As we announce the latest version of the Honor Magic 5 Pro, we want to take a closer look at how it compares to other phones on the market.
with MWC 2023 in full swing, we expect much more news related to new releases. One is the latest addition to the Honor Magic lineup with the Magic 5 Pro, which sports an impressive triple-camera setup and uses the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.
The Honor Magic 5 Pro will go on sale in the second quarter of 2023, with pricing not yet available. We’ll be sure to update this article as soon as we know more about pricing and specific release dates.
We wanted to compare this new handset to one of the best Android phones on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Read on to learn how these devices differ so you can decide which upgrade is best for you.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has an AMOLED display
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has an impressive 6.8-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. This HDR10+ certified and has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz, allowing you to drop down to lower refresh rate when necessary to conserve battery power while maintaining smooth scrolling during more intensive tasks.
We thought it was phenomenal to use, with the WQHD+ resolution providing a smooth and crisp look to media and apps. Moreover, we could use it in direct sunlight thanks to the maximum number of 1750 nits, which makes it very accessible during the sunny months.
The Magic 5 Pro has a 6.81-inch LTPO Quad-Curved screen with a reasonable 120Hz refresh rate, giving it the same smooth scrolling advantage as the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Honor claims a peak HDR brightness of 1,800 nits at ultra-high brightness and a resolution of 1,312×2,848.
It also boasts advanced features such as 2160Hz PMW dimming, which Honor says should make flickering less obvious and therefore cause less eye strain when used at night. We thought it was great to use and very responsive, though we’ll have to wait for our full review to get a detailed look at how it handles media and day-to-day use.
The Magic 5 Pro has a 50 MP primary camera
Honor has done everything in terms of camera; The Magic 5 Pro has a triple primary camera that includes a 50-megapixel wide sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and a 50-megapixel telephoto lens.
The large number of megapixels combined with AI capture and Ultra Fusion computational optics should deliver sharp and highly detailed images. Honor claims that the primary sensor is 35% larger than the primary sensor on the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro Maxresulting in 13% and 24% better light consumption respectively.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a quad-camera setup with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, a 200-megapixel wide-angle sensor, and two 10-megapixel telephoto sensors. We found the 200MP primary camera exceeded our expectations during use, producing fantastic photos in both low- and well-lit environments, with plenty of detail in every shot.
Until we get a better look at the Magic 5 Pro’s camera, we can’t make any definitive comments about which one is better. It will also depend on what you want out of the camera, as the Magic 5 Pro may be the best all-rounder thanks to its 50MP all-round sensor.
Honor has a limited number of colors
The Magic 5 Pro will be available in two colors: green and black. It pales in comparison to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which can be found in a plethora of shades.
There are eight colors in total, with Green, Lavender, Cream and Phantom Black advertised as the main ones. There are four other colors available exclusively on Samsung’s website, including Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite and Red.
This could make the Galaxy S23 Ultra more attractive, as there is much more choice when it comes to personalizing your phone’s design.
MagicOS vs. OneUI
While both phones run on Android, the Magic 5 Pro uses the MagicOS platform based on the Android 13. Samsung used a similar technique using Android 13, but with the latest OneUI 5.1 applied on top.
Until we get a full look at the Magic 5 Pro phone, we can’t comment too much on how MagicOS 7.1 performs, but we do know that it includes a number of smart features, including MagicRing and Magic Text. The former allows collaboration across multiple devices, while the latter offers intelligent text recognition, which should empower users to improve their productivity.
We thought OneUI offered a polished experience that was largely virus-free, aside from Samsung’s plethora of pre-installed apps.
Both phones benefit from access to some of Android 13’s best features, such as per-app language settings and other Material You palettes. It will depend on personal preference, but we imagine that both operating systems will have their advantages and work smoothly.
