Honor Magic 8 Pro Review
Honor Magic 8 Pro pros and cons
Impressive - and innovative - camera hardware.
Best-in-class display technology.
Deep - and thoughtful - AI integration.
Regional variances in battery size - it's big, but there's bigger.
Firmly premium price - launch incentives take out some of the sting.
Impressive software refinements, but a learning curve remains.
With its sophisticated AiMAGE Camera system, immense battery capacity, lightning-fast charging and a host of AI-driven capabilities, the Honor Magic 8 Pro positions itself as a powerhouse for photography enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Throw in the latest Snapdragon silicon, a dazzling screen and robust durability, and it is clear Honor is targeting the very top of the market.
Check out our review to see if it has what it takes!
Design and specifications
This device commands attention immediately with its bold - relatively simple - aesthetic. Honor has stuck to an evolutionary philosophy here, with the Magic 8 Pro cutting a slightly more compact and lighter figure when pitted against its predecessor.
Weighing in at approximately 219g and measuring 161.15 x 75.0 x 8.4 mm, it shaves off critical millimetres and grams compared to the Magic 7 Pro, making it feel surprisingly manageable in the hand for a device with such a large battery.
While the recognisable ‘Star Wheel’ camera module remains, it has been refined to house the larger optics, appearing slightly more imposing than last year’s model.
We remain fans of burnished and matte finishes over super-glossy exteriors, and the Magic 8 Pro exemplifies that philosophy, exercising restraint to only boast a shiny, textured finish around the camera ring.
The most significant change is the addition of a dedicated - and physical - AI Button on the right side of the frame, beneath the volume and power controls.
Independent from the power key and responsive to pressure and well as taps, this allows for instant access to the camera or configurable AI agents - even from a locked screen. It does stop short of being an entirely customisable button, however, with a set amount of things you can ascribe this to, but it’s a welcome shortcut and addition.
Durability remains a key focus, with IP68, IP69 and IP69K certification ensuring protection against water and dust (including high-pressure, high-temperature jets, perfect for the jacuzzi!), while Honor’s own NanoCrystal Shield tech on the front offers enhanced drop resistance.
Honor has updated its colour palette for this release. The handset is available in a classic Black, distinctive Sky Cyan, and a new variant in the Sunrise Gold (model reviewed).
As is often the case, Honor’s textured finish applied to the device beautifully catches the light. It offers an interesting array of lights and darks, as opposed to simply being slathered uniformly across the device - an attractive design touch.
The horizontal placement of Honor's brand tell you all you need to know about this device - it's a sleek and elegant photography-first flagship, focussed on the areas and features consumers care about most.
Display and audio
The 6.71-inch LTPO OLED display is vibrant, sharp and fantastic for media consumption. With a 1-120 Hz adaptive refresh rate and a staggering HDR peak brightness of 6,000 nits (1,800 nits global peak), it remains perfectly visible even under direct sunlight.
Definitely one of the better displays we've seen with both content and copy looking crisp and vivid irrespective of brightness setting.
Eye comfort is a major priority here. The panel features 4320Hz PWM dimming and an AI Defocus Display to reduce eye strain during extended use. The Circadian Night Display technology works to emulate natural viewing conditions, helping you wind down effectively at night.
The screen curves gently over the edges to create an immersive bezel-less effect.
Content looks rich and lifelike, while the pair of asymmetrical stereo speakers flanking the display produce loud and full-bodied sound that supports the cinematic visuals.
Camera capabilities
Honor has equipped this device with its most ambitious imaging setup yet - dubbed the AiMAGE Camera System. While the triple-lens arrangement looks familiar on paper, the underlying hardware has seen a massive upgrade that fundamentally changes how you shoot, particularly at a distance.
The absolute standout is the new 200MP Ultra Night Telephoto Camera. Honor has fitted a massive 1/1.4-inch sensor behind this lens- a size usually reserved for main cameras. Paired with a wide f/2.6 aperture and 3.7x optical zoom, this sensor solves the biggest problem with smartphone zooms: poor low-light performance.
By using pixel-binning technology to combine data from multiple pixels, it can pull in significantly more light than standard telephoto lenses. This means night-time portraits and zoomed shots of concerts or skylines remain crisp and noise-free, rather than becoming a blurry mess.
The high 200MP resolution also allows for exceptional digital cropping. Even at 10x hybrid zoom, the Magic 8 Pro can resolve fine textures that other phones smooth out, effectively acting as a high-quality telescope in your pocket.
The main shooter is a 50MP Ultra Night Camera with a large 1/1.3-inch sensor, f/1.6 aperture and optical image stabilisation (OIS). It captures images with superb dynamic range and natural colour reproduction, standing up to every environment and setting we threw at it.
Putting both the Ultra Night Telephoto and main lenses through through their paces at Windsor Great Park Illuminated's Xmas lights, the 8 Pro was genuinely impressive at managing to capture both crispness and detail in all but the dimmest of scenarios, with minimal blurring and noise - provided action wasn't too brisk.
Backing up the hardware is the new Magic Colour engine. Using deep learning to analyse over 16 million colours, this system allows you to replicate specific cinematic styles.
You can ‘teach’ the camera a colour palette from a reference image and apply it to your own photos, giving you a consistent, professional-grade aesthetic without needing complex editing software later.
Shutter speed is brisk, and the imaging software is both snappy and required relatively little in terms of learning to get to grips with.
