Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G Review: Big but LCD

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It’s no longer steadily I get started a evaluation with a touch upon a phone’s total dimension, but the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G is a hefty slab of tech. While I’m happy the term ‘phablet’ has long gone the best way of the dodo, it’s no exaggeration to mention that the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G is large.

That’s in large part all the way down to its whopping 6.81in display, but it’s additionally lovely tall, too – even taller than the iPhone 13 Pro Max I in most cases use. While it’s no longer the brightest display round due to its LCD tech, it’s nonetheless going to attract a crowd due to its monolithic nature and prime refresh charge.

The highest a part of the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G, despite the fact that, could be in its efficiency, with video games like Call of Duty: Mobile actually benefiting from the Snapdragon 695 5G chipset and pushing the panel to its 120Hz limits.

Sadly, despite the fact that, it’s no longer all just right information. The phone’s cameras, in spite of respectable specifications and megapixel counts, are inconsistent at highest, with daylight hours pictures taking a look washed out and darkish mode if truth be told being clearer in maximum circumstances, whilst a unmarried speaker on the backside of the tool makes it really feel much less of a multimedia powerhouse than the display would have you ever consider.

One notice: the Magic 4 Lite 5G has additionally launched in other places because the Honor X9 5G. My evaluation pattern is technically an X9 5G, but from the design to the specifications it is similar to the Magic 4 Lite 5G, which is the identify the phone is bought below in Europe.

Design & Build

  • Large phone but strangely skinny and lightweight
  • Premium taste
  • No IP ranking

The Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G is available in Titanium Silver, Midnight Black, or, as in step with my evaluation unit, Ocean Blue. As I stay citing, the entrance of the tool is ruled through that massive LCD panel, with skinny bezels throughout but a moderately thicker chin on the backside.

There’s a hole-punch digital camera located centrally on the best of the reveal with a 16MP sensor inside of. For one of these massive phone, it is spectacular to seek out it is simply 8mm thick and 189g.

On the right-hand aspect, you’ll discover a fingerprint scanner for unlocking embedded within the sleep/wake button, in addition to a quantity rocker. That’s it for bodily controls, despite the fact that, so don’t be expecting to summon Google Assistant with a {hardware} button. 

Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G review design

At the ground, you’ll discover a USB-C charging port, a SIM tray, and a speaker grille, whilst the highest has an earpiece that’s strictly for listening to calls. There’s additionally no headphone jack right here.

Flip the phone over, despite the fact that, and similar to the Honor Magic 4 Pro, there’s a hefty array of sensors specified by a round outer ring. It’s a dialog starter needless to say, and whilst it used to be a little bit jarring right through the preliminary unboxing I got here to comprehend Honor making an attempt one thing other.

Speaking of unboxing, you’ll additionally discover a slimline transparent case inside of, too. That’s at hand for the reason that Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G collects fingerprints like no person’s industry. However, the phone does not include any more or less water resistant ranking.

Screen & Speakers

  • 6.81in LCD
  • Full HD+
  • 120Hz refresh charge
  • Mono speaker

While I’ve been essential of LCD panels previously as a result of they lack the vibrancy and color element in their OLED cousins, I’ve to mention I can have prejudged the Honor Magic 4 Lite too quickly.

That’s as a result of whilst it’s an LCD that tops out at 1080p (with round 385 pixels in step with inch), it does be offering improve a 120Hz refresh charge.

That makes a large distinction when gaming (which I’ll get to in a while), but additionally merely navigating the OS and scrolling thru social media feeds, YouTube playlists and extra.

Still, viewing angles aren’t nice. Colours can seem washed out, blacks are extra gray, and the display is lovely reflective in direct daylight. Watching YouTube and the like indoors is superb despite the fact that.

Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G review screen

However, you’ll be able to most probably wish to use headphones because of the elemental speaker setup. Most “all-display” telephones use an earpiece that doubles as a speaker for stereo output whilst you’re staring at a film in panorama, for instance. The Magic 4 Lite 5G doesn’t, as a substitute hanging all sound during the mono speaker on the backside of the phone.

That makes audio really feel messy in addition to unbalanced, and indubitably manner you’re not going to achieve for the phone as a transportable tune participant whilst you’ve were given corporate.

All in all, the sheer dimension of the reveal earns some plaudits, but it’ll faded compared to one thing just like the Poco X4 Pro 5G which has a extra trendy AMOLED reveal and keeps 5G connectivity, as does the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G.

Specs & Performance

  • Mid-range but chippy Snapdragon 695
  • Up to 8GB RAM
  • 128GB garage

The Snapdragon 695 5G within the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G, plus the Adreno 619 GPU, imply it punches above its weight – and, in numerous techniques, its pricing class. The similar is correct of the Poco X4 Pro 5G.

The phone comes with 6- or 8GB of RAM and I’ve examined the latter. The result’s various horsepower for racking up the wins in Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG: Mobile, or the likes of League of Legends: Wild Rift. While video games don’t precisely pop at the LCD display like they do on AMOLED, they do give that 120Hz refresh charge a exercise.

Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G review specs

It’s no longer going to offer flagships a run for his or her cash, but it’ll ruin duties you throw at it, letting you progress between paintings and play without a discernible decelerate – even with an even collection of apps stacked up in multitasking. That’s aided through that prime refresh charge, despite the fact that, making scrolling really feel silky easy.

Running thru our same old suite of efficiency benchmarks, the Magic 4 Lite 5G outperforms the likes of the £199/€199 Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 and Realme 8 as you could possibly be expecting, but is a little bit in the back of the Poco and Nord. 

