Phone Comparisons: OnePlus 12 vs HONOR Magic6 Pro

Hotstar in UAE
Hotstar in UAE

We’re here to compare the OnePlus 12 vs HONOR Magic6 Pro, some of the finest flagship smartphones around. These two juggernauts both come from China, and they are not that similar. They are both quite large and powerful, though, and both do come in global variants, in case you were wondering. Both of these phones also launched rather recently, well, at least their global models did.

As per usual, we’ll first go over their specifications, and will then move to various other categories. We will compare the designs of the two phones, their displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. There is a lot to talk about here, so, let’s get started, shall we?

Specs

OnePlus 12 vs HONOR Magic6 Pro, respectively

Screen size:
6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, 120Hz LTPO, HDR10+, 4,500 nits)
6.8-inch LTPO OLED display (curved, 120Hz LTPO, HDR, 5,000 nits)
Display resolution:
3168 x 1440
2800 x 1280
SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM:
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB (LPDDR5X)
Storage:
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
Rear cameras:
50MP (f/1.6 aperture, 23mm lens, 1.12um pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, 14mm lens, 114-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 0.8um pixel size, PDAF), 64MP (periscope telephoto, 0.7um pixel size, OIS, PDAF, 3x optical zoom, 6x “in-sensor” zoom)
50MP (wide, f/1.4-f/2.0 aperture, OIS, PDAF, Laser AF, 23mm lens), 50MP (ultrawide, f/2.0 aperture, 122-degree FoV, 13mm lens), 180MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.6 aperture, 2.5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF)
Front cameras:
32MP (f/2.4 aperture, 0.8um pixel size)
50MP (f/2.0 aperture, 22mm lens), ToF 3D camera
Battery:
5,400mAh
5,600mAh
Charging:
100W wired, 50W wireless, reverse wireless (charger included)
80W wired, 66W wireless, reverse wireless, reverse wired (charger not included)
Dimensions:
164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm
162.5 x 75.8 x 8.9mm
Weight:
220 grams
225/229 grams
Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & 3D facial scanning
OS:
Android 14 with OxygenOS 14
Android 14 with MagicOS 8.0
Price:
$799.99+
€1,299+
Buy:
OnePlus 12 (Best Buy)
HONOR Magic6 Pro (HONOR)

OnePlus 12 vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Design

Both of these phones are large and have curved panels on the front. They also come with rounded corners, and their backplates are also proportionally curved to their front sides. The OnePlus 12 has a centered display camera hole at the top, while the HONOR Magic6 Pro includes a pill-shaped cutout that is also centered. The bezels around the displays on both phones are quite thin, but the ones on the Magic6 Pro are also uniform.

If we flip the two phones around, you’ll see considerably different camera islands there. The one on the OnePlus 12 sits in the top-left corner, and it connects to the frame with a piece of metal. The camera island itself is circular, though, and the sensors are set up in two rows (2×2). The HONOR Magic6 Pro’s camera island is centered on the back, and it is round, but it has some added design elements around that break that circular look. There are three cutouts in there, with the top one being the largest. The camera layout here is easily recognizable.

Both phones are made out of metal and glass. The thing is, the HONOR Magic6 Pro also comes in a vegan leather option. Speaking of which, that vegan leather model does add far more grip to the table, and that’s the model that we reviewed. It’s also a bit lighter than the glass model, it weighs 225 grams compared to 229 grams. The OnePlus 12 weighs 220 grams, by the way.

These two phones are fairly similar in terms of dimensions. The OnePlus 12 is slightly taller and thicker, while they are equal in terms of width. Both phones also deliver protection against water and dust. The OnePlus 12 is IP65 certified, while the HONOR Magic6 Pro is IP68 certified.

OnePlus 12 vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Display

The OnePlus 12 features a 6.82-inch QHD+ (3168 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is curved, and it has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). It can also project HDR10+ content, and it has Dolby Vision support. The OnePlus 12’s panel has a theoretical max brightness of 4,500 nits, though you’ll never be able to go that high. The screen-to-body ratio is around 90%, while the display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

OnePlus 12 Review AM AH 15
OnePlus 12

The HONOR Magic6 Pro has a 6.8-inch 2800 x 1280 LTPO OLED display. That panel is curved, and it also has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR content is supported here, and the panel can project up to 1 billion colors. The theoretical maximum brightness of the display is 5,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is around 91%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. This panel is protected by the Jurhino glass.

