HONOR Magic 6 Professional overview: Must you purchase it?

One of the crucial eye-catching options on the HONOR Magic 6 Professional’s spec sheet is its 180-megapixel 1/1.49-inch telephoto zoom digicam, so let’s begin there. That’s a ton of pixels, greater than many of the finest digicam telephones pack into their main digicam, and HONOR places this picture information to some attention-grabbing makes use of.

First, the telephoto digicam sports activities a local 2.5x zoom. Hardly very far, however this may be prolonged to a lossless 5x shot. Past that, you’ll discover AI upscaling to spice up picture high quality a bit of higher than your typical digital zoom. This sensor is paired with a 50MP ultrawide and a big 1/1.3-inch 50MP foremost digicam with a self-adjustable f/1.4 to f/2.0 aperture. That’s a small aperture variation that’s unlikely to make an enormous distinction to gentle seize or depth of subject however helps maintain macro pictures a bit of extra in focus.

Trying on the broader bundle, publicity and HDR could be very strong on all lenses. Shade saturation is a bit of on the excessive facet, with vivid greens and blues, whereas an additional dose of distinction provides photos a social-ready pop. Typically this works nice, however different occasions it’s not fairly to my style. It’s considerably inconsistent. You’ll be able to tweak how onerous the degrees are pushed with HONOR’s Pure, Vivid (default), and Genuine colour profiles, the latter providing probably the most vital change in look.

The triple digicam array gives loads of taking pictures flexibility too. The 13mm ultrawide takes a giant step again whereas avoiding frequent points like an aberration or a skewed colour pallet. Likewise, the 108MP 2.5x telephoto is nice for framing pictures, significantly for average macro photos, and gives reasonable-looking footage at 5x as nicely. I like versatile zoom cameras and the 180MP, 2.5x zoom is my favourite of the lot.

Low gentle efficiency is awe-inspiring, though you may name the outcomes unrealistically vivid. Even with little or no gentle, the Magic 6 Professional’s digicam is ready to pull out an distinctive quantity of colour from all its lenses and satisfactory particulars from the primary snapper too. See the outcomes versus the Pixel 8 Professional’s Evening Sight above.

Nonetheless, regardless of the big sensor measurement, the small pixels within the 180MP zoom digicam don’t maintain up nicely at lengthy distances or in dimmer lighting. Small particulars rapidly fall away, and HONOR’s AI-based upscaling (which isn’t current in Professional mode) introduces artifacts to scrub up the picture. The 100% crop comparability (beneath) in opposition to the Pixel 8 Professional at 10x showcases the harshness, overprocessing, and lack of element that HONOR’s digicam gives at vary. The Pixel is way from good, however the softer presentation is at the very least simpler on the eyes. Likewise, I noticed smudged textual content and a basic lack of element when utilizing this digicam in decrease gentle, even with out pushing the zoom as far.

Portrait images can also be hit-and-miss. Out of the field, the portrait mode defaults to a 2x zoom, which means a 27mm focal size cropped from the primary sensor. Acquainted sufficient, if not supreme, however this lens appears to wrestle with picture desaturation in indoor lighting, recurrently producing washed-out portraits with an nearly unfavorable movie impact. This downside isn’t current open air, the place colour saturation is, if something, too vibrant for portraits, highlighting purple pores and skin blemishes. Switching to the two.5x digicam inverts the issue; saturation is overblown in indoor lighting. The digicam setup actually shouldn’t be this inconsistent with regular daylight, particularly for all essential portraits. The two.5x digicam’s 67mm focal size gives a extra pure face form and, paired with a big sensor and vast aperture, is much less reliant on software program for bokeh. I’m undecided why HONOR doesn’t use this lens by default. It ought to be good for portraits and is the higher lens, for my part.

Selfies are a extra constant affair, with sturdy pores and skin textures and tones in each indoor and outside lighting. Once more saturation ranges are a bit of pushed, however not aggressively so. The vast aperture and decent-sized digicam sensor pay dividends for selfie lovers. The one downside is the ultrawide focal size; it’s nice for becoming all your pals in however comes on the expense of very slim face shapes.

Video recording is equally compelling, albeit with just a few caveats. 4K 60fps is accessible on all lenses this time, although transitions are made with a bounce moderately than easy mixing. HONOR’s highly effective Evening Video mode works nice however is restricted to the primary lens. Film mode is probably the most enjoyable video function, providing software program bokeh that’s one of many extra correct implementations I’ve seen, and eight LUT choices to closely affect colour grading, permitting for an enormous number of moods. You may get critically inventive right here, because of nice high quality stabilization and sturdy dynamic vary seize.

The Magic 6 Professional packs a robust video modifying suite to take issues additional. There are conventional lower and align instruments to splice movies collectively, sharpness and distinction toggles, filters, varied results, and different modifiers. Sadly, HONOR locks a few of its filters, background, and different choices behind a VIP membership that prices $7.99 a month or $64.99 a yr. I can’t say a handful of additional results looks like good worth when Google One prices simply $1.99 a month or $19.99 a yr to unlock additional Google Pictures modifying instruments, 100GB of cloud storage, a VPN, and extra. However maybe critical video creatives will see the added worth right here.

So the digicam is (principally) good, however what about the remainder of the cellphone?

