The Magic 6 Professional is considered one of my favourite telephones of the yr; it has appreciable digicam upgrades from final yr, a stunning design that stands out, highly effective {hardware}, and fascinating software program options. So when Honor introduced it was making a Porsche Design variant of the machine, I used to be clearly .
I used the Porsche Design Magic V2 RSR foldable when it debuted, and it had loads of distinctive design traits that made it distinctive — much more so than the usual Magic V2, which is not a foul cellphone to take a look at by any measure. With the Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR, Honor is popping issues up a notch, delivering what’s presumably probably the greatest telephones of 2024.
The Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR has customized styling and is obtainable in fascinating coloration selections, and it comes with 1TB of storage and 24GB of RAM, which is simply overkill. I used the machine as my day by day driver for over two weeks, and this is why I feel it’s the finest model of the Magic 6 Professional.
Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR: Pricing and availability
Honor unveiled the Magic 6 RSR Porsche Design on March 18 in China, and the cellphone made its debut within the U.Ok. on Might 2. The cellphone can also be headed to the Center East, Malaysia, and Germany within the coming weeks.
The Magic 6 RSR is obtainable in a single variant that has 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and it prices £1,599 ($2,004) within the U.Ok. That is significantly greater than its retail value of 9,999 RMB ($1,380) in China, and a sizeable premium over the usual model of the Magic 6 Professional, which is obtainable for £1,099 ($1,378) within the U.Ok. Honor is working a deal proper now that reductions the machine by an extra £250 ($313), bringing the fee all the way down to £849 ($1,064). That stated, the usual mannequin has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR: Design
Design is the largest level of differentiation with the Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR, and there’s a lot to go over. The usual Magic 6 Professional has a pillow digicam island (Honor’s phrases, not mine) that appears nice in its personal proper, and with the Magic 6 RSR, the model went with a brand new design that stands out significantly better.
The digicam module makes use of Porsche’s “iconic hexagonal construction” that evokes the “essence of precision and high-performance traits of sports activities vehicles.” The digicam island is made out of titanium, and it contrasts properly with the glass again.
The cellphone is obtainable in two coloration variants — Agate Gray and Frozen Berry — and whereas I needed to check out the gray mannequin, the pink Frozen Berry variant stands out significantly better. Honor says the colour “exudes a way of boldness and fearlessness, including a component of exclusivity to the machine.” I do not know concerning the fearlessness, however the coloration is unquestionably daring, and it grabs numerous consideration. And on that topic, the identical coloration extends to the mid-frame as properly.
What I do not like concerning the design is that the glass again has a shiny coat, and it’s a smudge magnet. If something, the vegan leather-based of the usual Magic 6 Professional feels significantly better to carry and use. The shiny texture continues on the edges too, and Honor ought to have used a matte coating on each variants.
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Though I do not like utilizing circumstances with my telephones, the shiny again of the Magic 6 RSR necessitates one, and Honor bundles a minimal leather-based case within the bundle that does a terrific job. The case makes it considerably simpler to carry the machine, and it has a significantly better really feel — Honor ought to have used this on the again as commonplace. And sure, the case has Porsche Design branding highlighted prominently, and there is even unnecessary stitching alongside the center.
Anyway, the opposite distinctive design trait is the flyline on the again that creates a wedge, and it instantly differentiates the machine. There’s Porsche Design branding for good measure, and whereas I wasn’t initially bought on the colour, I’ve grown keen on it within the two weeks I used the machine.
The cellphone continues to be heavy at 237g, nevertheless it has good weight distribution, and the curvy profile means it’s straightforward to carry. It retains IP68 ingress safety — a must have function on a tool that prices over $2,000 — and whereas the in-screen module sits a little bit decrease on the display, it is not notably awkward to entry.
On the entire, the Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR has all of the accouterments you’d need in a customized variant, and it’s totally different sufficient to the usual Magic 6 Professional that it has its personal visible id.
Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR: {Hardware} and display
I am not going to speak an excessive amount of concerning the {hardware} because the Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR is almost an identical to the usual Magic 6 Professional on this regard. It has the identical 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED panel that goes as much as 5,000 nits in HDR content material, and there are completely no points in day by day use.
The panel will get shiny, has excellent coloration vibrancy and distinction ranges, and there is a first rate quantity of customizability. What’s totally different is that Honor is utilizing a dual-layer OLED that ensures panel longevity, and whereas the display is simply as shiny because the common variant, it can keep that means so much longer.
The 2800 x 1200 decision is not fairly as excessive because the QHD+ panels that you just get on most different telephones on this section, nevertheless it holds up properly for all day by day utilization situations. Honor eschewed Corning and went with its personal NanoCrystal Defend coating, and it does an excellent job safety the cellphone — it took a tumble onto a tiled floor every week after I began utilizing it, and got here away unscathed. By the way, I made a decision to make use of a case after that incident (that again actually could be very shiny).
