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MagyarHonor Magic6 Lite Review: Sleek 5G smartphone with high-end looks for a budget price ↺
The newest mid-range phone from Honor looks similar to its predecessor, but still has a bunch of improvements – starting with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, which replaces the obsolete Snapdragon 695 5G of the Magic5 Lite. Also, the Magic6 Lite adopts a new 108 MPix camera with a more light-transmissive f/1.75 lens and a big 5,300 mAh battery.
In terms of pricing, the Honor puts its Lite model into the mid-range, as it starts at €400 in Europe. There is only one configuration, with 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB UFS storage drive. With the in-house Turbo technology, the RAM can be expanded to 8 GB. This works by using parts of the UFS storage. But since it is much slower than the RAM, this will only be beneficial in rare cases.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83.9 % | 02/2024 | Honor Magic6 Lite SD 6 Gen 1, Adreno 710 | 185 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.78" | 2652x1200 | |
| 82 % | 05/2023 | Honor Magic5 Lite 5G SD 695 5G, Adreno 619 | 175 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 86.8 % | 09/2023 | Xiaomi Poco F5 SD 7+ Gen 2, Adreno 725 | 181 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 85.8 % | 01/2024 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G SD 7s Gen 2, Adreno 710 | 187 g | 256 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.67" | 2712x1220 | |
| 86 % | 05/2023 | Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Exynos 1380, Mali-G68 MP5 | 202 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.40" | 2340x1080 | |
| 84.6 % | 10/2023 | Motorola Edge 40 Neo Dimensity 7030, Mali-G610 MP3 | 170 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.55" | 2400x1080 |
Chassis - Magic6 Lite with vegan leather
Despite the big battery capacity of the Magic6 Lite, the weight of only 185 g is pretty low. With its screen to body ratio of 91 percent, the Honor phone looks very sleek and modern. Smaller bezels than on the Magic6 Lite are nowhere to be found in the mid-range. The screen is protected with the Ultra Bounce anti-drop technology, increasing the protection against drops and increasing reliability. Drops of up to 1.5 m should be no issue, no matter the angle. Honor did not divulge which glass is used here.
On the back, the Magic6 Lite sports a nice finish: The chassis is either clad in vegan leather or made out of matte plastic. In Germany, there are three color variants: Emerald Green, Midnight Black and Sunrise Orange (vegan leather), with the orange one being limited to the Honor online-store. There is no IP rating.
The workmanship of the Magic6 Lite casing is good, though not quite as premium as we hoped. Our green test sample does not feel cheap, but phones with a glass back seem higher quality to us. The gaps between chassis components are tight and uniformly.
Connectivity - Honor Magic6 Lite with USB 2.0
The connectivity options of the Magic6 Lite are more than adequate for a €400 phone. NFC, USB OTG and miracast are par for the course. Honor also says the phone supports Bluetooth 5.1, which is curious, as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 does support Bluetooth 5.2.
A differerntiator to premium devices is the slow USB 2.0 standard, which does not support tethered picture output either. With our copy-test with a M.2 SSD (Samsung 980 Pro), the USB port only manages a very slow 22 MB/s. exFAT and the Microsoft standard NTFS are supported.
The UFS 3.1 memory has a capacity of 256 GB, with 223 GB available to the user. It is somewhat disappointing that there is no 512 GB version. Expanding the memory via microSD cards is not possible.
Software - Honor phone with Android 13
The OS of the device is the not quite fresh Android 13 with November 2023 security updates. On top of the OS, Honor slaps its Magic UI 7.2. An upgrade to Android 14 and its predecessor is planned, but no more. Security updates are guaranteed for three years. This places Honor behind Samsung, as the Korean giant updates its Galaxy A54 5G, another mid-range phone, for five years.
Communication and GNSS - Magic6 Lite with 5G
The Magic6 Lite only supports WiFi 5 - sadly, in this regard, the Honor mid range stands still. With our reference router, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, transfer rates are limit to 350 MBit/s in the 5 GHz network, not a lot for a phone with this pricing. At least, the WiFi performance is consistent no matter is data is received or sent.
