The Honor Magic 5 Lite is launching alongside the flagship Magic 5 Professional and the folding Magic VS, and goals to be an inexpensive different for these whose budgets don’t stretch so far as that premium pair. Quite than a mere afterthought, the Magic 5 Lite is a well-rounded mid-range cellphone, with a classy design, virtually unbeatable battery life and a beautiful, curved show.
It’s not all razzle dazzle, after all: efficiency, whereas competent, gained’t blow you away, and also you’ll possible battle to seize award-winning photographs after darkish. Concessions are to be anticipated at this worth, however the query is, does the Honor Magic 5 Lite make them in the fitting locations?
Honor Magic 5 Lite overview: What you might want to know
Just like the latest Honor 70, the Magic 5 Lite is a deceptively fashionable mid-range cellphone, with a stunning, 120Hz OLED show that curves gracefully across the edges. On the again, you’ll discover the triple digicam array, which consists of a 64MP fundamental lens, a 5MP ultrawide shutter and a 2MP macro digicam.
Contained in the Honor Magic 5 Lite is a Snapdragon 695 processor, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Energy comes courtesy of an enormous 5,100mAh battery, which helps 40W quick charging.
The software program runs on Android 12, with Honor’s personal Magic UI 6.1 pasted excessive. Whereas not as clear an set up as a Google or Motorola cellphone, that is removed from the worst customized Android OS available on the market. The menus could be a bit excessive, and there’s extra pre-installed bloatware than I’d like, however total it’s quick and simple sufficient to navigate that it shouldn’t matter an excessive amount of.
Honor Magic 5 Lite overview: Value and competitors
At £330, the Honor Magic 5 Lite is a smidge too dear to be thought-about a finances handset, settling as a substitute into the decrease finish of the market’s mid-range bracket. Our favorite right here has lengthy been the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G (£299), which hits all the fitting notes within the show, efficiency and battery life credentials. Brightness doesn’t attain the identical heights because the Magic 5 Lite, and there’s no official IP waterproof ranking, however in any other case the Nord is a really robust contender.
Additionally on this worth vary sit the Motorola Edge 30 Neo (£300) and Xiaomi Redmi Notice 11 Professional (£319). Each telephones use the identical processor because the Magic 5 Lite, albeit paired with 8GB of RAM as a substitute of 6GB, and each have 128GB of base storage. The Xiaomi features an edge with a microSD slot, permitting you to develop storage as much as 1TB, nevertheless it lacks 4K video recording and suffers from a gaudy UI. The Motorola has speedier 67W quick charging, however did not impress with its digicam choice.
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Honor Magic 5 Lite overview: Design and key options
There are three colors on provide right here: Midnight Black, Titanium Silver and Emerald Inexperienced. The cellphone has a remarkably slim profile, measuring 162 x 74 x 7.9mm, and it’s good and light-weight at simply 175g. The glass rear panel has a mirror end, which seems pristine and premium for exactly two seconds, earlier than your grubby fingerprints get throughout it. Hold a fabric helpful with this one – you’re going to be wiping it down often.
Whereas round digicam modules aren’t new floor for Honor telephones, the 5 Lite switches issues up barely, buying and selling within the block circle utilized by the 4 sequence for a slender ring. In a sea of digicam array hegemony, a brand new design is all the time appreciated, and the top end result seems suitably slick. The cameras are situated on compass factors across the ring, with the principle lens to the east, the macro and ultrawide shutters on north and west respectively, and the LED flash located on the south.
The corresponding 16MP selfie digicam is ready centrally alongside the highest bezel, beneath the show. An optical fingerprint sensor sits beneath the show as nicely, with face unlocking additionally supported. Across the edges, you’ll discover the facility and quantity buttons, the USB-C charging port and the twin SIM tray. There’s no room right here for a microSD card, so that you’ll should make do with the 128GB of onboard storage.
Honor Magic 5 Lite overview: Show
As is commonly the case on this nook of the market, the Honor Magic 5 Lite places a hefty portion of its assets into the show, with spectacular outcomes. The 6.67in OLED panel has a crisp 2,400 x 1,080 decision and a breezy 120Hz refresh fee, so basic scrolling and app utilization really feel clean and look terrific. Befitting an OLED panel, the black degree and distinction are as near excellent because it will get, and the height brightness of 518cd/m² is excessive sufficient to be used in direct daylight.
