Honor Magic4 Lite 5G review: Smartphone with big display and strong battery

After the spin-off from Huawei, Honor is hoping to regain a foothold in Europe with the Magic4 series. The Lite device in review competes in the mid-range. This is because, in addition to the Lite 5G, Honor also offers a 4G version with some differences: the display has a refresh rate of 90 instead of 120 Hz and a Snapdragon 680 instead of the 695 .

In return, the Lite 4G’s main camera has a maximum resolution of 64 instead of 48 megapixels. Both smartphones are available in Midnight Black and Ocean Blue, and the Lite 5G also comes in Titanium Silver. Our review device is blue.

Honor never officially introduced the predecessor, the Magic3, to Europe. Honor opts for a middle-class case for the Magic4 Lite 5G. This is evident in the plastic back, for example.

The blue color variant offers nice light reflections, but does not feel particularly high-quality. After two weeks of daily use, our review sample shows scratches on the back’s lower area and the camera’s hump. The metal frame, on the other hand, which is partly matte and partly glossy, is scratch-resistant.

The general workmanship leaves no room for criticism. The device cannot be twisted and does not make any noise when subject to torsional stress. The back cannot be dented, but is particularly susceptible to fingerprints.

The SIM card port has a rubber seal, which suggests that the model may be water resistant, but the Magic4 Lite 5G does not have IP certification. Honor equips the smartphone with an appropriately-sized screen protector ex-works. However, the film proved susceptible to scratches under testing.

The device does not wobble during use on a flat surface due to the camera’s central position. The Magic4 Lite 5G does not have a notification LED. This is annoying because the LC display does not support an Always On function.

Waking up the display by touching or tapping it is also not possible, so the power button always has to be clicked or the device turned upright for activation. Memory expansion via SD card is not available for the Magic4 Lite 5G. On the other hand, the card slot can accommodate two SIM cards.

Dual SIM is therefore possible, but eSIM is not supported. An audio jack is also missing. Honor only offers the smartphone in one configuration: 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

In addition, the manufacturer advertises a virtual RAM turbo of 2 GB. The opening on the top of the device looks like a speaker, but turns out to be the phone’s earpiece. No media is output here; the Magic4 Lite 5G only has a mono speaker.

The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G uses the Magic UI 4. 2 interface, which is based on Android 11. The interface is strongly reminiscent of Huawei’s EMUI and does not require an app launcher.

Some third-party apps such as booking. com, Netflix, TikTok, Lords mobile, trainpal, trip. com and WPS Office are preinstalled, but they can all be uninstalled quite easily.

The system ran smoothly in all areas under testing and there were no errors or bugs. If the smartphone is connected to a computer via cable, pictures, contacts and messages can be synchronized via the Honor Suite program. Updates can also be controlled via the software.

Honor has not provided any information about upcoming updates, and it is still unclear if and when Android 12 will be delivered. During the review process, the smartphone received a security update at the beginning of July and updated the patch from April to June. Based on this, it can be assumed that the device will get a security update every three months.

The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G supports all frequency bands in LTE and 5G mobile communications that are important for Europe. Signal strength proves to be inconspicuous under testing, and 5G is supported on both SIM cards. However, frequencies used in other parts of the world are partly missing and mmWave is not supported either.

The Honor does not support Wi-Fi 6. In general, the Wi-Fi transmission rates under testing with our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 reference router are not outstandingly fast, but the smartphone still takes the lead in terms of reception compared with the comparison devices and, above all, impresses with very stable transmission rates. The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G succeeds in quick localization both indoors and outdoors, but takes a little longer in determining its exact position.

The accuracy of the review sample is not very convincing, as a comparison with the Garmin Venu 2 during a bike ride shows. Although the recorded total length is almost identical, data shows that the Honor is often displayed not on the roads, but on the adjacent green areas. The smartphone also only supports one band at a time in GNSS-based navigation.

On the other hand, we did not experience any problems during everyday navigation, for example with Google Maps. Geocachers, however, should look for another device. The voice quality of the Magic4 Lite 5G is good, especially for the smartphone user.

The voice of the other party is clear and free of distortion, and the speaker is quite loud. The user of the Honor can be understood well by the other party, but background noise is only weakly filtered out. Telephony via the hands-free function is also possible.

The loudspeaker is loud enough and communication is possible in both directions without interference. The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G can house two nano SIM cards, but eSim is not supported. 5G reception is possible with both SIM cards.

