HONOR Magic5 Pro Unboxing, First Impressions, Camera Samples - One of the best photography phones today!

On schedule, HONOR earlier released the Magic5 Pro in the Philippines. On paper, this is the company's strongest in the country yet.

Meet HONOR Magic5 Pro, the new camera contender?

To recap, the HONOR Magic5 Pro is one of the best phones for photography in the world today. The device is using a legit 3x 50MP sensor at the back consisting of a 50MP f/1.8 1/1.56 sensor with OIS, 50MP f/3.0 122-degree ultra-wide angle camera, and a 50MP f/3.0 IMX858 periscope sensor with 3.5x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom.

Not only that, the device has flagship-worthy specs all over. The HONOR Magic5 Pro features a large 6.81-inch Quad-Curved LTPO OLED 120Hz 2848 x 1312 resolution screen, 3.18GHz 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 octa-core processor, 12GB RAM, 512GB UFS 4.0 expandable storage, 5,100mAh battery capacity with USB-C 66W SuperCharge, 50W Wireless SuperCharge, stereo speakers, 

Keeping its performance in check is the superconducting hexagonal graphene material and VC liquid cooling system.

In the Philippines, the device retails for PHP 59,990.

Without any further ado, let's check it out.

Unboxing/Accessories

HONOR Magic5 Pro box

The HONOR Magic5 Pro's packaging is reminding us of the HUAWEI Mate Series boxes and that's okay. To those who do not know, HONOR is a former sub-brand of the Chinese tech giant. So, don't be surprised if they still share some tech.

Accessories inside the box

As expected, it has the phone, case, 66W power brick, and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. The phone itself has a pre-installed screen protector.

Just note that the plug of the USB power brick we got is Type G. This is the plug for countries like the United Kingdom, Singapore, and more. So, you may need an adapter before plugging it into PH sockets.

Build Quality/Design

Sleek curved back

The craftsmanship is excellent. The device is made with solid materials like textured glass, metal, and curved glass in front. The handset even has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Beautiful and very nice to hold!

Unlike the affordable mid-range HONOR X9a 5G (PHP 16,990), the company is not marketing the handset as drop resistant. So, better not risk it since this is an expensive piece of tech.

In terms of design, it is a balanced-looking smartphone with sleek curves at the back and in front. The unit we are reviewing is the Meadow Green variant, but you can also get it in the classic Black colorway.

The eye candy of its back is the circular hump that reminds us of modern HUAWEI Mate Series phones. 

Since the device has a textured paint finish, it isn't as slippery to hold as glass phones. There are no sharp edges as well making it comfortable in the hands.

Plus, despite having a larger 6.81-inch screen, it weighs lesser than the 240g iPhone 14 Pro Max at just 219 grams.

Without the case, it may just wobble when placed on flat surfaces due to its camera protrusion.

One of the most immersive screens yet

Moving to the screen, it has a 19.54:9 aspect ratio and a 92.33 percent screen-to-body ratio. This means that it has an immersive display with very slim bezels all over. Even the pill-shaped camera cutout looks very slim.

One of the best-looking screens around

By the way, this display looks very good so far. Aside from its crisp resolution, it appears that its TÜV Rheinland Circadian Friendly Certification is legit as it isn't as irritating to the eyes even at night.

Top, bottom

Left, right

On top, you will see the IR Blaster remote control, mic, and the top speaker. Below, it has the SIM tray slot, another microphone, and the bottom speaker. There is nothing left except for the antenna line. On the right, you will see the power key and volume rocker.

Legit triple 50MP!

Obviously, the main highlight of the phone is its trio of 50MP shooters at the back. Again, it is sporting a 50MP f/1.8 1/1.56 sensor with OIS, 50MP f/3.0 122-degree ultra-wide angle camera, and a 50MP f/3.0 IMX858 periscope sensor with 3.5x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom.

For selfies, it is sporting a 12MP f/2.4 + 3D Depth Camera.

First Camera Samples

1x daylight

Ultra-wide daylight

3.5x zoom daylight

3.5x zoom

3.5x and 10x zoom

3.5x zoom and 50 percent crop

3.5x zoom and 60x moon zoom

For a smartphone, the HONOR Magic5 Pro takes amazing images. All of our shots from the ultra-wide, wide, and 3.5x zooms are highly detailed since they all have the same resolutions. We like the color rendering across all the cameras as well.

Its best camera is still the primary shooter with f/1.6 aperture. But, my favorite of the 3 is the 3.5x periscope zoom lens.

Phenomenal 3.5x zoom, good color rendering across all cams

As soon as I started using it, I can't help but use it more than the other 50MP cameras due to its mirrorless camera-like performance. There is no mention of telemacro capabilities here, but it can.

Just take a look at the fibers on the plants, the eyes of the fly, and the microdetails on the hair of the cat that we took. It is very impressive for a smartphone.

Of course, it can do super zooming up to 100x thanks to its use of a periscope sensor and its primary camera. The moon zooming of this one is also one of the most natural-looking around with a lesser AI filter used.

Ultra-wide low light

Wide low light

The ultra-wide in low light performs at a high level too, but you will notice that the primary wide 50MP shooter with a wider, faster, and brighter f/1.6 aperture is the winner here. We noticed that it won't make your low light shots overly bright as well, it will still look like a shot taken at night but with more details and rich colors.

Selfie well-lit

The selfie cam by default has some beautification, but it is still detailed and won't totally change your skin tone or make your skin overly smooth.

We noticed that its camera app is also very easy to use and feature-rich. You can see there that it has an option for 4K 60fps videos at the back and 4K 30fps in front.

This is still one of the few phones that has the ability to take 4K selfies. So, we are excited to try it for taking videos soon.

HONOR Magic5 Pro Specs

Display: 6.81-inch Quad-Curved Floating LTPO OLED Screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, 2160Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, 1,800 nits, 2848 x 1312 resolution at 460 ppi

CPU: 3.18GHz 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 octa-core processor

GPU: New Adreno

RAM: 12GB LPDDR5X

ROM: 512GB UFS 4.0

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.6 Wide Main Camera w/ OIS, EIS + 50MP f/2.0 Ultra Wide Camera + 50MP f/3.0 Periscope Telephoto Camera w/ 3.5x Optical Zoom, OIS

Selfie Camera: 12MP f/2.4 + 3D Depth Camera

Battery: 5,100mAh Li-Po w/ 66W SuperCharge, 50W Wireless SuperCharge

OS: Android 13 w/ MagicOS 7.1

Connectivity: WiFi 7, 5G, 4G, Bluetooth 5.2 (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD), OTG, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, QZSS, dual SIM (nano)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, IP68 water and dust resistance, IR Blaster, stereo speakers, DTS:X Ultra, Superconducting + VC Cooling, USB-C, Colors: Meadow Green, Black

Dimensions: 162.9 x 76.7 x 8.77 mm

Weight: 219 g

Price: PHP 59,990

As of the moment

Look at that benchmark score!

I'm definitely pleased with nearly everything that I'm seeing with this handset so far. It is a very well-rounded smartphone boasting mostly bleeding-edge specs that performs great in real life.

The cameras of this are some of the best I've seen so far and it can definitely compete or beat some of the more expensive flagship mobile shooters right now.

I'm excited to explore the rest of its features and what it can do in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

But so far, our initial impression is it is absolutely worth it even at PHP 60K.