Only a limited amount of frequencies are supported when it comes to mobile data. Only 13 LTE bands are available - in this case, the most important 4G bands for Germany are covered, and 5G is supported, too.
| Networking | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
|
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
|
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
|
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
|
| Average of class Smartphone | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 |
|
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz |
|
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz |
|
The Magic6 Lite supports most global satellite networks, but only with single band support. In the mid-range, compromises like this are everywhere and geolocation was still precise for the Honor phone.
On the go with the bike, we compared the geolocation capabilities with a Garmin Venu 2. The overall distance is just 10 m less, but there are some small regularities in terms of the course of the road. The Garmin watch is more precide, but the Honor mid-range phone is still very usable for navigation purposes.
Telephone function and voice quality - Honor Magic6 Lite with dual SIM
The Magic6 Lite provides a great voice-capture quality and filters out background noise well. This is a dual SIM phone with room for two physical nanoSIM cards, eSIM is not supported. Functions like VoLTE and WiFi calling however are.
Cameras - Honor smartphone with 108 MPix
The main camera is new compared with the Magic5 Lite getan, the selfie shooter stays the same: The 16 MPix cam uses a f/2.45 shutter, being located in the central hole punch. Selfies are smoothed out, but the quality is pretty much what we expect for this price range.
Much better pictures are possible with the new main camera with a 108 MPix sensor in the 1/1.67 inch format and a big f/1.75 shutter, which lets in more light than with the predecessor. Still, low light photography is not a strength of the Magic6 Lite, as we wish the lighting was better and the pics in the dark lack in details. There is no optical image stabilization (OIS).
At daylight, the 108 MPix camera works better and delivers sharp images, but even here, the picture is darkened, muting the images the Magic6 Lite produces.
There is no optical zoom in the case of the Magic6 Lite. Due to the high resolution of the 108 MPix shooter, up to 3x of digital zoom is usable though. Of course, the sensor crop still loses some of the sharpness and details. For better results, the small native pixels of the Samsung ISOCELL HM6 need even more light when zooming.
The 5 MPix ultrawide cam with 110 degrees of view and the 2 MPix macro sensor with a focus-lenght of 4 cm may look nice on the spec sheet, but they do not really produce great pictures.
In terms of video, the Magic6 Lite scores points with UHD quality capture in 30 FPS. With the selfie shooter, video is capped at FHD@30 FPS.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
WeitwinkelWeitwinkelLow LightZoom 5xUltraweitwinkel
In a controlled environment, the Honor phone delivers an adequate color accuracy. Blue specifically is brightened up and the deltaE is pretty high. Whites are not display ideally either.
Accessories and warranty - Magic6 Lite without charger
The included accessories with the Magic6 Lite are barebones for a mid range phone. There is just a USB 2.0 cable, a SIM tool and some info material in the box. Optionally available is the SuperCharge power adapter (€30 on its own) for one Euro extra if ordered with the phone. A screen protector can be added for free as well (which would cost €26 otherwise).
The warranty in Germany covers two years.
Input devices and handling - Honor Magic6 Lite with face unlock
The capacitive touchscreen of the Magic6 Lite is smooth, translating inputs of up to 10 fingers at the same time precisely. Ex factory, there is a screen protector applies, which feels less than high quality. Animations and scrolling are smooth with the 120 Hz panel, but sometimes there are some slightly stutters.
A small haptic motor handles vibrations. It is not very precise though, just a buzzing effect.
For fast unlocking, users can choose either the an unsecure 2D face unlook, which works fast but only in good lighting, or the fingerprint sensor. The optical sensor beneath the OLED panel works flawlessly, though it could be faster.
Screen - Honor Smartphone with OLED
Equipped with a curved 6.78 inch AMOLED screen, the Magic6 Lite with its 1,200p resolution offers a high DPI count of 429. The refresh rate is not dynamic, like it is with an LTPO panel, it only automatically switches between two levels (60 Hz and 120 Hz).
The Honor phone supports the HDR standard HGL, HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Also, it has a number of eye safe technologies, including Low Blue light mode and 1,920 Hz dimming. We did measure PWM of 528 Hz with our oscilloscope, but our measurements with a flicker meter resulted in a much higher value (1,920 Hz). This minimizes the negative side effects of PWM like headaches, as it reduces visible flickering for the human eye.
