So, have you seen the great cameras on the Honor Magic4 but wished the company would make a smaller flagship this year? Wish granted! While you should have been more specific with your wish, the Honor Magic5 is smaller but just about right.
Last year’s Magic4 was almost exactly the same size as its Pro sibling. This year’s Magic5 has a 0.08-inch smaller screen, and the phone itself is shorter, narrower, and about a millimeter thinner. So while it’s technically smaller, it’s hard to quantify the difference even when holding both the Vanilla and Pro phones.
One thing you’ll notice is that the Magic5 is significantly lighter – 28g less at nearly the same size makes a tangible difference. It’s also lighter than last year’s Magic4, although some things have been lost.
For starters, the 2022 model had dust and water resistance with an IP54 rating. The 2023 model is not officially rated for any strength. Now, IP54 didn’t suit a £900 phone if you ask us, but no rating at the same price is a disappointment. Yes, the Honor Magic5 (with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage) launches at €900.
Last year’s vanilla phone wasn’t perfect, however, it did offer some nice features that you won’t get from more established brands for the same price. For example, it had an LTPO OLED display (between FHD+ and QHD+ resolution). It also had a 5x periscope. Samsung and Apple don’t have $900 phones with LTPO displays and periscopes, not even in 2023.
That said, this year’s model also doesn’t offer those things. The display is a regular 120Hz OLED panel. Still, it’s incredibly bright, peaking at 1,600 nits, and renders 10-bit color. In addition, the high-frequency PWM dimming system has been improved this year and operates at 2,160Hz (from 1,920Hz).
Moving on to the camera. It has a 54MP main module based on a 1/1.49″ sensor and with an f/1.9 lens, compared to a 50MP 1/1.56″ sensor and f/1.8 lens on the previous model. Which is the best is a question that can only be answered in a detailed review.
Unlike the new Pro model, this one doesn’t have OIS in the main module. The changes to the ultra-wide-angle module are even smaller: a 50 MP sensor behind a 122° lens, the only difference is the brighter f/2.0 aperture (compared to f/2.2).
Now here’s the bulk: the 8MP resolution 5x periscope is gone. In its place is a 2.5x lens in front of a 32MP sensor. That means it can do 5x at 8MP natively, along with smooth digital zoom between 2.5x and 5x without resorting to the main sensor.
As we noted in the Magic5 Pro hands-on, Honor has changed the battery situation. He has reduced the speed of wireless and wired charging, but increased the battery capacity. The Vanilla Magic5 also has a larger battery, at 5,100mAh, compared to last year’s model’s 4,800mAh, while charging remains just as fast at 66W.
There’s no wireless support, but other than that, the vanilla phone’s battery is just as big and fast as that of its Pro sibling. That’s impressive considering that the phone is lighter and 1mm thinner than both the Magic4 and Magic5 Pro .
We should mention that the Magic5 is powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset as the Pro model. The global release of the two phones will see the vanilla phone with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage at €900 and the Pro (12/512GB ) to 1,200 euros.
Overall, the Honor Magic5 looks quite different from last year’s vanilla model. The Magic4 had the same main and ultra-wide-angle cameras as the Magic4 Pro and while its periscope wasn’t as impressive as the Pro’s 64MP module, at least it was there. The battery and IP rating are where the 2022 Vanilla phone takes a step back.
This year there are significant differences between Magic5 and Magic5 Pro in camera and display, also in dust and water resistance. And if you don’t use wireless charging, the batteries might as well be the same. However, the price gap between the two models remains €300, and this premium Pro model certainly buys a lot more hardware this year than it will in 2022.
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