Honor Magic3 Pro+ vs. iPhone 13 Pro Max: A Head-to-Head Flagship Battle
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support and a polished ecosystem, the iPhone 13 Pro Max remains the safer bet. However, the Honor Magic3 Pro+ delivers a compelling alternative with significantly faster wired and wireless charging, appealing to power users who demand speed and don't mind a less refined software experience.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Honor Magic3 Pro+ | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2643, A2644, A2645 |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2643, A2644 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE-A, 5G | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2641 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, August 12 | 2021, September 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, September 19 | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, ceramic back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 162.8 x 74.9 x 9.9 mm (6.41 x 2.95 x 0.39 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.7 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 236 g (8.32 oz) | 240 g (8.47 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1344 x 2772 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~456 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.76 inches, 115.7 cm2 (~94.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+ | Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.99 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888+ 5G (5 nm) | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 11, Magic UI 5 | iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 512GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| - | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Quad | 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/3.5, 90mm (telephoto), 1/2.0", 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom 64 MP, f/1.8, (monochrome) 64 MP, f/2.4, 11mm 126˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.0", 0.7µm, PDAF TOF 3D (depth) | - |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, 100˚ (ultrawide) TOF 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | - | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.9µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), PDAF, 1/3.4", 1.0µm, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/1.8, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, 100˚ (ultrawide) TOF 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | - | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a) | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 66W wired 66W wireless 5W reverse wireless 5W reverse wired | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Li-Po 4600 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4352 mAh (16.75 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Ceramic Black, Ceramic White | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green |
| Models | ELZ-AN20 | A2643, A2484, A2641, A2644, A2645, iphone14,3 |
| Price | About 1070 EUR | € 423.38 / $ 394.86 / £ 355.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.18 W/kg (head) 1.20 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 121h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -24.0 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 801691 (v9) GeekBench: 4706 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Honor Magic3 Pro+
- Blazing-fast 66W wired and wireless charging
- Potentially higher raw processing power (Snapdragon 888+)
- Reverse wireless charging capability
- Software support may be limited compared to Apple
- Potential for thermal throttling under heavy load
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Exceptional camera consistency and image quality
- Long-term software support and ecosystem integration
- Superior thermal management and sustained performance
- Significantly slower charging speeds
- Less flexible charging options (no reverse wireless)
Display Comparison
Both devices offer excellent displays, but differ in approach. The iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 1050 nits, ensuring excellent visibility outdoors. While the Magic3 Pro+’s display specs aren’t provided, Honor historically focuses on color accuracy. The iPhone’s infinite contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, provides deep blacks. The iPhone’s ProMotion technology (adaptive refresh rate) is absent on the Magic3 Pro+, potentially impacting smoothness in scrolling and animations, though the Magic3 Pro+ likely has a high refresh rate panel.
Camera Comparison
Both phones excel in photography and videography, but approach it differently. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is renowned for its consistent image processing and cinematic mode for video. The Magic3 Pro+’s camera specs aren’t detailed enough to make a direct comparison, but Honor often emphasizes sensor size and computational photography. The iPhone’s sensor-shift stabilization is a significant advantage for video recording. Without knowing the Magic3 Pro+'s sensor sizes and apertures, it’s difficult to assess its low-light performance relative to the iPhone. The iPhone’s image processing prioritizes natural colors, while Honor tends towards more vibrant, saturated images.
Performance
The core of the battle lies in the chipsets. The iPhone 13 Pro Max’s A15 Bionic, a hexa-core processor with 2 high-performance Avalanche cores clocked at 3.23 GHz, consistently outperforms the Snapdragon 888+ in single-core tasks. The Honor Magic3 Pro+ utilizes the Snapdragon 888+ 5G, an octa-core chip with a Cortex-X1 prime core at 2.99 GHz. While the Snapdragon offers strong multi-core performance, the A15’s architectural advantages and optimized software give it an edge in sustained workloads. The iPhone’s LPDDR5 RAM is likely faster than the Magic3 Pro+'s, further contributing to its responsiveness. Thermal management is a key consideration; the Snapdragon 888+ is known to run hot, potentially leading to throttling under prolonged stress, a scenario the A15 handles more gracefully.
Battery Life
Both devices achieve an endurance rating of 121 hours, indicating similar overall battery life despite differing capacities. However, the charging experience is where they diverge dramatically. The Honor Magic3 Pro+ supports 66W wired charging, capable of a full charge in under 40 minutes, and an astonishing 66W wireless charging. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is limited to slower wired charging (50% in 30 minutes via PD2.0) and 15W wireless charging (MagSafe/Qi2). The Magic3 Pro+ also offers 5W reverse wireless and wired charging, a feature absent on the iPhone. This makes the Honor significantly more convenient for users who frequently need to top up their devices quickly.
Buying Guide
Buy the Honor Magic3 Pro+ if you need blazing-fast charging speeds (66W wired and wireless) and prioritize raw processing power for demanding tasks. Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max if you prefer a seamless user experience, exceptional camera consistency, and guaranteed software updates for years to come, even if it means sacrificing charging speed.