The brightness of the Magic6 Lite is improved compared with the predecessor, reaching 1,032 cd/m² with a completely white screen and an enabled light sensor. With HDR and APL18 content, we were able to only increase the brightness to 1,050 cd/m², not seeing the typical OLED improvement in HDR mode.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 96 %
Center on Battery: 1003 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 0.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 0.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
96.6% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.18
| Honor Magic6 Lite AMOLED, 2652x1200, 6.78 | Honor Magic5 Lite 5G AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.67 | Xiaomi Poco F5 AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.67 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G AMOLED, 2712x1220, 6.67 | Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.40 | Motorola Edge 40 Neo pOLED, 2400x1080, 6.55 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -34% | -65% | -51% | -65% | -67% | |
| Brightness middle | 1003 | 846 -16% | 1034 3% | 1205 20% | 940 -6% | 966 -4% |
| Brightness | 1007 | 853 -15% | 1033 3% | 1177 17% | 935 -7% | 957 -5% |
| Brightness Distribution | 96 | 88 -8% | 93 -3% | 90 -6% | 99 3% | 97 1% |
| Black Level * | ||||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 0.8 | 1.3 -63% | 1.9 -138% | 1.51 -89% | 2.4 -200% | 1.87 -134% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 2.4 | 2.7 -13% | 3.7 -54% | 4.07 -70% | 3.2 -33% | 4.34 -81% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 0.9 | 1.7 -89% | 2.7 -200% | 2.5 -178% | 2.2 -144% | 2.5 -178% |
| Gamma | 2.18 101% | 2.19 100% | 2.24 98% | 2.175 101% | 2.05 107% | 2.272 97% |
| CCT | 6406 101% | 6570 99% | 6917 94% | 6407 101% | 6422 101% | 6582 99% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 528 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 528 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 528 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17903 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Measurements with fixed zoom for different brightness values
The best color accuracy is reached when the color-mode "normal" is selected in the settings with the color temperatures at „standard“ belassen wird. The color deviations against the sRGB gamut we can measure with the photo-spectrometer X-Rite i1 Pro 3 and CalMan are rather low. The differences to the reference-colors are not visible to the eye.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.773 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.7035 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.89 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.9635 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.9255 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 5 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Outdoors, the Magic6 Lite leaves us impressed thanks to the high screen brightness. Note though that the maximum brightness is only available when the light sensor is used. For manual brightness regulation, the maximum brightness sits at 606 cd/m².
Viewing angle stability is very good, even with extreme viewing angles, there is only a minimal loss of brightness. Colors do not change.
Performance - Honor Magic6 Lite with Qualcomm-SoC
Even though the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is a rather new chipset (announced 2022, 4 nm node), the Magic6 Lite is no performance powerhouse in the 400 Euro class. Especially in Geekbench single core, the Cortex A78 performs rather week compared with the competition. A Poco F5 with the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 including the Cortex X2 core is 50 percent faster than the Honor phone.
But even in system-benchmarks, like Antutu, the Magic6 Lite can hardely compete. If someone does not use the performance mode, which is not enabled ex factory, performance potential is wasted.
| Antutu v10 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (281399 - 2162423, n=51, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (490448 - 504020, n=2) | |
| UL Procyon AI Inference for Android - Overall Score NNAPI | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Average of class Smartphone (207 - 84787, n=150, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (7236 - 7651, n=2) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
The GPU core is the Adreno 710, which also is used in the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 of the Redmi Note 13 Pro. The Magic6 Lite does not reach the performance of the Xiaomi phone, however. Especially in the more demanding Aztec Ruins test, the competition is faster than the Magic6 Lite.
