Unveiled in China, the Honor Magic7 Pro will soon arrive in France. During a trip to Honor’s premises, we were able to take charge of this new smartphone. Successor to the excellent Magic6 Pro (read our test) unveiled during the Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, it arrives with a lot of ambitions… and competitors. It will notably have to face the Xiaomi 15, the future Galaxy S25 from Samsung and the recent Oppo Find X8 Pro.
For its new range, Honor is still banking on two variants, “classic” and “Pro”, but France will only see the Magic7 Pro. The smartphone should arrive here in three colors and introduces a new design, with subtle developments that modify the grip. The Honor Magic7 Pro is much flatter than its predecessor, whether on the back or the screen.
It nevertheless retains a slightly curved screen on all sides (micro-quad curved) and rounded borders. A harmonious whole which gives a resolutely modern appearance to the Magic7 Pro and ensures better handling. Slightly wider than its predecessor, it is even more pleasant to hold in the hand thanks to its flat edges.
Sobriety and subtlety are the key words of the Magic7 Pro.
The back of the device is not only flatter than that of the Magic6 Pro, but it also benefits from a reworked, less crude photo block. The frame is thinner and gives a more sober appearance to the whole, even if it is still a high-end Chinese model. The photo module remains massive and prominent, but you feel less like you have an unbalanced smartphone in your hands.
This design is symbolic of what the manufacturer seeks to offer with its new smartphone. The Magic7 Pro appears more sober and a little wiser than its predecessor, which should appeal to a wide audience.
The brand accompanies these developments with a double IP68/IP69 certification, compared to only IP68 for the previous model. The Magic7 Pro is completely dustproof and resistant to high pressure hot water splashes.
On the screen side, our handling suggests that there are no big changes. The Magic7 Pro retains a 6.8-inch AMOLED panel displaying 1080 x 2800 pixels, the same size and definition as the previous model. We also find the same maximum brightness, announced at 1,600 cd/m² with a peak at 5,000 cd/m². These high values will allow the Magic7 Pro to be competitive in 2025. Moreover, we encountered no readability problems, even under the sun and intense lights of China.
Power to spare with the Snapdragon 8 Elite
Under the hood, Honor updates the technical sheet to integrate the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. The first wave of smartphones featuring Qualcomm’s new SoC is hitting the market, as seen with the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. The brand adds at least 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, with options of 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB or 1 TB of storage. We had in our hands the model with the largest storage capacity.
| Honor Magic7 Pro – Chinese version |
|
|---|---|
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| AnTuTu | 2 743 211 |
| Geekbech 6 CPU (single-core / multi-core) | 3 055 / 9 312 |
| Geekbech 6 GPU ( OpenCL ) | 18 106 |
| WildLife Extreme (score / moyenne fps) | 6 600 / 39,52 |
| Solar Bay (score / average fps) | 11 719 / 44,56 |
| These results are provided for information purposes only, pending testing of the version sold in France. | |
It will take more time to confirm the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but the first results are encouraging. We were able to run some benchmarks on the Chinese version of the Magic7 Pro, and there’s not much to worry about with such a configuration. The power is there and Honor seems to master its subject. The smartphone heats up a little during benchmarks, without this spoiling the experience. We will wait to be able to test the European version to be sure.
A silicon-carbon battery: increased capacity and reduced weight
Same observation for autonomy, a subject that we will cover in more detail during the full test. The Magic7 Pro incorporates a silicon-carbon battery, a technology that makes it possible to offer a battery with greater capacity and a smaller footprint compared to lithium. This model therefore offers a 5,810 mAh battery (compared to 5,600 mAh for the Magic6 Pro), without increasing its weight. On the contrary, it is even slightly lighter than its predecessor with 223 g on the scale (compared to 225 g).
Honor adds wired charging a little faster, going to 100 W instead of 80 W. Wireless charging also evolves to reach 88 W, compared to 66 W for the previous model. Appreciable changes which portend good results in terms of endurance and load.
A very promising photo section, while waiting for the AI
The Honor Magic6 Pro convinced us in photos this year and remains in the race for the best photophones on the market. The Magic7 Pro will have to continue the tradition. It builds on the strengths of its predecessor, with a change in the telephoto lens.
We find the main sensor of 50 Mpx (23 mm equivalent), always associated with variable aperture optics (f/1.4-f/2). The process is proven and helps the smartphone achieve the best results depending on the lighting conditions. Honor did not see fit to change this point, the configuration being identical to that of the Magic6 Pro. Same observation for the ultra-wide-angle: the Magic7 Pro offers a comparable 50 Mpx module (f/2.0, 12 mm equivalent, 122°).
Honor upgrades to a 200MP telephoto lens
The difference lies in the telephoto lens, which increases to 200 Mpx compared to 180 Mpx on the Magic6 Pro. The sensor maintains an aperture of f/2.6 and a focal length equivalent to 60 mm, with a x3 optical zoom (x2.5 on the Magic6 Pro). These changes can contribute to better results, as the higher resolution should result in a sharp, sharp image when cropping.
The first results obtained with the Magic7 Pro are promising, even in the absence of an essential element: AI. This feature was not present on our Chinese version, although it promises to be the key element for improving image rendering. We will wait for the European version to discover this advanced function on which Honor is banking heavily. The software part is at least as important as the hardware part on a smartphone, and this can make the difference in terms of rendering. These new features will accompany a future update of MagicOS 9.0, the new overlay based on Android 15 inaugurated by the Magic7 Pro. It focuses on artificial intelligence and connectivity, but we will have the opportunity to talk about it in more detail. We remind you that we have taken control of the Chinese version of the smartphone, which differs from the one we will have in Europe.
On the other hand, our Magic7 Pro benefited from the famous Harcourt portrait mode, discovered earlier this year on the Honor 200 Pro and 200. The results are rather interesting and we take real pleasure in using this mode born from a partnership with the famous studio Parisian photo.
When will it arrive and at what price?
Honor carefully avoided the subject, simply mentioning a release in the first quarter of 2025. Which is not surprising, since the Magic6 Pro made its debut at the end of February, during MWC 2024. For now, the French site confirms that the Honor Magic7 series will be “soon available” in France.
With the rapid announcement of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, we can expect the Magic7 Pro to arrive a little before the new edition of the Barcelona show. Price-wise, you have to settle for the Chinese price of 5,699 yuan, identical to that of its predecessor at its launch. In France, the Magic6 Pro was launched at 1,299 euros.
Source: www.journaldugeek.com
