Smartphones

Honor Magic6 Lite 5G : test / review

Published on: 04-01-2024 / Modified: 04-01-2024
The Honor brand has had a bit of a chequered history in recent years, and I hadn't really heard much more about them until I was offered the chance to test the Honor 90 Lite at the end of 2023. It was a nice surprise, and this new model had nothing to do with the models I'd tested a few years ago; Honor should be seen as a new brand, despite its busy past. This time, I have the opportunity to test the Honor Magic 6 Lite, and once again, I hadn't paid much attention to this brand's new releases, so this new smartphone will be a total discovery for me

I've tested over a hundred phones in recent years, and although the first phones I tested didn't resemble today's, a form of conformity has set in and phones almost all look the same, sometimes with similarities between brands and models that make it impossible to tell them apart at first glance. This Honor Magic 6 Lite stands out from the crowd with a rear camera module that's a little out of the ordinary. Other brands also use a round photo module, but not like this one. This phone made the same impression on me as the OnePlus Nord 2T when I first held it in my hand, a completely subjective impression of quality that I don't find on my Samsung Galaxy S23, for example

Aesthetics are good, but if the phone has other qualities, that's obviously even better. On paper, there are a few interesting elements in this phone, such as the use of the Samsung HM6 sensor, which I haven't yet been able to test in another phone

Introductory offer

For the first 100 orders, you'll receive a free Honor Band 7 bracelet.

The Honor Magic6 Lite comes in 3 colors:

Honor Magic6 Lite / Orange

Honor Magic6 Lite / Black (version tested in this article)

Honor Magic6 Lite / Pale green

Site where I have bought the Honor Magic 6 Lite:
https://amzn.to/48j8...

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Price Honor Magic 6 Lite

The list below shows the prices for the Honor Magic 6 Lite from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

The above links are affiliate links from companies such as Amazon, Gearbest, Aliexpress,... If you appreciate my work, I would be grateful if you could purchase these products through these links. It costs you absolutely nothing but I get a small commission that allows me to buy the material I test. Thank you very much!

Timeline

January 4, 2023: delivery of the Honor Magic6 Lite 5G, the test can start

January 10, 2023: official launch of the phone, the test is not yet complete because I need more than 10 days to do a full test but I will publish the missing information in the coming days.

Why this phone?

As I wrote in my introduction, I find that a form of conformism has taken hold in the world of smartphones, and although I still enjoy testing new phones, I'm less and less often surprised. It has to be said that there isn't a huge diversity of components on the market: most Android smartphones are equipped with either Qualcomm or Mediatek chips. A few brands like Apple and Google manage to distinguish themselves with their own components, but this is clearly not representative of the majority of phones on the market.

The Honor Magic6 Lite is therefore not going to revolutionize the smartphone world with a completely different technical approach, it's in the experience it offers that we'll have to find differences. The Honor 90 Lite, which I tested last year, positively surprised me on a number of points, not least the interface, which stood out a little from what I was used to testing. Sometimes it's the little details that make me realize that I'm not testing yet another Xiaomi or Samsung. This Honor should always be considered as mid-range, but rather the upper end of this segment, as is also the case for the OnePlus Nord 2T. It's a phone that dresses up in premium finery with mid-range specs

The element that's going to grab my attention the most is undoubtedly the 108-megapixel Samsung camera, this isn't the version I've tested on many other phones before this one, it's a new model that's also available from Samsung, Xiaomi and Realme. With all the tests I've been able to carry out on the previous model, I'll soon be able to see whether Samsung has succeeded in raising the level of photo quality with this sensor.

