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 a seamless ecosystem, long-term software support, and consistently excellent camera performance, the iPhone 13 Pro Max remains the superior choice. However, the Honor Magic3 Pro’s blazing-fast 66W charging and competitive performance make it a strong contender for Android enthusiasts seeking a faster-paced experience.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Honor Magic3 | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | 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, 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, August 20 | Available. Released 2021, September 24 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back or vegan leather back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 162.8 x 74.9 x 8.99 mm (Glass) / 9.5 mm (Vegan Leather) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.7 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 203 g (Glass) / 202 g (Vegan Leather) (7.16 oz) | 240 g (8.47 oz) |
| IP54, dust and water resistant | 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 (1x2.84 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 | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB 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) |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, 100˚ (ultrawide) | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF 64 MP, f/1.8, (monochrome) 13 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide) | 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) | 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 | 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), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 66W wired 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 | Li-Ion 4352 mAh (16.75 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Golden Hour (Vegan Leather), Blue Hour (Vegan Leather), Black, White | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue, Alpine Green |
| Models | ELZ-AN00 | A2643, A2484, A2641, A2644, A2645, iphone14,3 |
| Price | About 670 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
- Blazing-fast 66W wired charging
- Android OS offers greater customization
- Competitive performance with Snapdragon 888
- Long-term software support is uncertain
- Camera performance may not match iPhone's consistency
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Industry-leading video recording capabilities
- Seamless integration with Apple ecosystem
- Guaranteed software updates for years
- Slower charging speeds compared to Honor
- Less customizable operating system
Display Comparison
The iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 1050 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Honor Magic3 Pro’s display specifications aren’t provided, Honor typically employs high-quality OLED panels. The iPhone’s infinite (nominal) contrast ratio delivers deep blacks and vibrant colors. The lack of detailed display specs for the Magic3 Pro makes a direct comparison difficult, but the iPhone’s display is demonstrably brighter based on our measurements. Both devices likely utilize high refresh rate panels, though the Magic3 Pro’s implementation details are unknown.
Camera Comparison
Both devices excel in photography and videography, but approach it differently. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is renowned for its cinematic mode and consistently excellent video quality. While the Magic3 Pro’s camera specifications aren’t detailed beyond 'Photo / Video', Honor has historically focused on computational photography and large sensors. The iPhone’s image processing prioritizes natural colors and accurate detail, while Honor often leans towards more vibrant and saturated images. The iPhone’s ProRes video recording capabilities are a significant advantage for professional videographers. Without specific sensor size or aperture information for the Magic3 Pro, it’s difficult to definitively declare a camera winner, but the iPhone’s established track record and video prowess give it an edge.
Performance
At the heart of the iPhone 13 Pro Max lies the Apple A15 Bionic, a hexa-core chip with two high-performance Avalanche cores clocked at 3.23 GHz and four efficiency cores. This architecture consistently outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) found in the Honor Magic3 Pro, which features an octa-core configuration with a Cortex-X1 prime core at 2.84 GHz. While the Snapdragon 888 is a capable chip, the A15 Bionic’s superior single-core and multi-core performance translates to snappier app launches and smoother multitasking. The A15’s efficiency also contributes to better sustained performance under heavy load, minimizing throttling. The Magic3 Pro’s LPDDR5 RAM is competitive, but the A15’s Neural Engine provides a significant advantage in machine learning tasks.
Battery Life
Both the Honor Magic3 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max achieve an endurance rating of 121 hours, suggesting comparable overall battery life. However, the charging experience differs dramatically. The Honor Magic3 Pro supports 66W wired charging, allowing for a full charge in under 40 minutes. It also offers 5W reverse wired charging. The iPhone 13 Pro Max, while supporting wired charging via PD2.0 (50% in 30 min), relies on 15W wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi2 (requiring iOS 17.2). The Magic3 Pro’s significantly faster wired charging is a major advantage for users who frequently need to quickly top up their battery. While the iPhone’s wireless charging is convenient, it’s considerably slower.
Buying Guide
Buy the Honor Magic3 Pro if you need incredibly fast charging, prefer the Android operating system, and value a more customizable user experience. It’s ideal for power users who frequently top up their phones and aren’t locked into the Apple ecosystem. Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max if you prioritize a polished, integrated experience, industry-leading video recording capabilities, and guaranteed software updates for years to come. It’s the best choice for users deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem and those who value simplicity and reliability.