Honor reveals new Magic 6 Ultimate in China
Honor might not be the most well-known phone maker in Europe, but its high-end handsets usually hit the headlines.
That’s no different on the Magic 6 series, its flagship lineup for 2024. There are four handsets this time – the Magic 6, Magic 6 Pro, Magic 6 Lite and Magic 6 Ultimate.
Only two of these phones have made it to Europe so far, and there’s no sign of the other models joining them yet. Here’s everything you need to know about the Magic 6 series, including their release date, pricing and all the key specs and features.
When was the Honor Magic 6 released?
The Honor Magic 6 lineup appears to now be complete, though the launch dates of phones has been staggered.
The Magic 6 Lite was first up, though the 4 December Chinese unveiling was soon followed by a European launch on 10 January.
Just a day later, on 11 January, the Magic 6 and Magic 6 Pro joined their more affordable counterpart in China. Honor used its pre-MWC keynote in Barcelona on 25 February to reveal the Magic 6 Pro in Europe, but not the regular Magic 6. The Pro was then released on 1 March.
Then, on 18 March 2024, Honor revealed its top-of-the-line Magic 6 Ultimate in China. Shipping begins on 22 March, but there’s no word on a global launch. Unless something changes, neither it or the regular Magic 6 will make it to Europe.
For context, here’s when the previous generations were launched in Europe:
Don’t expect any of the phones to ever be available in North America – Honor doesn’t sell its devices there.
How much will the Honor Magic 6 cost?
The Magic 6 Pro is a flagship phone in almost every sense of the word, and its price reflects that. The phone costs €1,299 for a model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
That makes it one of the most expensive Android phones you can buy, though the Magic 6 Lite is far more affordable. It costs £349.99 for the only model available in the UK.
The regular Magic 6’s ¥4,399 Chinese price translates to around £500, but if the phone ever launches in the UK, expect it to be much more expensive. The Magic 5 cost €899 in Europe, for example.
If the Magic 6 Ultimate ever comes to Europe, its ¥6999 price in China suggests it’ll be significantly more expensive than even the Magic 6 Pro.
For context, here’s how much their predecessors cost at launch:
Honor Magic 5 Lite: £329/€369
Honor Magic 5: €899
Honor Magic 5 Pro: £949/€1,199
What specs and features will the Honor Magic 6 have?
The Chinese and global versions of the Magic 6 Pro are identical, while the Magic 6 and 6 Ultimate remain exclusive to China. All the specs and features mentioned below apply to all markets in which the phones are available.
Magic 6 and 6 Pro
The Magic 6 and 6 Pro are currently available in five colours: black, white, green, cyan and purple.
However, another new design is coming – Honor has confirmed that a Porsche Design version of the Magic 6 Pro is coming in March. It’ll likely adopt a similar aesthetic to the equivalent version of the Magic V2 foldable.
Both the Magic 6 and 6 Pro phones showcase a 6.8-inch curved LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,264 x 2,800 pixels and a variable 1-120Hz refresh rate. Honor highlights a peak brightness of 1,800 nits in auto mode and an impressive 5,000 nits of local peak brightness for HDR content.
Distinguishing between the two models, the Magic 6 features a single punch hole cutout, while the Pro version includes a pill-shaped cutout for the additional 3D depth face unlock module. Additionally, both displays incorporate 4,320Hz ultra-high frequency PWM dimming.
Turning to the rear, a redesigned camera island distinguishes the models based on their respective lenses.
The Magic 6 Pro boasts a 50MP main camera with a variable aperture of f/1.4-f/2.0, while the Magic 6 is equipped with a 50MP f/1.9 shooter.
The Pro model introduces a 180MP periscope lens with 2.5x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom, alongside a 50MP ultrawide lens.
Meanwhile, the standard Magic 6 features a 32MP telephoto lens offering 2.5x optical and 50x digital zoom, paired with a 50MP ultrawide lens. Both phones house a 50MP front-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture for selfies.
What’s more, Honor says the new ‘Falcon Camera System’ on the Magic 6 series is built to capture images of fast-moving scenes, especially in sport. To do so, the phones are equipped with upgrades sensors, improved shutter speeds, faster imaging speeds and new, dedicated algorithms.
The cameras on the Magic 6 phones also supposedly offer better dynamic range, light sensitivity, zoom capabilities and a dynamic end result. Honor wants it to be on a par with a dedicated mirrorless camera.