Unpacking

I often say that the box plays an important role in the perception of a phone because it's the first contact with its end user. Unfortunately, the Honor Magic6 Lite's box doesn't reflect the premium side of the phone, as the box is all about neutrality, with a compact white box and no illustrations of the smartphone. This isn't a problem, of course, it's just a little surprising

With this format, the box contains the bare minimum with the phone, a USB cable, a needle to open the SIM drawer, a manual and a warranty leaflet

First configuration

The initial configuration of the phone broadly follows the Android setup and is almost totally similar to what I saw on the Honor 90 Lite, but there is one thing that has changed and not necessarily in the right direction. Honor will try to entice you to create an Honor account and while I understand their intention, avoiding registration is more complicated. Creating an Honor account isn't necessary for the phone to work and since I use a Google account for all my data, I don't need or want to create an additional account. Xiaomi used to do the same thing 2 years ago but they dropped the practice, so I guess we'll have to wait a little longer for Honor to follow suit

Finish

The Honor Magic 6 Lite that I tested came in an anthracite color, with two other available versions. The phone has an elongated shape with a 21:9 aspect ratio, measuring only 8mm in thickness. The screen's side edges are subtly curved, reminiscent of the design seen in the TCL 10 Pro. Despite its understated aesthetic, I find the phone to be elegant.

The 6.78-inch screen maximizes the front facade of the phone, with ultra-thin borders. A punch-hole selfie camera is centered at the top of the screen. The AMOLED display is immediately noticeable due to its deep black, truly resembling true black.

The top edge of the phone is almost perfectly smooth, interrupted only by a small sound sensor. The phone's outline incorporates two colors: black, accentuating the screen's curvature, and anthracite gray enveloping the rest of the phone.

On the bottom edge, there is a double-sided SIM tray accommodating two SIM cards but no memory card slot. It also features a USB-C port, a sound sensor, and an external speaker. While there are no other sound outputs, stereo sound is likely, emanating from the earpiece speaker. I'll delve into this aspect later in the review.

The back of the phone stands out with a large circle housing the main sensor, secondary sensor, depth sensor, and flash. This circle is surrounded by a serrated golden surface, giving the impression that it can be rotated. The positioning of this circle is ideal for maintaining the phone's balance when placed on its back.

The back's texture is somewhat unique to the touch, smooth like most phones but likely treated as it doesn't show fingerprints as much as other surfaces.

The Honor brand is discreet, with the CE marking and the trash can logo being larger than the Honor logo. These indications are also embossed on the phone, a curious choice—I would have expected this for the logo itself.

On the right edge, you find the usual power and volume buttons. Positioned slightly lower than usual, the gap between these buttons is also smaller than usual.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone. The Honor Magic6 Lite 5G I tested had 8 Gb of RAM and 256 Gb of storage memory. This phone uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon architecture, which I'll come back to in the next paragraph. I took screenshots with all the technical specifications below and noted the following points:

- sharing of components such as the wifi chip and the audio chip with other phones I've tested

- GPS seems to override two bands

- atypical screen resolution with 1080x2652 at a refresh rate of 120 Mhz

- Bluetooth 5.1

- main sensor Samsung HM6 and Sony IMX355 for ultra-wide angle

CPU / GPU Performance

The Honor Magic6 Lite 5G is based on Snapdragon architecture, with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 CPU etched in 4 nm. This is a mid-range processor that should offer comfortable performance for the vast majority of users. This processor is not yet very common on the market, I see it used in the Motorola G Stylus, the Honor X50 or the Vivo iQOO Z8x. No major brand has used it yet

For the graphics, it uses an Adreno 710 like the Poco X6, which I'm testing at the same time as this phone. Again, this is a mid-range chip that will deliver comfortable performance for the vast majority of users.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

I obtained a score of 443095 points with Antutu v8, this score places the Honor Magic6 Lite at a performance level similar to the Redmi Note 12 Pro and this is more than enough for the vast majority of users. This level of performance makes for a perfectly fluid phone for everyday use, and most games and applications will run without a hitch. Those wishing to play with the maximum level of detail will undoubtedly have to go for a slightly more powerful phone, such as the Poco X6

The phone's temperature rose by one degree over the duration of the test, which is a good indication of the phone's ability to dissipate heat. The load test combined with the battery test will no doubt confirm this initial insight

Gaming

To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone.

