Newsletter
This time around we’re comparing two camera-centric smartphones, two outstanding camera smartphones. We’ll be comparing the HONOR Magic6 Pro vs Vivo X100 Ultra. Both of these phones launched this year, and even though they are fueled by the same SoC, these two phones are very different. Those differences start with their design and stretch to various other areas.
As per usual, we will first list the specifications of both of these devices. Following that, we will compare them across a number of categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. Before we begin, do note that only the HONOR Magic6 Pro is available in a global variant. With that being said, there’s a lot to talk about here, so let’s get down to it.
Specs
HONOR Magic6 Pro vs Vivo X100 Ultra, respectively
– Screen size:
6.8-inch LTPO OLED display (curved, 120Hz LTPO, HDR, 5,000 nits)
6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display (curved, adaptive 120Hz, HDR, 3,000 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
2800 x 1280
3200 x 1440
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
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)
50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 23mm lens, 1-inch type sensor, 1.6um pixel size, PDAF, gimbal OIS), 50MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 116-degree FoV, 14mm lens, 0.8um pixel size, 1/2-inch sensor), 200MP (periscope telephoto, macro, f/2.7 aperture, OIS, PDAF, 3.7x optical zoom, 1/1.4-inch sensor, 0.56um pixel size)
– Front cameras:
50MP (f/2.0 aperture, 22mm lens), ToF 3D camera
50MP (wide, f/2.5 aperture, 0.64um pixel size, 1/2.76-inch sensor)
– Battery:
5,600mAh
5,500mAh
– Charging:
80W wired, 66W wireless, reverse wireless, reverse wired (charger not included)
80W wired, 30W wireless, 5W reverse wired (charger included)
– Dimensions:
162.5 x 75.8 x 8.9mm
164.1 x 75.6 x 9.2 mm
– Weight:
225/229 grams
229 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3/5.4
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & 3D facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) & facial scanning
– OS:
Android 14 with MagicOS 8.0
Android 14 with OriginOS 4
– Price:
€1,299+
CNY6,499+ ($898, China only)
– Buy:
HONOR Magic6 Pro (HONOR)
Vivo X100 Ultra (China only)
HONOR Magic6 Pro vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Design
The HONOR Magic6 Pro is made out of aluminum and either glass or vegan leather. It comes in both of those backplate options. The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the other hand, utilizes aluminum for its frame, and glass on its back. Glass models of these two phones weigh exactly the same, 229 grams. The vegan leather model of the Magic6 Pro is a bit lighter at 225 grams. The Vivo X100 Ultra is slightly taller, and while they’re essentially the same in terms of width, the difference is 0.2mm. The same goes for thickness, as the difference is 0.3mm.
Both smartphones feature curved displays on the front, with very thin bezels around them. The Magic6 Pro has a pill-shaped cutout on the front, which is centered at the top. The Vivo X100 Ultra includes a centered display camera hole at the top. Both smartphones include physical buttons on the right-hand side. Their backplates are curved towards the sides, proportionally to their front panels.
You will notice that both devices have camera islands on the back, which are centered in the upper portion. They’re essentially both round, but the HONOR Magic6 Pro also has some design elements around that circle which cover up the fact it’s round. The camera oreo on the Vivo X100 Ultra is larger, noticeably. Both of them do protrude on the back, and both host three cameras.
It is also worth saying that both of these smartphones are IP68 certified. In other words, they’re both water and dust resistant. Glass models are equally slippery, but the vegan leather Magic6 Pro does add quite a bit of grip to the mix.
HONOR Magic6 Pro vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Display
The HONOR Magic6 Pro features a 6.8-inch 2800 x 1280 LTPO OLED display. That panel is curved, and it has a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It can project up to 1 billion colors, and Dolby Vision is supported. HDR is supported here too, while the display’s brightness i 5,000 nits, in theory. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 91%. NanoCrystal Shield protects this display.
The Vivo X100 Ultra, on the flip side, has a 6.78-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. That panel is also curved, and its refresh rate also goes up to 120Hz. This display can project up to 1 billion colors, and it supports Dolby Vision and HDR content. The peak brightness here is at 3,000 nits. The display aspect ratio is 20:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 89%.