These are top-tier features, and it’s clear that Honor wants the Magic 6 and 6 Pro to be just as good as a dedicated camera for most people. While the hardware is impressive on paper, it’ll have to be a significant upgrade over even the Magic 5 Pro to achieve that. The best camera phones also represent strong competition.
Honor is also advertising the abilities of the eye-tracking tech on the Magic 6 Pro, which uses AI to control what’s on the screen by just looking at it. It can even be used to control a car, as this YouTube video from Autocar demonstrates:
Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers both devices. The Magic 6 is available in configurations of 12/256GB, 16/256GB, and 16/512GB, while the Magic 6 Pro offers options of 12/256GB, 16/512GB, or 16GB/1TB for RAM and storage.
The Magic 6 features a 5,450mAh battery with 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging (using Honor’s wireless charger). On the other hand, the Pro variant steps up to a 5,600mAh cell with 80W wired and 66W wireless charging capabilities.
Connectivity options include support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. Both phones are equipped with IR blasters for controlling home appliances and boast IP68 dustproof and water-resistant features.
Running on the latest MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14, these devices offer an impressive array of features.
This new version introduces a MagicLM on-device large language model equipped with an impressive 7 billion parameters. Notably, Honor highlights the intent-based user interface (IUI) of MagicOS 8.0, which actively suggests services and apps based on the user’s usage patterns.
A significant addition is the Magic Portal feature, making use of Honor’s LLM and IUI to provide context-based app and service shortcut recommendations through a side swipe. This functionality, for example, will let you drag and drop a booking reservation from the messages app to the maps app, instantly getting directions to the venue.
Magic Portal supports multimodal input, incorporating text and images, and also registers gestures and eye movements on compatible Honor phones. For example, users can tap and hold on images of clothing and drag them to the side to initiate searches within shopping apps.
While Honor has confirmed support for the top 100 most popular apps in China, there are no specifics on whether these features will extend to other regions.
Additionally, MagicOS 8.0 introduces new options for customizing the home screen, enhances UI speed, and is designed to be more resource-efficient due to optimizations carried out by Honor’s software team. A notable feature is the introduction of a “shake-to-block ads” functionality to combat intrusive pop-ups, along with system-wide Parallel Spaces that allow users to display two instances of the same app.
Magic 6 Lite
The Magic 6 Lite is available right now in Europe in Midnight Black, Emerald Green and Sunrise Orange finishes.
The phone boasts a 6.78-inch AMOLED curved display with Full HD+ resolution (1220 × 2652 pixels), an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, and refresh rate of 120Hz.
The screen also provides a maximum brightness of 1,200 nits, 1920Hz PWM dimming technology, and features a cut-out housing a 16MP selfie camera with an f/2.5 aperture.
On the rear panel, the circular module accommodates a three-camera setup, comprising a 108MP (f/1.75) main camera, a 5MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera. The setup can record video in up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second.
Beneath the Magic 6 Lite’s chassis lies a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, built using a 4nm technology process. The chipset operates alongside 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
For connectivity, the smartphone utilises dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, and a USB Type-C port. It also features dual SIM support and a fingerprint reader integrated into the display.
Although Honor has announced the Android 14-based Magic OS 8.0, the Magic 6 Lite runs Android 13 with the Magic UI 7.2 overlay and is powered by a 5300mAh battery with 35W fast charging.
The smartphone measures 163.6×75.5×7.98mm and weighs 185 grams.
Magic 6 Ultimate
The Magic 6 Ultimate, currently exclusive to China, looks quite different to the other phones in the lineup.
Instead of the round rear camera module, it’s more square (albeit with rounded corners), despite only small tweaks to the hardware itself. The main lens is still 50Mp – it just now has LiDAR autofocus rather than laser autofocus. It also now supports 4K video at 24fps (rather than just 30- or 60fps) and supports OIS (optical image stabilisation) for video as well as still photos.
The 50Mp front-facing camera is now an ultrawide, allowing you to get even more in your selfies. But the 180Mp, 2.5x telephoto and 50Mp rear ultrawide are unchanged.
The only other changes compared to the Magic 6 Pro is a vegan leather silicone polymer back on all models (optional on 6 Pro), Dolby Vision support and slightly tougher display glass known as ‘King Kong Rhinoceros’.
While the Chinese version of the Magic 6 Pro was available in five colours, you can only get the Ultimate in Black or Purple finishes.
To see what the Magic 6 series is up against, check out our guides to the best Honor phones and best Android phones.