The Honor Magic6 Lite isn't a gaming phone, but it's good enough to give you a good gaming experience. PUBG Mobile is perfectly fluid with a good level of detail, this phone has a gaming mode like on the POCOs, I don't know if this mode improves the framerate but the experience is good. The 120hz screen also plays a role, as the game never feels jerky in lateral movements. The speaker sound is also fine enough to avoid the need for headphones.

Network performance

The Honor Magic6 Lite is compatible with 11 5G frequencies as well as a large number of 4G frequencies, so you can use this phone anywhere in Europe.

Signal 4G (from December 2020)

I decided to change the methodology for measuring the network because I noticed that the configuration of the mobile network changes over time. This makes it more difficult to compare phones because the conditions are no longer exactly the same.

To overcome this problem, I set up a device that captures 24 hours a day about ten parameters from the mobile network (ex: cell id, rssi, rsrq, snr, frequency,...). I then place the phone next to the device for 24 to 48 hours taking the same measurements so that I can compare them.

Overview of the phones tested with this methodology

I took 1,580 measurements to assess the mobile signal quality of this phone and obtained an average signal of -86.53 dBm, which is quite simply the best signal I've had since I've been doing this test. At the same time, the network probe obtained an average signal of -92.4 dBm. This is the first time I've tested a phone that beats the probe's results hands down. I must point out, however, that I noticed an anomaly in the test: the first 418 measurements were taken on the 3G network, even though the 4G signal was available. I've never encountered this problem with any other phone, but as these 418 measurements are drowned in the total, the result is nevertheless very good.

I usually take fewer measurements, but this time I got more simply because the phone's autonomy allowed me to take more measurements. I put the phone next to the probe with 100% battery, set the brightness to minimum and let it run until it drops to 1% battery. This network test therefore already gives an indication of the phone's battery level.

Download/Upload speed

To test the download speed, I have identified some 4G cells offering good performance where I test all my devices several times to see what download and upload speed they can achieve.

Wifi performance

To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.

Wifi signal

I measured an average signal of -20 dBm close to the router and I was quite surprised by this measurement because although it's not a bad signal, it's not an extraordinary one either. I think it's linked to the number of wifi antennas in the phone. At a distance, on the other hand, the signal was better, at -62 dBm.

Download/Upload speed

To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.

GPS performance

To test the accuracy of the GPS signal, I use two positioning applications to evaluate the difference between the actual position and the position indicated by the phone. This test is done outdoors with nothing to obstruct the signal. An accuracy level of up to 3 meters can easily be corrected by an application (e.g. Google Maps).

I obtained an accuracy level of 3 meters with the GPS test application, which is a fairly common level of accuracy that needs to be tested in real-life conditions. On the screenshot with the map, my position corresponds to the red cross and, as you can see, the real position is less than three meters from the detected position, so the accuracy is good. Any inaccuracies will in any case be corrected by your GPS application, as the deviation is too small to pose any problem.

This phone uses only one frequency per network, so it's not dual band. The signal quality (SNR) is good

Battery range

To test battery life I developed an application that measures the battery level minute by minute until the battery is empty. This application consumes about ten percent of the phone's resources and I do a test with 100 brightness. This test aims to reproduce a contemplative use of a phone (e.g. surfing the internet, reading articles, spending time on social networks). These results are not valid for intensive gaming/streaming use.

Charging speed

There's no charger in the Honor Magic 6 Lite box, but that's okay because I'm using my UGREEN 100 Watt charger for testing anyway. To go from 1 to 100% battery, the phone needed 89 minutes. That's better than the POCO X6 or the Honor 90 Lite I recently tested, but it's not the fastest phone. What is interesting, however, is the linearity of the charging speed. Phone charging often slows down after 80% charge, but that's not the case here, because even if charging slows down a little, the curve in the graph below is almost straight.