The Honor smartphone also offers VoLTE and calls via WLAN. The front-facing camera of the Honor Magic4 Lite 5G has a resolution of 16 MP. Videos are possible at a maximum of 1080p at 30fps.

The camera app offers a beauty mode at different levels. Photos are sufficiently sharp, and portrait mode works convincingly in most cases. Honors’ decision to forgo both a zoom and a wide-angle lens is surprising for this price range.

Although the Magic4 Lite 5G has a triple camera system, the 48 MP main camera is accompanied only by a macro lens and a depth information lens with 2 MP each. Photos from the main camera are acceptable, but they are very bright, especially when the AI function is active. Photos with the macro camera only succeed in very good lighting conditions, but are never really sharp.

The digital zoom is useful in an emergency, but cannot replace a zoom lens. The smartphone’s low-light performance also has room for improvement: individual elements are recognizable in the dark, but details and contours blur. The main camera only supports video recordings up to 1080p at 30fps, which is disappointing for this price segment.

The autofocus reacts very quickly, but you should ignore the digital zoom when filming because it causes stuttering in videos. A special feature is the dual-image mode, which allows for video recording as well as photo shooting simultaneously with the front and main camera. In a manual mode, users can set the aperture manually, but setting the exposure time or the ISO value is not possible.

Honor has done a good job with the color accuracy of the Magic4 Lite 5G. Tones are rendered very realistically and images look natural as a result. A simulated display with an illumination of only one lux clearly shows that the Magic4 Lite 5G’s camera is overwhelmed in such low light.

The sharpness of the pictures is okay, but it becomes apparent that they are grainy in detail, especially in comparison to flagship smartphones. Honor includes the SuperCharge 66-watt fast charger and a USB cable in the scope of delivery. A sim card tool and a quick start guide are also included.

However, the Magic4 Lite 5G does not come with a protective case. A 24-month warranty is offered in Germany, which may differ in other locations, so be sure to check with your supplier before buying. Microsoft’s SwiftKey is installed as the standard keyboard on the smartphone, which performs well in both portrait and landscape mode with few erroneous inputs.

The capacitive touchscreen of the Honor Magic4 Lite 5G recognizes up to ten simultaneous touches and functions at a sampling rate of 240 Hz. A protective film is applied in the state of delivery, which does not interfere with inputs; it is only noticeable at the edges where the frame transitions to glass. The fingerprint sensor has been integrated into the power button and works quickly and reliably.

In addition, a fast but unsecure 2D facial recognition is available. Honor also offers a one-handed operation for the Magic4 Lite 5G that is managed via swipe gestures. However, the displayed image is so large that reaching all areas with one hand is difficult.

The smartphone also supports some gestures that can be performed with knuckles. Double-click with a knuckle takes a screenshot, while a double-click with two knuckles starts the screen capture. The commands can be changed in the corresponding submenu.

The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G features a 6. 81-inch (17. 3 cm) LC display, which works at a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.

Dynamic rate control is also possible, which adapts to the displayed content. The panel offers three levels: 60, an unusual 80 and 120 Hz. A fixation at 60 or 120 Hz is also possible in the menu.

The brightness of the panel is usually adequate for everyday use, but the preference for more brightness arises in outdoor use when screen details become less legible. The device supports HDR content, but greater levels of brightness would have done this function more justice. The measurements show that the panel is not quite as bright in the lower area as above, but this is not noticeable in everyday use.

However, the review device has a slight shadow between the front camera and the edge of the display. On a positive note: We could not determine any PWM flickering in the review device. Overall, the display of the Honor Magic4 Lite 5G shows a balanced color reproduction.

The display only shows deviations in yellow and yellow-orange colors. The 2D CalMAN test results in sRGB color space coverage of up to 94. 5%.

However, the panel suffers in terms of black value and thus contrast. The contrast ratio is only 673:1, so the display always looks a bit pale. The screen of the Honor Magic4 Lite 5G is also legible outdoors and in sunlight.

More brightness reserves would have been desirable for media consumption in the sun, but the Honor is within the class average. Only the Samsung Galaxy A53 is significantly brighter. The viewing angle stability of the LCD panel is good.

Although the screen becomes darker when viewed from the side, there are no color distortions. The automatic brightness control works reliably and adjusts the illumination quickly and accurately. There were no surprises in the browser benchmarks.

Our review device always falls in the midfield of the comparison devices. It is never first, but also never last, thus maintaining our impression from previous benchmarks. The Honor smartphone has a storage size of 128 GB, of which 17.

