It’s not too long ago that former Huawei subsidiary Honor was spun off into its own company, separate from its now severely hamstrung former parent company. For Honor, things couldn’t have gone better, as it still has access to Google apps and services and has been able to release a whole lineup of intriguing flagships and mid-rangers internationally. Today at MWC 2022, Honor is aiming to follow up its recent success with the Honor Magic4 series, perfecting the formula it introduced with the Magic3 before it. As such, we’re in for much of the same familiar look, but updated with the best hardware available in 2022.
Honor Magic4 and Magic4 Pro
Honor’s Magic4 Pro’s screen has grown ever so slightly bigger, with the glass now curving over all four edges, but the design hasn’t changed much at all compared to the predecessor. It still comes with the same “eye of muse” camera array design that already set the Magic3 series apart from the competition. There's also the dual-front facing camera cutout in the top left corner. The more interesting changes have been made to the hardware front.
Magic4 Pro
In contrast to the Magic3, the camera array seems like an ever-so-small step down spec-wise, but it's unlikely to be anything you will notice in real life. Most notably, the Magic4 only comes with three lenses as opposed to four, but given that one of the Magic3's is a monochrome sensor, the loss isn't too bad. The circular camera array should still offer high-quality photography with its 50MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, and its 64MP periscope zoom camera. Honor says that its "Multi-Camera Computation Photography" allows for the intelligent combination of all lenses, enhancing some of its zoom capabilities and additionally sharper images.
While the display appears largely unchanged on the surface, it now comes with LTPO technology, allowing the Magic4 series' screen a dynamic refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz. Honor also boasts that it's the first company to launch a product with 1920Hz PWM dimming, which should lead to an even smoother display and offer remedy for eye sourness — if you're someone sensitive to this kind of problem.
Another interesting upgrade is the 4,600mAh battery that supports 100W wired and wireless charging. This would enable you to charge the 4 Pro to 100% in just 30 minutes when plugged in, or get a 50% charge wirelessly within 15 minutes (when paired with Honor's 135W charger).
Other than that, the Magic4 Pro sports the usual high-end specs you'd expect from a flagship today. There's the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, dual-SIM, and a stereo speaker system.
Honor also presented the regular Magic4, which represents a small step down compared to the 4 Pro. Its otherwise identical display only curves over the sides, and its slightly bigger battery (4,800mAh vs 4,600mAh on the Pro) charges at 66W. It also trades a 64MP periscope for one that only offers 8MP, but that's about all the differences there are.
Magic4
On the software side, the Magic4 series comes with MagicUI 6 based on Android 12. The company has added some thoughtful features to its version of Android, including a new (and gimmicky-sounding) Privacy Calling feature that dynamically adjusts your phone's earpiece depending on how loud your environment is in order to not let other people eavesdrop on you.
Magic4 |
Magic4 Pro |
|
---|---|---|
Display |
Curved 6.81-inch 1224x2664 LTPO OLED, up to 120Hz, up to 1000 nits |
Quad-curved 6.81-inch 1312x2848 LTPO OLED, up to 120Hz, up to 1000 nits |
CPU |
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
Memory and Storage |
8/12GB RAM,128/256/512 GB ROM |
8/12GB RAM, 256/512GB ROM |
Battery |
4,800mAh, 66W charging |
4,600mAh, 100W wired and wireless charging |
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, USB Type-C, dual-SIM, 5G NR, NFC |
Bluetooth 5.2, W-Fi 6, USB Type-C, dual-SIM, 5G NR, NFC |
OS |
Magic UI 6.0 (based on Android 12) |
Magic UI 6.0 (based on Android 12) |
Rear cameras |
50MP wide (f/1.8), 50MP ultra-wide (f/2.2, 122°), 8 MP periscope (f/3.4, 5x optical zoom), dTOF 8x8 sensor |
50MP wide (f/1.8), 50MP ultra-wide (f/2.2, 122°), 64MP periscope (f/3.5, 3.5x optical zoom), dTOF 8x8 sensor |
Front camera |
12MP wide (100°) |
12 MP wide (100°) |
Miscellaneous |
Stereo audio with dual speakers |
Stereo audio with dual speakers |
Dimensions |
163.6mm x 74.5mm x 8.8mm, 199g |
163.6mm x 74.7mm x 9.15mm, 215g |
The Honor Magic4 series will be available in cyan and gold in addition to more conservative black and white variants. There's also a vegan leather edition of the Pro in orange. More colors are in store for the future.
The Magic4 will start at €899 while the Magic4 Pro will be available for €1099.
Honor Watch GS 3
The company also announced the Honor Watch GS 3. Here, Honor highlights a new eight-channel Photoplethysmography sensor "that detects precise optical signals," making for more accurate heart rate tracking. Thanks to built-in GPS, the watch also supports precise route tracking.
As for specifications, the GS 3 comes with a 1.43-inch OLED screen with a maximum brightness for 1000 nits. Honor also managed to pack all of the hardware in a small lightweight casing, weighing only 44g (without the strap) and being just 10.5mm slim. The casing is made of fully polished 316L steel.
It will be available in black, blue, and gold, with the former variant costing €229 and the latter two going for €249.
Honor Earbuds 3 Pro
Last in line for today’s announcement are the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro, the latest true-wireless earbuds from the company. Equipped with 11mm dynamic drivers and a ceramic tweeter, the earbuds are supposed to deliver great sound while adaptive active noise cancellation takes care of leaving you undisturbed, with different modes suitable for different environments, like one for subways and airplanes and another for libraries and other rather silent places.
The earbuds also feature some health capabilities, with a built-in thermometer offering "AI temperature monitoring." The package is completed by an IP54 certification for the earbuds and IP52 for the case. Music should play for up to six hours on a single charge, extended to 24 hours when taking the charging case into account. You can get two hours of playback on a five-minute charge.
The black and white model will both be available for €199, with exact release dates varying by country and carrier.