Huawei Honor Magic. Huawei Honor Magic: amazingly fast charging and artificial intelligence. Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
In Russia, the first Honor Magic model, which was shown two years ago, has never officially gone on sale, I think that the fate of Magic 2 will be similar. Honor is a subsidiary of the big Huawei, and it is often perceived not as a separate brand, but as an additional line of products, although this is not entirely true, there are more differences than one might imagine. These are different legal entities, different teams duplicating all functions, from R&D to sales. Perhaps the closest analogy would be the existence of OPPO/Vivo within the parent company BBK Corporation, when they are de facto and de jure independent, but use all the developments and their model series as similar as possible. The relationship between Honor and Huawei is not easy to understand; confusion is created by the similarity of the devices, the same components that the companies use. But there are still differences between them, and in the Magic flagship they are fully manifested.
What is Magic? This is a device that is being created as a testing ground for technologies that need to be tested not only in laboratories, but also in the outside world. If such technologies show their viability, then they find application in mass models, both from Honor and Huawei. The Magic's positioning is straightforward; it is a device for technology fans and enthusiasts who want something unusual. For example, a traditional buyer will not be excited by the presence of a graphene battery. Twice the service life? And what? Does it respond better to temperature changes? And again a question mark. For ordinary person These are simply unnecessary details; for him, completely different characteristics and quantities come to the fore. For a technology enthusiast, this is the opportunity to own something that is unusual and makes his device stand out from others.
Therefore, models with the name Magic are a test of technology, aimed at those who are ready to become testers of something new, an obviously grateful audience. The price issue here fades into the background, but these models are not mass-produced by definition, they were not created as such. Relatively small runs allow the use of components that are not available for mass production (graphene in the first generation), and gain experience in real operation. I like the concept of this type of device; it is right for the target audience.
Oddly enough, the announcement of Magic 2 took place at IFA in Berlin, then they showed a picture of the device, but did not talk about the technical characteristics. There was one sample at the Huawei stand; you could twirl it in your hands, but you weren’t allowed to photograph it; a specially assigned person was closely watching this. Then there was a feeling that Honor wanted to overtake other companies, for example, Xiaomi, which had prepared models similar in concept, the latter having Mi MIX 3. Therefore, the official announcement on October 31 can be considered a full-fledged launch of the device.
The presentation took place at the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, where, in fact, we got acquainted with the device. Let's take a look at the Magic 2 and what technologies manufacturers are betting on.
Magic 2 – screen, cameras and performance
One of the problems of our time for smartphones has become the growth of screen diagonals, as well as the need to place front camera and various sensors. And if the sensors can be packed under the display glass, it is impossible to hide the camera there without losing a piece of the image. The concept of many Chinese companies and the answer to this challenge is to create a slider design. The screen is made movable vertically, you move the halves and a cutout appears in which the front camera is located. Since the slider is active, you can avoid wasting energy when scanning the surrounding world in anticipation of the user's face, as is done in the iPhone. Alternatively, some Chinese companies They made a pop-up camera module, but from a mechanical point of view this is not a very optimal design. The slider is more reliable and easier to implement, but the obvious disadvantage is that the body cannot be made as thin as in a regular all-in-one, and you may have to partially sacrifice battery capacity.
When closed, it is impossible to determine that this is a slider; nothing in the device gives away such a design.
Please note that Xiaomi recently announced a model with a similar design – Mi MIX 3, which also uses a slider.
Let's look at the technical characteristics of the device and then move on to the discussion:
- Android 9 with proprietary EMUI shell
- Chipset HiSilicon Kirin 980, 7 nm
- 6/8 GB random access memory, 128 and 256 GB built-in
- 6.39 inches AMOLED screen, FullHD+ resolution, 19.5x9, AlwaysOn Display, automatic brightness adjustment
- Front camera with depth of field effect, additional shooting modes - 16/20/2 megapixels
- Main camera 16/24/16 megapixels, x3 optical zoom
- Battery Li-Ion 3400 mAh, fast charging 40 W (less than an hour to fully charge the battery), wireless charging
- Fingerprint sensor built into the screen
- NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0
- Dimensions 157x75x8.3 mm, weight 206 grams
Externally, Magic 2 resembles the P20 Pro: an iridescent body, the same format for the placement of cameras on the rear panel. There are no complaints about how the device is assembled. It seems to me that in last years The build quality has increased among all manufacturers, we have stopped thinking about it altogether, since the level is approximately the same everywhere, and this is a qualitatively good level.
