We put the Honor Magic4 Lite 5G through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specifications:
- Battery capacity: 4800 mAh
- 66W charger (included)
- 6.81-inch, 1080 x 2388, 120 Hz, LCD display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 (6 nm)
- Tested ROM / RAM combination: 128 GB + 6 GB
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
Key performances
These key points are derived from the lab measurements during testing and do not figure into the overall score. The lab measurements, however, are used for the overall score.
Pros
- Excellent performance during typical usage scenario tests
- Outstanding autonomy when calling during calibrated tests
- Decent performance in on-the-go tests
- Excellent charging experience: 28 minutes and 27 seconds to charge 80% of battery capacity
- More than 9 hours of autonomy gained on average after a 5-minute charge
- Excellent charge efficiency
Cons
- Poor autonomy when streaming music and video in calibrated mode
- High discharge currents when streaming music and video in calibrated mode
The Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G’s battery performance was excellent overall, showing that it was a well-balanced device with very good autonomy, an excellent charging experience, and decent efficiency.
During the typical usage scenario testing, which is done using the device’s default settings, the Honor demonstrated very good idle management and excellent autonomy. During this series of tests, however, we noticed that the device’s automatic display brightness was relatively low when the screen was in very bright light conditions compared to other devices. While this could have contributed to the excellent autonomy results, it also had an impact on the user experience. The same screen behavior was also noticed in the on-the-go tests.
During calibrated tests, in which the brightness is set at 200 nits, the device struggled when streaming videos, with below-average autonomy. The gaming performance, however, was decent.
The 66W travel adapter charged 80% of the large 4800 mAh battery capacity in only 28 minutes, and took 43 minutes to a full charge, which is much faster than the average. The autonomy recovered after a 5-minute charge was also impressive, yielding more than 9 hours on average.
The charge was very efficient, ranking the device as the second-best in efficiency in our entire database.
Discharge currents were low, especially when calling, and they only rose to a higher-than-average level when watching videos.
Compared with other devices from the Advanced segment ($200 – $399), the Honor Magic4 Lite 5G was among the best. Even if the autonomy was slightly below average for this segment, the Magic4 Lite 5G’s excellent charging experience (second-best in this segment) and the decent efficiency place the phone in good standing.
Test Summary
About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Battery | Charger | Wireless | Display | Processor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G | 4800mAh | 66W (included) |
- | LCD 1080 x 2388 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G |
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G | 5000mAh | 25W (not included) |
- | Super AMOLED 1080 x 2400 |
Samsung Exynos 1280 |
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G | 4250mAh | 33W (included) |
- | OLED 1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G |
Autonomy
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
195
Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Stationary, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
Battery Life (moderate)
Battery Life (moderate)
Home/Office
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
221
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
On the go
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
195
Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device
Calibrated
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
198
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.
Charging
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
218
Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.
Full charge
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
224
Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.
Quick boost
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
212
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.
Efficiency
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
154
The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.
Charge up
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
205
The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.
Discharge
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G
194
The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.
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