That peak brightness was recorded on the Vivid color setting, which produces a usually extra vibrant palette, which is nice for streaming films and TV with loads of pop. In order for you a extra pure look, the appropriately named Pure setting provides a way more correct copy throughout the spectrum. On this setting, I recorded an sRGB gamut protection of 94.8% and a quantity of 95.9%, which is great for this worth.
Honor Magic 5 Lite overview: Efficiency and battery life
Whereas magic can be the logical supply of energy, the 5 Lite really runs on an octa-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset. It is a stable, if unremarkable, processor that we’ve seen not too long ago in gadgets such because the Motorola Edge 30 Neo and Xiaomi Redmi Notice 11 Professional 5G. All three scored equally within the single-core CPU checks, although the Xiaomi pushed the {hardware} a little bit additional for a lead of round 8% within the Geekbench 5 multicore take a look at.
Even higher was the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, with multicore scores roughly 14% forward of the Honor Magic 5 Lite. Whereas these cheaper fashions pulling forward might not paint the 5 Lite in one of the best mild, it’s nonetheless a really nippy handset to make use of. Normal scrolling is pleasingly fluid, helped alongside by the 120Hz refresh fee, whereas working and leaping between a number of apps by no means resulted in any important slowdown.
On the GPU entrance, the Honor Magic 5 Lite once more sits shoulder to shoulder with the Edge 30 Neo and Redmi Notice 11 Professional 5G, with scores that gained’t get you one of the best body charges on Name of Responsibility Cellular, however are greater than sufficient to easily play lighter video games equivalent to Sweet Crush. In order for you extra gaming prowess, the Nord CE 2 5G as soon as once more pulls forward of the pack, reiterating that it’s nonetheless one of the best performer on this worth bracket.
The Honor Magic 5 Lite is the primary cellphone that I’ve personally examined that makes use of a 5,100mAh battery, and that further capability doesn’t disappoint. In our customary video rundown take a look at, the 5 Lite lasted for an unbelievable 28 hours and 45 minutes, which comfortably lands it close to the very high of our greatest cellphone battery life checklist.
You may push the stamina even additional with the Good Decision mode, which is on as customary. With this on, the cellphone ran for over 32 hours earlier than tapping out, which ought to simply see you thru a second day of reasonable use. Even with Good Decision off and the refresh fee set to excessive, the battery lasted for over 24 hours. Whichever approach you slice it, this cellphone has some severely spectacular stamina.
When that epic battery life ultimately depletes, the Honor Magic 5 Lite helps 40W quick charging, permitting you to juice it again up shortly. Sadly, there isn’t a quick charger included within the field, however should you’ve already acquired a suitable plug, it is a helpful further.
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Honor Magic 5 Lite overview: Cameras
The Magic 5 Lite’s rear digicam array is spearheaded by a 64MP (f/1.8) fundamental lens, and the photographs it produces are usually fairly good. The colors are good and shiny, with loads of element and distinction bringing out the depth. These early springtime daffodils actually pop towards the muted winter sky, however don’t dip over into extreme saturation.
After darkish, issues had been much less spectacular. This nautical scene is brightened up successfully sufficient, nevertheless it comes with extra noise than I would like and a comically giant lens flare.
The supporting duo of a 5MP (f/2.2) ultrawide lens and 2MP (f/2.4) macro digicam are common fixtures on this worth vary. The outcomes can differ wildly from cellphone to cellphone, however what we get right here is on the higher finish of issues.
The ultrawide lens took this wintry solar scene and expanded the scope with out fully washing away the color. Brightness managed to remain fairly per the principle lens, though the element within the bushes leaves rather a lot to be desired.
The macro additionally carried out nicely, capturing loads of the small particulars on this fence gap. There’s not plenty of background to guage it by, however what small sliver we do see is blurred nicely and fairly freed from extra noise.
Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30fps, which is not the finest, however is comprehensible at this worth. Stabilisation is barely digital, so you should still see the odd digicam shake, however in any other case the footage is respectable sufficient.
Honor Magic 5 Lite overview: Verdict
With solely a short stumble within the digicam division, the Honor Magic 5 Lite emerges as a reasonably well-rounded, inexpensive cellphone. The show and battery life are each implausible, with the one snag on the latter being that there’s no quick charging plug included within the field.
On condition that it’s caught at 128GB a microSD slot wouldn’t go amiss, however in any other case, the Honor Magic 5 Lite hits a very powerful factors on this worth vary. It takes respectable photographs, lasts a very long time on a single cost, and appears nice doing it.
