Honor Magic5 Lite/Honor x9a review

Updated triple-camera setup

On paper, the Magic5 Lite's camera setup on the back gets a big update. The main 48MP sensor has been replaced with a higher resolution 64MP one, but it's paired with the same f/1.8 aperture.

The 5MP, f/2.2 ultrawide camera is a new addition, as the previous version of the phone didn't have an ultrawide at all. It wasn't a big omission in our opinion in the first place, and the presented 5MP unit is a step down from the commonly used 8MP camera. Also, the ultrawide is replacing the 2MP depth sensor, which was of little use anyway. Still, the 2MP macro shooter remains.

When it comes to the selfie camera, it's the same 16MP f/2.5 used in the Magic4 Lite.

Camera menus

The default camera app is business as usual. You can cycle between modes using the carousel-style selector below the viewfinder, while the More sub-menu houses some additional modes. The Pro mode can be found there as well. It gives you control over all essential settings, such as focus, ISO, shutter speed, exposure and white balance.

Default camera app

As far as the default Photo and Video modes are concerned, they are quite basic. The former has some filters along with an AI toggle, while the Video mode has a switch for Dual-view. This one lets you record footage using the main back camera and the selfie one simultaneously.

Daylight photos

Main camera

The new Magic5 Lite is a big improvement over its predecessor regarding overall picture quality. The colors are considerably more pleasant, and the photos appear sharper, at least in good light. As the light drops, noise becomes even more apparent, and the overall picture quality quickly deteriorates. The dynamic range seems to be adequately wide.

Daylight main camera samples

2x zoom

We weren't expecting much from the 2x photos as they are a simple crop from the main camera and upscaled back to 16MP. You lose quite a bit of detail and sharpness as a result, and the noise is a bit more visible. Overall processing is identical to the 1x mode, though.

Daylight 2x zoom camera samples

Ultrawide camera

There's not much to discuss here as the 5MP ultrawide camera delivers subpar quality, even compared to other midrangers in the segment. The ultrawide photos are webcam quality - with soft, noisy, with limited dynamic range and lack fine detail. Colors and contrast seem okay, though, and are in line with the main camera's processing.

Daylight ultrawide camera samples

Low-light photos

Main camera

Shooting in the standard Photo mode in low-light conditions isn't exactly a good idea. Colors are washed out, highlights are clipped, and there's plenty of noise around, especially in the shadows. On a more positive note, sharpness seems to have improved compared to the Magic4 Lite, and contrast is a tad better too. There's also an adequate amount of detail, even in the shadows.

Low-light main camera samples

Going for the dedicated Night mode is advisable, despite the long wait times. It takes more than 5 seconds to take all frames and stack them together. In return, you get significantly better-looking photos with improved dynamic range (no clipped highlights), more detail in the shadows, a brighter overall scene and proper noise suppression. Sadly, the latter results in slightly softer pictures overall. Also, some colors remain dull and lifeless. 

Night mode main camera samples

2x zoom

Using the 2x zoom mode at night is pushing beyond the limits of the camera setup. The 2x zoom samples are soft, noisy and carry pretty much all the cons the 1x photo mode has, but amplified. There is a Night mode in 2x zoom mode that produces clearer overall pictures with less noise and more sharpness, but they are still not up to the snuff.

Low-light 2x zoom samples: Normal • Night mode

Ultrawide camera

The same goes for the ultrawide camera, although we weren't expecting a decent performance at night. It uses a tiny sensor that's bound to struggle in poor lighting conditions. The photos are borderline unusable as they are extremely soft, noisy, have limited dynamic range and washed-out colors.

Low-light ultrawide camera samples

Macro camera

The macro shots are understandably underwhelming. The commonly used 2MP camera is so tiny, and it can't produce highly-detailed photos, which is essential for macro photography. In fact, the photos we took were all somewhat blurry, as if they were out of focus. More than usual. The camera has a fixed focus distance, but we weren't able to capture even one decent photo. We can't recommend using the dedicated macro camera at all.

Macro photos

Here's how the primary camera on the Honor Magic5 Lite stacks against the rest of the competition in the controlled environment of our Photo Compare Tool.

Honor Magic5 Lite vs. Realme GT2 and the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G in our Photo compare tool

Portraits

Portraits are not ideal either. They are generally soft, even In good lighting conditions, have a bit of limited dynamic range, and noise can be spotted in low-lit scenes. Check out the last sample in the gallery below. Colors seem otherwise natural, although the subject's skin can sometimes be rendered a bit on the pale side. On the bright side, the edge detection algorithm is excellent.

Portrait mode samples

Selfies

Selfies are just about average for the class, and they seem rather identical to last year's Magic4 Lite, which isn't a surprise given that both handsets share the same selfie camera and chipset. Colors need a little boost, and noise is more apparent as the light goes down, but for the most part, sharpness, detail and dynamic range are adequate.

Selfie camera samples

Video recording

As we already mentioned in the previous section, the chipset's ISP limits the Magic5 Lite's video recording capabilities, so it caps at 1080p@30fps. The ultrawide camera also offers video recording at the same resolution and frame rate.

Unfortunately, though, the video quality is once again uninspiring. Colors are washed out, the contrast is low, dynamic range is narrow (notice the clipped highlights and crushed shadows). Sharpness is also an issue, even for a 1080p video.

The ultrawide video has the same issues, but it's softer, and there's visible noise all around.

The Magic5 Lite offers stabilization by default, and EIS seems to be working just fine. No issues here.

Once you are done with the real-life scenarios, take a look at our video compare tool to see how the Honor Magic5 Lite stacks against the other phones we've reviewed.

Honor Magic5 Lite (1080p) vs. Realme GT2 (2160p) and the Samsung Galaxy A53 (2160p) in our Video compare tool