Finally, a notice on garage. The Magic 4 Lite 5G comes packing 128GB of inner garage, but there’s no growth slot for an SD card.

Cameras

  • 48Mp primary sensor
  • 2Mp intensity and macro sensors
  • 16Mp selfie digital camera

The Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G provides a quartet of cameras, with a 2MP intensity digital camera and 2MP Macro lens flanking the principle 48MP snapper at the again, and a 16MP selfie digital camera.

Photos are transparent, and be offering various element, but apparently one thing is also up with the ISP as a result of we discovered we repeatedly had to flip down the publicity. As you’ll be able to see with the photographs of children’ toys and Duplo blocks, the entirety is simply overexposed.

Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G review cameras

That then has the knock-on impact of missing accuracy in terms of colors. The basketball hoop at the aspect of the childrens’ slide that you just see within the pictures is if truth be told purple, but the Honor presentations it as being nearer to purple.

And but, in darkish mode, the place you’d be expecting further gentle, the Magic 4 Lite 5G plays significantly better. In the shot of the baseball cap, main points are transparent, as is the fashion sitting on a table within the night time. Thankfully, publicity will also be altered, but you might wish to spend a while to actually get the steadiness appropriate.

That macro lens, unfortunately, isn’t the rest to put in writing house about – as you’ll be able to see from the dandelion shot. This is just about the case for any phone with a 2Mp macro lens.

Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G camera test

The entrance selfie digital camera is forged, even supposing it robotically provides the ‘Beauty’ clear out – don’t fear, Honor, I wasn’t angry. This softens the picture, but turning it off made issues glance masses transparent sufficient if a little bit overexposed once more.

If you’re taking a look to report video, despite the fact that, that publicity factor is exacerbated fairly, steadily switching issues up in inconsistent lighting fixtures, going from one excessive to some other. It’s additionally shaky without a optical symbol stabilisation (OIS) and capped at 1080p 30fps.

Battery & Charging

  • 4800mAh
  • 66W SuperCharge
  • Adapter incorporated

Despite the facility and the massive display, most likely the most important marvel with the Magic 4 Lite 5G is battery existence. I ran our same old take a look at, with the PCMark Battery Work 3.0 and hit a really spectacular 15 hours and one minute.

That’s greater than the Poco M4 through about 4 hours, and maximum opponents, too. This will have to get nearly all of customers thru an ordinary day and lightweight customers might smartly get two.

(*4*)

Even higher, the Honor SuperCharge adapter incorporated within the field runs at 66W. That’s sufficient to price the 4800mAh battery temporarily. Users can be expecting 44% in simply quarter-hour, or 77% after part an hour.

Software & Apps

This is the place issues get a little bit tough. The Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G is if truth be told working Android 11 with Honor’s personal Magic UI working on best of it.

That signifies that technically, the brand new phone is already working an previous OS. Honor has dedicated to rolling out Android 12, but that may be some way off – even supposing Magic UI has already hit model 6.0 for Android 12 so it may well be quicker.

Magic UI 4.2, the model the Magic 4 Lite 5G ships with, isn’t any slouch despite the fact that. It seems just right, options intuitive gestures like calling Google Assistant through swiping from the ground, and packs so much much less bloat than different mid-range handsets.

Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G review software

Interestingly, despite the fact that, I couldn’t get the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G to supply the multi-window multitasking that Honor permits on a lot of its identical spec units. That’s a disgrace for the reason that massive reveal feels ripe for opening a couple of home windows immediately.

I additionally needed to get used to the extraordinary wallpaper picker that looks when swiping anyplace at the lock display. After years of with the ability to swipe up from the ground of the display to move house, it felt odd being despatched to check out new wallpapers when making an attempt that right here – but it’s simple to regulate to dragging up from anyplace at the display versus the very backside.

Price & Availability

The Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G is to be had in Europe now priced at €349.90 (roughly £295) for a 6+128GB fashion. You can purchase it from the Honor retailer within the likes of France, Germany, and Italy, in addition to Amazon.

As discussed previous, the phone is also known as the Honor X9 5G in Malaysia the place it prices RM1,299 and will get you the 8+128GB model examined right here.

The spanner within the works for this handset comes within the type of the Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G, which as discussed previous has identical specifications and contours but a greater AMOLED reveal. It’s additionally less expensive at £259/€299. You may additionally believe the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G at £299/€349, which additionally provides AMOLED.

Check out our score of the highest mid-range telephones to look extra choices.

Verdict

The Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G/X9 5G is an excellent 5G tool in terms of efficiency, but its media doable suffers because of dismal audio system and bizarrely inconsistent digital camera effects.

And but, there’s such a lot to love. The battery existence is just right, the display is massive, and it doesn’t sacrifice energy to chase that 5G dragon.

However, the ones aforementioned opponents from the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus are less expensive and feature awesome AMOLED monitors so if they’re to be had the place you are living then they make for higher buys.

Specs

Honor Magic 4 Lite: Specs

  • Android 11 with Magic UI 4.2
  • 6.81in LCD, 1080 x 2388, 120Hz
  • Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G (6nm)
  • 8GB RAM
  • 128GB garage
  • 48Mp primary digital camera
  • 2Mp intensity sensor
  • 2Mp macro digital camera
  • 16Mp entrance digital camera
  • 5G/4G/3G supported
  • Dual SIM
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • Bluetooth 5.1
  • NFC
  • USB-C
  • 4800mAh battery
  • 66W SuperCharge rapid charging
  • 166.1 x 75.8 x 8.1 mm
  • 189g
  • Titanium Silver, Ocean Blue, Midnight Black



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