Honor’s always-on mode permits you to have the whole display awake, together with the background — just like the way it works in iOS — or you’ll be able to swap to only having a clock or a customized fashion. Whereas the machine is not fairly as shiny as its rivals in outside use, it shines at media playback, and HDR content material particularly is a delight.
| Class | Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR |
|---|---|
| OS | MagicOS 8.0 primarily based on Android 14 |
| Show | 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED, 2800 x 1200, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10+, 1800 nits (HBM), 5000 nits (HDR) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Adreno 750, 4nm |
| RAM | 24GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 1TB UFS 4.0 |
| Rear digicam 1 | 50MP f/1.4-f/2.0, 1/1.3-inch sensor, OIS |
| Rear digicam 2 | 50MP f/2.6 wide-angle lens |
| Rear digicam 3 | 180MP telephoto, 2.5x optical zoom, OIS |
| Entrance digicam | 50MP f/2.2 autofocus |
| Ingress safety | IP68 mud and water resistance |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, world 5G bands, NFC, dual-band GPS |
| Safety | Optical in-screen sensor |
| Audio | USB-C, stereo sound |
| Battery | 5600mAh battery, 80W charging, 66W wi-fi charging |
| Dimensions | 162.5 x 75.8 x 8.9mm, 237g |
| Colours | Agate Gray, Frozen Berry |
As for the {hardware}, the Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR is powered by the identical Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 as the usual mannequin, and it comes with 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. Look, 24GB of RAM is pointless on a cellphone as you’ll be able to’t actually use that a lot reminiscence, however I like that the cellphone has 1TB of storage. I are likely to take numerous movies lately, and storage is an actual drawback; this is without doubt one of the the reason why I do not like utilizing the Pixel 8 Professional and its pitiful 128GB of storage.
There are not any points with the Magic 6 RSR in day by day use, and the cellphone handles intensive gaming with out breaking a sweat. I did not see any slowdowns on my unit, and even with prolonged gaming, there was no overheating. Equally, I did not run into any points with connectivity — the cellphone had a secure sign all through.
The one subject with the {hardware} is the haptic engine — it simply does not do something. This has been a problem on Honor telephones for some time now, and even in case you allow system haptics, you do not discover any suggestions whereas utilizing gestures. I used to be capable of manually set off it whereas utilizing Gboard, however that is about it. The vibration motor is not energetic whereas utilizing the again gesture, navigating the UI, or in every other situation.
Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR: Battery
The Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR has the identical 5600mAh battery because the common mannequin, and it makes use of the identical silicon-carbon tech to extend longevity of the battery. You get 80W charging and 66W wi-fi charging, and there is 5W reverse charging as properly. Honor bundles the requisite charger within the field.
Whereas I did not see any points with the battery on the common Magic 6 Professional, that is not the case on the Magic 6 RSR. The cellphone has unusually excessive battery drain in idle, and it solely manages to final a day. It acquired to as little as 7% with heavy use by the top of the day, and as I do not cost my telephones in a single day, I made a decision to plug it within the subsequent day. Nevertheless, idle draw is so excessive that the cellphone switched off by the point I acquired up the next day; this hasn’t been a problem on any cellphone in current reminiscence.
Most different telephones with 5000mAh battery final significantly longer with the identical utilization patterns, and whereas most gadgets I utilized in 2024 go as much as a day and a half, the Magic 6 RSR is woefully quick on all measurable metrics on this space. It nonetheless lasts a day, however you’ll need to plug it in by nighttime.
Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR: Cameras
Now we have a devoted digicam assessment of the Magic 6 Professional, so I am not going to speak concerning the cameras an excessive amount of right here. The Magic 6 RSR retains the identical digicam configuration as the usual mannequin, and meaning you get a 50MP predominant digicam with an fascinating variable f/1.4-2.0 lens and a 1/1.3-inch sensor. It isn’t fairly as massive as a 1-inch sensors within the Xiaomi 14 Extremely and Discover X7 Extremely, nevertheless it takes standout photographs and movies.
The primary digicam is joined by a 50MP f/2.0 wide-angle lens, and a 180MP f/2.6 telephoto lens that shoots at as much as 2.5x optical zoom. The digicam interface is just like what you get with most manufacturers, with loads of toggles, modes, and scenes accessible. What I like concerning the Magic 6 RSR is that it’s ready take photographs of fast-moving objects extremely properly; I put that to good use to take photographs of our ten-month-old child.
