Honor Magic 6 Lite: Enhanced performance, stunning display, and robust durability
Honor Magic 6 Lite available in midnight black (pictured) or emerald green. Picture: Noel Campion.
The Magic 6 Lite has several upgrades compared to its predecessor, the Magic 5 Lite. These include a slightly larger display with a faster chipset, expanded memory, and improved camera capabilities—including 4K video recording. With a 5-star SGS drop resistance rating to support its claims, Honor claims that this phone is practically impervious to a 1.5-meter fall from any direction. Cutting-edge display technologies also enhance the appeal of this affordable handset.
The Magic 6 Lite is a mid-range handset with a premium feel and look thanks to its sleek design and vibrant colour options, although not all are available here. My review unit was the midnight black variant, but it’s also available in a pastel emerald green colourway.
An interesting trend with modern smartphones like the Magic 6 Lite is the lack of buttons on the phone's left side. You’ll find a volume rocker and a power button on the right, and that’s it for physical control. On the flat bottom edge are the USB-C port, SIM tray and speaker grille – a second speaker is located above the screen for a stereo sound setup.
Around the back on the top is a centrally located, circular camera module adored with two metallic gold rings that look a little like a clock face. Inside the gold circles are three cameras at 9, 12, and 3 o’clock and an LED flash at 6 o’clock. The inner circle has gold writing that says “Matrix AI Vision Camera.” The back has a frosted glass finish, which gives it a premium look, and the texture means it doesn’t slip through the hands like a glossy phone.
The display is curved on either side with rounded corners. It feels slim and comfortable in the hand, and the 185g weight balance is really nice.
The stunning display has 100% DCI-P3: wide colour gamut support and a variable refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz, delivering an immersive viewing experience. Features like 1920Hz PWM Dimming and Circadian Night Display technology enhance user comfort, especially during prolonged usage.
The 6.78-inch OLED panel is one of the best I’ve seen at this price point, and it can get bright enough to be easily readable outdoors on sunny days.
The Magic 6 Lite is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip. Coupled with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it offers robust performance without compromise. There’s no SD card slot, but 256GB is plenty for all but power users. I found the phone could multitask effortlessly, apps opened swiftly, and animations never stuttered—all despite the less-than-stellar synthetic benchmark scores.
The Magic 6 Lite runs MagicOS 7.2, which is based on Android 13, not the latest Android 14. Honor’s custom interface offers a clean and intuitive user experience with many features and customisation options. From gesture controls to system-wide dark mode, MagicOS 7.2 enhances productivity and efficiency while maintaining a sleek and modern aesthetic.
The Magic 6 Lite excels in battery life, easily lasting two days on a single charge and supports up to 35W charging. Unfortunately, like many phones nowadays, the box only includes a cable and no power adapter.
The Magic 6 Lite's camera setup is a pleasant surprise. The main 108MP (pixel-binned to 12MP) camera captures detailed and vibrant images across various scenarios. The ultrawide and macro lenses expand creative possibilities, while night mode delivers impressive low-light performance. The ultrawide lens does not capture as much detail as the main camera, which isn’t surprising considering it's only 5MP. Like many phones in this price range, the obligatory 2MP macro camera is almost pointless. However, most of the time, colour and exposure are consistent between all the cameras.
There’s also a 3x zoom option that uses the main sensor, and while the image isn’t lossless, it does look better than zooming in digitally in post with very useable results.
The camera app has many great features, including a hi-res mode, multi-video capture from the front and rear cameras and aperture mode. The only downside is the shutter lag, which can be annoying, capturing a photo a second after you press the shutter. It doesn’t always happen, but it can mean you miss a smile or something important.
Overall, the camera system is fine for those who want to take a few snaps now and again. The main camera is excellent; however, serious photo-takers should look to pay more for a phone with a better ultrawide, optical image stabilisation for video and an optical tele lens.
The Honor Magic 6 Lite strikes a good balance between affordability and performance with excellent features. The main camera is good, but the macro and ultrawide are subpar, even at this price point. The user experience is excellent, with a top-notch display, ample storage, and outstanding battery life. It is well worth the asking price.
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