Not too long ago, the HONOR Magic6 Pro was hailed as 2024’s best smartphone in terms of cameras. However, it was rather short-lived as Huawei had stolen the crown with its new Pura70 Ultra.
IN PHOTO: HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra (top), HONOR Magic6 Pro (bottom)
Well, aside from that fact, the Magic6 Pro still looks like it can put up a fight against the new HUAWEI flagship.
So, today in this comparison review, we are going to find out which one is the better pick between the two; not just in terms of cameras, but in every aspect that makes a good smartphone stand out.
Table of Contents
Design & Build
The HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra opts for a “fashion forward” design — evident with its triangular camera bump at the back. This setup also sees an XMAGE moniker which we’ll talk more about later in this video.
On the other hand, the HONOR Magic6 Pro gets a more symmetrical look with its centered Falcon camera system. It sure is a massive camera bump with a combination of shapes, giving it an unusual, unique look.
There’s a circular top where the lenses are placed, and it blends down to the square-ish base that has a more reflective finish.
Both phones come with vegan leather options if you fancy not just a premium look but also a textured feel. Each back panel also has a different design with the Pura70 Ultra having star-shaped pattern and the Magic6 Pro highlighting a more authentic leather pattern.
You can also choose a glass back option for the Magic6 Pro if leather isn’t your cup of tea (just like me). Our unit here at the office is actually the Black colorway with glass back panel, and this one looks much more muted (which I usually prefer on a smartphone).
They do come with their own protective cases, so the back shell design doesn’t matter that much anyway. The Pura70 Ultra comes with a rather loud plastic case that shows off the “Pura” design monogram. Its color scheme also complements that of the phone. Meanwhile, the Magic6 Pro comes with your usual transparent jelly case.
Furthermore, both phones get an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning you can dunk these phones under freshwater for a limited amount of time and depth.
In terms of design, the Pura70 Ultra and the Magic6 Pro are visually striking for sure, garnering both of them a point in this area.
Display & Multimedia
Moving on to design, both phones feature similar specs with a 6.8-inch Full HD+ LTPO OLED display; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate; and both panels get slight curvature on all sides — even at the corners.
IN PHOTO: Magic6 Pro (left), Pura70 Ultra (right)
This is somewhat better than the usual curved display panels we see in the market today. These panels curve only on two sides and usually have this crazy degree of curvature, that just gives room for those unwanted glares.
But with these new kinds of display panels like on the Pura70 Ultra and the Magic6 Pro, you can expect them to have minimal glare.
Something you would definitely notice at first glance is the pill-shaped notch on the Magic6 Pro. It is designed that way to add space for housing a 3D depth camera alongside its selfie shooter. This will surely help for more accurate Face ID biometrics. While the Pura70 Ultra is left with a simple hole punch camera cutout.
What sets the Pura70 Ultra apart is its higher all-screen peak brightness at 2,500 nits as compared to the Magic6 Pro’s 1,600 nits. While the latter mentions a 5,000 nits HDR peak brightness, this only applies to a small portion of the screen for a short time when watching HDR content. Regardless, both displays will still be visible under direct sunlight, but expect the Pura70 Ultra to give you an easier time outdoors.
For added protection, both the Pura70 Ultra and Magic6 Pro get Crystal Armor Kunlun glass and NanoCrystal Shield, respectively.
In this area, the Pura70 Ultra almost gets the point for its higher peak brightness. But, in my opinion, having a higher peak brightness doesn’t really add that much of utility, especially if we’re mostly using our phones under the shade. (Not to mention, I am someone who always sets the phone brightness to low.)
So, again, both phones tie up for display.
Performance
Performance-wise, the HONOR Magic6 Pro certainly has the advantage. It boasts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset built on a 4-nanometer process node — reaching up to 3.3GHz clock speeds.
The HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra on the other hand, equips the in-house HUAWEI Kirin 9010 chipset. On paper, this is notably less powerful than the competition despite its flagship standing. For reference, the Kirin 9010 runs on a 7-nanometer process node and can only reach up to 2.3GHz clock speeds.