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7: T-Rex Onscreen | 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
GFXBench 3.0: on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL | 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
GFXBench 3.1: on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
GFXBench: on screen Car Chase Onscreen | 1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | 3840x2160 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme Unlimited | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Unlimited Score | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Score | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Onscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Offscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / Manhattan Onscreen OGL | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / 1080p Manhattan Offscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Onscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Offscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| GFXBench / 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
In the browser benchmarks, the Magic6 Lite is worse than expected after the CPU/GPU tests. This is also mirrored by everyday performance. Browsing speed is at a solid mid-range level, but there are often small stutters and loading websits somtimes takes its sweet time.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 (Chrome 116) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G (Chrome 120) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo (Chrome 118) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (Chrome 112) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (77.6 - 88.2, n=2) | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite (Chrome 121) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 (Chrome 116) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=157, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo (Chrome 118) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G (Chrome 120) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (62.5 - 86.6, n=2) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (Chrome 112) | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite (Chrome 121) | |
| WebXPRT 4 - Overall | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G (Chrome 120) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 (Chrome 116) | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo (Chrome 118) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 202, n=160, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (Chrome 112) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (76 - 95, n=2) | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite (Chrome 121) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 (Chrome 116) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (39 - 304, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (Chrome 112) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (115 - 132, n=2) | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo (Chrome 118) | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite (Chrome 121) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 (Chrome 116) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G (Chrome 120) | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo (Chrome 118) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (Chrome 112) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 89112, n=214, last 2 years) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (24583 - 32436, n=2) | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite (Chrome 121) | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G (Chrome 112) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite (Chrome 121) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (1321 - 1786, n=2) | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo (Chrome 118) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (Chrome 112) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G (Chrome 120) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 (Chrome 116) | |
* ... smaller is better
In terms of speed, the internal memory of the Honor phone offers a good performance, especially compared with the UFS 2.2 competition like the Redmi Note 13 Pro. However, the Magic6 Lite is not as slow compared with other UFS 3.1 models, which may be due to the Snapdragon SoC.
| Honor Magic6 Lite | Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | Xiaomi Poco F5 | Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | Motorola Edge 40 Neo | Average 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -48% | 66% | -16% | -50% | -1% | 18% | 7% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 1827.3 | 486.17 -73% | 1798.37 -2% | 946.8 -48% | 528.32 -71% | 1004.4 -45% | 1759 ? -4% | 1508 ? -17% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 843.34 | 420.44 -50% | 1736.41 106% | 808.2 -4% | 335.39 -60% | 930.9 10% | 1130 ? 34% | 1118 ? 33% |
| Random Read 4KB | 223.75 | 171.13 -24% | 389.37 74% | 239.2 7% | 236.23 6% | 279.5 25% | 282 ? 26% | 247 ? 10% |
| Random Write 4KB | 271.22 | 149.12 -45% | 498.93 84% | 220.5 -19% | 70.52 -74% | 284.1 5% | 309 ? 14% | 272 ? 0% |
Games - Magic6 Lite manages 60 fps
After our GPU benchmarks the Adreno 710, accomanied by 8 GB RAM, has to show if demanding and HFR gaming is possible with the Magic6 Lite. For our measurements, we use GameBench.
As the first game, we looked at the GPU intensive Fantasy Action RPG Genshin Impact. Set on high details, there are frame drops lowering the fun considerably. Overall, the average here are 29.5 FPS. With reduced graphics, we were able to pull out more than respectable 49 FPS, which looks visible smoother. The possible 60 FPS are not reached.
Even less demanding games, like Dead Trigger 2, do not utilize the full 120 Hz of the OLED panel. We measure a framerate of 60 FPS.
The FPS for PUBG Mobile with high details in UHD resolution are constant at 40 FPS. If we reduce the settings (HD), the GPU unit manages 60 FPS. A 90 FPS setting is not available.
Emissions - almost no throttling with the Honor Magic6 Lite
Temperatures
Surface temperatures are low during idling. When under sustained load, they rise to 43 degrees Celsius max. To measure the internal heat-output, we use the 3DMark stress tests. Here, the Qualcomm SoC shows almost not throttling in compute-intensive scenarios. Throttling under load in everyday use are not to be expected with the Honor phone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.9 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.9 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Wild Life Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Xiaomi Poco F5 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 40 Neo | |
| Honor Magic6 Lite | |
| Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | |
Speakers
The Magic6 Lite only has a mono-speaker, which does manage to play audio very loudly. While the highs are linear, the mid-part of the spectrum are more inconsistent. The lower frequencies are barely there, base is lacking.
Headsets and earbuds can be connected tetherless with Bluetooth 5.1 (according to the spechseet) or via the USB C port. The supported Audio codecs could not be singled out with the Magic6 Lite.
