Honor was sold by Huawei last year, allowing this former sub-brand to become independent and reconnect with global partners such as Google and Qualcomm. It has released the Honor 50 series of super mid-range phones, but we now have our first post-Huawei flagship in the Honor Magic 3 series.
This time we actually have three phones, Honor Magic 3, Honor Magic 3 Pro and Honor Magic 3 Pro Plus. They also share many features, namely the curved 6.67-inch OLED screen (2,772 x 1,344, 120Hz refresh rate), 4,600mAh battery, 66W wired charging, Google support and Magic UI 5 skin. But these phones differ in SoC, camera, and several other aspects.
Honor Magic 3 Pro Plus: Top Dog
Looking for uncompromising equipment? This is where Magic 3 Pro Plus comes in. You can get the aforementioned screen, battery, and wired charging speed, but you can also get the Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset and 50W wireless charging.
Honor’s high-end phones are also equipped with a rather interesting quad rear camera setup. There is a 50MP IMX700 main camera (1.22 micron pixels, 1/1.28 inch sensor size, 23mm), 64MP monochrome camera, 64MP ultra-wide-angle snapshot (11 mm) and 4X 64MP periscope zoom camera. The company also added a color temperature sensor to the rear camera system. The 13MP front-facing selfie camera is also equipped with a 3D ToF camera for 3D face unlocking.
Keeping it up front, the manufacturer stated that it has added a so-called nanocrystalline shield to the screen, claiming that its drop resistance has been increased by 3 times (compared to other curved displays on the surface). It also introduces an IP68 rating here for a more durable design.
Goldilocks option?
Magic 3 Pro is the middle child here, but it still has a lot in common with Pro Plus. You have a high-end model of Snapdragon 888 Plus SoC, 50W wireless charging and IP68 rating. You also have a 3D ToF camera for secure face unlock next to the 13MP shooting game. So, what did you sacrifice for Pro equipment?
You also have a 50MP main camera, but the IMX700 main camera of Pro Plus has been replaced with an IMX766 shooting game (1/1.56 inch sensor size). We also saw the switch from a 64MP ultra-wide-angle camera to a 13MP ultra-wide-angle snapper. Otherwise, you also have a 64MP monochrome camera and a 64MP 3.5X periscope camera (with 10X hybrid zoom).
Honor Magic 3: The cheapest model
Those who want Magic 3 devices but don’t want to spend a lot of cash should consider the vanilla model. The biggest cut here is the switch to the standard Snapdragon 888 chipset, no wireless charging, and no front 3D ToF camera. We also see the IP54 splash rating here instead of the IP68 rating of the Pro model.
After switching to the rear camera system, Honor gave up any type of zoom camera. Instead, you have a 50MP IMX766 main camera, a 64MP monochrome camera, and a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens.
Otherwise, you still have the same 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED screen, 13MP selfie camera, 66W wired charging and 4,600mAh battery to keep you moving.
Honor Magic 3 series pricing
The Chinese brand confirmed that Magic 3 will start at 899 Euros (approximately US$1,055) and will be available in 8GB/256GB versions. The device is available in three colors: Blue Hour (see picture above), Golden Hour, white and black. The first two options are vegan leather designs.
Want Magic 3 Pro? Then, you will spend 1,099 Euros (approximately US$1,289) for the 8GB/256GB model. This device offers black, white and prime time options. Otherwise, the only 12GB/512GB device for the high-end Magic 3 Pro Plus starts at 1,499 Euros (approximately US$1,759). Pro Plus is available in ceramic black and ceramic white. There is no news about the official release market.
As for the promise of software updates, Honor told reporters that it usually promises “at least one large-scale upgrade” of all its flagship phones. If there is indeed only one operating system update for the Honor Magic 3 series, it will be a major disappointment. After all, Samsung and other players have announced three years of operating system updates for their flagship products. Given its price tag, this will be a double disappointment for Magic 3 Pro Plus. We will follow up with Honor to confirm this statement.
It is also interesting that Pro Plus specifically provides a camera system somewhat similar to Huawei P50 Pro. In other words, they all provide a 50MP main camera (it seems that Huawei’s mobile phone also has an IMX700), a 64MP periscope lens and a high-resolution monochrome camera (although it is 64MP and P50 Pro’s 40MP). We even see the same wired and wireless charging speeds on Pro devices, while the standard Magic 3 and P50 share the same 66W with only wired charging.
This similarity shows that the Honor mobile phone was already in development before it was split from Huawei, which makes sense considering the long overall development time of smartphones. But therefore, this seems to be our closest Huawei phone to support Google.
What do you think of the Honor Magic 3 series? Tell us through the polls above.