PORSCHE DESIGN HONOR Magic 7 RSR lands with nice upgrades

Most of the time, when smartphone manufacturers partner with luxury car brands, the crossover Android phone that comes from the partnership is crazy expensive while only offering a slightly refined design and maybe one tiny upgrade. It makes the phone only really appealing to die-hard fans of the two brands.

However, with the new PORSCHE DESIGN HONOR Magic 7 RSR, that’s not the case. Yes, at its core, the phone is just an HONOR Magic 7 Pro with a new design from the Porsche labs, but it actually has a few upgrades that make it much more enticing.

First, the look of the phone is obviously different. The camera module and rear glass have new designs, both inspired by Porsche cars. There’s even a “Peak Line” going down the back of the phone, which looks like the iconic hood lines on Porsche sports cars. There are also two new colorways on offer: Provence (shown throughout this article) and Agate Gray. Long-time Porsche fans will recognize them as original Porsche car colors.

While those are nifty changes for Porsche fans, they aren’t enough to cause anyone who just wants a great phone to raise an eyebrow. Thankfully, that’s where the other upgrades come into play.

HONOR beefed up the insides of the Magic 7 RSR considerably. First, it comes with an absolutely bonkers 24GB of RAM. That’s a significant jump over the standard Magic 7 Pro, which comes with 16GB of RAM at the most. It also comes with 1TB of internal storage, which isn’t more than you could get from a Magic 7 Pro but still the top-end of what pretty much any smartphone company offers.

The rear camera is also better in two distinct ways. The telephoto lens has been upgraded with a larger aperture. It still has the same 200MP 1/1.4-inch sensor, but it hits ƒ/1.88, which is considerably larger than the ƒ/2.6 limit of the Magic 7 Pro. According to HONOR, this makes it the largest aperture on a telephoto lens in the smartphone industry.

Additionally, the autofocus system has been upgraded to a LiDAR-based product that HONOR is calling the “LiDAR Matrix Autofocus System.” Using LiDAR over traditional laser autofocus results in crisper focus at faster speeds.

Finally, the software also has some unique tweaks, including some new icon designs. When you combine all this together, the PORSCHE DESIGN HONOR Magic 7 RSR is a nice step up over even the most premium Magic 7 Pro.

Unfortunately, all these upgrades will cost you a pretty penny. The Magic 7 RSR costs €1,799 (~$1,865), putting it in the same price league as a Pro-level foldable phone. That might be too much to stomach, but at least you can rest assured that if you do spring for this phone, you’re not just getting a Magic 7 Pro with a new coat of paint.