Ever since I got my hands on the HONOR Magic6 Pro last year, I have been using it as my daily smartphone. I am surprised that through my conversations with people I meet over the months, many of them are not familiar with the HONOR smartphone brand. HONOR began as a sub-brand under Huawei, similar to what Redmi sub-brand is to Xiaomi. But HONOR left me a deep impression all the way back in 2017 with the HONOR 8 Pro. I remember ordering it from Lazada at below S$400 but it has similar specs as the Huawei P10 Plus. It was a great performing device which still works after 8 years. When HONOR returned to Singapore market in 2023, the HONOR 90 I reviewed hit all the right spots especially the price, and I had to buy it for my dad to replace his old Huawei phone.
The HONOR Magic7 Pro rides on the success of the Magic6 series and adds several new AI features to further improve the user experience. If you are an existing Magic6 Pro user, the difference is not massive since they both support the latest MagicOS 9 that incorporates features like the Magic Portal, Magic Capsule, MagicRing. For new HONOR users, the HONOR Magic7 Pro encompasses the best of HONOR hardware, software and technology.
The design has departed from the curved edges and now features standard frame thickness on all sides. This is to reinforce the smartphone to achieve high tolerance to abuse and to achieve IP69 and IP68 protection rating. The power and volume buttons are also shifted further upwards so that the buttons do not get in the way of the tripod clamp.
HONOR smartphones have their own ecosystem of apps and functions, similar to every other manufacturer. So even though they all run on Android OS, the fonts, icons, menu design can differ. Let me walk you through how a new HONOR smartphone convert may experience the HONOR Magic7 Pro.
Clone Device
If you already have a smartphone, you can copy all your phone content to Magic7 Pro easily. Even though Android also has its own transfer device function, the HONOR Device Clone app is better are migrating and retaining the phone settings especially when migrating from an old HONOR phone with the same OS version. The transfer via Wi-Fi takes less than 10 minutes when I moved 41GB of data from the Magic6 Pro. Once complete, the Magic7 Pro home screen is identical to my older devices.
There are a few things that this function cannot achieve. One, you may need to re-authenticate some apps especially those with higher security features. Obviously this is to prevent cloning. Second, some apps do not work after cloning because the device ID is different. For instance, the Singapore McDonald’s app will prompt that the app cannot be used, so you just have to uninstall and reinstall again. Other apps might need you to re-enable folder permissions before it can access storage.
Screen Lock
Like the predecessor, the Magic7 Pro supports both 3D face unlock and fingerprint unlock, among others. The unlock recognition is quite fast. The fingerprint sensor is also positioned higher which is more ergonomic to reach, and the enrolment process requires only a few presses to recognise the entire fingerprint instead of scanning dozens of times.
Display and Home Screen Themes
The Magic7 Pro with 6.8 inch 2800×1280 is friendly to the eyes thanks to the Eye Comfort Display function that auto-adjusts screen colour and brightness based on ambient light or time of day. You can set schedules to reduce the blue light. The display features 4320Hz ultra-high frequency PWM dimming to achieve flicker-free view. It can also go up to 5000 nits peak HDR rightness.
The phone also supports customisation to the themes, fonts, sizes, something that some might love but I find the themes excessive for me. I do love how the home screen folders can be customised into various sizes including oblong.
Multi-Window
While Android smartphones all support multi-window, I find the HONOR smartphones make it easier to use. The HONOR Magic V3 foldable phone can show up to 4 apps on the same screen. On the Magic7 Pro, you can easily trigger floating window or split screen to display up 3 apps at the same time, just swipe from the bottom of the screen up and continue to drag either to the left (split screen) or right (floating window). Or, you can swipe-and-hold from the left or right of the display to bring up the multi-window dock, then select the app. To keep the app display alive while using other apps, drag the app floating window to the top right. This works great when I want to listen to music on YouTube but I need to keep it running in the foreground.
Snapdragon 8 Elite
Ultimately, the performance of the phone comes down to the processor. The Magic7 Pro is getting almost double the Geekbench 6 CPU score of the Magic6 Pro, while the GPU exhibits a 20% increase. Needless to say, the phone runs smoothly though it does not actually run at double the speed, while processor-intensive tasks like video generation is noticeably quicker to complete.
AI Everything
The newest tool on every smartphone today is Artificial Intelligence. To put things into perspective, manufacturers use the term loosely on every smart feature they introduce. Strictly-speaking, AI features do not require heavy programming as it uses models to produce a logical outcome. For instance, if you want to translate a language, an AI model should be able to identify the language without you selecting the source language, since it is supposed to be “intelligent”.
I won’t try to distinguish AI or non-AI functions on the Magic7 Pro, but here are some key features with built-in intelligence:
- Magic Portal 2.0: when you use the knuckle to circle an object, the system will analyse the content and display a list of services or applications that you might want to send the information to. It’s like the native version of Google Circle to Search, but instead of just Google Searching, Magic Portal can trigger other services, like send to online shops, or to maps, share to social apps.
