Honor Magic7 vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: A Deep Dive into Android Flagship Performance
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the power user prioritizing raw performance and charging speed, the Honor Magic7 emerges as the winner. Its Snapdragon 8 Elite, built on a 3nm process, offers a noticeable advantage. However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra remains a compelling choice for those valuing a refined software experience and proven camera system.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Honor Magic7 | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| 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 | LTE | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | SA/NSA | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2024, October 30 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2024, November 08 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Giant Rhino Glass), fiber-reinforced plastic back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 162.1 x 75.8 x 8 mm (6.38 x 2.98 x 0.31 in) | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 199 g (7.02 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Giant rhino glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1264 x 2800 pixels (~453 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.78 inches, 111.2 cm2 (~90.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 4320Hz PWM, Dolby Vision, HDR, 1600 nits (HBM), 5000 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 15, MagicOS 9 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| - | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Single | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3", 1.2µm, dual pixel PDAF 50 MP, f/2.4, 68mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 50 MP, f/2.0, 12mm, 122˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.88", 0.61µm, dual pixel PDAF | - |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@24/30/60/120/240fps, gyro-EIS, OIS, HDR, 10-bit video | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | - | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 50 MP, f/2.0, 22mm (wide), 1/2.93", 0.6µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | - | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with large amplitude stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.4, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a) | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 100W wired 80W wireless Reverse wireless 5W reverse wired | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Si/C Li-Ion 5650 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, White, Gray, Blue, Gold | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | PTP-AN00 | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | About 580 EUR | € 549.90 / $ 454.99 / £ 433.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.12 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Honor Magic7
- Blazing-fast 100W wired and 80W wireless charging
- Potentially superior performance with Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm)
- Oryon CPU architecture for enhanced responsiveness
- Camera specifications are currently unknown
- Software experience may not be as refined as Samsung’s
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Excellent battery life (13:24h active use)
- Versatile and proven camera system
- Mature and feature-rich software ecosystem
- Slower charging speeds (45W wired, 15W wireless)
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm) is less efficient than Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm)
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a measured peak brightness of 1274 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Honor Magic7’s display specifications are not provided, Samsung’s display benefits from its ‘Infinite’ contrast ratio, delivering deep blacks and vibrant colors. The S23 Ultra’s LTPO panel dynamically adjusts refresh rates for power efficiency, a feature likely present in the Magic7 as well given its flagship status, but unconfirmed. The S23 Ultra’s established color calibration and accuracy are a strong point, and without comparable data for the Magic7, Samsung holds the edge in display quality.
Camera Comparison
Both devices are equipped with capable camera systems, but detailed sensor information for the Honor Magic7 is missing. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera excels in both photo and video capture, offering a wide range of features and modes. Without knowing the main sensor resolution or aperture of the Magic7, it’s difficult to make a direct comparison. However, the S23 Ultra’s proven image processing algorithms and optical image stabilization (OIS) provide a consistent and high-quality imaging experience. The absence of details regarding the Magic7’s camera system makes it difficult to assess its capabilities beyond speculation.
Performance
The Honor Magic7’s Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite, built on a 3nm process, features a unique octa-core configuration with Oryon V2 Phoenix L and M cores clocked up to 4.32 GHz. This contrasts with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm) which utilizes a more conventional Cortex-X3, A715, A710, and A510 core arrangement. The 3nm node of the Snapdragon 8 Elite should translate to superior power efficiency and thermal performance compared to the 4nm Gen 2, potentially allowing for sustained peak performance during extended gaming sessions. The Oryon cores are designed for high single-core performance, which will benefit responsiveness and application launch times. While the S23 Ultra is no slouch, the Magic7’s chipset architecture suggests a clear performance advantage.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra achieves an impressive endurance rating of 126 hours and a real-world active use score of 13:24h, demonstrating excellent battery life. The Honor Magic7’s battery capacity is unknown, but its 100W wired charging and 80W wireless charging capabilities are significantly faster than the S23 Ultra’s 45W wired and 15W wireless charging. This means the Magic7 can replenish its battery much more quickly, even if its overall capacity is smaller. The Magic7 also offers 5W reverse wired charging, a feature the S23 Ultra provides at 4.5W. The faster charging speeds of the Magic7 offset any potential capacity disadvantage, making it a more convenient option for users who frequently need to top up their battery.
Buying Guide
Buy the Honor Magic7 if you need uncompromising processing power for demanding tasks like video editing or gaming, and value the convenience of incredibly fast 100W wired and 80W wireless charging. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra if you prefer a mature, feature-rich software ecosystem, a versatile camera system with extensive pro controls, and all-day battery life with reliable performance.