Honor Magic 5 Pro review

In this review, we delve into the world of the Honor Magic 5 Pro, an impressive flagship device that excels in a number of key aspects.

From its unique design, to premium hardware and exceptional camera capabilities, the Magic 5 Pro stands as a compelling choice for a wide array of users.

However, how does it stack up against other flagship devices like the S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro Max? Let's find out.

Design and Specifications

The Honor Magic 5 Pro inherits its design cues from its popular predecessor, featuring a dual-glass construction and an elegantly curved design.

The device boasts a pill-shaped display with a hefty circular camera module on the back, exuding a unique visual appeal, but also a slightly top-heavy balance.

Additionally, it holds an IP68 rating, providing dust and water resistance for added durability.

On the front, the Magic 5 Pro presents a seamless curved glass design that embraces all sides. Complemented by an aluminium frame, the device offers a sleek and stylish appearance.

Screen Quality and Audio

The Magic 5 Pro is equipped with an LTPO OLED display that supports HDR10+, providing vivid and immersive visuals.

With a resolution of 1312 x 2848 pixels, the display offers industry-leading sharpness and clarity. Notably, the device stands out with its impressive peak brightness of 1800 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in bright sunlight.

The display's screen-to-body ratio of approximately 91% enhances the immersive experience further.

In terms of audio, the Magic 5 Pro features two speakers which complement each other with the top emphasising vocals and the bottom speaker enhancing bass.

The overall audio quality is remarkable, offering both loudness and clarity, enhancing multimedia experiences.

Interface and Operating System

Running on Android 13 with MagicOS 7.1, the Honor Magic 5 Pro provides a user-friendly and feature-rich interface.

Although historically associated with Huawei, this device offers a fully-functional Android 13 experience, complete with the features and functions of Google's App Store.

While faint echoes of the legacy EMUI interface historically shared between Honor and Huawei devices remain, MagicOS on the Magic 5 Pro offers attractive and extensive customisation options such as an array of free and paid themes, options for the always-on-display, and even an IR blaster.

Overall, the software experience is a smooth and enjoyable - albeit heavily tailored - one as opposed to the light-touch approach of some others offering Google's operating system.

Camera and Video Quality

The Magic 5 Pro boasts an unmissable triple camera setup on the back, with each camera featuring 50 MP resolution.

This unique configuration includes a primary, ultrawide, and telephoto lens, accompanied by a laser focusing system, a flicker sensor, and a colour sensor.

On the front, a 12MP camera with autofocus and impressive depth mapping capabilities caters to excellent selfie photography.

The camera performance of the Magic 5 Pro is nothing short of stellar, once again standing toe-to-toe with rival setups in the market.

The device captures photos with exceptional detail and contrast, offering a natural-looking bokeh effect with the telephoto lens. Additionally, the device excels in low-light photography, ensuring high-quality images even in challenging lighting conditions.

The Magic 5 Pro supports 4K video recording at 30 or 60fps on the rear camera, while the front camera is limited to 30fps at 4K quality.

Storage and Memory

The Honor Magic 5 Pro offers various storage and memory options to cater to different preferences.

These include 8GB of RAM with 128GB of memory storage, 12GB of RAM with either 256GB or 512GB of storage, going all the way up to a whopping 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage.

However, the great balance of plenty of RAM for daily tasks at 12GB, and ample memory for photos and music at 512GB is the order of the day for UK audiences.

The storage utilises UFS 4.0 technology, ensuring fast data transfer speeds. However, it is important to note that the device does not support expandable storage via SD cards.

Processor and Performance

Powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and DDR5 RAM, the Magic 5 Pro delivers exceptional flagship performance.

The device also features the Adreno 740 GPU, enabling smooth gaming and graphics-intensive tasks alike.

With its impressive specs under the bonnet, the Magic 5 Pro compares favourably with popular devices on the market.

However we did find it getting a little bit toasty on occasion after a prolonged gaming session - an issue which has reduced after a number of updates - just one thing to flag.

Battery and Charging

With a large 5,100mAh battery capacity, the Magic 5 Pro provides excellent battery life for everyday usage, easily lasting a full day for tasks such as calling and web browsing.

However, extended gaming sessions may lead to increased heat generation and faster battery drain.

Thankfully, the device supports 66W fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging, allowing for rapid charging speeds. Users can expect to reach a 50% charge in under 20 minutes.

Pricing and Availability

The Honor Magic 5 Pro is available in different configurations, with the lead 512GB storage and 12GB RAM variant priced at £949.00 at launch, but offers frequently see the device as affordable as £799 SIM-free, or free from £39 per month on a pay monthly contract.

Final Verdict

The Honor Magic 5 Pro stands out as an exceptional device, excelling in a number of key aspects for today's value-conscious customer.

With a powerful processor, impressive camera capabilities, long-lasting battery life, and fast charging speed, it offers a compelling all-around package.

More proof that the manufacturer continues to extend far beyond its entry-level roots to offer flagship performance - making the Magic 5 Pro more than a match for steep flagship competition!