Honor Magic 4 Pro review: super cameras and rebellious soul

From China with fury. Honor is fresh from rebirth, new life for the brand which, finally, is returning to speak out about her without bans or restrictions of any kind. It is certainly not new, it is true, but now the line-up seems to be really complete with its seed, the Magic 4 Pro. A real top of the range that closely resembles the best projects of the old Huawei family, with all the prerequisites to do well in all sectors and leave nothing to chance.

First-class hardware platform, tested software and a complex photographic module capable of keeping up with even the best of the class. On the other hand, there is a positioning that is perhaps too high for a “new” arrival, the psychological threshold of one thousand euros is in fact exceeded, in my opinion, burning the times a bit.

INDEX

• DISPLAY
• EXPERIENCE OF USE
• DATA SHEET
• PHOTO AND VIDEO
• CONCLUSIONS

DISPLAY

The design is the futuristic one of curved smartphones we were used to a few years ago, an extreme aspect that many like and instead makes others who prefer flat surfaces turn up their noses. I think I fall into the latter group, not so much for “faith” as for practicality: the curved display, depending on the degree, can be a hindrance on the edges when taking pictures.

Panel above expectations: it is a 6.81-inch LTPO OLED with FHD + resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. Important dimensions but thin frames above and below, so as to reduce the dimensions, even if it is a large and heavy smartphone (215g). Very high brightness and excellent visibility even outside, under direct sunlight, few reflections and a correct oleophobic treatment that keeps many of the fingerprints away. Precise colors, HDR10 + certification and a delta E even below the value of 0.5.

Double front hole at the top left, an oval that hides two image sensors and does not disturb too much, on the other hand the diagonal is more than generous. Excellent materials, but the back gets a little too dirty, the advice is to use a cover (also and above all to protect it from falls).

EXPERIENCE OF USE

To move all the usual Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the best SoC on the square that also here expresses its capabilities without uncertainties of any kind. The system runs very well in all situations, thanks also to particularly fast memories (1655 MB / s in reading and 1160 MB / s in writing) and a well-run software updated to Android 12.

To play a role in the speed of use, as usual, there is also the maximum refresh rate that can be set at 120Hz which provides that extra fluidity in the passages between one homescreen and another or in multitasking.

Playing is a pleasure, also because the double speaker manages to provide the right sound pressure that makes the experience more enveloping. Of course, the Adreno 730 GPU holds up any title at maximum resolution and the large display, of great value, offers an advantageous point of view on any scenario. I come back once again to the “curved” factor which, in some cases, can be a bit annoying when it hides some touch control on the peripheral parts of the panel.

Good thermal response under stress, I have not found indeed excessive temperatures or out of the norm. Excellent reception even using two SIM cards at the same time, I was able to test it even while traveling and it always behaved very well. Strong vibration that I used with pleasure.

AUTONOMY AND RECHARGE

Certainly one of the strong points of this device is the fast charging, Honor has in fact developed a 100W system with both the proprietary charger (present in the package) than wirelessly. Probably the first ever to achieve these wireless values, of course with the proprietary accessory following (sold separately).

It only takes 15 minutes to reach 50% from zero, about half an hour to complete a full charge. Reduced times and in line with direct Chinese competition which boasts similar solutions, but not wireless. In any case, the 4,600mAh battery is enough to calmly face a long day, on the other hand Honor has always accustomed us quite well in this regard.

PHOTO AND VIDEO

The multimedia sector is one of the undisputed protagonists, the iconic rear module confirms it without a shadow of a doubt and it is obviously not a single aesthetic choice. Leading the group is the 1.56 “50MP main camera with an aperture of f / 1.8 that comes with your head held high and doesn’t seem to look bad in front of anyone. Don’t believe it? Check out these shots compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra:

View in Full Screen

The differences during the day are really minimal, with the Magic 4 Pro leaning towards warmer temperatures and the Galaxy S22 Ultra instead towards colder ones. The level of detail is very similar, the Honor flagship then guarantees excellent brightness, both day and night (with little background noise) and precise HDR.

Compared to the best of Samsung certainly pays a pledge instead in portraits, not so much for demerit as for an objective quality of the Korean terminal which, in this area, finds a real and unique competitor in the iPhone 13 Pro / Pro Max. Galaxy S22, in my opinion notice, manages to be more precise in focus, balanced and with better contrast.

The wide angle is of a good standard, also from 50 MP but with a smaller 1 / 2.5 “image sensor and a 122 degree field of view. Pleasant in all conditions, I just noticed an even warmer temperature than the main one that can be seen when switching from one to the other quickly.

The 64 MP telescopic camera (1/2 inch sensor) with 3.5x optical zoom and 10-100x hybrid is one of the pleasant surprises, in fact it offers an always appreciated point of view, even if it does not have such a pushed optics as others. manages to deliver enviable quality at 3.5x and up to 10x.

The front compartment is also excellent consisting of two cameras, one of 12 MP with aperture f / 2.4 capable of framing a field of 100 ° and recording videos in 4K. The Magic 4 Pro is then among the few that alongside it boasts a ToF 3D that offers depth information and safer unlocking. Excellent skin color reproduction and HDR, I found it reliable and well calibrated.

Particular attention to videos that are well stabilized (OIS + EIS) and of high quality, can be recorded at the maximum resolution 4K at 60fps, even in 10bit Log. The software functions available natively are very interesting, for the most demanding there is in fact a more professional environment that enables more controls.

Unfortunately I did not have a lot of time with this Magic 4 Pro and for this reason I decided to focus on the multimedia sector and on the videos in a next focus, taking advantage of its excellent cameras in a more professional way. In the meantime, here is a short sample:

CONCLUSIONS

Honor certainly pushed on the accelerator with the Magic 4 Pro, it was already understood in our first approach to Barcelona. Excellent hardware platform, first-rate components, bright and large display and cameras capable of holding up to almost anyone. In short, it is really difficult to make direct criticisms on the merits, what perhaps makes it a bit weak at the time of launch is the positioning.

It is a flagship, you understand immediately, but 1099.99 euros in the list are too many for a brand that is still recovering from an epochal shock like the one that the old Huawei group went through (of which it no longer belongs). In this first year of relaunch, I would rather have seen a more focused model that is a little less ambitious in some respects and therefore more accessible. But the technology pays for itself, mind you all, and this is probably the first smartphone to arrive on the market with fast wireless charging at 100W, things that Apple and Samsung still dream of.

For the rest little to complain, it really seems that Honor has inherited everything we used to see in Huawei (mobile) and it certainly cheers us up. There is a need for strong and aggressive competitors, certainly Honor is, with Magic 4 Pro he is saying it loud and clear to the world; the market response is another story, for that there are the new models (medium range) of the Chinese house that are already doing very well. See Honor 50 on all.

Honor Magic 4 Pro is available for purchase on the official website at 100 euros less until 3 June using the coupon AM4P100paying it de facto 999 euros.

HONOR Magic4 Pro 8 + 256GB
Honor
€999

HONOR Magic4 Pro 8 + 256GB
Honor
€999 

GENERAL PERFORMANCEMAIN CAMERA ULTRA FAST CHARGING (ALSO IN WIRELESS)WELL STABILIZED 4K VIDEO

HIGH LIST PRICECURVED EDGES (NOT PRACTICAL FOR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS)

VOTE 8.7