After entering the European market after becoming an independent company from Huawei, and after launching several mid-range, entry-level and high-end models, Honor already has in its catalog a flagship capable of competing against the big smartphones from manufacturers such as Samsung, Oppo or Xiaomi: the Honor Magic 4 Pro.
This new Honor smartphone, which stands out for its advanced camera, its powerful processor and its elegant design, not only shares specifications with some of the most powerful models that we can find on the market. Its price, of about 1,000 euros it is also similar to that of its competition.
This inevitably makes the Magic 4 Pro unable to position itself as a cheaper alternative. Therefore, and to be considered an option against terminals such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, the Xiaomi 12 Pro or the Google Pixel 6 Pro, it must offer some differential feature compared to the rest of the models or, at least, surpass them in some area. as in the photographic section. However, Is it capable of achieving either of these two objectives?
Design and screen of the Honor Magic 4 Pro: too many curves
It seems that Honor does not want to lose the essence of Huawei in some of the most important sections of its terminals, and this Magic 4 Pro is no exception. The appearance of the manufacturer’s most powerful terminal to date is very reminiscent of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro; both for its curves and for its photographic module.
In fact, the module where the three main cameras are housed is probably the most differential element of the design of this Honor Magic 4 Pro. It is a rounded module located in the upper central area of the back. It is large, very large, and can make the aesthetics of the terminal not as striking as other models in the same range. Luckily, the rear has some tones and materials that compensate a bit for that huge camera. The bluish color, which changes color depending on how the light hits the rear, is a success. The glass also looks and feels extremely premium.
Something similar happens on the front. The double curvature, which is accompanied by aluminum frames with a bright tone, makes the device look much more modern and elegant at the same time. Again, the care in the construction is noticeable. But this double curvature has a small problem. First, though, I’m going to talk about the screen.
The Honor Magic 4 Pro has a 6.81-inch OLED-panel and includes a resolution of 1312 x 2848 pixels (which we would consider QHD+ considering that the screen’s aspect ratio is 15.5:9). It also has LTPO technology, which allows the refresh rate to be adapted automatically, reaching 120 Hz. Now, how does this panel behave?
The screen of the Honor Magic 4 Pro, in general, is excellent. Definitely, it is at the height of that of any other high-end mobile. It has more than enough brightness to be able to enjoy the content even in broad daylight, very well interpreted colors and amazing sharpness. All this, in addition, with a sampling rate that maximizes the experience when browsing the interface. Honor also allows you to adjust some parameters, such as the resolution of the screen or if we want the refresh rate to adapt automatically or, instead, always adjust to the maximum frequency.
But, Why is double curvature a problem? Although it makes the terminal look physically more elegant, it can significantly affect the viewing experience and use of the screen for several reasons. First of all, the area of the curvature creates a kind of shading that is appreciated, above all, when the panel reproduces white tones – most of the time, if the dark mode is not activated. On the other hand, it creates a kind of reflections that on specific occasions does not allow the content to be seen clearly. It is also uncomfortable when interacting with the screen because it leads to uneven touches with the edge of the hand.
Unfortunately, the Honor Magic 4 Pro it is not the only smartphone with this problem. In fact, most Android phones that compete with this device also have a double curvature that, in my opinion, is not necessary at all and I hope it will no longer be an essential element for manufacturers. Even so, I reiterate: the screen, in terms of quality, is excellent.
Performance and family autonomy
Let’s talk about two other really important points in the Honor Magci 4 Pro: performance and battery. The terminal of the Asian company has the latest Qualcomm SoC: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It also includes 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage.
The performance is very similar to what we get from other high-end smartphones with the same processor and pretty much the same RAM configuration. It is, in general, very good, and allows you to use any app without any problem. It also works great in games, although on occasion I have noticed some overheating. It fails, yes, when navigating the interface. In the latter case, it is not the fault of the processor, nor of the RAM or storage configuration. It is, rather, software.
Honor has Magic UI, its own interface that works under Android 12 and is very reminiscent of EMUI, Huawei’s customization layer. It includes, in fact, apps that are very similar to those of the Chinese company’s mobiles. Also adding thes Google services and apps —yes, we can download apps from Google Play—. The problem is that the customization layer is not properly optimized. It is intuitive, and has very interesting extra functions and settings, but it is common to see cuts or lag when navigating through the system.
