honor

Honor Magic3 series launches w/ Snapdragon 888+, Play Store access, IMAX camera enhancements

Damien Wilde | Aug 12 2021 - 6:30 am PT

Former Huawei sub-brand Honor has now officially launched a trio of Magic3 devices with a number of impressive internals but most importantly for global markets, Google Play Store access.

Three devices make up the lineup, starting with the entry-level Honor Magic3, but there are some common traits. The base Magic3 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 128/256B of internal storage, and a 4,600mAh battery that supports 66W wired SuperCharge tech – with no Qi charging out of the box.

All three Magic3 devices come with 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED displays with a 89-degree curve and HDR10+ certifications. The Magic3 Pro and Magic3 Pro+ offer some sizeable bumps in specifications with the duo being among the first Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ powered devices to come to market.

The Honor Magic3 Pro can be picked up in 8/12GB RAM and 256/512GB storage configurations, while the Magic3 Pro+ is available in one 12GB RAM/512GB storage option as the out-and-out flagship in the range. The same 4,600mAh battery capacities are carried over here too, but along with 66W wired SuperCharge support, you can top up at 50W speeds wirelessly.

A huge component of Honor’s approach to the Magic3 series is undoubtedly the camera setups. With IMAX enhancements allowing for a special Magic-Log capture and 3D LUT support for your video creations. This might be very interesting to the avid mobile videographer, but we’ll save judgment until we are able to try this out for ourselves.

The camera setups on the Magic3 and Magic3 Pro rely upon a large 1/1.56-inch 50-megapixel CMOS sensor. The Magic3 includes a 64-megapixel monochrome lens, and 13-megapixel 120-degree ultra-wide. The Pro model comes with an added 64-megapixel 3.5x telephoto zoom lens that is capable of 10x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom.

As the biggest and best of the range, the Honor Magic3 Pro+ comes with a larger 1/1.28-inch 50-megapixel main sensor, 64-megapixel monochrome sensor, 64-megapixel 126-degree ultra-wide-angle lens, and 64-megapixel 3.5x telephoto zoom lens with 10x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom. The entire trio includes a 13-megapixel wide-angle selfie camera.

Now the firm is free from the sanctions that limit Huawei’s capabilities in global markets, the Honor Magic3 series come pre-installed with Magic UI 5.0 atop Android 11 with direct access to Google Mobile Services and, therefore, the Play Store. Unfortunately and highly dissappointingly Honor confirmed that only one full OS upgrade is expected during the lifespan of these high-end devices.

You’ll be able to pick up the Honor Magic3 priced at €899 in Golden Hour and Blue Hour. The Pro model will cost €1,099 come in Golden Hour, Black, and White. While the Magic3 Pro+ comes in Ceramic Black and Ceramic White and costs €1,499. Global availability will be confirmed at a later date.