Honor Magic6 Lite audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 34.9% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.9% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 27% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 63% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 48% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Honor Magic5 Lite 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.1% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 29% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 62% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 50% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 42% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life - Honor phone with plenty of battery power
Power consumption
The battery grows compared with the predecessor to 5,300 mAh, which can be charged up via the USB port with up to 35 W. With a fitting power source (Powerbank, PD 3.0, max. 100 W), the battery of the Magic6 Lite can be charged up in 2.5 hours. Honor advertises a long live for the battery, which is supposed to still offer 80 percent of the original capacity after 1,000 charge cycles.
Power consumption under load is low, despite to the the burnout benchmark. Other smartphones, like the Poco F5, perform worse here. When idling however, the Honor phone consumes rather a lot with more than 2 W.
| Off / Standby |   0.32 / 0.25 Watt |
| Idle |  0.93 / 2.26 / 2.31 Watt |
| Load |
7.87 / 8.55 Watt |
    
| |
| Honor Magic6 Lite 5300 mAh | Xiaomi Poco F5 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G 5100 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A54 5G 5000 mAh | Motorola Edge 40 Neo 5000 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 3% | 18% | 23% | 22% | -68% | 20% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.93 | 0.89 4% | 1.3 -40% | 0.75 19% | 1 -8% | 1.215 ? -31% | 0.897 ? 4% |
| Idle Average * | 2.26 | 1.05 54% | 1.4 38% | 1.51 33% | 1.2 47% | 5.33 ? -136% | 1.452 ? 36% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.31 | 1.08 53% | 1.6 31% | 1.62 30% | 1.3 44% | 5.39 ? -133% | 1.629 ? 29% |
| Load Average * | 7.87 | 10.86 -38% | 2.5 68% | 4.91 38% | 5.2 34% | 9.76 ? -24% | 5.55 ? 29% |
| Load Maximum * | 8.55 | 13.49 -58% | 9.1 -6% | 8.93 -4% | 9.2 -8% | 10.1 ? -18% | 8.31 ? 3% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption: Geekbench (150 cd/m²)
Power consumption: GFXBench (150 cd/m²)
Battery life
The battery life numbers of the Magic6 Lite are very good and competitive with the 1080p competition, despite the higher resolution. With a brightness set to 150 cd/m², it is possible to compare the phones against each other. In the realistic WiFi test, the Magic6 Lite manages 15 hours. With the WiFi module deactivated and video on loop, we measure 17 hours.
| Honor Magic6 Lite 5300 mAh | Honor Magic5 Lite 5G 5100 mAh | Xiaomi Poco F5 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G 5100 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A54 5G 5000 mAh | Motorola Edge 40 Neo 5000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -10% | 4% | 7% | 23% | 18% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1841 | 1324 -28% | 1786 -3% | 2591 41% | 2444 33% | |
| H.264 | 1009 | 1123 11% | 1142 13% | 1508 49% | 1232 22% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 906 | 816 -10% | 1014 12% | 1002 11% | 941 4% | 864 -5% |
| Load | 289 | 343 19% | 307 6% | 284 -2% | 355 23% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict for the Honor Magic6 Lite
The Magic6 Lite impresses with its modern design without big bezels aroud the 6.78 inches big AMOLED panel - especially with the tapered off screen edges. The screen is bright and calibrated accurately. If the 1,000 cd/m² are not enough, the Redmi Note 13 Pro could be an interesting mid range alternative with an even brighter screen.
The Honor Magic6 Lite is a visually pleasing design, but the features lag behind due to the focus on looks.
With $400-smartphones, compromise is always somewhere around the corner. With the Magic 6 Lite, there are too man of them for our tastebuds. The missing IP certification or the slow USB port are everywhere in the middle class, but the Honor phone deserves criticism for the limited WWAN and WiFi 5 frequencies and the missing stereo sound. Additionally, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 used here is no powerhouse for a phone of this segment. The Poco F5 delivers a much better performance.
Honor delivers updates for three years - not bad, but Samsung offers five years with its Galaxy A54 5G. With the OIS as well as eSIM and microSD support, the Samsung Phone is an interesting alternative to the Magic6 Lite.
Pricing and availability
The Honor Magic6 Lite costs €400 in Germany.
Honor Magic6 Lite
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02/01/2024 v7
Marcus Herbrich
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
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