There are several color options, look at the colors below.
For those, like me, who are annoyed by the notch in the screen, Magic 2 will be a salvation. The screen occupies almost the entire front surface, there are no cutouts, since this is a slider design. The sides are minimal, and they are comfortable enough, including for operating the device with one hand.
At all Huawei/Honor presentations, comparisons with the iPhone have become a commonplace, because such comparisons favorably highlight the company's smartphones, while the iPhone loses.
The battery capacity is smaller than in the Mate 20 Pro (where it is 4200 mAh), this is done deliberately to show fast charging in less than an hour. But there is also another point: the HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor, made using a 7 nm process, is limited in clock frequency (formally everything is exactly the same, at least on paper). In reality, if in the Mate 20 Pro there is a maximum performance setting in the menu, which unlocks the maximum processor frequencies, then in the Magic 2 it has been redesigned. This is clearly visible in benchmarks, as Magic 2 produces lower numbers. This was done to ensure that the device works no less than the Mate 20 Pro, despite the smaller battery size. Another plus is that the screen resolution is lower, although the Mate 20 Pro also has FullHD+ by default.
There are almost no changes in the main camera compared to the same P20 Pro, but you shouldn’t look for co-branding with Leica here, these are just cameras without any brand. It’s hard to say whether Leica’s work affects the quality of shooting, but the software is exactly the same and can do the same things as the latest generation from Huawei. But the modules themselves are very different. In “Spillikins” I will share pictures taken with both devices, for now just a few test pictures from the main camera, they didn’t make any impression on me. Not only the Mate 20 Pro, but also the P20 Pro and P20 take better photos. Maximum optical zoom – x2.
The front camera has received new shooting modes, this is also the direction in which many companies are experimenting. It is difficult to judge how important and in demand it is, but manufacturers are trying to do something new. There is portrait photography with various effects, but they look at least strange. See for yourself and see for yourself.
Voice assistant It’s difficult for me to evaluate YoYo due to the fact that I don’t know Chinese. And so I will only say that it is important to have such an assistant, but how good it is, how applicable it is, I cannot tell you. Alas. At the presentation, they talked a lot about how Yoyo outperforms Siri in terms of recognition quality and speed.
At the moment, only ten languages are supported, the main one is Chinese, and there are also French, English, German, Spanish and some others. There is no Russian, and it will appear in a year at best, if Honor agrees with Yandex that Alice will turn into YoYo. Such conversations are ongoing, and there are chances that this will happen.
From what I liked and what I haven’t come across yet, I’ll note the translation in real time during a conversation. That is, you call someone who does not speak your language, and you immediately have decoding and translation. An interlinear text appears on the screen. As for me, this is just a gorgeous thing, and if it works at the very least, it will become an indispensable assistant when traveling. Until recently, the same Google translator made life very easy, but what can I say, today in a tea house in Beijing I communicated exclusively with its help, as well as successfully bargained, giving arguments, and not just showing numbers on a calculator. The fact that this is now available for phone calls is very cool. This is something that will be implemented by almost all companies in the future, there is no doubt about it.
Yoyo also has an app to estimate your skin's age and various blemishes. This application has received some approval from relevant organizations, which serves as proof that it works. For women who take care of themselves, this feature will be interesting.
The quality of voice recognition is also something that Honor is proud of, but there is another thing that interested me. The Honor 3D model has a built-in analogue of the True Depth camera, which should recognize a person’s face, including in complete darkness. This is one version of Magic 2, which is the most expensive (8/256 GB). Other devices do not have such recognition.
