Honor Magic8 Pro review

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Introduction

The Honor Magic8 Pro has finally been launched on all markets, and the West can now enjoy all that the top-tier smartphone has to offer. It brings the usual combination of high-end cameras and top-class chipset, alongside a welcome upgrade in battery capacity and a heavy focus on AI in its software (surprise, surprise). We're here to see how this latest flagship contender stacks up to the rest.

The Magic8 Pro is the next iteration in the lineup that was among the pioneers in super-high-res telephotos so there's no surprise to see a 200MP zoom camera, now paired with a slightly longer lens. The main camera has lost its (slightly) variable aperture, but who's going to notice, while the ultrawide remains among the ultrawidest out there. Excellent selfies should also be on the menu unless Honor has inexplicably messed something up?

Of course, the latest Snapdragon is here to do the heavy lifting, and it's powered by a larger battery - our EU version still gets a smaller capacity than the rest of the world, but since last year's model was also handicapped in our neck of the woods, the 1000mAh increase is about as meaningful an upgrade as in other markets.

The Magic8 Pro is leaning heavily on AI in its software, as everyone else seemingly is, with plenty of in-house features that aim to simplify your life. The latest MagicOS has gotten a bit of extra polish too, and the 7-year update policy places the Magic among the best in the business (for what that's worth).

Some Magic-specific traits remain part of the package. For example, it's got the 3D face scanning for authentication which is rare in the Android world. Also not too common is the speaker arrangement, with two large drivers and open cavity design. On the other hand, everyone seems to be offering extra controls these days, and Honor too is following suit with its AI button (with a handful of camera uses).

Honor Magic8 Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 161.2x75.0x8.3mm, 219g; Glass front (NanoCrystal Shield), fiber-reinforced plastic back; IP68/IP69K dust tight and water resistant (high pressure water jets; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.71" LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 4320Hz PWM, Dolby Vision, HDR Vivid, 1800 nits (HBM), 6000 nits (peak), 1256x2808px resolution, 20.1:9 aspect ratio, 458ppi; HDR image support.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M); Adreno 840.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.1.
• OS/Software: Android 16, up to 7 major Android upgrades, MagicOS 10.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.6, 23mm, 1/1.3", 1.2µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 200 MP, f/2.6, 85mm, 1/1.4", 0.56µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS, 3.7x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.0, 12mm, 122˚, 1/2.88", 0.61µm, dual pixel PDAF.
• Front camera: Wide: 50 MP, f/2.0, 21mm, 1/2.93", 0.6µm; TOF 3D.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@24/30/60/120fps, 1080p@24/30/60/120/240fps, gyro-EIS, OIS, HDR, 10-bit video; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS.
• Battery: Si/C Li-Ion 7100 mAh (Global); 6270 mAh (Europe); 7200 mAh (China); Charging: 100W wired (Global), 120W wired, 100W PPS, 40W UFCS (China), 80W wireless, Reverse wireless, 5W reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 6.0, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LHDC 5, Auracast, ASHA; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); large amplitude stereo speakers; Emergency SOS via satellite (messages and calls) - China only.

Honor Magic8 Pro unboxing

Our Magic8 Pro review unit arrived without a retail box but we did get a cable with it. In terms of accessories, that's more or less what you can expect too, only you'll probably have a box to keep the phone and cable together.

For what it's worth, the cable is rated for 6 amps of current, so it's a good cable, though it's also a USB-A-to-C cable, which is our second favorite type. Then again, it's meant to play nicely with Honor's proprietary chargers and is probably still a little bit better for PC connectivity (though how many potential Magic8 Pro buyers' computers don't have at least one USB-C port?).