We subjected the Honor Magic 4 Pro to our rigorous SBMARK Audio test suite to measure its performance both when recording sound using its built-in microphones, and when playing audio through its speakers.
In this review, we’ll break down how it fared across a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- One upper front speaker, one upper side and one lower side speaker
- No audio jack
- DTS: X Ultra sound effects
- Audio zoom
Reproduction
Pros
- Pleasant mid-range
- Good attack rendition and crisp transients
- Good spatial performance overall
versus
- Subtle tonal balance, with a lack of low-end extension and high-end extension
- The minimum volume step could be fine-tuned, as it is too low.
- Lack of depth due to the subtle tonal balance
Registration
Pros
- Good overall performance in all attributes
- Good audio zoom capabilities
- It shines especially in high SPL scenarios
versus
- Tonal balance too dependent on the use case and lacking in consistency
- In selfie videos, noise reduction algorithms induce artifacts such as phasing.
The Honor Magic 4 Pro is an overall very good device from an audio point of view. As a playback device, it works equally well for music, movies, and games, making it a great all-rounder for smartphone users who rely on built-in speakers. The device offers a pleasant mid-range and good attack yield, with high-pitched transients. It also offers a large stereo soundscape where individual voices and instruments are easy to spot. On the downside, the tonal balance lacks some low- and high-end extensions, which makes it a bit subtle, and the minimum volume is too low, which means it’s not ideal for hearing softer sounds, like classic music.
The Magic4 Pro works well for playback, but is also better as a recording device, delivering good performance in all of our test attributes. It’s a great option for recording in all kinds of situations, including concerts, meetings, and voice memos. It also sounds great when recording audio with the main camera or selfie videos. Our testers found the device to be particularly good at handling high sound pressure levels, where it still offers good tonal balance and envelope as well as great intelligibility. Audio zoom works very well too, allowing you to focus on one particular sound source and drown out everything else. On the downside, tone balance varies a bit too much between use cases, for example the lack of high-end extension when recording main camera video.
Test summary
Learn about SBMARK audio tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone audio reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual assessment under controlled laboratory conditions.
(For more details on our reproduction protocol, click here; for more details on our registration protocol, click here.)
The following section collects the key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyzes performed in SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
How the audio playback score is composed
SBMARK engineers test playback through smartphone speakers, whose performance is evaluated in our labs and under real-life conditions, using apps and default settings.
When playing music or other sounds through the built-in speakers, the Magic4 Pro offers a decent overall tonal balance, although the lack of high-end extension means the highs can be a bit dull and the lower end of the spectrum lacks depth. . In terms of dynamics, the attack rendition is nice and crisp, but the bass could be more precise.
The speakers are capable of reproducing a large stereo scene and the sound sources are easy to locate within the scene. The perception of distance is also realistic. At minimum volume dynamic content, such as classical music, can be muffled, but the maximum volume setting is well adjusted, showing no flaws. The device also performs well in terms of artifacts, without any distortion or compression, even at maximum volume. There is only a slight distortion of the treble which may also be intentional.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
Recordings of smartphones that play some of our music at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment from 2 microphones in AB configuration, at 30 cm
Here’s how the Honor Magic 4 Pro fares in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
Playback of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone reproduces sound across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble, tonal balance and volume dependence. It is the most important attribute for reproduction.
Music playback frequency response
A 1/12 octave frequency response graph, which measures the volume of each frequency emitted by the smartphone when playing a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as the precision with which a bass note or the impact sound of drums is played.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include identifying the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude.
The volume score represents the overall volume of a smartphone and how the volume gradually increases and decreases based on user input.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPLs) measured when playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| Hip-Hop | Classic | |
| Honor Magic4 Pro | 72.3 dBA | 69.2 dB |
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max | 72.4 dBA | 69.5 dBA |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) | 74.1 dB | 70.2 dBA |
The graph below shows the gradual changes in volume from minimum to maximum. We expect these changes to be consistent across the range, so that all volume levels match user expectations:
Music volume texture
This line graph shows the relative playback volume versus the user-selected volume step, measured at different volume levels with correlated pink noise in an anechoic box recorded on axis at 0.20 meters.
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which sound is affected by various types of distortion. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortion can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
Total harmonic distortion reproduction (maximum volume)
This graph shows the total harmonic distortion and noise in the audible frequency range.
It represents the distortion and noise of the device reproducing our test signal (0 dB Fs, Sweep Sine in an anechoic box at 40 cm) at the maximum volume of the device.
How the score of the audio recording is composed
SBMARK engineers test the recording by evaluating recorded files on reference audio equipment. These recordings are performed in our labs and in real-life conditions, using apps and predefined settings.
The Magic4 Pro is overall a great phone for sound recording and even better than for playback. The recordings have great timbre, although there are some variations depending on the use case. Treble is mostly outstanding, but the sound in main camera video recordings lacks a high-end extension compared to selfie videos and voice memos. Recordings have a nice and natural tonal balance, especially good for recording high SPLs. It’s worth noting that using the audio zoom feature will result in a slight loss of low-mid range and clarity.
In terms of dynamics, the Honor performs well in all use cases, generally offering great intelligibility and envelope. The latter is accurate and precise even at high sound pressure levels and exhibits sharp transients. The downside is that amplitude seems quite small in many use cases, but instruments or voices are easy to spot in the soundscape and background noise is filtered out very well when using the audio zoom feature.
Our testers noticed some sonic artifacts in Magic4 Pro recordings. There is some pumping on low volume content when there is a loud background noise and loud sounds, such as screaming voices, can be slightly distorted. The device handles wind noise very well, especially when recording selfie videos and the wind is not too strong. Recordings are virtually free of artifacts when using audio zoom. The tonal balance in the background is good but slightly focused on the midrange.
Here’s how the Honor Magic4 Pro fares in recording use cases compared to its competitors:
Record of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone captures sounds across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble and tonal balance. It is the most important attribute for registration.
Life video frequency response
A 1 / 12th octave frequency response graph, which measures the volume of each frequency captured by the smartphone when recording a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately the explosives of a voice (p, tek, for example) are reproduced. The score also considers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), such as how loud the main voice is compared to the background noise.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include locating the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude on recorded audio files.
Directivity of registration
Smartphone directivity graph when recording test signals using the camera app, with the main camera. It represents the acoustic energy (in dB) on the angle of incidence of the sound source. (Normalized to the 0 ° angle, in front of the device.)
The volume score represents the normalization level of the audio on the recorded files and how the device handles noisy environments, such as electronic concerts, during recording.
Here are the sound levels recorded in the audio and video files, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); as a reference, we expect loudness levels to be higher than -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Match | Life video | Selfie video | Memo | |
| Honor Magic4 Pro | -22.3 LUFS | -19.8 LUFS | -18.1 LUFS | -18.8 LUFS |
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max | -25.5 LUFS | -22.7 LUFS | -20.1 LUFS | -18.2 LUFS |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) | -28.8 LUFS | -21.7 LUFS | -21.2 LUFS | -23.9 LUFS |
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which recorded sounds are affected by various types of distortions. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortions can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the microphones, as well as user handling, such as the way the phone is held.
In this audio comparison, you can hear how this smartphone handles wind noise compared to its competitors:
Recordings of a voice sample with light background noise, facing a turbulent wind of 5 m / s
Background evaluates how naturally the various sounds around a voice blend into the video recording file. For example, when recording a speech at an event, the background should not interfere with the main voice, but should provide context for the surrounding environment.
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