On the occasion of MWC 2022, Honor lifts the veil on its Magic 4 series consisting of two smartphones. Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, neat photo part, premium screen… the Magic 4 and 4 Pro leave nothing to chance.
In the absence (or almost) of Huawei, the high-end sector leaves a place to take to face Samsung or Apple. Oppo has understood this well with its Find X5 Pro while Xiaomi is refining the contours of its 12 Ultra. Motorola also wants to return to the race with the Edge 30 Pro, but the surprise could come from Honor. The former Huawei brand is positioning itself to take up the torch and break its “low cost” image. To return to the fore, Honor focuses its strategy on three series with the X which goes to the essentials, the more mid-range or high-end Honor series and the Magic series. The latter includes premium devices such as the Magic V or the Magic 3.
For this beginning of the year, the Chinese brand is in Barcelona to discuss the arrival of the Magic 4. The range consists of a classic model and a Pro variant, offering two (very) high-end models. Besides the presence of powerful components, they are focused on photography and could succeed where a Huawei P50 Pro cannot win without Google.
Honor Magic 4 Pro: the premium photophone
Spearhead of the series, the Honor Magic 4 Pro is a very promising smartphone that does not go unnoticed. Its size is rather imposing (163.3 x 74.7 x 9.10-15 mm for 209 to 215 g) and its design is very reminiscent of that of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro. The latter had caused a sensation with its circular rear photo system and Honor decided to take up the concept of its former parent company. Its Magic 4 Pro has a 6.81-inch LTPO OLED curved screen, displaying a comfortable definition (2,848 x 1,312 pixels) up to 120 Hz. The brand uses the Smart Refresh Rate system and offers maximum brightness 100 nits for its HDR10+ certified panel.
The smartphone comes alive thanks to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 flanked by 8GB to 12GB of RAM and 256GB to 512GB of storage. The presence of the powerful Qualcomm chip leaves no doubt about the orientation of this smartphone. The Magic 4 Pro adds an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor (Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2) and has recent technologies. 5G compatible, it supports wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Focus on the picture
The Magic 4 Pro adds a photo block comprising three modules. The main sensor of 50 megapixels (f / 1.8) and supported by an ultra wide-angle of 50 megapixels (f / 2.2, 122 ° FOV). To accompany this duo, Honor adds a 64-megapixel periscopic telephoto lens with 3.5x optical and digital zoom up to 100x. The latter has already been seen on Huawei’s P50 Pro. On the video side, the smartphone can shoot up to 4K HDR 10 at 60 frames per second. On the front of the device, Honor mentions the presence of a dual sensor for selfies and video calls.
To power this powerful setup, the Magic 4 Pro relies on a 4,600mAh battery. If we are used to finding larger batteries on certain premium models, the brand can rely on its 100 W wired fast charge. Honor SuperCharge technology also offers 100 W wireless charging. Allow 15 minutes for a 60% charge and 30 minutes for a full charge.
Everything works under Magic UI 6.0, an overlay based on Android 12. Remember that unlike Huawei smartphones, Honor has access to Google applications and services.
Honor Magic 4: still high-end, less premium
To accompany its Pro model, Honor is betting on an equally promising Magic 4. It takes up the design and several technical elements of the “Pro” variant; while making some concessions to be more affordable. There is a 6.81-inch LTPO OLED screen (up to 120 Hz) in 2664 x 1224 pixel definition, as well as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip.
In terms of differences, the Magic 4 swaps the 64-megapixel sensor for an 8-megapixel periscopic telephoto lens (f / 3.4). The latter offers 5x optical and digital zoom up to 50x. At the front, you have to be content with a single front camera.
Still available, Honor’s SuperCharge technology is limited to a 66 W wired charge. For the rest, this “classic” model is close to its brother and benefits in particular from a stereo audio system.
Prices and availability
Honor announces a price of 1,099 euros for the Magic 4 Pro in its 8/128 GB version. The Magic 4 is displayed at 899 euros.
