Honor Magic4 Pro review

Competition

The Honor Magic4 Pro is priced at around €1,100, putting it in the ultra premium price range. Brand loyalty and recognition play a big role in this segment. Luckily, Honor isn't exactly a new player, it's just a returning one, and many users will be happy to get a flagship Honor smartphone.

And the Magic4 Pro has all the bells and whistles - excellent 6.81-inch LTPO OLED display, top-tier SoC, blazing-fast charging, all the cameras you'd need, sleek design, offers 256GB of internal storage as a standard, IP68 certification against water and dust and awesome stereo speakers. Moreover, the handset brings UWB support, two actually usable 3D ToF sensors (one is used for biometric identification aside from the fingerprint reader) and some unique video recording features.

Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, not exactly. Some more established brands have offerings of their own, which could be better in some ways.

Take Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra, for example. A high-profile flagship phone from the Korean tech giant that asks just about the same €1,100. Feature-wise, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the clear winner with more mature software (with up to 4 years of major software updates) and an insane amount of customizations. Additionally, the display is brighter and better, the periscope camera has a longer 10x zoom reach (in addition to the standard 3x zoom), the ultrawide camera delivers better overall performance, and the phone has a longer battery life and somewhat better build. Don't get us wrong, the Magic4 Pro gives the S22 Ultra a run for its money with its faster wired and wireless charging, excellent main camera performance and arguably faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset (compared to the Exynos 2200 version sold in most markets). Honor's contender has better stereo speakers, too, not to mention niche advancements such as the high-frequency PWM backlight control.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G • Oppo Find X5 Pro • Apple iPhone 13 Pro • Xiaomi 12 Pro

Albeit considerably smaller, Apple's iPhone 13 Pro also goes for about €1,100. We chose this one over the Pro Max due to its close pricing. Which one to choose? As always, this one is tough to answer because it comes down to the age-old dilemma - Android vs. iOS. Either way, the iPhone 13 Pro offers a more consistent camera performance, delivers a better viewing experience (despite the notch) and expects at least five full years of software updates. When it comes to charging, biometric security versatility and speaker quality, the Magic4 Pro has the edge over Apple's contender.

Another pricey Android device worth mentioning is Oppo's Find X5 Pro. Despite having an inferior 2x zoom telephoto camera, the Find X5 Pro has arguably better nighttime performance. And let's face it, almost all phones are good at daytime photography nowadays. The ultrawide unit on the Find X5 Pro is better as well. Charging, raw performance and display quality are comparable. Perhaps the Find X5 Pro will appeal more to users looking for a sleek design and high-quality materials.

Last but not least, Xiaomi's 12 Pro from earlier this year should be on your list of alternatives, especially if you are looking to save some cash. The 12 Pro significantly undercuts the competition as its asking price is less than €900 while bringing stellar camera performance and screen quality. Battery life is an issue, but the 120W wired charging should make up for it in a way.

Verdict

The Honor Magic4 Pro is an awesome phone that's rather easy to recommend. It offers premium hardware and features sprinkled with some rare functionalities such as Ultra Wideband, high-frequency PWM backlight control, and an advanced facial unlock in combination with a great ultrasonic fingerprint reader. It also has a whole bunch of video recording and editing tools and the memory config.

It's just that we are used to seeing Honor's flagships as somewhat more affordable than the rest. Instead, the company tries to tackle the best in the ultra premium segment. And there is nothing wrong with ambition. They've come up with a great product - even with the issues we've outlined in the review such as the unimpressive ultrawide camera low-light performance, the short battery life, the erratic and unpredictable switch between the main and telephoto camera and the arguably insignificant software annoyances.

We are sure the Honor Magic4 Pro will find its place under the sun, especially in a few months when the dust settles and the pricing makes this great phone a considerably better deal. For now, the choice may not be as clear cut as the well-established competition has some compelling options as well.

Pros

• Surprisingly comfortable design despite the weight and thickness, IP68 certified.
• Bright 120Hz LTPO AMOLED with high PWM frequency.
• Outstanding speaker quality and loudness.
• Solid camera performance for the most part with plenty of unique features.
• Selfies are excellent as well.
• Impressive wired and wireless charging speeds.
• Comes with 256GB base storage, UWB support and advanced facial unlock.

Cons

• Battery life could be better.
• Competing periscope cameras have further reach.
• The ultrawide camera's nighttime performance is subpar.
• The refresh rate rarely goes up to 120Hz if set to be variable.