It takes 17 minutes to reach 20%, 34 minutes to reach 40%, 49 minutes to reach 60% and 67 minutes to reach 80%. The last 20 percent is reached after a further 20 minutes or so.

Battery life

With brightness at 100%, I achieved a battery life of 519 minutes. Compared with the size of the battery, this is not an excellent score, but it can be explained by the high brightness of the screen. With brightness at 50%, I got 1108 minutes of autonomy, and that's a good level of autonomy.

Energy efficiency

I tested my usual sequence, first pushing the CPU to the max, then the GPU and then the FPU, to finish the test by pushing all components to the max at the same time. The CPU consumes just over 6 Watts when used on its own, the battery temperature remains stable and the CPU temperature rises slightly above 40°C. The GPU consumes just over 2.3 Watts, battery temperature remains stable and CPU temperature returns to normal. The FPU consumes just over 1.7 Watts and has no effect on the phone's temperature

When I push everything to the maximum, total consumption is just over 8 Watts, but then the CPU and battery temperatures soar. After more than 7 minutes of testing, the CPU temperature exceeds 55°C and the battery reaches 45°C. Despite these high values, I never experienced any heat problems with the phone.

Photo camera test

To test the quality of photos produced by a phone, I do a technical test (resolution, sharpness, chromatic aberration,...) in studio (identical conditions) to evaluate the technical part objectively. From the second half of 2020, I built my own laboratory to take completely objective technical measurements. I then take pictures in real conditions to see how the camera performs. I then evaluate these photos according to my criteria but I publish the photos so that you can evaluate the result according to your criteria.

Hardware

The main sensor on this phone is a 108-megapixel Samsung HM6. This is not the same sensor as most phones equipped with a 108-megapixel sensor, but a new model that can also be found on the Xiaomi 12T, Realme 10 Pro, OnePlus Nord N30 and Samsung Galaxy M54. This sensor takes 12 million-pixel shots by default, but you can access the full-resolution mode in the photo application's advanced functions. This 108-megapixel mode isn't very useful for everyday photos, as the files are quite large and risk filling up your storage memory more quickly. The usefulness of having so many pixels is to simulate a zoom and obtain more detail in the photo.

The second sensor is an ultra-wide angle, but I don't have any information on the make and model. The specs aren't detailed enough for me to guess which sensor it is

This phone works with the GCAM 8.1 application which will allow you to get more advanced processing especially for night shots.

Photo quality

Photo quality (indoor/studio)

The studio test is carried out under the same conditions so that the results can be compared on an equal basis. I calibrate my lighting for each test to obtain the same brightness and colour temperature. This test is a preliminary analysis of the technical qualities of a camera. Most phones fail this test, so you should also read the results of the other tests in the following paragraphs.

Samsung HM6 main sensor

Here's a photo taken at full resolution (108 million pixels) with the original photo extracted without modification, showing the level of detail that can be obtained with 108 million pixels without using zoom. The level of enlargement is quite good, but the precision of the photo is no longer optimal, so you'll probably have to find a way between 12 and 108 million pixels to obtain enlargement while retaining maximum detail. The choice of a close-up subject also plays a role, as the loss of detail is more quickly visible; this will be less the case for landscapes.

Colorimetry is a little warm; I'd noticed the same thing on the previous model.

On its 12 million pixel version, I find that this photo is quite sharp where the focus has landed. The exposure level is also much better than what I'm used to seeing in the studio, where most phones fail by producing photos that are too dark.

This photo test allows you to evaluate the sharpness of details, and it's quite successful because the text in the Canadian post is perfectly legible even if I zoom beyond 100%. The level of detail deteriorates a little in the periphery, but this is hardly noticeable, as the Israeli and Hungarian banknotes are teeming with detail.

