Mobile is not the only one we are analyzing in this case. It currently holds the mobile phone crown with the best rear camera, best selfie camera, best battery and best screen, according to DixoMark. So we can truly say that we are looking at the best smartphone of the year.
Of course, we are talking about the great HONOR Magic6 Pro, which was launched at the beginning of January with a clear purpose: to end the reign of Samsung and Apple in high-end smartphones. We’ve tested it to see if it’s as good as it says, and here’s our conclusion.
HONOR Magic6 Pro: Mobile phone with the best camera and the longest lasting battery on the market
The HONOR Magic6 Pro is a high-end smartphone that competes in the €1000 – €1500 range. It uses the most powerful processor on the market (Snapdragon 8 Gen 3), a triple camera with a 180 MP telephoto lens and an OLED screen with up to 5000 nits of brightness in HDR. Before analyzing its features, we leave it with a technical sheet.
HONOR Magic6 Pro technical sheet
It combines durability, sophistication and comfort in design
We received the mint green color variant of the HONOR Magic6 Pro, which has a textured back cover, which is pleasant to the touch and looks great. However, if you prefer a more discreet design, it is also available in black with a glass finish.
On the upper part of the back, a large round camera module is surrounded by a gold-colored metal frame. Although this module does not have a symmetrical shape, it does not conflict with the rest of the design. Of course, I prefer that the camera is not too big, because at first glance HONOR Magic6 Pro looks like a digital camera rather than a mobile phone.
The sides of this smartphone are also made of aluminum with a slight golden touch and a prominent shine, which gives it a premium look. It’s relatively thin (8.9mm) and has the usual volume and power buttons attached to the body, along with a USB-C port, a slot for two SIM cards (EC is also supported) and a pair of stereo speakers with DTS. X Ultra (one on top and one on bottom).
It should be noted that the edges are not 100% flat as the screen has a subtle curve. I don’t usually like curved screens, but I like the one on the HONOR Magic6 Pro. It doesn’t feel slippery (because the curve is less defined) and looks amazing. It also uses the new Nanocrystal Shield technology, which according to HONOR makes it 10 times more resistant to drops than its predecessor.
The screen size is 6.8 inches, but ergonomically it looks better to me than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, it’s all square and feels blocky in your hand. Also, HONOR Magic6 Pro weighs around 7 grams which makes the smartphone comfortable to hold.
It is also worth highlighting the IP68 certification, which provides exceptional resistance to water and dust. In theory, it can withstand immersion in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes and is completely immune to dust. Overall, it has a high level of build and design quality and has everything you need to last for years.
The screen gives you a maximum brightness of up to 5000 nits, crazy!
As we mentioned earlier, the Honor Magic6 Pro has a 6.8-inch screen with an LTPO 3.0 OLED panel that offers a high resolution of 1280 x 2800 pixels and a variable refresh rate between 120 Hz and 1 Hz, that is, it is suitable for gaming and does not consume a lot of battery.
But what’s amazing about this screen is that it’s easily readable in bright sunlight, incorporating premium technologies like Dolby Vision and a brightness function of up to 5000 nits in HDR content and 1600 nits in normal conditions. By the way, it’s the brightest screen you can find on a phone these days.
Additionally, it is highly customizable and offers a unique viewing experience for watching movies, series and documentaries. On the other hand, the sound through the stereo speakers isn’t bad, but it’s not as good as good headphones. By the way, it does not have a 3.5 mm jack, although you can connect Bluetooth headphones or USB-C with 3.5 mm jack adapters.
Ah! And you should know that HONOR Magic3 Pro, HONOR Magic4 Pro and HONOR Magic5 Pro keep the pin-shaped hole on the screen but move it to the central part of the mobile. Apparently, this is a change inspired by the iPhone 14, because the hole has the same functions as the flexible island (we will talk about it more).