Stabilisation has also taken a leap forward. The system is rated at CIPA 5.5-level stability, which effectively means the camera is far better at compensating for the usual shakes and jitters of taking photos without a tripod.
This is essential for those long-range zoom shots, keeping the viewfinder steady and ensuring your subject stays in frame without the need for a tripod.
Finally, the AI Photo Agent brings a suite of generative editing tools directly to the gallery. Features like AI Eraser and AI Outpainting allow you to remove photobombers or expand the background of a tight shot with a single tap, making complex edits accessible to anyone.
Whilst the Windsor Lights made for some amazing, immersive images, patchy coverage in the forest meant that a few shots didn’t actually get the AI and HDR tuning, so watch for the little symbol in the viewfinder to ensure the setting is on as intended - photos can’t be tweaked after the fact with this feature, so be aware!
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Performance and software
Powering the Magic 8 Pro is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform, par for the flagship course, and delivering blistering speeds and AI technology to boost gaming performance.
Backed by a single configuration of 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, the phone handles multitasking and demanding open-world games such as the epic Where Winds Meet with silky framerates and minor heating on the 8 Pro.
The device runs on Android 16 with Honor's MagicOS 10 customisation throughout.
The interface sports a light, translucent visual style - inspired by Apple’s own steps into tactile design and is a matter of personal taste - and offers seamless connectivity with both the wider Honor ecosystem as well as those of afore-mentioned rivals.
This poses a real welcome change when it comes to sharing files and photos, making the leap to Android - and back - easier than ever.
General navigation and usability have undoubtedly seen refinements - addressing an area we have flagged in the past - but perfection remains elusive.
Visual inconsistencies persist (we are still waiting for wider third-party icon support), and MagicOS 10 can feel overbearing in its pursuit of stamina.
I found myself having to be fairly strict with app overrides just to ensure background loading worked and push notifications from the likes of Gmail or news apps arrived in a timely fashion.
Crucially, Honor has committed to 7 years of Android OS upgrades and security patches alike. This matches the gold standard set by Samsung and Google, ensuring your device remains secure and up-to-date well into the 2030s.
Artificial Intelligence - as the dedicated key can attest - is central to the experience. By combining on-device Honor AI with cloud-based Google Gemini, the phone offers conversational and intuitive assistance.
There does feel like a bit of overlap between Honor’s own AI features and those found in Android however, some restraint on their proprietary offering throughout would have made for a slightly simpler user experience, but its presence is understandable.
Features like AI Deepfake Detection and AI Voice Cloning Detection provide immediate safeguards during calls to ensure authenticity, much-needed security steps in pretty unprecedented times.
Magic Portal slides out from the side to allow for easy drag-and-drop sharing between apps, while the Magic Sidebar gives quick access to your AI tools, a robust set of productivity-boosting features altogether welcome on a flagship device of this stature - and price point…
Battery life and charging
Stamina is a standout feature thanks to the advanced silicon-carbon battery technology. The UK model packs a massive 6,270mAh cell that easily powers through a full day of heavy creative work and often stretches well into a second.
It is worth noting that while other regions such as China benefit from an even larger capacity- likely due to varying shipping and density regulations - the UK unit remains a class leader in endurance compared to its direct rivals, although we can’t help but be jealous of the existence of a version of this device sporting a whopping 7,200mAh battery.
Fresh off reviewing powerhouse competition like the Oppo Find X9 Pro, that step down is minimal - yet meaningful - when it comes to battery lifespan.
However, given the leap over the Magic 7 Pro's 5,720mAh battery and losing a few grams in the process, the 8 Pro's achievements here on keeping size and weight down while housing such a huge battery have to be commended.
When you do need to recharge, the 100W Wired Honor SuperCharge (charger dependent) delivers a rapid refill to full in just over an hour from flat.
Wireless charging is equally impressive at 80W, provided you have the compatible accessories. This combination of extreme capacity and flexible fast charging effectively combats range anxiety.
Honor Magic 8 Pro UK pricing and availability
The Honor Magic 8 Pro launched in the UK on the 8th of January 2026, priced at a firmly premium £1,099.99, and is being widely ranged from major networks and retailers including EE, VodafoneThree, VMO2, Argos, Amazon and Currys - a real show of confidence in this effort.
Once again, those in at the ground floor are in for some of the strongest incentives we’ve seen in a while.
For the first month following launch, customers purchasing through participating channels will receive a generous Gift With Purchase bundle.
This includes an Honor Pad X9a tablet, a SuperCharge Power Adapter, case and a suite of refurbishment and replacement services for peace of mind.
Pair that with Honor’s own £200 launch discount using the code AM8PUK200 on its UK store, there’s real value to be gained from early adoption of Honor’s latest effort.
Final verdict
The Honor Magic 8 Pro cements itself as a top-tier contender in the premium smartphone market.
With its impressive SuperNight telephoto camera, monumental battery life and intelligent AiMAGE system, it delivers a truly professional photography experience.
The design is distinctive, the performance is rock-solid and the AI integration feels genuinely helpful rather than gimmicky - talking to the maturity and much-needed refinements to its software.
The assurance of multi-year support and the generous launch bundle does make the Honor Magic 8 Pro a compelling choice for anyone seeking the absolute best in mobile technology, and a good portent of things to come from 2026 smartphone flagships.
For those who want a phone that excels at capturing the world in any light - and is built to last - the Magic 8 Pro is a solid option.