Another point is working with FlyPods headphones, the creation of which the company was inspired by swans, they say, their shape is very similar. And it seemed to me that the inspiration came from an Apple product. A funny situation happened at our demo stand when my colleague took out his AirPods and we started photographing them together with the FlyPods.
At some point, security wanted to return the AirPods they had put in their pocket, confusing them with the announced headphones. Only by showing the Apple inscription were we able to avoid any problems. The headphones themselves are available in two versions, three colors for each of them. They look strange, large tubes in the ears, however, I don’t particularly like AirPods. But the most important thing is that, despite support for high-resolution audio, up to 15 hours of operation on a single charge (I think that, as before, this is a maximum of 5 hours and two charges from the case), they do not seem expensive.
The Pro model, which will appear sometime in early 2019, has a special difference: it measures the sound transmitted through the bone. This is not necessary for audio transmission, but for authorization in applications and financial services. Honor believes that attackers can record your voice and then unlock the phone without your participation, but here it is impossible to fake both the voice and the frequency response obtained in the dice. That is, a check based on two criteria. And it serves to authenticate you into financial applications, which is sort of the next step in biometrics. One of the slides showed how quickly the payment process occurs and what steps are skipped.
And then they even showed a video in which Siri was unsuccessfully asked to pay for something, and the iPhone asked to enter a passcode. In Honor you don’t need to do this, since biometric authorization is reliable and allows you to unlock the device.
The price for FlyPods on the slide is for China, feel free to multiply by 10 and get the cost in rubles (8 and 10 thousand rubles, respectively). These headphones will not be officially sold in Russia.
As for me, this is really something new and unusual, but I’m not sure that this method of biometrics will take root in the market. Too complicated, plus you need an additional accessory.
The positioning of Magic 2 in the Honor line is clear; it is the current flagship. But its relationship with devices from Huawei is somewhat different. Let me remind you that the Mate line is top-end, therefore the same Mate 20 (not to be confused with Pro) should be higher in positioning. And the flagship of the P line, namely the P20 Pro, is also higher. Let me remind you that in Russia the price for P20 Pro is 49,990 rubles. Based on this, we can assume that Magic 2 should cost 44,990 rubles, that is, slightly cheaper than the P20 Pro. And this seems logical - it is better in some ways (processor and fingerprint sensor, design), comparable in some ways (quality of the main camera), and slightly inferior in others (formally in terms of battery capacity).
And prices in China look like this (don’t forget to multiply by 10 to get the cost).
Overall, I liked the Magic 2, it's a device with a twist and it looks interesting. There are not many competitors for it on the market, if you do not take into account mass models. Although why not take it? Samsung's flagships are more expensive, so the price difference will make the Magic 2 attractive to many (with the same S9+, the difference is at least 15-20 thousand rubles). If we take the line from Apple, then the nearest iPhone Xr simply does not stand up to competition, it is worse in everything except the brand, which is still perceived as a fashion brand, but this is already a thing of the past, now it is rather the perception that a person overpaid without thinking per model. A direct competitor is the Xiaomi Mi MIX3, but a number of parameters are worse there, for example, the fingerprint sensor on the rear panel.
Honor's model turned out to be extremely interesting, we will soon have a first look at this device, it is already in our hands. For now, this is all that was at the presentation about the smartphone.
Honor Magic Watch
It’s impossible to say anything special about the watch, since it’s a copy of the Huawei Watch GT with a slightly modified design and a lower cost. The diameter has decreased, the thickness of the case has become 11 mm, the battery lasts not up to two weeks, but only up to a week.
There are many different straps, support for NFC and mobile payments has appeared (how it is organized is not entirely clear). Also for the running mode there is a scenario of competition with your virtual shadow, it looks funny, but how useful it is is not very clear.
The design of the watches in black and white cases is slightly different, as you can see in the pictures.
The watch has Lite OS, minimal features, no installation of third-party programs. In a word, it’s a thing in itself, but with a high-quality screen and the design of a familiar watch. Huawei review Watch GT will be out next week, the video is already on our channel, so you can watch and evaluate what kind of product it is. But the Honor Magic Watch will go on sale in January; it will not be available in Russia.
