and which, in the end, goes rather unnoticed. With the exception of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, this has to be the best display we’ve tested this year in terms of durability, brightness, and resolution.
In fact, it is the first mobile to obtain the certification “circadian friendly“, of TÜV Rheinland , as it automatically adjusts screen brightness with the circadian cycle of the day. What does it mean? That its level of brightness is regulated according to the amount of sunlight – more in the morning and at noon, less in the afternoon and at night – which favors greater care for our retinas. A wonder.
Only downside: it attracts a little dust, so you have to clean the screen from time to time. And the sound, which is decent – it has good bass boost and sounds great – doesn’t get as loud as we might have imagined. Even some distortion is noticeable at very high volumes. Nothing too bad, anyway.
A high-end camera and an excellent battery
The phone is wonderful. Housed in a premium design, the Magic 5 Pro dazzles in all departments. Indeed, it delivers a high-end experience that will hardly be matched in the rest of the year by any other brand. And the design, usability and customization of the operating system, allowing endless adjustments, are a delight. From noise cancellation when using headphones, to faster and more secure biometric recognition, or using gesture controls to operate equipment, everything works perfectly.
This happens, among other things, thanks to its engine. The Honor Magic 5 Pro has the best and most up-to-date processing under the hood: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which, together with a generous 12 GB RAM, ensures that the performance of the device is ultra-fast. fast and smooth, added complications. Whether it was running videos, multiple apps at once, or enjoying a high-demand video game, the phone gave us no issues, not even overheating. But there is more. For example, in its photographic section.
This is where the phone shines even more. Its camera is exceptionally good, so much so that one could consider the device a “camera with a phone”. While one would assume that the average consumer just wants the device to have good lenses, the photos to be as vivid as possible, and hopefully the software has some apps to help optimize the image, such as filters, HDR, stickers, color temperature, among many other variables, cameras continue to be the main attraction when buying a new cell phone.
In this sense, the system offered by the Honor Magic 5 Pro is practically unbeatable in possibilities and capacity. In fact, it is the smartphone available in Chile that has the best score on the specialized site DXO Brand , which is responsible for evaluating the quality of screens, cameras and other elements. At press time, the Honor Magic 5 Pro I was third in this ranking only surpassed by the cameras of the Huawei P60 Pro and the Oppo Find X6 Pro. The detail is not minor, since we are talking about a device that really —and especially in the photographic section— stands out with honours.
First of all, it is water and dust resistant thanks to its IP68 certification. The main camera is a 50-megapixel wide-angle, with a large 1/1.12″ sensor and up to f/1.6 aperture. It also has an ultra HD telephoto periscope camera, with another good 50MP, 3.5X optical zoom and 100X digital zoom. The wide angle follows the same path as the 50MP, with a 2.5cm HD macro. Finally, the module also includes a laser focusing system for perfect detection of moving objects, characters or people.
Another great detail is its battery. In a market where the largest are capacities that reach 5,000 mAh, this model pushes the limits by offering a 5,100 mAh battery. It may not seem like much, but the difference is felt, especially when it’s time to end the day and see that there is still energy left. Along with that, the system offers fast charging with a 66W outlet, in addition to the ever-convenient option of wireless charging.
Practical verdict
Worth redundancy, Honor graduates with “honours” after the successful launch of its first top of the range in our latitudes. With a bulky but sophisticated and elegant design, high-end features and a camera that dazzles with its capacity and post-production possibilities, we are faced with a formidable team that, except for minimal details, offers an excellent user experience.
Apparently this year we won’t have many options for the top models, beyond other design possibilities (like the coming folding wave). For this reason, the Honor Magic 5 Pro is rightly a candidate to be one of the best smartphones of 2023, surely on the podium for the best camera of the year. Beyond the high price, the units are running out, confirming that the local user is looking for the best and most modern possible, often regardless of the cost.
Note: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
*Prices for products in this article are updated as of May 31, 2023. Values and their availability may change.
Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