The top camera on the market
Another thing that left us speechless about the HONOR Magic6 Pro is the quality of its rear camera. The main camera has a 50MP sensor and has the ability to switch aperture between f/1.4 and f/2.0, making it ideal for low-light situations. Images captured with this sensor are sharp, vibrant and show the perfect balance of light and shadow.
However, the highlight of the HONOR Magic6 Pro is its 180MP periscopic lens and 2.5x zoom. This lens features an f/2.6 aperture and a large 1/1.49-inch sensor. In addition, it uses 16-in-1 pixel binning technology to further improve details and lighting. With this combination of technology, the phone can take high-quality photos with up to 10x zoom, compared to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 100x zoom.
The third sensor is a 50MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 122-degree field of view. It provides outstanding performance even in good light conditions and low light conditions. Perfect for taking panoramic views and group selfies.
And as for the front camera, it has a resolution of 50 MP and thanks to the automatic technology and f/2.0 aperture. This selfie camera has a 3D ToF sensor that lets you set up reliable and secure Face ID, one of the few Android phones with this feature.
A lot of power with functions that are not all mobile phones
HONOR Magic6 Pro is one of the most powerful smartphones on the market today. Under the hood is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, which is more than enough to load many applications and games. It doesn’t have a microSD card slot though.
The performance of the phone is outstanding, with smooth scrolling, fast loading times and quick response in both general use and gaming. You can play demanding games like Genshin Impact with high graphic quality without any problem. Although it is not as powerful as a dedicated gaming phone, you will not have any limitations when playing with it.
As for the operating system, MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14 is generally pretty good and I don’t have any major complaints. In fact, although it does not reach the level of the latest Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy, it offers many interesting functions, some of which are based on AI.
Recognizes hand gestures to perform certain actions. For example, you can take a screenshot by making a fist in front of the selfie camera. You can also navigate your phone using gestures in the air without touching the screen. I find these functions very useful, especially when my hands are busy to control the phone.
It has a feature called “Magic Text” that allows you to copy text from images by simply tapping an icon. Similarly, it has a “Magic Portal”, which allows you to easily drag and drop text from one application to another. Additionally, it has its own AI called “MagicLM” that provides in-app suggestions, contextualizes messages, improves photo recognition, etc. Although these functions are useful every day, they are not as advanced or well-implemented as what Google and Samsung have included in their latest flagships.
Going back to the topic of the screen hole, which acts as a “dynamic island”, it can be connected to the playback control of apps like Spotify to stay hidden. You can also put a timer and other basic devices on it to make use of that space.
Regarding updates, HONOR provides 3 years of software updates and 5 years of security updates. It’s not bad at all, but it falls well short of the 7 years of system updates and security patches guaranteed by Samsung and Google.
How long does the HONOR Magic6 Pro battery last?
HONOR Magic6 Pro has a big advantage compared to other flagships in autonomy. Although it doesn’t look too impressive on paper, HONOR has done a great job of optimization to provide superior battery life, with only 80W wired and 66W wireless fast charging with a capacity of 5100 mAh.
On average, the battery lasts 3 days and 9 hours. That is, it gives you more autonomy than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The only downside is that it takes over an hour to charge from 0 to 100%, which can be said to be slow considering the availability of mobile phones like the Realme GT Neo 5 (240W). 11 minutes to charge the battery to 100%.
Final opinion of HONOR Magic6 Pro: The best smartphone in everything but software
HONOR Magic6 Pro is a smartphone that excels in practically everything. It’s a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy S24 Ultra that’s on par with, or better than, the camera and screen. It has a stunning curved design, an industry-leading 5000 nits of peak brightness, plenty of power, and the longest-lasting battery on the market. It’s amazing!
Its software is good for general use, but it doesn’t measure up to flagships like the Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24, which offer better AI features and more updates. Now, when such amazing hardware is offered at such an affordable price, small flaws on the software level are set back.
It costs €1,299, but you can get it now on Amazon. A discount of 300 euros By pressing this button:
Seems like a bargain for 1000 euros. There is no other smartphone in the market that offers you such high-end hardware at that price.