Properly, the revamped design is certain to separate the gang. I like the feel of the again and the gray-green of the Epi Inexperienced colorway. Nonetheless, I discover the metallic accents across the gargantuan digicam housing moderately gaudy, and the added bezel round every digicam solely makes the array extra pronounced. It’s actually a press release piece. I’d go for the black for those who’re not after a head-turner.

The Magic 6 Professional is exclusive in just a few different methods. It’s one of many few Android telephones sporting a front-facing 3D depth sensor for quick and safe reality unlocking (most telephones use optical recognition, which is much less safe). HONOR debuts its discrete Safety Chip S1 that homes essential credentials away from the central processor. A strong IP68 ranking, snappy Wi-Fi 7 help, and a great-looking 120Hz dynamic refresh OLED show spherical out the high-end specs that you’d anticipate at this value level. Be in little doubt, this can be a correct flagship bundle.

Battery life is a step up from its predecessor, and is likely one of the finest telephones we’ve handed via our battery take a look at suite. The one less-than-stellar result’s 4K video recording, however even right here, we’re simply over 4 hours of steady taking pictures. Hardly a priority. Total you’re simply a day of heavy use from a full cost and presumably even longer with lighter workloads. All-day battery life doesn’t come at the price of efficiency both; this can be a potent Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 implementation that retains up with rivals just like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely.

When it’s good to prime up, the HONOR Magic 6 Professional helps as much as 80W wired charging with a appropriate SuperCharge plug. Nonetheless, there isn’t a plug or cable within the field this time. HONOR will promote you a 100W mannequin for £50, discounted to £15 when bundled with the cellphone. We made do with a 66W plug we had mendacity round from final yr, which charged the cellphone to full in about 44 minutes.

If you happen to don’t fancy shopping for a HONOR changer, observe that the cellphone helps USB Energy Supply PPS at a moderately pedestrian 23W. It takes over an hour to cost the cellphone to full when not utilizing a SuperCharge adapter. Extremely-snappy 66W wi-fi charging can also be supported with a appropriate HONOR stand.

Magic OS software program returns for an additional outing. There doesn’t appear to be a lot instantly totally different from the model I noticed on the Magic 5 Professional a yr in the past, apart from being based mostly on Android 14. The theme continues to be closely paying homage to the EMUI days with a sprinkling of iOS components. “AI” app suggestions and resizable folders adorn the house display screen, and a left/proper notification/fast settings menu swipes make up the important thing components. Magic OS has just a few tips to name its personal, together with textual content extraction from photos, Magic Portal to rapidly drag and drop photos between apps (although this solely works in some cases), and Air Gestures which can be extra gimmicky than time savers. HONOR’s software program does the trick when you look previous the pointless extras just like the HONOR App Market, but it surely struggles to face out for genuinely helpful additions to the core Android method, particularly within the face of adventurous concepts like Samsung’s Galaxy AI.

Three years of OS updates and 5 years of safety updates is your lot for long-term help. The safety updates are most likely adequate to see you to the tip of the handset’s lifecycle. Nonetheless, different manufacturers help their telephones for as much as seven years at the same value. These after a extremely long-term buy ought to positively take a look at the competitors.

Priced at just below the market’s ultra-premium fashions, the HONOR Magic 6 Professional can get away with the odd flaw and nonetheless be thought of a strong buy. That stated, there’s wonderful competitors at this value, and you might discover that one other model fits your wants barely higher.

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus ($1119.99 at Amazon): Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Plus has a barely older digicam setup and is probably not fairly as versatile as HONOR’s newest, however its footage nonetheless maintain up fairly nicely. On prime of that, you’ll obtain a robust Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, Galaxy AI options, and 7 years of updates. That is the cellphone to beat, even when it takes a bit of longer to cost than the Magic 6 Professional.
• Apple iPhone 15 Professional ($999 at Amazon): If you happen to’re in search of a powerhouse cellphone, Apple’s iPhone 15 Professional stays a prime decide, because of a benchmark-topping processor, good battery life, and strong cameras. It’s a barely smaller cellphone, is relatively gradual to cost, and also you’d need to get used to iOS, but it surely’s onerous to go improper right here.
• Google Pixel 8 Professional ($999 at Amazon): Relating to photography-focused telephones, Google’s Pixel 8 Professional is the king of consistency, and I’d suggest it over the Magic 6 Professional if you would like nice footage each time. You additionally acquire seven years of help with the newest Pixel however do commerce down numerous different specs, together with a slower processor, slower charging, and worse battery life.
• ASUS Zenfone 11 Extremely ($899.99 at Amazon): One other cellphone that undercuts the competitors, ASUS’s powerhouse Zenfone 11 Extremely presents top-tier efficiency, quick charging, a beautiful show, and all-day battery life. Once more, the digicam isn’t the best possible, neither is the replace pledge, however ASUS’ extra stock-like software program may swimsuit you higher.
• OnePlus 12 ($899.99 at Amazon): If you happen to’re seeking to spend rather less however nonetheless need top-tier efficiency, quick charging, and an enormous battery, the OnePlus 12 is a good different. The lower cost trades off for an IP65 ranking and an iffier digicam setup, but it surely’s a strong all-around decide at a notably lower cost.