Honor Magic4 Pro review

Introduction and specs

Honor is on the verge of rediscovering its mobile business, now that its Huawei relationship no longer attracts them and only works for them.  With Magic4 Pro, the company wants to prove that it can return to its former glory by offering advanced devices with unique features.  The smartphone maker is so confident that Magic4 Pro is a flagship brand owned that it was brave enough to keep its price above € 1,000 - a limit that some manufacturers would dare to exceed.

And as you can see, the Magic4 Pro has everything you need to challenge the 2022 premium flagship.  The phone has a large LTPO OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, and is thought to be the industry's first 120Hz panel with 1920Hz PWM dimming.  This means that the presentation will be easy on your eyes but more on that in the next pages.

In addition to a beautiful quad curved OLED panel, the Magic4 Pro has an advanced camera setup.  The main 50MP sensor is connected to a 64MP 3.5x periscope unit and a 50MP ultra wide unit.  The entire system uses a 3D ToF sensor, which Honor says it uses not only for a sense of depth but also for autofocus.

Honor Magic4 Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.6x74.7x9.1mm, 209g; glass front and back, metal frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.81" LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (peak), 1312x2848px resolution, 19.54:9 aspect ratio, 460ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.40 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.70 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
• Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM.
• OS/Software: Android 12, Magic UI 6, Google Play Services.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF; Telephoto: 64 MP, f/3.5, 90mm, 1/2.0", 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.2, 122˚, 1/2.5", AF; Depth: TOF 3D.
• Front camera: Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.4, 100˚, 1.22µm; Depth: TOF 3D.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10, 10-bit video; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4600mAh; Fast charging 100W, 100% in 30 min (advertised), Fast wireless charging 100W, 50% in 15 min (advertised), Reverse wireless charging, Reverse charging 5W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); NFC; Infrared port; Ultra Wideband (UWB) support.

What is the flagship phone these days without a fast charging solution?  Fortunately, the Magic4 Pro offers fast 100W wired charging and 100W wireless charging using Honor's proprietary cradle.  The company promises a full battery in less than 30 minutes.

Other notable features include an ultrasonic fingerprint reader and a 3D ToF sensor on the front.  It's been a long time since we last saw a phone with two advanced biometric security features.  The front 3D ToF sensor is used for Face Unlock, which is more reliable than the standard Android Face Unlock, which is based only on the front camera.  The fingerprint reader is a bit surprising because until recently only Samsung used the technology.

As a top-shelf smartphone, IP68 certification against water and dust is within easy reach, along with two full stereo speakers, ultra-wideband support and of course the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 running the show.

Competition is important in this price range, and Honor knows that.  However, the higher price tag indicates that Honor knows what it's doing, and the brand identity is mostly on its side.  It's not as popular as Samsung or Apple, but its association with Huawei has been instrumental in creating brand awareness in markets where both brands are available.  Even today, we think many potential users will feel that they will get a phone as good as Huawei but with Google mobile services on board.

Unboxing the Honor Magic4 Pro

Unlike some of the best offerings on the market, Honor Magic4 Pro has a complete retail package that consists of a 100W charger and a USB-A to USB-C cable for data transfer and charging.  They are not given these days, you know.

Honor has added an additional additional accessory - a transparent silicone protective case that cannot hide the design.  It improves grip, fits well, but feels cheap.