You can see the cost of the watch on the slide.
Budget tablet Honor WaterPlay 8 inches
Without much fanfare, the company also showed off the WaterPlay tablet (from the name it is clear that it can withstand immersion in water, IP67 protection). Despite the fact that this is an 8-inch model with an IPS screen with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels, the company used metal case. Kirin 659 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal memory, dual cameras (13 and 5 megapixels), front 8 megapixels. Harman Kardon stereo speakers are quite loud. The battery is 5100 mAh, which is not bad. Connector USB Type C, all the usual functions are there, it comes out on EMUI and Android 8, but before the end of the year it will be updated to new version. The cost in China is just over $200. The product is nice and not bad for the money.
Brief impressions
Presentations in China are always very and noticeably different from those in Europe or the USA, this was no exception. Another mood, the construction of the presentation itself. But the interesting and important thing is that the audience was involved. On the other hand, two hours is too much, too much for several products. I liked the smartphone, although it’s impossible to call it a win-win option; it’s an exploration of possibilities, a study of what will be interesting to the audience. None of the announced products will be officially presented in Russia, however, we are interested to look at them, since Honor plans to introduce such products to our market next year. The company is developing progressively and is in no hurry to flood the market with its offerings. Tell us what you liked and what you didn’t like about these new products. What do you think about them?
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 69.9 mm (millimeters) 6.99 cm (centimeters) 0.23 ft (feet) 2.75 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 146.1 mm (millimeters) 14.61 cm (centimeters) 0.48 ft (feet) 5.75 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units measurements. | 7.8 mm (millimeters) 0.78 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.31 in (inches) |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 145 g (grams) 0.32 lbs 5.11 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 79.66 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 4.84 in³ (cubic inches) |
| Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale. | Black White |
| Materials for making the case Materials used to make the device body. | Metal |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
| GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analogue mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often called a 2G mobile network. It is improved by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies. | GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz |
| CDMA CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) is a channel access method used in communications in mobile networks. Compared to other 2G and 2.5G standards like GSM and TDMA, it provides higher data transfer speeds and the ability to connect more consumers at the same time. | CDMA 800 MHz |
| TD-SCDMA TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) is a 3G mobile network standard. It is also called UTRA/UMTS-TDD LCR. It was developed as an alternative to the W-CDMA standard in China by the Chinese Academy of Telecommunications Technology, Datang Telecom and Siemens. TD-SCDMA combines TDMA and CDMA. | TD-SCDMA 1880-1920 MHz TD-SCDMA 2010-2025 MHz |
| UMTS UMTS is an abbreviation for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is based on the GSM standard and belongs to 3G mobile networks. Developed by 3GPP and its biggest advantage is providing greater speed and spectral efficiency thanks to W-CDMA technology. | UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1700/2100 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz |
| LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as a fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA to increase the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent technology development is called LTE Advanced. | LTE 700 MHz Class 17 LTE 800 MHz LTE 850 MHz LTE 900 MHz LTE 1700/2100 MHz LTE 1800 MHz LTE 1900 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz LTE-TDD 1900 MHz (B39) LTE-TDD 2300 MHz (B40) LTE-TDD 2500 MHz (B41) LTE 850 MHz (B26) LTE 700 MHz (B12) LTE 800 MHz (B18) LTE 800 MHz (B19) LTE 700 MHz (B28) |
Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds
Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.
| SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | Huawei HiSilicon KIRIN 950 |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor. | 16 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | 4x 2.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A72, 4x 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 |
| Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors. | 64 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv8-A |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel. | 8 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 2300 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. IN mobile devices it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, etc. | ARM Mali-T880 MP4 |
| Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications. | 4 |
| GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 900 MHz (megahertz) |
| Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 4 GB (gigabytes) |
| Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR4 |
| Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels mean higher data rates. | Dual channel |
| RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data. | 1333 MHz (megahertz) |
| i5 coprocessor |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends. | AMOLED |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 5.09 in (inches) 129.29 mm (millimeters) 12.93 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.5 in (inches) 63.38 mm (millimeters) 6.34 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 4.44 in (inches) 112.68 mm (millimeters) 11.27 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.778:1 16:9 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail. | 1440 x 2560 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on screen with clearer detail. | 577 ppi (pixels per inch) 226ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device. | 70.16% (percent) |
| Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics. | Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance |
| 3.0D curved glass screen |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.