- AI Deepfake Detection: HONOR claims this technology can detect digitally manipulated videos made by AI during video calls.
- AI Productivity: These features are really useful for working professionals. After making a voice recording using the Notes app, it is possible to generate formal meeting minutes and summarise the recording. You can also turn on transcribe mode before starting the recording, and it will translate in real time into another language. The tools require Internet to perform the AI functions.
- AI Translate: This app allows user to carry out real-time conversation with different language. There is the Chat mode which translates by typing or speaking, and the Interpreter mode plays back the translated message over the earbuds in real-time.
- AI Image Edit: With AI Eraser, you can remove objects and the AI will replace the missing parts. It works generally well, and it is possible to apply the eraser over and over again until it gets right. The AI Cutout easily cuts out the subject of a photo, separate it from the background, and save as a new image with a transparent background layer. I first tried this on the OPPO Reno12 Pro and loved it. AI Outpainting and AI Style will be coming to Magic7 Pro after a software update.
Camera System
The Magic7 Pro camera system is slightly upgraded. The ultra-wide and main camera remains at 50MP with same aperture sizes, while the telephoto zoom lens starts at 3X at 200MP with a larger 1/1.4-inch sensor, compared to 2.6X at 180MP with 1/1.49-inch sensor on the Magic6 Pro. The front camera system is also the same, with 50MP f/2.0 + 3D depth lenses.
Even though most of the sensors are similar, the image outputs are different. First, the ultra-wide angle of the Magic7 Pro is 12mm vs. Magic6 Pro 13mm. The main camera of the Magic7 Pro is 24mm vs. Magic6 Pro 27mm. It’s a good thing to be able to capture wider images.
Second, the images beyond 30X zoom are clearer. On the Magic6 Pro, 100X zoom shots are practically unusable, but on the Magic7 Pro, the shots have visible object outlines and less washed-out. And this is before enabling AI+ mode.
Third, images taken with aperture modes can support post-processing changes to depth-of-field and focal points. So if you shoot using Portrait mode, you can adjust the background blur after the shot.
Are the Magic7 Pro images better than the Magic6 Pro? My observation is that HONOR has applied a different image processing method on the Magic7 Pro to make them appear more contrasty, slightly more detailed, better background separation. But Magic6 Pro images appear brighter, more highlights, and less shallow depth-of-field.
For night scene, the Magic7 Pro controls light bleeding better and increases dynamics in the shadow areas. You can see the trees backlit in the sky.
I like the stronger contrast and reduced colour over-saturation on the Magic7 Pro, although it can work against the result, as you can see below.
Let me now talk about the AI+ Enhance feature that the camera system will enable when it detects a scene that can apply AI. Even when you enable it, after the shot is taken, the AI might not be applied due to no Internet connection or that AI cannot be applied successfully.
I must admit that the AI processing produces images that appear clear and detailed, but sharp-eyed users will notice that some information is not authentic to the actual scene. For me, this is one of the biggest concern: creating images that are not real.
Imagine using this camera to capture someone from a distance – like the one below. The God of Prosperity eyes looked rather different with AI Enhance, changing his facial character completely.
Another inconvenience is that the AI Enhance must be activated before capturing and cannot be processed from gallery photos. Hopefully this can be supported with future software updates.
Audio Quality
The Magic7 Pro has improved stereo speakers that deliver impressive punch at the lower frequencies, making audio louder and with more meat. There are also many audio effects that you can play around with, like 3D surround sound (improved spatial but reduced bass), DTS:X Ultra. I always disable them when I connect to headphones because I find them too over-compressed and creates wrong impressions of the headphones quality I am reviewing.
Battery Life
With the Magic7 Pro, I never have to worry about battery life during my review period. For normal usage during work days, I always end the day with 40% remaining. On days where I use the phone excessively, like doing video recordings and taking lots of photos during events, I still get about 20% remaining. For consumers with range anxiety, the Magic7 Pro supports super charge at 100W wired or 80W wireless.
Verdict
It is impressive to see how the HONOR Magic series evolved since I started reviewing the Magic5 Pro. The Magic6 Pro presents the most dramatic improvements, while the Magic7 Pro provides a smaller jump in features. As a whole, the Magic7 Pro certainly is a better phone given it is the newest, the design is sharper and less dated, though I prefer the premium leatherette feel of the Magic6 Pro. I love the Magic7 Pro camera zoom performance as well as the additional AI features, many of which are already introduced in the Magic V3 foldable phone. Despite, the AI features are still playing catch up and still lacking compared to rivals like Oppo X8 Pro.
I would recommend the Magic7 Pro for pre-Magic6 Pro users, and if Magic6 Pro users want a more capable super-zoom camera, then the Magic7 Pro will delight and amaze. Retailing in Singapore at S$1398 with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage, visit the website for more product details.
