Honor launches world’s best camera smartphone in South Africa — Pricing and details

Honor has launched its flagship Magic 6 Pro smartphone and booklet-style foldable Magic V2 in South Africa.

The Chinese smartphone brand has seen strong growth in the local market in the past year.

According to Counterpoint Research, it surged to the number two brand by smartphone shipments in South Africa in 2023,

With its market share climbing from 1% to 13%, it surpassed Xiaomi, Tecno, and Hisense.

The only manufacturer with more smartphone sales was Samsung, with a 21% market share, down from the 29% it held in 2022.

That success was driven primarily by its mid-range smartphones, including the Honor X and N series.

The company is taking things up a notch in South Africa by rolling out its two top-end smartphones, setting the stage for a face-off with Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 5.

The Magic6 Pro features a 6.8-inch 1,280 x 2,800 OLED screen with up to a 120Hz refresh rate and a world-best 5,000 nits peak brightness.

Models that will be sold in South Africa will either have a green matte finish or black glass on the rear.

The smartphone boasts an impressive arsenal of internal hardware— including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, a hefty 5,600mAh battery with 66W wireless charging support, and up to 16GB RAM.

But its real standout capability is in photography.

The prominent triangular camera array set in a large round camera bump with shiny edging is not just for show.

The triple camera system consisting of 50MP wide and ultrawide cameras and a massive 180MP telephoto lens has earned the Magic 6 Pro the top spot in DXOMark’s smartphone camera rankings.

With a score of 158, it beats other photography powerhouses including Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Google Pixel 8 Pro, Huawei Mate 60+, and Huawei P60 Pro, to take the camera crown.

The rear camera supports a self-adjustable aperture, 2.5 times optical zoom, 100x digital zoom, and deeply-integrated AI capabilities.

The front camera also boasts a 50MP sensor, alongside a 3D time-of-flight (TOF) sensor for advanced facial recognition.

In addition to performing best in DXOMARK’s camera rankings, the Magic 6 Pro had the highest score in the Selfie, Battery, and Display, rankings.

The Honor Magic V2 is competing in a growingly congested market of booklet-style foldables but sets itself apart in one key area — compactness.

MyBroadband has had some hands-on experience with this smartphone and found it to be noticeably easier to handle than the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

With a thickness between 9.9mm and 10.1mm when folded, it is the slimmest foldable in its form factor.

It is also the highest booklet-style foldable, tipping the scales at 231g-237g, just about the same weight as the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The Magic V2’s interior OLED display measures 7.92 inches and provides a 2,156 x 2,344 resolution with up to 120Hz refresh rate.

Users won’t have to unfold the phone too often, however, as its 6.43-inch 1,060 x 2,376 OLED cover display is just about what you would expect from a regular non-foldable flagship’s display.

Other noteworthy features on the Magic V2 include 16GB RAM, 66W wired charging, and a Super-light Titanium Hinge with up to 400,000 folds.

The 512GB Magic 6 Pro with 12GB RAM will have a recommended retail price of R27,999 at launch in South Africa.

The Magic V2 is priced at R39,999 for the 512GB model with 16GB RAM.

Both devices will be available from retailers and networks from 2 April 2024.

Vodacom customers will be able to buy the Magic 6 Pro a week earlier.

Below are specifications and photos of the two latest Honor releases in South Africa.

Honor Magic 6 Pro

Honor Magic V2