Main camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.
| Sensor type | CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) |
| Diaphragm | f/2.2 |
| Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile device cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes produce softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting. | Double LED |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which shows the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image. | 3968 x 2976 pixels 11.81 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with the device. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard video shooting and playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p. | 30fps (frames per second) |
| Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality. | Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode |
| 6-element lens Secondary rear camera - 12 MP (monochrome) 720p@120fps |
Additional camera
Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.
| Sensor type Digital cameras use photo sensors to take photographs. The sensor, as well as optics, are one of the main factors in the quality of the camera in a mobile device. | CMOS BSI (backside illumination) |
| Diaphragm Aperture (f-number) is the size of the aperture opening that controls the amount of light reaching the photosensor. A lower f-number means the aperture opening is larger. | f/2.4 |
| Image Resolution Information about the maximum resolution of the additional camera when shooting. In most cases, the resolution of the secondary camera is lower than that of the main camera. | 3264 x 2448 pixels 7.99 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum supported video resolution additional camera. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the secondary camera when shooting video at the maximum resolution. | 30fps (frames per second) |
| Pixel size - 1.4 μm |
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
| Browser Information about some of the main characteristics and standards supported by the device's browser. | HTML HTML5 CSS 3 |
Audio file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different audio file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital audio data.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.
| Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours. | 2900 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. Exist different types batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries most often used in mobile devices. | Li-polymer |
| Adapter output power Information about the electrical current (measured in amperes) and electrical voltage (measured in volts) that the charger supplies (power output). Higher power output ensures faster battery charging. | 5 V (volts) / 8 A (amps) |
| Fast charging technology Fast charging technologies differ from each other in terms of energy efficiency, supported output power, control of the charging process, temperature, etc. The device, battery and charger must be compatible with fast charging technology. | Magic Power Fast Charging |
| Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics device battery. | Fast charging Fixed |
The “senior” Honor with a magical name first appeared in 2016 - and did not officially reach Russia, despite the excellent representation of the brand here. It’s worth saying right away that the same thing awaits Honor Magic2 - it is already known that this is a device intended exclusively for the Chinese market. But at the same time, it is a very interesting device, which we were able to get acquainted with immediately after the announcement. Full review We'll do it later, today - first impressions.
Two weeks ago, Huawei introduced its flagship Mate 20/Mate 20 Pro - the first smartphone on the new Kirin 980 platform, which sports particularly powerful artificial intelligence and a triple rear camera with the ability to not only zoom the frame, but also get a wider viewing angle. And now - the next move is up to the Honor brand. Magic2 is the second smartphone with Kirin 980 and here not only the rear camera received three lenses and sensors, but also the front one! And in addition to this, the design of the slider and the completely new voice assistant YoYo. It sounds like a royal flush, but it's not quite that smooth.
Although it is the slider mechanism that works really smoothly and pleasantly - Magic2 is able to deliver tactile pleasure, while emitting characteristic clicks: only they come not from inside the case, but from the lower speaker. Simulation, but appropriate. Moreover, the slider here is completely mechanical, and not electronic, as in the OPPO Find X - the back of the case must be slightly pushed up so that the front cameras appear above the screen. At the same time, the rear ones are always in place - there is no need to move the Honor Magic 2 apart in order to take any picture. Xiaomi used exactly the same solution in its Mi MIX 3, I also managed to talk with it for a short time - and, I must say, Honor did better. The mechanism works more clearly, less effort is needed, and the risk of dropping the phone from your hand when grabbing it to push it apart is minimal.
