Honor Magic5 Ultimate vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max: A Head-to-Head Flagship Battle
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a seamless ecosystem and consistently excellent camera performance, the iPhone 14 Pro Max remains a strong choice. However, the Honor Magic5 Ultimate delivers superior charging speeds and potentially more raw processing power, making it ideal for power users and mobile gamers.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Honor Magic5 Ultimate | Apple iPhone 14 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 - A2894, A2896 |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2894, A2896 |
| 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, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2895 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023, March 06 | 2022, September 07 |
| Status | Available. Released 2023, March 20 | Available. Released 2022, September 16 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, eco leather back | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 162.9 x 76.7 x 8.8 mm (6.41 x 3.02 x 0.35 in) | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 217 g (7.65 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 | Glass/ceramic coating | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1312 x 2848 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1290 x 2796 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.81 inches, 113.7 cm2 (~91.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1800 nits (peak) | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM) |
| - | Always-On display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) | Hexa-core (2x3.46 GHz Everest + 4x2.02 GHz Sawtooth) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) | Apple A16 Bionic (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 13, MagicOS 7.1 | iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 512GB 16GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM, 1TB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 4.0 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.4, 100˚ (ultrawide), 1.22µm TOF 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS (unconfirmed) SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.6, 23mm (wide), 1/1.12" 1.4µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/3.0, 90mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom 50 MP, f/2.0, 13mm, 122˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.5", AF TOF 3D (depth) | 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto), 1/3.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10, 10-bit video | 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 | 12 MP, f/2.4, 100˚ (ultrawide), 1.22µm TOF 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps | 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 |
| 24-bit audio stereo recording | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a) | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 66W wired 50W wireless Reverse wireless 5W reverse wired | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Type | Si/C Li-Ion 5450 mAh | Li-Ion 4323 mAh (16.68 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Orange | Space Black, Silver, Gold, Deep Purple |
| Models | PGT-AN20 | A2894, A2651, A2893, A2895, A2896, iphone15,3 |
| Price | About 900 EUR | € 530.79 / $ 489.81 / £ 446.75 |
| SAR | - | 1.15 W/kg (head) 1.07 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 | - | -24.3 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 955884 (v9) GeekBench: 5423 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Honor Magic5 Ultimate
- Significantly faster charging speeds (66W wired, 50W wireless)
- Potentially higher raw processing power with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- More customizable Android operating system
- Ecosystem integration isn't as seamless as Apple's
- Long-term software support may be shorter than iPhone
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Exceptional video recording capabilities
- Seamless integration with Apple ecosystem
- Long-term software support and updates
- Slower charging speeds compared to Honor
- Less customizable operating system
Display Comparison
The iPhone 14 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 1760 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Honor Magic5 Ultimate’s peak brightness isn’t specified, its panel technology is likely to be competitive. Both utilize LTPO technology for adaptive refresh rates, conserving battery life. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED displays, provides deep blacks and vibrant colors. The lack of PWM frequency data for the Honor device means we can't assess potential flicker-related eye strain compared to the iPhone.
Camera Comparison
Both phones excel in photography and videography, but approach it differently. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is renowned for its consistent image processing and exceptional video quality. The Honor Magic5 Ultimate, while lacking detailed sensor specifications in the provided data, likely features a high-resolution main sensor (potentially 50MP or higher) and advanced computational photography algorithms. The iPhone’s strength lies in its cinematic mode and ProRes video recording capabilities. The Honor’s camera system may prioritize detail and dynamic range, but without specific aperture and sensor size data, a direct comparison is difficult. We can assume both offer optical image stabilization (OIS).
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm) in the Honor Magic5 Ultimate versus Apple’s A16 Bionic (4nm) in the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 employs an octa-core configuration with a Cortex-X3 prime core clocked at 3.2 GHz, aiming for peak performance. Apple’s A16 Bionic utilizes a hexa-core design with its ‘Everest’ and ‘Sawtooth’ cores. While core count isn’t everything, the Snapdragon’s architecture suggests a focus on sustained multi-threaded performance, potentially benefiting demanding tasks like video editing. Both utilize a 4nm process, but Apple’s chip design often yields superior efficiency. The Honor’s LPDDR5x RAM is expected to provide fast memory access, but Apple’s memory bandwidth is often optimized at a system level.
Battery Life
Both devices achieve an impressive endurance rating of 121 hours, suggesting similar real-world battery life despite potentially different battery capacities. However, the Honor Magic5 Ultimate significantly outpaces the iPhone 14 Pro Max in charging speed, offering 66W wired charging, capable of a full charge in under an hour. It also supports 50W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is limited to slower wired charging (50% in 30 minutes via PD2.0) and 15W wireless charging (MagSafe/Qi2 – requiring iOS 17.2 for Qi2). This makes the Honor a far more convenient option for users who frequently need to top up their battery.
Buying Guide
Buy the Honor Magic5 Ultimate if you need blazing-fast charging, prioritize raw Android performance, and value a more customizable software experience. Buy the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max if you prefer a polished, integrated ecosystem, consistently high-quality video recording, and long-term software support.