Honor may not be the best-known phone manufacturer in Europe, but its high-end handsets usually make headlines.
This is no different with the Magic 6 series, the flagship for 2024. There are four handsets this time: the Magic 6 (including the regular and Porsche Design edition), Magic 6 Pro, Magic 6 Lite and Magic 6 Ultimate.
Only two of these phones have made it to Europe so far, and there are no signs yet of the other models joining them. Here’s everything you need to know about the Magic 6 series, including its release date, prices and all the key specs and features.
When was the Honor Magic 6 released?
The launch dates of Honor Magic 6 phones were very staggered.
The Magic 6 Lite was available first, although the Chinese unveiling on December 4 was quickly followed by a European launch on January 10.
Just a day later, on January 11, the Magic 6 and Magic 6 Pro joined their more affordable counterpart in China. Honor used its pre-MWC keynote in Barcelona on February 25 to unveil the Magic 6 Pro in Europe, but not the regular Magic 6. The Pro was then released on March 1.
Then, on March 18, 2024, Honor unveiled its top-end Magic 6 Ultimate in China. Shipping will begin on March 22, but there’s no word yet on a global launch. Unless something changes, neither this nor the regular Magic 6 will reach Europe.
A Porsche Design version of the regular Magic 6 was subsequently launched on May 2, 2024. Unlike the regular Magic 6, it will be available in the UK, although it is not clear exactly when.
For context, this is 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 the price reflects that. The phone costs €1,299 for a model with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage.
That makes it one of the most expensive Android phones you can buy, although the Magic 6 Lite is much more affordable. It costs £349.99 for the only model available in the UK.
The ¥4,399 Chinese price of the regular Magic 6 works out to around £500, but if the phone ever launches in the UK, expect it to be much more expensive. For example, the Magic 5 cost €899 in Europe.
Although the Magic 6 RSR is available in the UK, it is a special Porsche Design edition of the device and so much more expensive. It will cost you £1,599 via the Honor UK website.
If the Magic 6 Ultimate ever comes to Europe, its ¥6,999 price in China suggests it will be significantly more expensive than even the Magic 6 Pro.
For context, this is 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 specifications and features 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 colors: black, white, green, cyan and purple.
Technically, however, there are two more in the form of the Magic 6 RSR, which was designed in collaboration with Porsche Design. The phone is functionally unchanged from the regular model, but has a unique design and is available in ‘Agate Grey’ or ‘Frozen Berry’.
Both the Magic 6 and 6 Pro phones have a 6.8-inch curved LTPO AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1,264 x 2,800 pixels and a variable refresh rate of 1-120 Hz. Honor highlights a peak brightness of 1,800 nits in automatic mode and an impressive 5,000 nits local peak brightness for HDR content.
Differentiating 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 release module. In addition, both screens feature 4,320Hz ultra-high frequency PWM dimming.
At the rear, a redesigned camera island distinguishes the models based on their respective lenses.
The Magic 6 Pro has a 50 MP main camera with a variable aperture of f/1.4-f/2.0, while the Magic 6 is equipped with a 50 MP 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 ultra-wide lens.
Meanwhile, the standard Magic 6 features a 32MP telephoto lens with 2.5x optical and 50x digital zoom, paired with a 50MP ultra-wide lens. Both phones pack a 50MP front camera with an f/2.0 aperture for selfies.
Furthermore, Honor says that the new ‘Falcon Camera System’ on the Magic 6 series is built to capture images of fast-moving scenes, especially in sports. To do this, the phones are equipped with improved sensors, improved shutter speeds, faster frame rates and new, special algorithms.
The cameras on the Magic 6 phones are also said to offer better dynamic range, light sensitivity, zoom capabilities and a dynamic end result. Honor wants it to be similar to a dedicated mirrorless camera.
These are top features, and it’s clear that Honor wants the Magic 6 and 6 Pro to be as good as a dedicated camera for most people. While the hardware is impressive on paper, it will take a significant upgrade from even the Magic 5 Pro to achieve that. The best camera phones also represent strong competition.