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This is even a little strange, considering that the case, traditionally for Honor, is almost entirely made of glass (only the edges are made of metal) - your fingers cling well to the mirrored back, and using the Magic2 is convenient. Thanks to the use of this mechanism, the “bangs” disappeared, and the 6.39-inch display almost completely occupied the front panel - the frames are almost invisible, only there is a relatively large indentation at the bottom.
When you open the Honor Magic2, the face recognition system is automatically activated - in the “regular” version it is standard, using exclusively the front camera, in the special version Magic2 3D - with a three-dimensional scanner. This, again, is convenient - the only problem is that after recognition you go directly to the camera application in order to quickly take a selfie. If you don't need this scenario, you can unlock your smartphone using the on-screen fingerprint scanner, but it, like the Mate 20 Pro, is average in both speed and accuracy (though it takes more time to get a clearer impression).
Having unlocked Honor Magic2, the user should not get into the usual EMUI, but into the Magic UI shell specially developed for this series. Alas, there is only a Chinese version, and I had no opportunity to get acquainted with it, especially since they provided me with a gadget re-flashed for EMUI for testing. But it is in the Magic UI that the main feature of the flagship Honor is hidden - the YOYO voice assistant. He, of course, today does not know the Russian language (but knows ten others) and was generally excluded from the smartphone that we got for testing, but, judging by the long story at the presentation, he can do more than Siri or Google Assistant: from voice translation “on the fly” to the ability to unlock a smartphone simply by recognizing the “owner’s” voice, and it does this even in a noisy environment. To fully get acquainted with YOYO, you need to wait for its Russian-language version - no one says when it will appear, but there is definitely hope.
However, the platform installed in Magic2 does not give him intelligence, of course, but very good mental abilities even without YOYO. Besides traditional way using AI in smartphones to enhance photos (or “enhance”, depending on who you choose) - Honor demonstrated, for example, applications that assess the condition of your skin in real time: how old you look, how hydrated it is, and so on. Moreover, Honor even has a certificate stating that this method is quite accurate. There will be more applications using neural network computing in the future, as long as we have smartphones that are adapted to this. Honor, of course, compared Magic 2 in terms of the power of working with neural networks with the iPhone - but not with the Xs, which is built on the A12 platform with a dedicated Neural Engine module, but with last year's iPhone X. The device is not the most honest.
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In terms of performance outside of AI scenarios, the Kirin 980 can easily compete with the Apple A11 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, outperforming them, for example, in 3D graphics. But there is no dominance even today - we will talk more about this in the upcoming review of the Mate 20 Pro.
The memory is in complete order: RAM or 6 or 8 GB, non-volatile - from 128 to 512 GB (the latter in the Magic2 3D version). It's really powerful smartphone without much compromise. More precisely, with one thing - there is no slot for a microSD memory card. For the 128 GB version it is quite relevant, so there is something to regret, albeit a little.
I’ve already said a few words about the display above, but I’ll add that it’s a 6.39-inch AMOLED 19:9 format with Full HD+ resolution.
Cameras - a rare case - are not the most interesting thing about this smartphone. The rear ones are designed according to the scheme tested in the Huawei Mate 20 Pro: each of the three is responsible for its own focal length, providing a fairly good optical zoom. Two of them are 16 megapixels (f/1.8 and f/2.2), the third is black and white 24 megapixels (f/1.8). Unfortunately, there is no optical stabilizer, and the shooting level is approximately the same as what the Honor 10 demonstrates - with the addition of an additional wide-angle mode.
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From left to right: from ultra-wide-angle to 2x zoom |
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Naturally, it supports switchable artificial intelligence, which can recognize up to five simultaneous scenarios for one plot, “twisting” the picture to take them all into account. I didn’t notice any other specific features of the camera operation for Magic2.
