We put the Honor Magic5 Pro through our rigorous SBMARK Selfie test suite to measure its performance in photos and videos from an end-user perspective. This article analyzes the behavior of the device in a series of tests and several common use cases and aims to highlight the most important results of our tests with an excerpt of the acquired data.

Overview

Front camera main specifications:

  • 12 MP sensor, 1.22 µm pixels
  • Lens with f/2.4 aperture with 100º field of view

Pros

  • Accurate exposure in bright light and indoors for photos and videos
  • Consistent exposure between consecutive shots
  • Effective video stabilization
  • Pretty good on video
  • Good depth estimation in bokeh mode

Against

  • Limited dynamic range in difficult backlit photography scenes
  • Low level of detail in the photo
  • White balance and skin tone rendering in photos and videos are sometimes inaccurate
  • Temporal video noise
  • Notable adjustments in video panorama shots

The Honor Magic5 Pro delivered a decent performance in the SBMARK Selfie test, but couldn’t keep up with the best in its class. In photo mode the camera captured decent still images with good exposure. However, our testers found the dynamic range to be limited, color rendition could have been better, and the trade-off between detail preservation and noise reduction also left some room for improvement.

Performance in video mode was comparatively better than photos, with good video stabilization making the Honor a good option for vlogging and similar use cases. Exposure was also generally good, but could be slightly choppy at times. Our experts also occasionally noticed inaccurate skin tones in recorded video footage.

Honor Magic 5 Pro vs Ultra-Premium Selfie Scores

This chart compares overall SBMARK Selfie scores for photos and videos between tested and reference devices. The average and maximum scores of the price range are also indicated. The average and maximum scores for each price segment are calculated based on the SBMARK device database.

Test summary

About SBMARK selfie tests: For scoring and analysis, SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 1,500 test images in both controlled laboratory environments and natural outdoor, indoor, and low-light scenes, using default front camera settings. The photography protocol is designed to take user needs into account and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as close-ups and group selfies. Evaluation is performed by visually examining images Cons a natural scene reference and performing objective measurements on laboratory-captured graph images under varying lighting conditions from 1 to 1,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300 K to 6,500 K. Learn more information about the SBMARK Selfie test protocol, click here. More details on how we rate smartphone cameras can be found here. The following section compiles key elements of SBMARK’s comprehensive testing and analysis. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us to find out how to receive a full report.

Photo

116

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

Honor Magic 5 Pro photography scores compared to Ultra-Premium

Photography tests analyze image quality attributes such as exposure, color, texture and noise under various lighting conditions. The focus range and presence of artifacts are also evaluated on all images captured under controlled laboratory conditions and in real-life images. All of these attributes have a significant impact on the final quality of images captured with the tested device and can help understand the camera’s key strengths and weaknesses.

Exposure

72

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Color

84

Google Pixel 7 Pro

Google Pixel 7 Pro

Exposure and color are the key attributes for technically good images. For exposure, the main attribute evaluated is the brightness of faces under various use cases and lighting conditions. Other factors evaluated are contrast and dynamic range, e.g. the ability to make details visible in both bright and dark areas of the image. Repeatability is also important because it demonstrates the camera’s ability to provide the same rendering when shooting consecutive images in a row.
Regarding color, the image quality attributes analyzed are skin tone rendering, white balance, color shading and repeatability.

Honor Magic5 Pro – Orange white balance, inaccurate skin tones, slight clipping of highlights, good contrast

Apple iPhone 14 Pro – Neutral white balance, accurate skin tones, strong highlight clipping, excellent contrast

Huawei Mate 50 Pro – Neutral white balance, desaturated skin tones, slight highlight clipping, low contrast

Focus

93

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

Autofocus tests evaluate the precision of focus on the subject’s face, the repeatability of accurate focus, and the depth of field. While a shallow depth of field can be nice for a single-subject selfie or close-up shot, it can be problematic in specific conditions like group selfies; both situations are tested. Focus accuracy is also evaluated in all real images taken, from 30cm to 150cm, and in low-light or outdoor conditions.

Honor Magic5 Pro – Close-up portrait – Subject to focus, noise, inaccurate skin tones

Apple iPhone 14 Pro – Close-up portrait – Subject in focus, light noise, accurate skin tones

Huawei Mate 50 Pro – Close-up portrait – Subject in focus, no noise, precise skin tones

Structure

52

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Texture tests analyze the level of detail and texture of subjects in images taken in the lab and in real-life scenarios. For natural shots, special attention is paid to the level of detail of facial features, such as the eyes. Objective measurements are performed on map images taken under various lighting conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different types of dynamic range conditions. The papers used are the proprietary SBMARK (DMC) paper and the Dead Leaves paper.

Evolution of texture sharpness with illuminance level

This graph shows the evolution of texture sharpness with lux level for two holding conditions. Texture sharpness is measured on the Dead Leaves graph in the Close-up Dead Leaves setting.

