User experience is more crucial than price, as well as product for most consumers. Also, the secret of a business’s success depends on the service and product quality.
Keeping these key points in mind, Honor has developed a custom Android-based user interface called Magic UI to give consumers thest experience they desire. The UI is designed to run on Honor phones and tablets. Also, the Magic UI incorporates various visual elements and features to provide a unique user experience.
Please read until the end to learn more about Magic UI and how it differs from MIUI. This essential pocket guide will also explore the critical features of this Android-derived operating system.
What is Magic UI: Everything You Need to Know
We all know that last year, the US government imposed additional sanctions on Huawei, limiting the brand’s ability to conduct business activities with US companies. These restrictions have significantly affected Huawei’s smartphone divisions. And due to this, Huawei’s smartphone sales have dwindled drastically in the European market over the last few years.
This uncertainty also extends to Honor because the company shares the same fate as its parent company. So, to prove the fact that not only is it “Business As Usual,” but it also can support the smartphones it just launched, Honor introduced the shiny Magic UI.
If you’re unaware of the meteoric rise of Honor in the smartphone industry, at least until the US government imposed restrictions on the company, you might ask what this Magic UI thing is all about.
In a nutshell, first introduced on the Honor Magic 2, the Magic UI is the Honor’s new version of Huawei’s EMUI Android Skin. Though both technologies share the same root, Magic UI by Honor involves a bit more than branding.
Honor Magic UI 3.0.
Honor introduced Magic UI on its flagship smartphones, Honor View 20, Honor 20, and Honor 20 Pro. This technology brings several new features and elements to the Honor devices, ultimately improving the overall user experience with a simple and engaging interface.
For example, Magic UI 3.0. Features an attractive “Seamless Smart Office,” which allows compatible Honor devices to share files wirelessly with supported laptops. Additionally, the interface incorporates a “Trusted Execution Environment” for authentication and secure payments. What’s more? This update includes a new camera application that allows users to preview the filter in the “Viewfinder” even before taking a shot.
The Magic UI 3.0. update was introduced on March 15, 2020, for the Honor 9X Pro, Honor View 20, and Honor 20 Pro. However, here is a complete list of the Honor devices compatible with Magic UI 3.0.:
- Honor View 10
- Honor View 20
- Honor 7S
- Honor 8A, 8C, 8S, 8X
- Honor 9N, 9i, 9 Lite
- Honor 10, 10 Lite, 10i
- Honor 20, 20i, 20 Pro
- Honor 9X
- Honor Play
Honor Magic UI 6.0.
In 2022, Honor released Magic UI 6.0 software based on Android 12. Huawei’s former subsidiary announced the development of this technology during the launch of the Honor V Foldable Smartphone.
However, some people are questioning the credibility of Magic UI 6.0, saying that it is a copy of Huawei’s HarmonyOS 2.0 operating system. But that’s not true!
Although both software look almost the same in terms of appearance, their features and functionalities vary significantly.
On this matter, the CEO of Honor, Zhao Ming, has also come forward with a response to the critics. Additionally, Honor’s chief claims that Magic UI 6.0 is Honor’s software and operating system. It is designed to make your Honor phones solely yours. AND it will make take the user experience for Honor phones to the next height.
Also, the chief said that our Magic UI 6.0 has an entirely different philosophy than Huawei’s HarmonyOS 2.0. Though the core functionalities of Magic UI 6.0 are based on Android 12, its user interface is different from the HarmonyOS operating system. Some of the widgets and snippets of Magic UI 6.0 are identical to Hawei’s HarmonyOS operating system, so it’s pretty simple to judge similarities between these two software systems.
What are the Characteristics of Magic UI?
The Android-derived Magic UI update by Honor includes an attractive UX design with the following features:
1. Enhanced Visuals
With the Magic UI update, you can expect smooth and quick feedback when navigating the Honor phones. Also, the software system allows for smoother transitions between animations and applications such as “Spring Motion.”
When you swipe up to minimize an application, the Magic UI lets the animations follow the trajectory of your swipe. It lets you get quicker and stronger feedback for a more enhanced user experience.
2. Improved UX Design
The Magic UI update furnishes Honor phones with a brand-new look that flaunts a new Drak Mode, making it easier for users to navigate their Honor phones more comfortably. Also, the upgraded UX design is backed by research from Huawei’s Human Factors Lab.
This new UX design of the Magic UI strikes a perfect contrast between the background and text, thus minimizing visual fatigue and increasing legibility. Additionally, the color saturation can also be fine-tuned with this new user interface to ensure optimal consistency between the dark and normal modes.
3. Safely Connected Environment
The Magic UI operating software system promises consistent and reliable peak performance with safely connected environments. All the Honor phones compatible with this update will be protected through the self-developed “Trusted Execution Environment” system.
This micro-kernel is certified with CC EAL5+, which is one of the most reliable security certifications for the operating system of global consumer devices.
Furthermore, sensitive activities such as authentication and payment run through the “Trusted Execution Environment” to prevent unauthorized access, theft, or interception. In order to guarantee security and privacy, information and data transfer between compatible devices are encrypted in the protected environment. Above all, the Magic UI software supports app sandboxing for secure app permission management.
4. Advanced Features
The Magic UI includes some pro features, along with improved UX design and security. For example, to make professional photography a breeze, the update lets users implement filters directly from the Viewfinder even before taking the shot.
Moreover, this Android-based software system includes a standardized camera app that supports a modernized look. It also features more visible zoom bars to help you adjust the magnification degree more comfortably. Plus, you will be prompted by the app when you switch camera modes.
Surprisingly, the advanced and accessible features of the Magic UI update by Honor, including Timer, Horizontal Level, and Assistive Grid, can make video recording fun and hassle-free.
5. Seamless Ecosystem
The Honor Magic UI update is dedicated to strengthening the “1+8+N” all-scenario IoT (Internet of Things) strategy and building an unparalleled ecosystem. The upgraded versions of this software system support mobile-to-laptop connections and cross-system interactions.
You can quickly transfer files and images and even play your favorite music by pairing your Honor smartphone with a compatible laptop via a QR code or Bluetooth and turning ON the WIFI and NFC functions.
What is the Difference Between Magic UI and MIUI?
Just like Magic UI, MIUI is another Andriod-derived user interface developed by Xiaomi (a Chinese smartphone manufacturer). Although both software systems are designed to improve user experience on their respective smartphones, they differ in several ways.
- First, Magic UI features a clean and simple UX design, creating an optimal balance between visual aesthetics and ease of use. Meanwhile, MIUI tends to have a dynamic and vibrant UX design with multiple customization options.
- Magic UI incorporates gesture controls for easy navigation, which is an excellent alternative to conventional button-based controls. MIUI also implements gesture controls, but they have a unique visual style.
- Magic UI by Honor integrates AI-enabled features only in the camera app. In contrast, MIUI has incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) in system performance and camera optimization.
- Typically, Magic UI has more advanced security features than MIUI. For example, it implements fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, and other biometric authentication to ensure the safety of users’ information.
The Bottom Line
To sum up, Magic UI is a powerful update to make Honor phones more versatile and customized. The Magic UI 3.0 and Magic UI 6.0 enable wireless mobile to laptop data transfer. Plus, it lets you preview filters even before taking the shot.
The Trusted Execution Environment of the Magic UI is quite appreciable as it makes payment and authentication processes safer and more accessible.
Overall, Magic UI by Honor is a tremendous Android-based UI that enables users to customize their smartphones and enjoy comfortable navigation using gesture controls.