Front cameras are even more interesting - primarily in quantity. There are also three of them: 16 megapixels (f/2.0) and two 2 megapixels - both for more correct operation of software bokeh. Why two at once, no one could explain, and during the short acquaintance I did not understand - in terms of the quality of background processing, the Honor Magic2 is even inferior to the same Huawei Mate 20 Pro with a single front-facing camera. But directly in terms of the quality of filming, there are no questions, an excellent level.
Another feature that has moved, albeit from the first Magic, is fast charging with a power of 40 W (10V, 4A). With its help, a smartphone with a 3500 mAh battery is charged to 85% in half an hour, and half-charged in 15 minutes.
Like the Mate 20 Pro, Magic2 received a dual GPS receiver, allowing you to more quickly and accurately determine your location and record a track of movements, as well as a Wi-Fi module with a theoretical data reception speed of 1.7 Gbps. There is NFC, infrared and Bluetooth 5.0. But, as you can easily see in the photographs, there is no mini-jack - despite the fact that there is no moisture protection. This fashion is, frankly, tiring.
Honor Magic2 will be available in three gradient colors: red, black (both in our pictures) and blue. Alas, it will be available, I repeat, only in China; Honor has no plans to bring the model to other markets yet. And, to be honest, it would be nice; the prices, as is usually the case with Honor, are very reasonable. For the younger version of 6/128 GB they ask for 3,799 yuan (approximately 36,000 rubles), for the version of 8/128 GB - 4,299 yuan (40,600 rubles), for the version of 8/256 GB - 4,799 yuan (45,350 rubles), for the 8/512 GB version of Magic2 3D - 5,799 yuan (54,800 rubles).
The first Magic to officially appear in Russia will most likely be the next, third version - and this will happen next year. For now, all that remains is to either cluck your tongue and choose another smartphone, or order it from a Chinese store, with Chinese firmware devoid of Google Play.
As said during the presentation, Honor Magic is the culmination of research and development aimed at improving mobile technology. The smartphone analyzes user behavior to provide intelligent interactive features in place.
Behind these words lies an advanced analogue of Google Now, which makes contextual suggestions in a timely manner. So, if you are going to the cinema with friends, the smart assistant will recommend the latest blockbusters. While on the move, the assistant will automatically activate travel mode and launch the map. It is noteworthy that all useful information is displayed on the switched off screen. It may also include, for example, a taxi license plate, a barcode for booking a hotel room, or a flashlight icon if a person is in a dark room.
Huawei Honor Magic uses sensors to recognize the user's touch and eye position. This takes data management and security to a new level. Thus, the phone will unlock the screen and show an incoming message only if it recognizes its owner. Another application: a smartphone will scroll through pictures in a photo album with one eye movement. Features are customizable according to user preferences. About all the possibilities of flexible operating system based on Android 6.0 remains to be seen.
Huawei Honor Magic has a unibody aluminum body with streamlined edges. Declared protection against water and dust. It is noteworthy that all connectors are located at the bottom end, which once again emphasizes the overall unusual appearance of the device. The single Magic Touch control button functions as a fingerprint scanner and supports a wide range of gestures.
Specifications Huawei Honor Magic:
- 5.09-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution (2560 × 1440 pixels), glass curves on all sides.
- 8-core Kirin 950 processor (four cores at 2.3 GHz and 1.8 GHz).
- 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory.
- 12-megapixel main camera with f/2.2 aperture, 8-megapixel front camera.
- Network communications: LTE, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac), support for two SIM cards.
- Dimensions: 146.1 x 69.9 x 7.8 mm.
- Weight: 145 g.
- 2,900 mAh battery with fast charging technology Huawei Magic Power: 10 minutes - up to 40%, 30 minutes - up to 90%.
The cost of Huawei Honor Magic in China will be $530. Sales will begin today.
Honor Magic looks stylish and even magical due to the glass that is strongly curved on the sides and the smooth shape of the body. A similar feature is used by Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, but here the screen is curved not only on the sides, but also at the top and slightly at the bottom. And to such an extent that the ends of the device merge with the glass and this makes the phone look like a bar of soap or a smooth pebble. It's very unusual, but not particularly beautiful. What's unusual for a Huawei smartphone is the fingerprint scanner. For the first time, it was not placed on the back, but integrated with the Home key under the display. On the back of the Honor Magic there are dual cameras with flash. The back is almost completely covered with glass, which looks stylish, but it’s not very practical - the body will slide and get dirty quickly.
