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HONOR’s newest flagship, the HONOR Magic6 Pro, continues the brand’s legacy to bring competition to the Android smartphone market, and it does just that. Just like its predecessors, it comes with amazing camera capabilities along with new and improved software features. Read on for our full review!
Design
The HONOR Magic6 Pro has a pretty luxurious design. According to HONOR, they took inspiration from high-end jewellery and classical timepieces. The large camera cluster maintains the iconic triangular arrangement of its predecessor while incorporating a cushion-shaped metal surround for a refined look.
Our review unit features a calming sage green colour, complemented by a pale rose gold hue on and around the camera module, which is quite distinctive and sophisticated. Besides that, the back panel is also made of faux leather, so it feels very comfortable in hand. I loved that it is fingerprint-proof and provides a good amount of grip.
Display
Boasting a 6.78-inch OLED display with subtle curved edges and a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, the HONOR Magic6 Pro has a bright and well-balanced display. The Honor NanoCrystal Shield offers superior drop resistance, though we have yet to actually drop the phone to test this.
Besides that, the phone also features an optical under-display fingerprint reader and 3D face unlock for secure and convenient access, alongside its IP68 dust and water resistance.
That said, the curved screen did not impress me at all. In fact, I have yet to meet a person who actually likes curved screens on their smartphones—it lessens the grip afforded by the nice back panel, prone to mistouches, and you can actually feel the screen protector on the edge of the phone, which makes it prone to bubbling because it just doesn’t sit flush with the curved edge.
Performance & Battery
Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and running Android 14 with HONOR’s MagicOS 8.0, the HONOR Magic6 Pro delivers a smooth and efficient user experience.
Performance-wise, it runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, handling various tasks smoothly without significant stutters. MagicOS 8.0 retains the familiar look and feel of older versions, with features like large folders and cards for in-house apps. A new addition is the iOS-like Magic Capsule notification for background music and video playback around the front-facing camera cutout. The Honor Magic 6 Pro also introduces full-screen, always-on display functionality, a first for the brand.
However, the phone's software upgrade policy falls behind the other brands, offering only four years of updates compared to others offering up to seven years.
Battery-wise, the large 5,600-mAh battery ensures the device can last through a day of moderate use, though the software update policy may lag behind some competitors.
Camera
Now, as always, HONOR makes really good camera phones. In fact, it seems like the camera is the only aspect of smartphones that manufacturers are innovating on, which can be both a good and bad thing.
On the HONOR Magic6 Pro, they’ve certainly done a good job on the cameras. With a 108-megapixel main sensor, a 2.5x telephoto lens, and 50-megapixel wide-angle and ultrawide lenses, the camera system caters to a broad range of photography needs.
The main camera impresses with its dual aperture lens and customized H9000 sensor, delivering sharp, vibrant images with excellent dynamic range. The telephoto camera, with its high-resolution sensor, excels in capturing detailed images even from afar, while the ultrawide camera offers a broader perspective without compromising on image quality.
The selfie camera also does not disappoint, producing high-quality images that are both vibrant and natural.