Secondary sensor

The colorimetry here is cooler than the main sensor, but I'm surprised by the brightness, as this kind of sensor often produces underexposed photos, but that's not really the case here. The photo could obviously be brighter, but for this type of sensor it's a good result. Distortion is clearly visible, but not too great. Sharpness in the center is acceptable for this type of sensor, but deteriorates sharply around the edges

The difference in colorimetry is also quite noticeable here, compared with the main sensor, which produces warmer images. The truth lies somewhere in between, as the lighting is neutral near 6500k, so the light should be neither warm nor cold. The level of detail is clearly not as good as the Samsung sensor, but even so, I find that the center is still quite sharp for a sensor of this type.

Photo: technical test

I was inspired by industrial technical tests to create my own technical test to evaluate the technical quality of a camera. This test is an objective assessment of a camera's ability to render a scene correctly.

I test the following elements:
- centre sharpness, peripheral sharpness
- colour fidelity based on 24 reference colours
- level of chromatic aberration
- dynamic range (ability to capture dark and light areas without loss)
- distortion

The technical evaluation may differ from the subjective evaluation as the feeling of a photo will be influenced by the processing provided by each manufacturer.

Samsung HM6 main sensor

Outdoor photo quality

Main sensor: Samsung HM6 / 108 megapixels

It's not easy to test the photo quality of a phone when the weather makes it difficult to get around by car. I wasn't able to take photos in the usual place, but that's not a big deal after all, the landscapes under the snow at sunset were just as interesting. I think this photo is quite idyllic, with its warm atmosphere and soft colors. In reality, the atmosphere is less warm, and I'm not talking about the temperature. If you look at the snow, it takes on an almost purple hue in places when it should be more orange. The sun appears as a gigantic fireball, which is very pretty, but in reality the sun only occupies a small part of the sky. This shows that the phone doesn't have enough dynamic range to cover all the differences in luminosity. The use of HDR makes it possible to remedy this problem, and there are a few examples in the photo gallery below:

I took a photo with a Samsung Galaxy S23 in more or less the same spot, so that you can compare photo quality:

The Samsung produces a much more realistic image in terms of colors, and also offers a wider dynamic range without showing any gradation in areas of high luminosity. Sharpness is good, as is the case with the Honor, tree branches are very well cut out, there is some chromatic aberration but you really have to zoom in to see it

I find in the Honor's photo characteristics of Samsung's other 108-megapixel sensors and color temperature is probably the most obvious. Sharpness is good with 12 million pixels, it's not necessarily better with 108 million pixels because a photo of this type can't be used at 100%. Obviously, if I compare this phone to a Samsung Galaxy S23, the comparison isn't very honest, as the price difference between the two phones is significant. The Honor fares well for a mid-range phone, but its two main weaknesses are its dynamic range and somewhat warm colorimetry.

Secondary sensor

Ultra-wide-angle sensors express themselves much better in an environment like this, and the difference from studio testing is quite obvious. This sensor doesn't produce photos that are too warm like the main sensor, and the color balance is more realistic. I'm positively surprised by the sharpness in the center (provided you don't zoom in too far), and the grass shoots are well cut out. The periphery of the photo is softer. Distortion is much less noticeable for landscape photography. The sun hasn't turned into a huge fireball, but a gradation in the surrounding colors is clearly visible

This secondary sensor therefore fares rather well compared to other sensors of its type, reminding me of the kind of photos a Sony IMX 355 can produce.

Test photo / night

Not yet available / tested

Video quality

Stabilisation

I tested the 4k 30 fps video stabilization while walking in the snow and as you can see, it's not very effective. I'm a little surprised because a phone in this range should be able to stabilize the video stream more effectively, but it doesn't. To improve stabilization, you need to lower the resolution. To improve stabilization, you have to lower the resolution. It's a shame, because in this price range, there are more and more phones capable of absorbing jolts properly.

Video normale conditions
Not yet available / tested

Video low light

Not yet available / tested

External audio quality

This test is intended to give you an overview of the volume and sound quality during calls and when listening to music through the external speakers.

