Return of the Affordable Flagship
Honor returns to Singapore this year with a lineup of value propositions
Previously owned by Huawei, Honor no longer bears the burden of the parent company’s trade restrictions and is able to licence Google apps on its smartphones. If you have liked Huawei smartphones, then the Honor smartphones are your closest alternatives that run on full Android.
I will start by listing the features of the Magic5 Pro that are truly flagship grade: triple 50 MP rear cameras, consisting of ultra-wide, normal wide, and telephoto that cover up to 100x zoom. It runs on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with 12GB RAM, 512 GB storage, a 6.8-inch OLED display with 2160Hz PWM dimming, 120Hz refresh, and peak 1800 nits brightness. Its Bluetooth audio codec covers SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC. It is IP68 water resistant, a 5100 mAh battery with 66W wired and 50W wireless charging. A matching-spec Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra would cost 60% more. This is the kind of value you are getting out of Magic5 Pro.
The smartphone blazes with every tap and swipe, not wasting any time waiting for animation or loading. The stereo speaker setup delivers more impactful sound, the build feels more sturdy, and the big round camera system is following the trend for a large conventional camera lens look. Dig deeper and you will find numerous features that you might take for granted. For instance, AI Privacy Call will auto-adjust the earpiece volume if it detects you are taking a phone in a quiet environment. There is also an option to schedule power on and off which helps in doing scheduled reboot to keep the phone optimised.
The display options are aplenty: vivid colour lovers will find the setting to deliver punching images, but I prefer the normal mode to ensure colours look realistic. The eye-care display feature adjusts the screen colour temperature based on time and the 2160 Hz PWM dimming lets you enjoy a dimmer screen without the flickering effects. Screen resolution and refresh rate can also be adjusted depending on whether you want the highest quality or balanced battery consumption. The default font size is generous but if you have better eyesight, you can reduce the size and see more content within the screen.
The camera system consists of three rear cameras with the same 50MP count, so there is consistency in pixel density. The main camera lens is 1/1.12-inch in size with 2.8um pixel size. Under normal shoot settings, the Magic5 Pro will save all images in 12MP unless you select the High-Res mode. As a whole, the images turn out really dynamic, sharp, and contrasty while balancing vividness, the latter depending on the subject which gets automatically enhanced when “AI Photography” is enabled. Macro capability is excellent, allowing shots as close as 2.5 cm.
Rating: 4/5
We Say: Honor Magic5 Pro is a high-performance smartphone with outstanding price value and plenty of customisation options to improve usability and eye care.
S$1,249
www.hihonor.com/sg
Technical Specifications
Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Operating System MagicOS 7.1 based on Android 13
Display 6.8-inch OLED, 2160Hz PWM Dimming, LTPO 120Hz
Rear Camera 50MP Wide Camera, 50MP Ultra Wide, 50MP Periscope Telephoto
Front Camera 12MP Wide Camera, 3D Depth Camera
Storage 12GB + 512GB
Battery 5100 mAh, 66W Wired SuperCharge, 50W Wireless SuperCharge
Dimensions 163 x 76.7 x 8.77 mm
Weight 219 g