While the Pura70 Ultra’s performance in real-world use cases is great, it’s quite undeniable that the Magic6 Pro can absolutely throw more punches with its faster and more efficient chipset.
In fact, our benchmark results below show the significant gap between the two chipsets:
| Benchmark | HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra | HONOR Magic6 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu V10 | 880,083 | 1,609,363 |
| AnTuTu Storage (S. Read) | 1,989.7 MB/s | 3,854 MB/s |
| AnTuTu Storage (S. Write) | 1,793.0 MB/s | 3,551 MB/s |
| GeekBench 6 CPU (Single-Core) | 1333 | 1,359 |
| GeekBench 6 CPU (Multi-Core) | 3915 | 5,249 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 performance | 10,410 | 17,422 |
In AnTuTu tests, the Magic6 Pro surpasses the Pura70 Ultra with double the score. And In Geekbench and even PCMark tests, the Magic6 Pro, again, surpasses the Pura70 Ultra by a lot for Multi-Core and performance scores.
With that, the HONOR Magic6 Pro takes the lead thanks to its superior processing power.
Cameras
Moving on to the main event: cameras.
Like we said in our full review of the HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra, its triple rear cameras are easily one of the best setups on a smartphone today.
You get a 50-megapixel pop-out main camera with a one-inch sensor size and supports sensor-shift optical image stabilization (OIS). “Pop-out” which means it can physically adjust aperture from f/1.6 to f/4.0.
There’s also a 40-megapixel ultrawide and another 50-megapixel periscopic telephoto/ macro camera that also supports OIS.
As for the Magic6 Pro, it also boasts a triple camera setup that’s really something out of the ordinary. A 50-megapixel main with dual aperture from f/1.4 to f/2.0 with OIS; another 50-megapixel camera for ultrawide; and a whopping 180-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with OIS as well.
I mean, this was once a camera king, so naturally it comes with a high-level camera prowess. On paper, the Magic6 Pro clearly has the edge, right? No. Like we always say, higher megapixel count does not always equate to better image quality.
At the front, the Magic6 Pro gets a 50-megapixel selfie shooter and the Pura70 Ultra only gets a 13-megapixel shooter. So, technically, the former should be able to put more detail for selfies.
Going back to the rear cameras, both phones do output nice images with sharp detail and good contrast. But for the most part, the Pura70 Ultra tends to have better exposure and colors. With a physically adjustable aperture, I have the freedom to optimize the depth of field or bokeh for various scenarios.
Check out some of our sample shots in our HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra Review and HONOR Magic6 Pro Review.
Additionally, the Pura70 Ultra gets several AI-enabled features like sharper zoom shots and the ability to capture fast subjects in photos. Not to mention, it adds the HUAWEI XMAGE system that can simulate pro-camera outputs.
With that said, the Pura70 Ultra evens out the match with its notable AI-powered, overall better camera setup.
Battery Life
Battery-wise, the Magic6 Pro packs a bigger 5,600 mAh unit while the Pura70 Ultra has a 5,200 mAh capacity.
The bigger the battery, the longer it should supposedly last. But, lo and behold, the Pura70 Ultra outlasted the Magic6 Pro, being able to pump out 15 hours and 33 minutes of battery life as compared to the latter’s 14 hours and 28 minutes.
Not that big of a difference, honestly. However, the Pura70 Ultra has faster charging capabilities to boot. It supports up to 100W wired charging and 80W wireless charging. The Magic6 Pro gets a tad bit slower 80W wired and 66W wireless charging.
In this segment, the point goes to the Pura70 Ultra with its faster charging and surprisingly longer battery life.
Connectivity & Other Features
Software-wise, the Magic6 Pro runs MagicOS 8 based on Android 14, while the Pura70 Ultra runs EMUI 14.2 on top of an unspecified Android version. With core Google apps baked in, the Magic6 Pro definitely has the upper hand as all your favorite apps are readily available without any hassle.
