Honor today detailed its new “dual flagship” strategy: both product lines share the “Magic” name, one is the traditional number series, the other is the Magic V foldables. There are exciting developments for Magic Vs , but we’ll talk about that in a separate post.
Today’s focus was on the presentation of the new Honor Magic5 and Magic5 Pro flagships (not Ultimate, at least not yet).
Honor Magic5 Pro
The new series evolves last year’s “Eye of Muse” camera ring design into the Star Wheel Triple Camera system. Marketing names aside, what you need to know is that the camera has upgraded to a triple 50MP setup.
Honor Magic5 Pro
The main module features a custom 1/1.12-inch sensor and has a bright f/1.6 aperture. This is a huge upgrade in light-gathering capabilities compared to the Magic4 Pro, which had a 1/1.56″ and an f/1.8 aperture. Even better, Honor has enabled optical image stabilization on the main camera (the Magic4 Pro skipped OIS). The 50 MP (122°) ultra-wide-angle camera also has a brighter aperture, f/2.0 (compared to f/2.2).
The periscope module has changed significantly. It now has a 50MP sensor, the Sony IMX858, instead of a 64MP sensor. The lens still offers 3.5x optical magnification (with an f/3.0 lens that is brighter than the f/3.5) and offers an Ultra Fusion Computational Optics System to deliver up to 100x high-quality digital zoom.
The camera system gets help from a number of sensors: a 3D ToF laser for focus, a multi-spectrum sensor for color temperature and a flicker sensor, as well as advanced software features. Honor has partnered with Guinness World Records to make the Magic5 Pro the official camera to capture the tallest between the legs Slam Dunk world record attempt. And he did it automatically with AI Motion Sensor Capture mode.
IMAX Enhanced Movie Master allows users to shoot and edit videos on their phones. By the way, the phone can record 4K video at 60 fps in HDR10+ log format or 10-bit Magic-Log.
Glancing at the phone, you’ll notice the curved design – presumably inspired by the works of architect Antoni Gaudí – the man behind many bold and unusual masterpiece buildings in Barcelona where MWC takes place every year.
The 6.81-inch display is curved on four sides. The large LTPO panel can refresh up to 120Hz. Like last year’s model, it has a resolution of 1,312 x 2,848 px, giving it a pixel density of 461ppi.
With an improved design, it can achieve a peak HDR brightness of 1,800 nits (nearly double Magic4 Pro’s 1,000-nit peak). When it needs to dim, it uses high-frequency PWM dimming at 2,160Hz. The display is also calibrated for color accuracy at two brightness levels: 120 nits indoors and 800 nits outdoors. This is a 10-bit panel with support for HDR10+. It also has a cinematic pedigree with an IMAX Enhanced certification. Stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra also increase the entertainment potential.
On the front is a dual sensor pill shaped cutout in the upper left corner. One is a 12MP sensor for the selfie camera (f/2.4, fixed focus) and the other is a 3D depth sensor. This enables 3D facial recognition; there’s also a fingerprint reader built into the display.
Honor Magic5 Prok
It’s time to mention the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that runs the show. Honor has paired it with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The phone launches with MagicUI 7.1 based on Android 13. This will be just a brief mention as Honor has loaded the phone with a lot of custom hardware as well.
The Discrete Display chipset can help boost frame rates in games and has an always-on HDR effect to enhance videos. The Discrete Security Chipset was co-developed with Qualcomm; it is where sensitive information such as passwords and biometrics (face ID and fingerprints) are stored.
Then there’s the connectivity: Honor claims to have the industry’s first standalone Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antenna architecture, which is expected to boost Wi-Fi 6 performance by up to 200% and reduce latency by up to 30%.
The phone is powered by a 5,100mAh battery, which is quick to recharge with support for 66W wired and 50W wireless SuperCharge. The necessary charger is included in the box.
Honor Magic5
The Honor Magic5 is similar to its Pro sibling but stripped down. This starts with the slightly smaller (but still big enough) 6.73-inch display. The maximum brightness of HDR has dropped to 1,600 nits. However, this is much higher than Magic4 Pro could do.
A more significant difference compared to the vanilla model is the camera: it has a 54 MP (1/1.49″) main module, a 50 MP ultra wide angle and a 32 MP telephoto lens.
Magic5 uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, but the memory configuration is 8/256GB. Also, the phone is a millimeter thinner than the Pro but has the same 5,100mAh capacity and supports 66W wired SuperCharge (not wireless, though).
Prices and availability
The Honor Magic5 series will be available in the April-June quarter. The Vanilla Magic5 is available in blue and black, the Magic5 Pro in Glacier Blue, Meadow Green, Coral Purple, Orange and Black.
Honor Magic5 Pro in Glacier Blue, Meadow Green, Coral Purple, Orange and Black
The Honor Magic5 Pro is available in one configuration, 12/512GB, which will retail for €1,200 (which is the equivalent of $1,270/£1,055/₹105,000). The Vanilla Magic5 (8/256GB) will be much cheaper at €900 ($950 / £795 / ₹78,500)
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