You really can’t go wrong regardless of which of these two displays you end up choosing. They’re both big, bright, and vivid. They’re also more than sharp enough and have great viewing angles and touch response. Both panels also offer high-frequency PWM dimming to protect your eyes. Yes, both of them will get bright enough when you need them to. The display protection could be better on the Magic6 Pro, as we don’t know what Vivo used.
HONOR Magic6 Pro vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Performance
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC fuels both of these smartphones. That is Qualcomm’s most powerful processor at the moment. The Magic6 Pro comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, but its global variant includes 12GB of RAM. That is paired with UFS 4.0 flash storage. The Vivo X100 Ultra comes in a Chinese variant only, it’s not available in global markets. It is available with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and UFS 4.0 flash storage.
Both smartphones are well-equipped in this regard. Do they offer great performance too? Well, yes, in basically every way. Regular, everyday tasks are no problem for either phone. Both of them stay extremely fluid at all times. You can easily open app, multitask, watch videos, take photos, process images, process videos, browse, email, and so on, without either phone taking a dent in its performance capabilities. Heavy multitasking is not a problem either. You will really have a problem slowing down either of these two phones.
The same can be said for gaming too, actually. Both smartphones are not only powerful enough but well-optimized for gaming. Both do include some gaming software too, even though they’re not gaming phones. The most demanding titles out there, such as Genshin Impact, run perfectly fine on both phones. Yes, they both get quite warm after a while, but that doesn’t impact the performance in any way.
HONOR Magic6 Pro vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Battery
The HONOR Magic6 Pro includes a 5,600mAh battery, while the Vivo X100 Ultra has a 5,500mAh unit. Both companies used silicon carbon batteries, which is great, as it allowed them to offer higher battery capacities than most of the competition. And yes, both smartphones do deliver when it comes to battery life. In fact, their battery life is very comparable when it comes to actual usage.
These are some of the best battery life smartphones this year, out of all the flagship smartphones that were launched. We were able to cross the 8-hour screen-on-time mark on both devices, on days when we were not gaming, and were connected to Wi-Fi most of the time. We did not baby either phone in regards to performance. Even if you end up pushing them a bit harder, getting over 7 hours of screen-on-time is doable. Of course, your mileage may vary, as there are a lot of factors included here.
When it comes to charging, both smartphones support 80W wired charging. Both of them also include chargers in the box, by the way. 66W wireless charging is supported on the HONOR Magic6 Pro, while the Vivo X100 Ultra supports 30W wireless charging. HONOR’s flagship does offer 5W reverse wireless and reverse wired support, while the Vivo X100 Ultra is limited to reverse wired charging only. HONOR’s handset is technically more versatile in terms of charging, and it does support faster wireless charging.
HONOR Magic6 Pro vs Vivo X100 Ultra: Cameras
Both of these phones include three cameras on their backs. The HONOR Magic6 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera (variable aperture), a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (122-degree FoV), and a 180-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (2.5x optical zoom, macro). The Vivo X100 Ultra has a 50-megapixel main camera (1-inch type sensor), a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (116-degree FoV), and a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (3.7x optical zoom, macro).
Now, the end results from these two cameras are generally different, but there are some similarities too. They both tend to prefer warmer color tones… in general. That is a bit more obvious on the HONOR Magic6 Pro, though. Both smartphones do a fantastic job during the day. The images end up looking sharp, detailed, vivid, and well-balanced altogether. HDR performance is also great from both. Their periscope telephoto cameras do a great job across the board and are even great for macro photography. It’s a toss-up between the two. Ultrawide cameras on both smartphones are the least impressive ones, but they still do a very good job. The one on the Magic6 Pro does offer a wider FoV, though.
When the light goes away, both smartphones manage to retain plenty of details. They both tend to light up the scene quite a bit and do a great job when it comes to balancing out the images. Both devices also do a great job with light flares, though the Vivo X100 Ultra is a bit better when it comes to that. You really can’t miss when it comes to which phone to pick for its camera prowess. They’re both outstanding.
Audio
Both of these phones have a stereo speaker setup. The speakers on the HONOR Magic6 Pro are a bit louder, but both sets of speakers do deliver quality sound, that’s for sure. The loudness difference is also not that big.
Neither of the two devices comes equipped with an audio jack, however. You can use their Type-C ports to connect your wired headphones, however. The Magic6 Pro supports Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, while the Vivo X100 Ultra includes Bluetooth 5.4 support.