06 GB is already occupied in the state of delivery. Honor does not offer any other storage variants or expansion possibilities via memory cards. In terms of memory speed, the Honor Magic4 Lite 5G falls behind the competition.

Only the Realme 9 Pro is even slower in three of the four test categories. All other comparison devices are faster, and Samsung’s Galaxy A 53 is significantly faster. Overall, the Magic4 Lite 5G remains below the class average, and the deficit in sequential reading is particularly large.

The gaming performance of the Honor Magic4 Lite 5G could be described as solid. Current titles such as PUBG Mobile or League of Legends: Wild Rift run smoothly on the device. Only very sporadic frame drops occur, as shown by the measurements with GameBench.

However, only low frame rates and detail levels can be selected on the device. The large display is a lot of fun for gaming, and the mono speaker on the bottom is partially covered by a finger. The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G never becomes unusually warm during daily use.

Even on hot summer days, use is possible without restrictions. During heavy load, such as when gaming, temperatures only rise in individual areas of the device, especially around the cameras. The Honor smartphone was unimpressive in the 3DMark stress test.

Performance remains at a constant level over the entire course of the test. However, this is not unusual in this performance class, as a comparison with the competing devices shows, which all survive the test without fluctuations. The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G only has a mono speaker on the bottom of the device.

There is an element on the top that looks like a speaker, but this is only the earpiece that is not used for media playback. The installed speaker is loud, but lacks any bass or lower frequencies, and sounds thin overall, especially at high volumes. The sound output via Bluetooth worked flawlessly under testing.

However, the selection of audio codecs offered is not large at all (SBC, AAC, aptX and LDAC). The Magic4 Lite 5G does not offer a jack output, but wired headphones can be connected via the USB port. The power consumption of the Honor smartphone gives a mixed picture.

When no load is required, the Magic4 Lite 5G achieves very good values and performs better than the OnePlus CE 2 Lite G5 with the same chipset. However, the smartphone’s power consumption increases more under load than the competitors in this class. OnePlus and Realme show that there is still potential for optimization in the software.

All benchmarks were run in performance mode. A big plus is the included 66-watt power supply, which allows the Magic4 Lite 5G to charge from 5 to 100 percent in 53 minutes and does not even become lukewarm. Wireless charging is not supported.

Honor installs a 4,800 mAh battery in the Magic4 Lite 5G, which is slightly smaller than in the comparison devices equipped with 5,000 mAh batteries. Accordingly, competing devices have better performance values in most scenarios. Nevertheless, the Honor convinces with good runtimes, especially in everyday use.

The battery runtime is particularly pleasing in scenarios where the device is not under much load because Honor can keep the power consumption low. In combination with the fast charger, this ensures that the Magic4 Lite 5G only has to be plugged in rarely and for short periods of time. The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G is a good mid-range smartphone.

However, this review shows that it shares no more than the name with the manufacturer’s flagships. If we adjust our expectations accordingly, the Magic4 Lite 5G is particularly pleasing with its large 120 Hz display. The Snapdragon 695 5G works smoothly, is sufficient for gaming and does not get hot.

The battery is long-lasting and recharges quickly, and a suitable fast charger is even included in the scope of delivery. The verdict on the cameras is divided. Two of the three lenses on the back are more for advertising purposes; only the main camera is usable, while wide-angle and zoom lenses are completely missing.

On the other hand, selfies can be taken reliably with the Magic4 Lite 5G. The smartphone’s mono speaker gets loud, but it clearly lacks volume. The installed GNSS solution also works in everyday use, but is not suitable for tasks that require precision.

Overall, the Magic4 Lite 5G is a good smartphone, but does not stand out from the competition. The battery is slightly smaller than in most competitors, and the screen uses LCD technology instead of OLED. The smartphone does not have any real flaws, but it does not offer many good reasons for purchase at an RRP of around US$ 349.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is available for the same price and scores better in almost all categories. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite with the same processor and a slightly bigger battery is even available for around US$ 275. The Honor Magic4 Lite 5G is sold directly via the manufacturer’s online store, sometimes also with free accessories such as a matching protective cover case.

However, availability seems to be currently restricted to the European continent in countries such as France , Spain , Italy , Hungary and Romania (this list is not exhaustive). Other retailers such as Amazon may have the smartphone in stock, such as Amazon UK for £273. 48 (price as of 14.

08. 2022). .