Honor is also touting the capabilities of the eye-tracking technology on the Magic 6 Pro, which uses AI to determine what’s on the screen just by looking at it. It can even be used to drive a car, as this YouTube video from Autocar shows:
Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers both devices. The Magic 6 is available in 12/256 GB, 16/256 GB and 16/512 GB configurations, while the Magic 6 Pro offers options of 12/256 GB, 16/512 GB or 16 GB/1 TB for RAM and storage .
The Magic 6 packs a 5,450mAh battery with 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging (using Honor’s wireless charger). On the other hand, the Pro variant goes up to a 5,600mAh cell with 80W wired and 66W wireless charging options.
Connectivity options include support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. Both phones are equipped with IR blasters for controlling home appliances and have IP68 dust and water resistant properties.
These devices run the latest MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14 and offer an impressive range of features.
This new version introduces a MagicLM on-device large language model equipped with a whopping 7 billion parameters. Honor particularly highlights MagicOS 8.0’s intent-based user interface (IUI), which actively suggests services and apps based on the user’s usage patterns.
A key addition is the Magic Portal feature, which uses Honor’s LLM and IUI to provide context-based recommendations for app and service shortcuts via a side swipe gesture. For example, this functionality allows you to drag and drop a booking reservation from the messaging app to the maps app, giving you instant directions to the location.
Magic Portal supports multimodal input, including text and images, and also records gestures and eye movements on compatible Honor phones. For example, users can press and hold images of clothing and drag them to the side to initiate searches in shopping apps.
While Honor has confirmed support for the top 100 most popular apps in China, there are no details on whether these features will expand to other regions.
Additionally, MagicOS 8.0 introduces new home screen customization options, improves UI speed, and is designed to be more resource efficient thanks to optimizations made 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 now available in Europe in Midnight Black, Emerald Green and Sunrise Orange finishes.
The phone has a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED screen with Full HD+ resolution (1220 x 2652 pixels), an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
The screen also offers a maximum brightness of 1,200 nits, 1920 Hz PWM dimming technology and features a cutout that houses a 16 MP selfie camera with an f/2.5 aperture.
On the back panel, the circular module houses a triple-camera setup consisting of a 108 MP (f/1.75) main camera, a 5 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera and a 2 MP (f/2.4) macro camera. The setup can record video in up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second.
Underneath the chassis of the Magic 6 Lite lies a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, built using a 4nm technology process. The chipset works together with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage.
For connectivity, the smartphone uses 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.
While Honor has announced Android 14-based Magic OS 8.0, the Magic 6 Lite runs Android 13 with Magic UI 7.2 overlay and is powered by a 5300mAh battery with 35W fast charging.
The smartphone measures 163.6 x 75.5 x 7.98 mm and weighs 185 grams.
Magic 6 Ultimate
The Magic 6 Ultimate, currently exclusive to China, looks very different from the other phones in the lineup.
Instead of the round camera module on the rear, this one is squarer (albeit with rounded corners), despite only minor adjustments to the hardware itself. The main lens is still 50MP – it now has LiDAR autofocus instead of laser autofocus. It also now supports 4K video at 24fps (instead of just 30 or 60fps) and supports OIS (optical image stabilization) for both video and photos.
The 50 MP front camera is now ultra-wide, allowing you to get even more out of your selfies. But the 180Mp, 2.5x telephoto and 50Mp rear ultrawide are unchanged.
The only other changes from the Magic 6 Pro are a vegan leather silicone polymer back on all models (optional on 6 Pro), Dolby Vision support and slightly sturdier display glass known as ‘King Kong Rhinoceros’.
While the Chinese version of the Magic 6 Pro was available in five colors, you can only get the Ultimate in black or purple finishes.
To see what the Magic 6 series is up to, check out our guides to the best Honor phones and the best Android phones.
