Honor Magic5 Pro review

Design, build quality, handling

The Honor Magic5 Pro is reminiscent of the Magic4 Pro - a dual-glass smartphone with a curved design, with similar traits like the pill-shaped display cutout and the circular camera island on the back. The phone is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance, just like the previous one, too.

The global model of the Macig5 Pro is available in Meadow Green (ours) and Black colors, both with glass panels on both ends. There is also a version with an orange eco leather back, but it's limited to China.

The front panel is made of glass, and it is slightly curved across all sides. The back one has identical curvatures, though the volcano-like camera glass is a huge showstopper here and grabs your whole attention. Finally, the frame is made of aluminum, and it's thicker around the top and bottom and thinner across the left and right sides.

The back panel has this matt layer, which makes it feel less like glass and more like plastic. This is fine, but the good news is the panel is completely fingerprint and smudge resistant. Just don't expect much of a grip, though.

The glossy metal frame is not boosting the grip either, though we have to admit the Meadow Green Magic5 Pro looks gorgeous with its specific paintjob and the matching shiny frame. While there is not much of a grip (unless you use a case), the Magic5 Pro offers a stylish and recognizable design, quite likable at that.

And we do appreciate the complete ingress protection; it has become a must for the flagship crop.

Now, let's take a closer look at the Honor Magic5 Pro.

The front is all about the 6.81-inch OLED screen of thin and even bezels. It has a pill-shaped cutout around the top left corner, where you can spot the 12MP selfie camera and the ToF 3D system for face scanning.

The protective glass is curved, more prominently across its left and right sides, but the OLED panel underneath is flat, as usual.

There is an under-display fingerprint scanner placed centered around the bottom of the screen. It's quite convenient, fast, and plenty reliable.

The secure 3D face unlock also works as advertised - once configured, it appears to be a notch faster than on the latest iPhone models.

The last thing at the front you probably can't see is the earpiece - its outlet is incredibly thin, almost invisible - and it's above the screen, just before the frame. Note that the speaker placed here has two sound outlets - one front-facing and one top-firing.

The matt back panel is quite the feast - it has this jutting-out volcano-like camera housing, which ends with a flat glass surface surrounded by a metal ring. Here you can see the 50MP periscope zoom camera, the 50MP primary one, and the 50MP ultrawide. Around is also a single-LED flash, a flicker sensor and a multi-spectrum color sensor (next to the flash), a microphone, and another ToF 3D system for depth mapping and autofocus assistance.

The camera island is so big, and while the phone can never lay straight on a table, it won't wobble because of the enormous size and the support it provides.

We already mentioned there is another speaker grille at the top of the phone. Here you can also see the IR blaster and another microphone.

The bottom of the Magic5 Pro houses the dual SIM tray, the primary microphone, the USB-C port and the second speaker.

There is nothing on the left side of this Honor.

The volume and the power/lock keys are on the right.

One thing you cannot see but should benefit from is the standalone antenna architecture, something that Honor claims to be an industry's first. The phone has separate antennas for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi placed around different parts of the phone, which will resolve the mutual interference and boost speeds and reduce the latency of both types of connections.

The Honor Magic5 Pro measures 162.9 x 76.7 x 8.8 mm and weighs 219 grams. The footprint is similar to the one of the Magic4 Pro, but the newer model has gained 10g more weight.

The Honor Magic5 Pro is a large smartphone, though the all-around curvature makes it look and feel smaller. The grip is far from ideal, but it's enough to offer a satisfying experience even without a case. Still, if you do plan on shooting a lot of photos and videos, a case is necessary.

Overall, we liked the Magic5 Pro and the handling experience, while nothing special, was fine. The phone checks all marks for a flagship with its design and ingress protection, and the only room for improvement remains the grip - maybe a sandblasted frame would have helped.