And what about autonomy? The 4,600 mAh of this Honor Magic 4 Pro do a good job. Especially with the adaptive screen refresh rate activated and the dark mode applied. With this setup, it’s actually easy to make it to the end of the day at 20% without a problem. With more intensive use it is a bit difficult to finish the day with that percentage, but fast charging can solve this small inconvenience.
Honor, specifically, includes a 100W charger in the terminal box. This adapter can supply 100% battery in just over 30 minutes. The Honor Magic 4 Pro additionally supports wireless charging.
Three cameras that demonstrate versatility
The huge photographic module of the Honor Magic 4 Pro hides only three main cameras. Three cameras, yes, very versatile. The Chinese company has opted for a configuration very similar to that found in premium-range Android smartphones, with a 50 megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, a secondary ultra-wide-angle camera of the same resolution, but with an f/2.2 aperture and a 64 megapixel telephoto sensor. This last camera, without a doubt, is the protagonist.
The telephoto sensor has a 3.5x optical zoom, a somewhat greater range than what we find in most mobiles. It also includes the possibility of capturing images of up to 10x hybrid format. That is, mixing optical zoom and digital zoom. The maximum range is 100x. In this case, in digital format. Now, how does this and the rest of the cameras behave?
The telephoto lens, which is, in my opinion, the most interesting, does a good job in terms of color reproduction and detail. Especially when we take pictures at a 3.5x magnification zoom. Something similar happens with the 10 increases; It maintains that good interpretation of the colors and a processing that complies perfectly, but it loses a bit of detail. This is due, in part, to poor sensor stabilization. It is very inaccurate, forcing you to stop completely to capture a good image. Be careful, only when we enlarge to 10x.
The main camera, on the other hand, also offers excellent results. At the height, or even better than the ones we see from the 3.5x zoom. Exposure is good, colors are properly rendered, detail is not lacking, and shadow areas are not obscured. With ultra wide angle camera something similar to what happens when we change from a 3.5x zoom to 10x; maintains that good interpretation of colors and exposure, the result of good processing, but loses detail. In this case, especially in dimly lit interiors.
Is the Honor Magic 4 Pro worth it?
Honor has taken an unexpected leap since its separation from Huawei, a Chinese company that continues to battle between life and death – at least as far as smartphones are concerned – due to the restrictions imposed by the United States. The Honor Magic 4 Pro is proof of this, and not only because it includes Google services, but also because its characteristics are worthy of competing with that of any ‘premium’ range smartphone. But let’s go by parts.
One of the features that I liked the most about this Honor Magic 4 Pro is its design. The photographic module is in second place when you hold the terminal and notice the excellent quality of the materials and that striking bluish tone; very different from the ostentatious bright color of the Honor 50. The design is accompanied by a screen at the height of other high-end mobiles, although with a completely dispensable curvature. All this, in addition, with a performance that leaves no one indifferent.
Regarding the camera, the truth is that the lenses of the Honor Magic 4 Pro do a very good job. More than quality — wow, the results are very good in most situations, the photographic section of this smartphone wastes versatility. We can capture images with different ranges, in wide angle, activate the night mode or apply different photographic modes that allow us to considerably increase the experience.
Its negative points? Small bad optimizations in the software and some other slip in the battery life when we make an intensive use of the terminal; something that also happens in many smartphones of the competition.
However, Does the Honor Magic 4 Pro stand out from its competition? Actually, the new Honor flagship does not offer any distinguishing feature compared to other smartphones. But it does match them. Therefore, we can consider this terminal as an attractive option for those users who are looking for a ‘premium’ range model with a good photographic section and that also stands out for its good screen and excellent performance. It is also an option to keep in mind for those users familiar with Huawei devices. However, we must not forget that it is an expensive terminal, at 1,099 euros, so it may be better to wait for its price to drop or, instead, choose a somewhat cheaper option, such as the Xiaomi 12 Pro, which can be buy on portals like Amazon for about 890 euros.