While I commend the improvements made on the HUAWEI AppGallery, I still find some minor inconvenience when sideloading some of the apps.
For connectivity, this a weird case for the Pura70 Ultra — which inherently supports 5G capability. In China, we were able to connect the phone with their local 5G network, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here in the Philippines as it’s only limited to 4G.
It is quite a bummer, especially since this is a flagship model with a hefty price tag.
As for the Magic6 Pro, you won’t have any problems using 5G, be it a physical SIM or an eSIM, the phone has got it all covered. So, in this segment, the Magic6 Pro takes the point.
Which one should you get?
With all that’s been discussed, both phones are equally deserving of your attention, albeit with pros and cons in various areas. The real value for money here goes to the HONOR Magic6 Pro, priced at only PHP 59,999. For the price, you get a flagship device packing more horsepower thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset.
The HONOR Magic6 Pro is likely the better choice overall, especially for those who prioritize raw performance. It surely offers more bang for your buck in that regard.
When it comes to god-tier camera performance, the HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra is your best contender. As a matter of fact, the Pura70 Ultra has the best cameras (yet) on a smartphone based on the current DxOMark rankings. However, it comes at a pricier package at PHP 79,999.
The HONOR Magic6 Pro with its own merits is still a capable shooter. It once held the title for a reason.
After all, the rankings are just numbers, and with that impressive camera setup on a smartphone at a significantly lower price, our limitation would only be our creativity.
HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra vs HONOR Magic6 Pro specs
| HUAWEI Pura70 Ultra | HONOR Magic6 Pro |
|---|---|
| 6.8-inch LTPO Curved OLED display | 6.8-inch FHD+ Quad-curved OLED display |
| 2844x1260 pixels, 1-120Hz, 460 ppi | 1280x2800 pixels, 1-120Hz, 453 ppi |
| 2500 nits (peak) brightness | 1600 nits all-screen (peak) brightness, 5000 nits HDR peak brightness |
| Crystal Armour Kunlun Glass | NanoCrystal Shield |
| HUAWEI Kirin 9010 SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| 7nm, octa-core, up to 2.3GHz | 4nm, octa-core, up to 3.3GHz |
| 16GB RAM | 12GB RAM |
| 512GB storage | 512GB storage |
| Triple rear cameras (XMAGE): | Triple rear cameras: |
| - 50MP f/1.6~f/4.0 pop-out camera, sensor shift OIS | - 50MP f/1.4-f/2.0 main, OIS |
| - 40MP f/2.2 ultrawide | - 50MP f/2.0 ultrawide |
| - 50MP f/2.1 macro telephoto, OIS | - 180MP f/2.6 periscope telephoto, OIS |
| 13MP f/2.4 selfie shooter, AF (hole punch notch) | 50MP f/2.0 selfie shooter + 3D depth camera (pill-shaped notch) |
| Dual SIM | Dual nano-SIM, supports eSIM |
| 5G (China), 4G LTE | 5G, 4G LTE |
| Wi-Fi 6, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax | Wi-Fi 7, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be |
| Bluetooth 5.2 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| GPS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC | GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo |
| USB Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen1) | USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen1) |
| NFC | NFC |
| Under-display fingerprint sensor | Under-display fingerprint sensor |
| IP68 dust and water resistance | IP68 dust and water resistance |
| Dual stereo speakers | Dual stereo speakers, IR blaster |
| EMUI 14.2 | MagicOS 8.0 (Android 14) |
| 5200mAh battery | 5600mAh Si-Ca battery |
| 100W charging (wired) | 80W charging (wired) |
| 80W wireless, 20W reverse-wireless | 66W wireless |
| 162.6 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm | 162.5 x 75.8 x 8.9 mm |
| ~226g | ~226g (PU Leather), ~229g (Glass) |
| Green, Black | Epi Green (Leather), Black (Glass) |
| PHP 79,999 | 16GB+512GB | PHP 59,999 | 12GB+512GB |