The bottom line is, both of these displays are phenomenal. Both of them are vivid, sharp, and have great viewing angles. They’re also very responsive and have rather high PWM dimming. Well, the HONOR Magic6 Pro does have the advantage in that regard, but both are above most phones. Both displays are also well protected, and both of them get more than bright enough in all conditions. We really don’t have any complaints about either of these two panels.

OnePlus 12 vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Performance

Both of these phones utilize the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC from Qualcomm. That is the most powerful processor that Qualcomm has to offer at the moment, and it’s a great choice by both companies. The OnePlus 12 comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM globally, while the HONOR Magic6 Pro offers 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM with its global model (up to 16GB in China). Both devices also utilize UFS 4.0 flash storage.

The performance from both devices was outstanding, to say the least. They handled everyday tasks with ease, and the same can be said for gaming too, actually. Both devices have really good cooling, and that is especially true for the OnePlus 12. OnePlus managed to surprise everyone with the size of the vapor chambers (two, stacked). When it comes to regular, everyday performance, the two phones were on par. They launched apps really fast, browsing was no problem, and multitasking was handled with grace, and that goes for basically anything we did with the two devices. There was no lag to speak of.

In terms of gaming, we ran several games on both devices, in various ranges, and all of them ran without any issue. That even goes for Genshin Impact, which is usually the benchmark we use. Both phones were able to handle an hour of Genshin Impact without a problem, the performance was spot on at the highest of details. Neither phone got too hot to handle, not at all.

OnePlus 12 vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Battery

The OnePlus 12 packs in a 5,400mAh battery, while the HONOR Magic6 Pro has a 5,600mAh battery on the inside. Needless to say, these are rather large battery packs in the two phones. Does that mean they offer great battery life? Well, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean that, but in the case of these two phones, it surely does. These are some of the best flagships out there in terms of battery life, at the time of writing this article.

We were able to cross the 9-hour screen-on-time mark on both of these smartphones. That’s not something we can say for a lot of phones out there. Do note that gaming was not a part of the package, though, but everything else, was, pretty much. Even if you throw gaming into the equation, in normal amounts, getting great battery life from both phones is quite realistic, you don’t have to worry about them dying on you in the middle of the day.

Even if you run out of juice at an inconvenient time, both phones charge really, really fast. The OenPlus 12 supports 100W wired (80W in the US), 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. The HONOR Magic6 Pro supports 80W wired, 66W wireless, reverse wireless, and reverse wired charging. Do note that only the OnePlus 12 comes with a charger in the box, though, the HONOR Magic6 Pro does not. You’ll have to get one separately.

OnePlus 12 vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Cameras

The OnePlus 12 features a 50-megapixel main camera, along with a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit (114-degree FoV), and a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). The HONOR Magic6 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (122-degree FoV), and a 180-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (2.5x optical zoom). Both phones have rather compelling hardware on offer.

AH HONOR Magic6 Pro image 22
HONOR Magic6 Pro

Is the performance any good? Well, yes, it is. The images they provide are different in terms of style, but both phones are quite capable in the camera department. The OnePlus 12 is boosted by Hasselblad, and it simply loves contrasty shots with pronounced colors. Do note that those colors tend to look outstanding, and not oversaturated or anything like that. The HONOR Magic6 Pro likes to brighten up the scenes a bit more in low light, and it also prefers warmer tones.

Both smartphones do a great job in both daylight and low light. You’ll see more of a difference between them in low light, though, due to different shooting styles. If you like images to look closer to real life in low-light situations, the OnePlus 12 is probably the better choice. If you like brighter, warmer images, the HONOR Magic6 Pro is the one to go for. Both phones have very capable periscope telephoto cameras, but we did prefer the performance of the HONOR Magic6 Pro when it comes to telephoto shots. That camera also does a great job in low light.

Audio

Both devices do have a set of stereo speakers included, but the ones on the HONOR Magic6 Pro are a bit louder. Both sets of speakers are well-optimized and balanced, though, and the sound is good across the board.

You will not find an audio jack on either device. Both of them do have Type-C ports, however, so you can always hook up your wired headphones that way. If not, Bluetooth 5.4 is on offer with the OnePlus 12, and Bluetooth 5.3 with the HONOR Magic6 Pro.

2024-03-14 15:08:14