MWC 2023 – Getting started with the Honor Magic 5 Pro: in the court of premium smartphones

We had already discovered, a few weeks ago, the Magic 5 Lite, a much more affordable smartphone and called to attract a greater number of users. But to bring out the big game, Honor preferred to wait for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​where the brand organized a conference dedicated to its technological flagship: the Magic 5 Pro. The smartphone had benefited from a major communication campaign in recent weeks, during which the manufacturer highlighted its photo component.

A premium design

If we compare the Magic 5 Pro to its predecessor, the Magic 4 Pro, the upscaling is visible. The smartphone, especially in its green color whose glass back does not catch fingerprints, remains massive, but gains in elegance. It displays dimensions of 162.9 x 76.7 x 8.77 mm for 219 grams, against 209 grams for its predecessor. It must be said that with its photo block centered on its back shell, Honor shows that it sees things big. Said photo island does not go unnoticed in the hand, and the weight seems a little more important at this level of the smartphone. Anyway, the manufacturer ensures an impeccable finish, supported by an IP68 certification, now essential in the high-end segment.

Note the compatibility with e-SIM, the device can also carry two nano-SIM cards. Like the majority of mobiles in its price range, the smartphone does not offer a port for microSD cards, but compensates by offering a storage space of 512 GB. This will also be the only version of the smartphone marketed in France. For the rest, the Magic 5 Pro is compatible with wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 at the controls

Omnipresent chip in this first half of 2023, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 from Qualcomm officiates within the Honor Magic 5 Pro. It is here flanked by 12 GB of RAM, testifying to the brand’s desire to offer all the power possible to its users. It goes without saying that when it was picked up, the smartphone did not flinch; however, it will have to be evaluated on our test bench to measure its potential.

This chip hides behind a large 6.81-inch screen, the same diagonal as the Magic 4 Pro. This panel displays 1312 x 2848 pixels and benefits from LTPO technology to vary its refresh rate up to 120 Hz. We should add that this screen promises a maximum brightness of 1300 nits, and up to 1800 nits in the case of HDR content .

The set is powered by a slightly larger battery than usual: it offers a capacity of 5100 mAh, against 4600 mAh for the Magic 4 Pro. A 66 W charger accompanies it, and the smartphone is also compatible with 50 W wireless charging.

A promising photo block

Honor is refining the Magic 4 Pro formula, which pleasantly surprised us. Its successor inherits a triple photo module, of which we retain in particular the main sensor, large (1 / 1.12 inch) and the optics with the aperture increased to f / 1.6: Honor promises shots of particularly successful night thanks to this combination, which we will certainly evaluate with the help of our scene.

This module is complemented by two other 50-megapixel sensors, one flanked by ultra-wide-angle optics (f/2), the other, a Sony IMX858, with a periscopic zoom (f/3) allowing 3.5x magnification. A digital zoom x100 is added to it, with the promise of new algorithms, which we hope will produce results capable of propelling the smartphone into the court of the best.

Price and availability

While the Samsung Galaxy S23, a successful generation, is making its commercial debut and the Xiaomi 13 Pro has just been made official in Europe at an equally premium price (€1,299), Honor is announcing its smartphone at an equally high price: count €1199, for pre-order availability from mid-April.