HONOR Magic6 Pro, Two Years Later: Does the 180MP Zoom Flagship Still Compete?
HONOR's $1,099 camera flagship launched in February 2024 with a 180MP periscope and a silicon-carbon battery. Two-plus years on, here's how it's held up.
The HONOR Magic6 Pro launched in February 2024 as one of the most spec-aggressive flagships of its generation — a 180MP periscope telephoto capable of up to 100x zoom, a silicon-carbon battery cell rated at a class-leading 5600mAh, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, all for $1,099. Two years and change later, with several newer flagships having since shipped, it's a good moment to check whether that aggressive spec sheet has translated into lasting real-world value.
The Zoom Camera Remains a Genuine Standout
The 180MP periscope telephoto was the Magic6 Pro's headline feature at launch, and it remains one of very few phones — even in 2026 — offering this level of zoom reach. The 2.5x to 100x range covers use cases most flagship cameras simply can't touch, and while the extreme end of that zoom range was always more of a technical showcase than a daily-use feature, the practical 2.5x-10x range remains genuinely excellent for everyday photography. Two years of software refinement have if anything improved the computational processing behind those extreme zoom shots.
Battery Life: Still Ahead of the Pack
The 5600mAh silicon-carbon battery was a genuine engineering achievement at launch — a larger capacity than nearly any other flagship of its generation, in a body that wasn't noticeably bulkier than competitors with smaller cells. Two years of normal charge cycles will have taken some toll, as with any battery, but the Magic6 Pro's generous starting capacity gives it more headroom before that degradation becomes noticeable in daily use than phones that launched with smaller batteries to begin with.
Performance Holds Up Well
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 remains a genuinely capable chip in 2026 — it was a flagship-tier processor at launch and the gap to current-generation Snapdragon silicon, while real, hasn't made the Magic6 Pro feel sluggish for typical use. Gaming, multitasking, and everyday app performance all still feel current, a testament to how incremental recent flagship chip generations have been rather than any special longevity trick on HONOR's part.
MagicOS Updates: The Honest Weak Point
This is where the Magic6 Pro shows its two years most clearly. HONOR's software update commitment, while improved from its earlier reputation, still doesn't match Samsung's or Google's multi-year promises, and MagicOS updates have arrived less frequently than owners of comparably priced Samsung or Google flagships would expect. Buyers considering a used Magic6 Pro in 2026 should check exactly how current its software is before purchase, since this is the area most likely to disappoint relative to price-comparable competitors.
Design and Build: Held Up Well
The aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Armor construction have proven durable over two years of normal use, and the design itself — while less distinctive than, say, Nothing's transparent aesthetic — hasn't aged into obvious datedness the way some flagship designs do. The large camera bump remains a divisive design choice, but that was true at launch too, not something that's grown worse with time.
How the Camera Compares Today
Against Google's computational-photography-first approach, the Magic6 Pro's hardware-forward zoom strategy still represents a genuinely different bet — our Magic6 Pro vs Pixel 8 Pro AI camera comparison remains a useful reference for understanding that split, one that's arguably grown more interesting with time as both companies have continued down their respective paths rather than converging.
Against Its Own Generation's Flagship Class
Set next to Samsung's contemporary flagship, the Magic6 Pro's case is built almost entirely on hardware specification wins — zoom range and battery capacity — against Samsung's stronger software ecosystem and update commitment. Our Galaxy S24 vs Magic6 Pro comparison lays out that trade-off in detail, and two years on, the fundamental shape of that trade-off hasn't changed.
The Used-Market Case in 2026
For buyers specifically prioritizing zoom camera capability and battery life above software update cadence, a used Magic6 Pro remains a genuinely compelling purchase in 2026, especially now that pricing has come down meaningfully from the original $1,099. Photography enthusiasts who want extreme zoom range at a price well below current flagship pricing will find little else on the used market that matches it.
Who Should Still Consider It
The Magic6 Pro today makes the most sense for buyers who specifically value its zoom camera and battery longevity and are comfortable trading away Samsung- or Google-level software update assurances to get them. It's a narrower recommendation than it was at launch, but within that narrower lane, it remains a genuinely strong option two years on. Photography hobbyists upgrading from an older phone with no telephoto at all will likely find the jump in zoom capability alone justifies the purchase, regardless of how the rest of the spec sheet compares to newer flagships released since.
Comparing Notes With Our Original Verdict
Revisiting our original launch-day assessment alongside this two-year check-in, the core strengths and weaknesses we identified at the time have held up consistently rather than shifting in some unexpected direction — a sign that the Magic6 Pro's fundamental design trade-offs were well understood from day one rather than only becoming apparent with hindsight. That consistency itself is worth something: buyers can trust that what reviewers said about this phone in 2024 still describes it accurately in 2026.
Accessory Availability in 2026
HONOR's smaller market presence compared to Samsung or Apple means the third-party accessory ecosystem around the Magic6 Pro has always been narrower, and that gap hasn't fully closed two years on — cases and screen protectors are available but with less selection than buyers of more mainstream flagships typically enjoy. It's a minor practical consideration for anyone used to the wide accessory choice available for Samsung or Apple devices.
Resale Value and the Used Market
HONOR's smaller brand footprint outside Asia has also meant the Magic6 Pro hasn't held resale value quite as strongly as comparable Samsung or Apple flagships, which is actually good news for value-focused buyers today — used units are available at meaningfully lower prices relative to their original specification than a similarly aged Galaxy or iPhone flagship would command, making the Magic6 Pro's already-strong hardware case even more compelling on price alone.
Verdict
Two years after launch, the Magic6 Pro's zoom camera and battery capacity remain genuinely class-leading strengths that haven't been matched by much of the competition since, while its software update cadence remains its clearest ongoing weakness. For buyers who prioritize photography reach and all-day battery confidence over the longest possible software runway, it remains a strong, increasingly affordable used-market pick in 2026.