The Honor Magic 6 Lite's in-call sound is of good quality, the sound is clearly softened without sacrificing the volume, which is quite high from both the listener speaker and the main speaker. The sound from the main speaker is also of good quality, but I find it a little too high-pitched, as is often the case with this type of speaker.

Audio quality (headphones)

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.

I'm testing the POCO X6 at the same time as this phone, so I took the opportunity to put them face to face for this audio test. The Honor Magic6 Lite is capable of reproducing all frequencies, but the reproduction quality is not as good as that of the POCO X6. The graph above shows that the Honor's curve deviates much more from the norm than that of the POCO. The gap may seem huge, but you have to look at the scale. The difference in absolute numbers is not gigantic, but it does exist.

On the basis of this test, I'd have to say that the Honor's sound quality is therefore slightly inferior to that of the POCO, which is partly true, but there's another factor to consider. I test sound quality with the phone's volume at maximum to see if it's capable of playing sound at maximum capacity without distortion, and this is precisely where the Honor loses a little territory over the POCO. The Honor produces a powerful but average sound, but at maximum volume distortion is very noticeable.

To recover good sound quality, you need to turn the volume down 2 or 3 notches, in which case the difference in quality with the POCO is not really perceptible. If you like to blow your ears off, the POCO will be a better candidate; for others, this Honor will probably be perfectly sufficient

Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.

Colorimetry

The Honor Magic6 Lite is equipped with an Amoled panel with a resolution of 2652x1200 pixels capable of displaying images in 60 or 120Hz for perfect fluidity of images in motion. The screen can display DolbyVision, HDR10 and HLG content, allowing you to watch compatible films and series in good condition

I measured a dE of 3.88 with the DCI-P3 color space. The human eye perceives differences starting from a dE of 3, but you have to be an experienced user to realize this. This dE can be improved by reducing the color temperature to a warmer shade. Here, white deviates most from the norm, being too cold. On the other hand, the color space is out of date, and should be around 110% of DCI-P3. If you're not interested in DCI-P3, you can switch the screen to "natural" mode for better colorimetry, but with a more limited color gamut (REC 709).

Contrast

This phone's Amoled panel offers almost infinite contrast, where blacks are really black and generate a nice depth in images. The dE of the grays is a little above the norm, but this can be adjusted with the screen brightness. I'll come back to this point in the next paragraph.

Brightness / Contrast

Manufacturers often use far-fetched values for screen brightness, and unfortunately the reality is often below the advertised specifications. This is not the case for this phone, as by flooding the light sensor with strong light, I obtained a brightness of over 1200 cd/m², quite simply the highest score I've ever obtained. This screen is so bright that it can be used under the sun. This brightness probably also explains why I had a discrepancy on the grays in the contrast measurement; I had measured contrast with brightness at maximum.

Biometry

Not yet available / tested

Operating system

I haven't done operating system videos for long enough because all systems look the same, but I made an exception for this phone because I haven't tested many phones using Magic OS. This operating system runs on Android 13, and although Android 14 is available, I don't think the vast majority of users are interested in that sort of thing. So I'll just make a short video illustrating the main interfaces of this phone.

I find the graphical interface more polished than the basic Android interface, but that's a matter of taste. Everything is spaced out more than the basic interface. The screens are for the most part quite similar, but the "Honor" button can be found everywhere. Settings are organized a little differently, and some menus have a fairly deep hierarchy, but the vast majority of users will never go that far.

Gesture navigation is implemented by default, but it's quick to learn. There are several pre-installed applications, as on Xiaomi models, but nothing dramatic. You have to understand that manufacturers are trying to find other sources of revenue, and installing commercial applications allows them to make money.

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

Accessories Honor Magic 6 Lite

Compare Honor Magic 6 Lite with the others

Test / Review conclusion

Not yet available / tested

Strengths

Not yet available / tested

Weaknesses

Not yet available / tested

Alternatives to this product

Not yet available / tested