There’s AI-assisted scene recognition as properly, and also you get three customized kinds — Pure, Vibrant, and Genuine. The Genuine mode has a vignette to it, so I went with the Vibrant mode. And like with most different telephones, you get a good Professional mode.
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This goes with out saying, however the Magic 6 RSR takes excellent photographs in daylight situations. Photographs have loads of element and good coloration rendition, and I haven’t got any points with the standard of the resultant photographs. The cellphone does a powerful job in low-light conditions as properly, and whereas the Xiaomi 14 Extremely and Discover X7 Extremely have a slender edge on this regard, the Magic 6 RSR will get fairly shut.
Like its Chinese language rivals, the Magic 6 RSR does a powerful job with portrait photographs. There’s the choice to select from numerous focal lengths, and you may alter the bokeh. The one factor to notice is that magnificence results are enabled out of the field on this mode, and it’s aggressive — you may have to disable the mode to get correct photographs.
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In an identical vein, the cellphone does an excellent job with photographs going as much as 2.5x, and whereas there may be some fringing with the wide-angle lens, it delivers usable photographs in all conditions.
Whereas I do not take many selfies, the few that I managed to take with the entrance digicam had poor coloration stability and simply did not measure as much as the rear cameras. As an entire, the Magic 6 RSR has probably the greatest digicam packages of any cellphone in the present day.
Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR: Software program
The worldwide model of the Magic 6 RSR comes with MagicOS 8.0 primarily based on Android 14 out of the field, and it consists of all of the AI options that Honor launched, together with Magic Portal. However as I acquired the Chinese language model of the machine, I wasn’t capable of take a look at the function; sarcastically, I acquired two variants of the Magic 6 Professional so far, however neither has the worldwide construct.
As such, there is not a lot to speak about on this part. MagicOS 8.0 is a particular improve, and it brings much-needed tweaks to Honor’s telephones. That stated, points from earlier model of the interface are nonetheless intact; lengthy urgent on an app does not pull up the app data, so you may have to enter the settings, go to the Apps record, and manually find the app if you wish to change its notification settings.
The overview pane can also be in want of an overhaul, and I do not just like the break up notification pane with the toggles to 1 aspect and notifications on the opposite. Aside from that, the interface itself is fluid, and also you get an excellent quantity of customizability. Honor ensures 4 platform updates as commonplace, however the model is not as fast to roll out these updates.
Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR: The competitors
The Xiaomi 14 Extremely continues to be my advice in case you want a flagship that takes the perfect photographs and movies. The 14 Extremely has a stunning design in its personal proper, and it’s the solely cellphone I used this yr that outshines the Magic 6 Professional within the imaging part. Coming in at £1,299 ($1,628), it is not reasonably priced by any measure, nevertheless it prices lower than the Magic 6 RSR, and I like its software program higher. That stated, the Xiaomi 14 Extremely solely goes as much as 512GB, and there is not a 1TB mannequin accessible.
In fact, there’s the common Magic 6 Professional to think about. The cellphone has the identical internals because the Magic 6 RSR, and it prices so much much less. You continue to get terrific cameras, an excellent design with a leather-based again, vibrant display, and unbelievable {hardware}. The Magic 6 Professional has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and it’s accessible for as little as £849 ($1,064) as of writing.
Porsche Design Honor Magic 6 RSR: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You just like the look of the Magic 6 Professional and need a customized variant
- You want terrific cameras
- You want a shiny AMOLED panel with loads of customizability
- You want all of the extras
You should not purchase this if:
- You need the perfect worth
- You want multi-day battery life
When you’re contemplating the Magic 6 Professional and wish one thing that stands out a bit extra, the Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR may be the cellphone for you — supplied you are able to shell out the premium. The Porsche Design label continues to hold a premium, and whereas the Magic 6 RSR has double the reminiscence and storage, it prices £500 ($626) extra. But when that is not a consideration, you may love what the cellphone has to supply.
The design is distinctive, and the hexagonal digicam island mixed with the colour selections permits the Porsche Design Magic 6 RSR to show heads. I nonetheless do not like the choice to make use of a shiny coat on the again on the Frozen Berry mannequin, however the bundled leather-based case solves that subject with out obscuring the design an excessive amount of.
The remainder of the machine is not too totally different to the usual Magic 6 Professional; you continue to get the identical terrific cameras, the display is without doubt one of the finest round, and it has probably the greatest {hardware} packages accessible in the present day. The battery life is not nearly as good as different flagships I used, and the vibration motor does not do a lot. However outdoors of that, there are no noticeable points.
In the end, selecting between the Magic 6 Professional and Magic 6 RSR comes all the way down to pricing; in case you do not thoughts paying a premium, the Magic 6 RSR is the best way to go. It has distinctive styling and 1TB of storage, and I feel that is Honor’s finest cellphone but.