Honor is pushing further into the flagship phone battle — and the newly announced HONOR Magic 5 Pro is here for the next step.
The phone was announced at MWC, and we’ve already gone through the unboxing process while spending time with it. It runs the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. Honor has put forth a great-looking 6.81-inch LTPO OLED display with a pill-shaped cutout for the 12MP camera and a 3D depth sensor on the front. On the backside is the Star Wheel Triple Camera system with three 50MP sensors. This runs on Honor’s MagicOS 7.1, based on Android 13.
An insight about Honor Magic 5 Pro:
While this isn’t a full in-depth review, I can offer some insight.
The unit I’ve been testing my hands-on is a non-final device with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, which also doesn’t have the final software yet. I have a 12GB/512GB model and the final software on the way, so we’ll provide an update.
The moment I took the Magic 5 Pro from the box, I could tell this would be a premium experience. It feels very solid with a nice weight, and the back and front glass curves melt perfectly into the polished side rails. Speaking of the back glass, I have the Meadow Green unit, which has a textured matte finish (the Black color option is glossy). Along with the sides of the phone curving to meet the rails, Honor is paying tribute to world-famous architect Antoni Gaudi by using the Gaudi Curve to build up the circular camera housing.
While I do like the design and feel of the Magic 5 Pro, it’s a bit top-heavy thanks to the large Gaudi Curved camera module taking up the top third of the phone. I have larger hands and can rest my pointer finger on the bottom of the camera housing to help secure the phone when I need to reach the top of the screen, but those with smaller hands might not have it so easy, which could lead to accidental drops.
On the phone’s top side is a speaker grill alongside an IR blaster for controlling various appliances and devices with your phone. At the base of the phone are another speaker grill, the dual-SIM card tray, and a USB-C port.
The display looks fantastic and, according to DXOMARK, earns top marks. It is a 6.81-inch LTPO OLED panel with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, meaning everything looks crisp and runs smoothly. I also had no issues reading the display in direct sunlight thanks to its 1,800-nit max brightness level.
But because the display is so nice to look at, you may spend more time viewing content than usual. It has low blue light emission, with certification from TÜV Rheinland and Dynamic Dimming, providing more natural light to reduce eye strain. It even has Circadian Night Display that adjusts the display to match your rhythms better as you wind your day down. It’s the first LTPO display with 2160Hz Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Dimming, which is a fancy way of saying it helps minimize screen flickering for improved viewing.
Conclusion:
You can test the HONOR Magic 5 Pro by yourself after purchasing it. You will surely enjoy your purchase. So try and buy to enjoy in the long run.
