Introduction :

In 2023, the midranger from Honor’s bestselling Magic franchise will return with a number of improvements over its predecessor. We have greater expectations for the Magic5 Lite than we did for last year’s Magic4 Lite, mainly because it makes up for some past mistakes.

It should be noted that the Honor Magic5 Lite is a rebranded version of the Honor x9a, which was launched in some Asian markets back in January. You can use this review to determine whether the x9a is useful. The two phones are the same.

The updated Lite has a better main camera, an ultrawide on the back, increases battery life, and offers a brand-new back design

while still operating at 120Hz on a superior OLED screen.

The device still adheres to Honor’s well-established design aesthetic, but we now prefer the minimalist ring on the rear. Additionally, it has a unique appearance that no other midranger has.

Additionally, the device comes with an updated Magic UI 6.1 built on Android 12 that promises more features and performance upgrades. Naturally, Google’s Mobile Services are on board now that the business has split from Huawei

Specifications :

Honor Magic5 Lite / Honor x9a specs at a glance.

Body: 161.6×73.9×7.9mm, 175g; glas front, plastic back and side frame.
Display: 6.67″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 800 nits (HBM), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
Chipset: Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver); Adreno 619.
Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM.
OS/Software: Android 12, Magic UI 6.1.
Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 5 MP, f/2.2; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide).
Video capture: Rear camera: [email protected]; Front camera: [email protected]
Battery: 5100mAh; 40W wired.
Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Infrared port.

The chipset is the only component that hasn’t changed. The Snapdragon 695 SoC, which is a capable mid-range chip but lacks 4K video recording powers, is shared by the new model and its predecessor. And that’s the only issue we have with Qualcomm’s product. In the pages that follow, we’ll make sure to see how that processor performs in the context of this year’s midrangers, so keep reading to learn more.

Design and comfort :

The Honor Magic5 Lite has a comparable appearance to its predecessor, but it is a smaller device. Compared to the Magic4 Lite’s 6.81-inch display, the newer Lite is lighter, smaller, and all-around simpler to use because it has a smaller 6.67-inch screen. The gadget’s 175 gramme weight makes it hardly noticeable in your palm.

The back panel is consistent with both the Magic5 series from this year and the idea from last year. Instead of being a complete component as it was before, the camera bump is now a thin circular strip. We kind of like the difference because it is more noticeable and appears more refined and straightforward.

The side structure is operating normally. The left and right sides are extremely narrow, while the top and bottom are nearly flat. At the bottom, there is a speaker grille, a SIM card tray, a USB-C connector, and an IR blaster. On the top end of the frame is an Infrared blaster. On the right, within reach with the forefinger, are the volume rocker and the power button. They are reasonably cosy

On the other hand, the placement of the under-display fingerprint scanner is inadequate. It’s too near to the display’s bottom edge and difficult to reach without some finger gymnastics.

Speaking of the display, this year’s model has thinner bezels all around because it utilises an OLED. They are so slender that they can actually compete with modern flagships. Additionally unobtrusive and significantly smaller than before is the camera cutout..

Overall, the Honor Magic5 Lite provides a slim, comfy body with a unique design. There are many phones with comparable prices and a higher quality construction, though. So if that’s what you’re after, the Magic5 Mini probably won’t meet your requirements.

Flagship-grade, curved OLED :

The new OLED display is without a doubt the most notable improvement over the Magic4 Lite. Additionally, Honor didn’t scrimp on this one. The display has a 6.67-inch, 1080 x 2400-pixel AMOLED screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 10-bit colour depth.

The Screen on the Magic4 Lite has significantly improved since last year. Additionally, the display has curved sides and incredibly thin borders, and the outcomes of the tests we conducted below give us the confidence to claim that the screen is indeed flagship-grade.

Battery life :

The newer Magic5 Lite has a slightly larger 5,100 mAh battery than its 4,800 mAh predecessor, and when paired with the more effective OLED screen, the Magic5 Lite can operate for longer periods of time without a power source. Occasionally, a lot longer.

For instance, the newer Magic5 Lite performs noticeably better in terms of video playback, which was to be anticipated given that the LCD screen was replaced with an OLED one. Web browsing runtimes have decreased, which is unfortunate because this measure is very representative of both regular web browsing and the use of various social media apps. The standby and call tests improved slightly thanks to the larger battery, but not considerably.

Charging velocity :

To our astonishment, the Magic5 Lite only comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable and no charger. Since we are located in Europe and were unable to locate a brick in the package, it is safe to presume that European units lack a charger even though we were unable to get confirmation from Honor as to which areas don’t receive one. Additionally, compared to its predecessor, which offered 66W charging, the more recent Magic5 Lite allows slower 40W charging.

Magic UI 6.1 on top of Android 12 :

A more recent 6.1 version of Honor’s Magic UI and Android 12 power the Magic5 Mini. But the newer Lite is a little tardy to the celebration, just like the Magic4 Lite from the previous year. Given that Honor has a bad track record of updating some of its midrange devices, we would anticipate Android 13 out of the box in 2023, which is a significant disadvantage to take into account. One such example is the Magci4 Lite from last year, which debuted with Android 11 and has yet to obtain Android 12.

And yet, it’s difficult to tell what has changed between Magic UI 4.2 from a year ago and 6.1 today. If you are coming from an earlier version of Huawei’s EMUI, you will undoubtedly feel right at home because the UI’s aesthetics are the same as before.

In contrast to EMUI 12, the notification shade isn’t divided into two sections; instead, it has the standard layout with movable quick toggles and alerts. Unfortunately, you can’t access it from the Home page using the customary swipe-down motion. You have to reach for the status bar and drag it down with some finger gymnastics. Additionally, we were unable to locate the toggle for automatic brightness adjustment; to turn it on or off, you must delve deep into the main Settings menu.

Advanced triple-camera configuration :

On paper, the rear camera system of the Magic5 Lite receives a significant upgrade. The primary 64MP sensor has taken the position of the 48MP one, and both share the same f/1.8 aperture.

The 5MP, f/2.2 ultrawide camera is a novel feature, as there was none at all in the phone’s previous iteration. In our view, it wasn’t a significant omission to begin with, and the 5MP unit that is being offered is inferior to the more typical 8MP camera. Additionally, the 2MP depth camera is being replaced by the ultrawide because it was hardly ever used. The 2MP closeup camera is still available.

The face camera is the same 16MP f/2.5 model that was used in the Magic4 Lite.

Selfies :

Selfies are about average for the class and resemble those of the Magic4 Lite from the previous year, which isn’t surprising considering that both devices use the same face camera and chipset. Sharpness, detail, and dynamic range are generally sufficient, though colours could use a boost and noise becomes more noticeable as the sun sets.

Video recording :

The Magic5 Lite can only record videos in [email protected] due to the chipset’s ISP, as was already stated in the section before this one. The same resolution and frame rate are also available for video capture with the ultrawide camera.

But regrettably, the video resolution is once again mediocre. The dynamic range is limited, the sharpness is weak, and the colours are washed out (notice the clipped highlights and crushed shadows). Even with a 1080p recording, sharpness is a problem.