Noise

74

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

Huawei Mate 50 Pro

Noise tests analyze various noise attributes such as intensity, chromaticity, grain and texture on real images and on graph images taken in the laboratory. For natural images, particular attention is paid to noise on faces, but also to dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Objective measurements are performed on graph images taken under various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux and different types of dynamic range conditions. The graph used is the SBMARK Dead Leaves graph and the standardized measurement such as visual noise derived from ISO 15739.

Evolution of visual noise with illuminance levels under handheld conditions

This graph shows the evolution of the visual noise metric with lux level in handheld conditions. The visual noise metric is the average of the visual noise measurement across all areas of the Dead Leaves graph in the Close-up Dead Leaves setting. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.

Artifacts

69

Google Pixel 7a

Google Pixel 7a

Artifact evaluation looks at lens shading, chromatic aberrations, distortion measurements on the Dot and MTF graph, and sound measurements on the SFR graph in the lab. Particular attention is paid to ghosting, quantization, halos and tone changes on the face, among others. The more severe and frequent the artifact, the greater the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts observed and the corresponding point loss are listed below.

Major penalties for photography artifacts

video

141

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

About SBMARK selfie video tests

SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 2 hours of video in controlled laboratory environments and natural low-light scenes, indoors and outdoors, using default front camera settings. The evaluation consists of visual inspection of natural videos taken under various conditions and performing objective measurements on videos of graphs recorded in the laboratory under different conditions from 1 to 1000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300 K to 6,500 K.

Honor Magic 5 Pro video scores compared to Ultra-Premium

Video tests analyze the same image quality attributes as still images, such as exposure, color, texture, or noise, as well as temporal aspects such as speed, exposure uniformity and stability, white balance, and autofocus transitions.

Video performance is generally efficient. Motion is generally well compensated and frame shift is barely visible. In terms of exposure, the target exposure is generally accurate. However, some slight exposure adjustments are visible during panning. White balance is generally pleasing, but skin tones sometimes have an orange hue. The level of detail is generally high. However, noise is often visible, especially in laboratory measurements. Few artifacts are visible.

Exposure

76

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Color

82

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Exposure tests evaluate facial brightness and dynamic range, e.g. the ability to make details visible in both bright and dark areas of the image. The stability and temporal adaptation of the exposure are also analyzed. Image quality color analysis examines skin tone rendering, white balance, color shading, white balance stability and its adaptation when the light changes.

Honor Magic 5 Pro – Accurate exposure, slightly unpleasant skin tones (orange tone)

Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Target exposure and accurate skin tone rendering

Huawei Mate 50 Pro: precise target exposure and skin tone rendering

Structure

83

Asus Zenfone 6

Asus Zenfone 6

Texture tests analyze the level of detail and texture of real videos and graphics videos recorded in the lab. Natural video footage is evaluated visually, with particular attention to the level of detail of facial features. Objective measurements are performed on chart images taken under various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The chart used is the Dead Leaves chart.

Evolution of texture sharpness with illuminance level

This graph shows the evolution of texture sharpness with lux level for two holding conditions. Texture sharpness is measured on the Dead Leaves graph in the Close-up Dead Leaves setting.

Noise

58

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra

Noise tests analyze various noise attributes such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure, temporal aspects on real video recordings and on videos of graphs taken in the laboratory. Natural videos are evaluated visually, with particular attention to noise on faces. Objective measurements are performed on graph videos recorded under various conditions from 1 to 1000 lux. The graph used is the SBMARK visual noise graph.

Evolution of spatial visual noise with illuminance level

This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with lux level. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setup. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.

Temporal evolution of visual noise with illuminance level

This graph shows the evolution of temporal visual noise with lux level. Temporal visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setup.

Stabilization

78

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

The stabilization rating checks the device’s ability to stabilize footage thanks to software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS or any other means. The evaluation examines overall residual motion on the face and background, smoothness, and yellow artifacts, during walking and panning use cases under various lighting conditions. The video below is an excerpt of one of the scenes tested.

Honor Magic 5 Pro – Effective stabilization

Apple iPhone 14 Pro – Effective stabilization

Huawei Mate 50 Pro – Effective stabilization

Artifacts

87

Apple iPhone 12 mini

Apple iPhone 12 mini

Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ringing measurements on the SFR graph in the lab, as well as frame rate measurements using the LED universal timer. Natural videos are visually evaluated by paying particular attention to artifacts such as quantization, hue shift, and face rendering artifacts, among others. The more severe and frequent the artifact, the greater the deduction of points from the score. The main artifacts and the corresponding point loss are listed below

Top penalties for video artifacts

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Philip Owell

Professional blogger, here to bring you new and interesting content every time you visit our blog.