The stated dimensions of the smartphone are: 146.1x69.9x7.8 mm, weight - 145 grams. It has a thin, but at the same time very tall body. For comparison, the 5.2-inch Huawei P9 weighs the same, but is more compact.
Honor Magic will be available in two colors: black and white.
Screen
Little is known about the Honor Magic screen - it has an atypical diagonal, 5.09 inches, an AMOLED matrix and an extremely high Quad HD resolution (2560x1440 pixels). The pixel density is very high - 577, image clarity is on par with the Samsung Galaxy S7. There is no more information about the display, but knowing about the AMOLED matrix, you can be sure of high image contrast and good readability in the sun.
Camera
Judging by the available information, Honor Magic received almost the same cameras as the Huawei Honor 8 - dual rear ones of 12 MP and a front one of 8 MP. The principle of dual cameras is the same as that of Huawei P9 - one camera is color, and the second is black and white, to improve the quality of photos (especially in low light conditions). Most likely, Honor Magic will shoot at least no worse than Honor 8, which is already good. The only pity is that the chipset used is not capable of shooting 4K video, which means the phone will be left without this flagship attribute.
Communications
Honor Magic has a fairly wide range of wireless communications:
- high-speed and dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac
- LTE support
- Bluetooth 4.2
- NFC chip
- A-GPS with GLONASS support.
There is no information about FM radio yet. The smartphone has two slots for nanoSIM cards, but they work alternately. It is also known that a USB Type C connector is used for charging and connecting to a PC.
Battery
The autonomy of Honor Magic is ensured by a rechargeable battery with a capacity of 2900 mAh. This is a good indicator for the diagonal of a smartphone. For comparison, the 5.5-inch models and Huawei Honor 5X have only slightly higher capacity – 3000 mAh. On the one hand, the phone has a fairly powerful chipset, but on the other hand, it has an economical display type. The manufacturer does not announce specific numbers, but you can expect autonomy from the device at the level of Honor 8, that is, about a day of work on one battery charge. But the company announced support for fast charging - up to 40% in 10 minutes and up to 70% in 20 minutes.
Performance
The performance of Honor Magic promises to be quite high. It has 4 GB of RAM, a fairly powerful, although not new, eight-core Hisilicon Kirin 950 chipset (4 cores at 2.3 GHz and 4 cores at 1.8 GHz). The same one was used in Huawei Honor 8, and its speed is fine. Except that the Mali-T880 MP4 graphics chipset is rather weak for Quad HD resolution and will be noticeably inferior to modern flagships in heavy toys.
Memory
The internal memory of Honor Magic is 64 GB. This is quite enough to store photos, music, install games and applications. There is no way to expect the possibility of expanding the memory - the phone does not have a slot for a memory card, which can be called a disadvantage of the model as a whole.
Peculiarities
The Honor Magic smartphone runs Android 6 OS, however, it does not have the usual EMUI interface, instead there will be something new, the “magic” Magic Live interface with artificial intelligence functions. There is no information about updating to Android 7.
Honor Magic has many features: an unusual design with curved 3D glass, an ultra-clear display, dual camera and a new shell with artificial intelligence functions. The latter includes a number of “smart” features, for example, unlocking the phone with a glance (FaceCode) or predicting the user’s needs (offering recommendations based on the analysis of your messages). Smart function Display will proactively display information that is relevant to you. In fact, its implementation is not yet clear; it is possible that the function will only get in the way. In addition, this means that now not only Google, but also Huawei will collect your personal information, for example, about correspondence in instant messengers and in social networks. It's interesting that Huawei was the first to introduce a device with built-in artificial intelligence, but its capabilities are not amazing. In addition, it is expected that Samsung will also use artificial intelligence in its flagship
