HONOR Magic 6 Pro in test: Master class or just mediocre?

 HONOR Magic 6 Pro: design and finish
 

With the Magic 6 Pro, HONOR remains true to its design language and at the same time continues it. The back is available in two versions: Epi Green, with a synthetic leather-like structure, and the subtle black with a matte glass surface, which looks minimalist and classy. Both models are framed by a shiny metal frame, which makes the device look even more high-quality.

The smartphone measures 163 x 76 x 9 mm and weighs a whopping 229 grams. The weight is noticeably concentrated around the camera, which results in a certain top-heavy feeling during longer usage sessions. The device also does not lie flat on flat surfaces. A tribute to the prominent camera module, which is enclosed in a square, rounded metal frame. There is nothing to complain about in terms of workmanship.

 HONOR Magic 6 Pro: Screen 

The 6,8-inch LTPO AMOLED display of the Magic 6 Pro could hardly be better. With a resolution of 1.280 x 2.800 pixels, a peak brightness of 5.000 nits and support for Dolby Vision and HDR, HONOR has installed a first-class display.

The display was impressive due to its versatility, whether in bright sunshine or in the dark of the evening. Thailand was the perfect test area, when the sun literally burned down on the display at midday, but the display was still very easy to read. In the evening, the Magic 6 Pro dims down pleasantly without glare.

In addition, the display offers an adaptive refresh rate of 1 Hz to 120 Hz. This means a very smooth user experience, whether scrolling through social media or playing games.

 HONOR Magic 6 Pro: Performance, battery and connectivity 

Snapdragon 8 Gen3

Inside is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, supported by 12 GB RAM and 512 GB storage. This means that the HONOR Magic 6 Pro currently offers flagship performance without compromise. Demanding games like Genshin Impact run smoothly, without overheating or a drop in performance.

Magic OS 8.0

At the time of testing, MagicOS 8.0 was based on Android 14 and ran stably throughout the entire test. HONOR has also included new AI functions in this version. First and foremost, the Magic Portal. The function makes everyday life easier by allowing you to simply drag and drop content such as addresses or images between apps to use them directly. For example, transferring an address from a message to the maps app or dragging an image into a shopping app to find similar products.

The only point of criticism remains the update policy. HONOR promises four years of Android updates and five years of security patches, but competitors such as Samsung and Google offer significantly more.

battery performance

A clear challenge to other manufacturers is HONOR's second generation silicon-carbon battery, which has an impressive capacity of 5.600 mAh and, in combination with HONOR's E1 Power Enhanced Chip, promises optimized and therefore longer running times. Even with intensive use, including navigation, photography and streaming, the battery easily lasted 1 1/2 days. At the end of a typical day on holiday, there was usually still around 30% charge left.

The 88 watt quick charge function fully recharges the battery in under an hour. Just 15 minutes on the socket brought the smartphone to 45% battery. Wireless charging is also possible and is supported with up to 66 watts of charging power.

connectivity

In terms of connectivity, the HONOR Magic 6 Pro covers all common mobile frequencies up to 5G NR and also offers Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 7 and NFC. It supports dual SIM and an additional eSIM on the second slot. This was practical on vacation because I didn't even have to take out my home SIM card. The mobile connection proved stable in the test and the voice quality was consistently impressive.

There is still room for improvement in terms of data transfer speed in WLAN. Some competitors are a bit faster here.

 HONOR Magic 6 Pro: Camera 

The HONOR Magic 6 Pro also has a lot to offer in terms of camera. Even long-established industry giants like Samsung have to brace themselves here.

 Technical data of the triple camera 

•  Main camera (wide angle): 50 MP OmniVision OV50H, 1/1.3" sensor, dual aperture (f/1.4-f/2.0), OIS, laser autofocus
•  Telephoto camera: 180 MP (Samsung ISOCELL HP3), 1/1.49" sensor, f/2.6, 2,5x optical zoom, OIS
•  Ultra-wide-angle camera: 50 MP OmniVision OV50D, 1/2.88" sensor, f/2.0, 122° field of view, PDAF
•  Front camera: 50 MP Sony IMX816, f/2.0, autofocus

main camera

The main camera is extremely flexible thanks to its dual aperture (f/1.4-f/2.0). The camera really comes into its own in changing lighting conditions, such as those that occur at dusk or at sunset. In the holiday test, the camera showed its best side, especially in landscape shots. Tropical beaches, lush vegetation and Thai temples were captured in impressive detail and with vibrant colors.

The larger aperture allows you to take atmospheric photos with natural bokeh, while the smaller aperture provides more depth of field in daylight. This makes a separate portrait mode virtually superfluous.

Telecamera

Another strength is the telephoto camera. With its 180-megapixel sensor and a 2,5x optical zoom, even distant subjects are captured clearly without appearing artificial. In low light, the optical image stabilization is impressive, which is why camera shake is not a problem.

Ultra wide angle camera

The ultra-wide-angle camera with its 50 MP and a field of view of 122 degrees is suitable for panoramic shots. In practice, it has proven itself particularly useful when photographing expansive beaches and busy markets. The distortions towards the edges of the image are minimal and hardly noticeable. There are slight weaknesses at night. Then the sharpness and color fidelity decrease increasingly.

Nachtaufnahmen

The Magic 6 Pro also scores points at night. In busy Bangkok with all the colorful lights and shady corners, the camera proved its worth. The colors of the images remained vivid, the details were razor-sharp, and image noise was reduced to a minimum. The main camera in particular impressed with an excellent dynamic range and precise exposure.

video function

The HONOR Magic 6 Pro offers 4K video recording at up to 60 fps on all cameras and combines optical (OIS) and electronic image stabilization (EIS) for smooth, shake-free clips. Just like with photos, the variable f/1.4 aperture of the main camera in combination with the night video mode ensures great results with extended dynamic range and minimal noise even in low light. There is also an HDR and cinema mode for cinematic effects.

Front camera

If you like selfies, the 50 MP front camera is perfect for you. The recording quality is also of the highest standard and the autofocus always produces sharp images. Portraits in particular look great. The front camera records videos in 4K, so you are also well equipped for video telephony.