Honor Magic 8 Pro Review: Premium Design Meets Versatile Features

Jonathan Morris
50 minutes Ago

Honor Magic 8 Pro

£1099.99
Honor Magic 8 Pro
9.1

Features

 9.5/10

Performance

 9.5/10

Camera

 9.0/10

Value

 8.5/10

Pros

  • Excellent battery life with fast recharge times
  • Camera images are clear, crisp, colour accurate and well defined for all but high-level zoom shots
  • Powerful performance never leaves you wanting; it's frankly overkill for most tasks but this does contribute to future proofing (useful with many years of OS updates included)
  • Strengthened design that can cope with bumps and scrapes
  • Decent video performance (even if the Movie mode is strangely missing)

Cons

  • AI image processing can be a little OTT for zoomed shots; software can't quite match improved optics
  • Battery isn't as large in capacity as it could have been with a design change to use dual-cell batteries

The battle of the flagship camera phones seems to be never ending, and Honor has launched its latest offering in the form of the Magic 8 Pro.

Introduction

Front view of the Honor Magic 8 Pro smartphone showcasing its circular camera module and sleek design.

Around this time last year, I was up a mountain taking photos with the Magic 7 Pro. How quick time flies, because today I’m reviewing the successor.

The premium smartphone market has never been so competitive, with Oppo marking its return to the UK, OnePlus still fighting it out, Vivo being popular with importers, and Xiaomi still plodding on despite various issues with stock supply in the UK.

And of course there are the major incumbents in the form of Samsung and Apple.

But Honor has been gaining market share at an impressive rate, restoring much of what was lost when it was part of Huawei and suffered the fate of Trump 1.0.

Freed from the shackles of trade embargoes, Honor has improved by leaps and bounds with a comprehensive portfolio of devices to suit every need, from well specified entry-level devices, to mid-ranges that punch above their weight, foldables that have pushed the boundaries of what is possible – to phones like this, the flagship camera phone.

Honor is also fitting out its latest devices with a myriad of AI features to make the phones more powerful and capable to users, while the pricing remains competitive versus a lot of the competition.

But, as ever, is the phone any good in real life? Manufacturers spend a fortune on slick marketing to showcase features, but what is it like to the actual person using the phone on the daily?

Close-up of the rear of the Honor Magic 8 Pro smartphone showcasing its camera module with three lenses, a sleek design, and the Honor branding.

Design

Close-up of the AI button interface on a smartphone, displaying options for short press, double press, and long press. The screen indicates 'AI Memories,' suggesting features to recognize and remember screen content.

Look at the above image of the Magic 8 Pro and you’ll possibly wonder if I accidentally posted a photo of the Magic 7 Pro. The design changes are minimal on the front and rear, and that’s intentional as Honor has created a unique design language much the same as its rivals like Oppo and Samsung. The centrally mounted camera array protrudes just enough to form a nice rest for your finger to fold the phone steady in portrait mode.

On the side, you’ll see the usual power button and volume keys along the right-hand edge, but now there’s an additional button in the form of the AI key – a touch sensitive button that can also be pressed. It can be set to work in a multitude of ways, but perhaps the most useful is in camera mode where it can act like that of the button on the new iPhone models – to allow you to manage the zoom and operate as a shutter release.

The 6.71-inch OLED display with variable refresh rate up to 120Hz is slightly smaller than last year’s flagship, and smaller still than both the Magic 6 Pro and Magic 5 Pro. The difference is slight, and no longer is the screen as curved at the edges as with earlier models. The phone is also narrower than earlier devices, which makes it easier to use in one-handed operation.

Close-up view of the side buttons on the Honor Magic 8 Pro smartphone, showcasing the design and finish.
The AI Button can be used for various tasks, including enhancing the camera operation

Brightness peaks at 6,000 nits and outdoor visibility is great – but the display experience has been excellent for a number of generations now. It’s a testament to just how good these phones have been for years. Colours are vibrant and there are loads of visual enhancement modes baked into the software to further improve the visuals.

Coupled with a stereo audio setup with enhanced bass amplification, the sound is just as impressive and makes it perfect for enjoying videos or playing games without the need for separate equipment. It’s like a boombox in your pocket (I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere).

On the front top of the display is a cut out for both the 50-megapixel selfie camera and a depth-sensor that can securely unlock the phone from your face, including filling in log-in boxes and unlocking other parts of the phone.

In addition to the face unlocking, you can also go with the tried-and-tested fingerprint sensor embedded into the display, which works incredibly quickly and accurately.

Build

The Magic 8 Pro looks and feels premium, which is has to do when it costs over a grand, but the phone has also been designed to be solid and cope with accidental drops and scrapes, using a combination of metal frame with toughened glass. The protection also includes water and dust resistance, with a screen protector also fitted from the factory.

A close-up view of a smartphone being held, highlighting its circular camera module and sleek design against a blurred background with decorative elements.

Depending on when you buy, Honor might also include a screen replacement service in the first year (it can be purchased at extra cost otherwise).

With the narrower design compared to earlier Magic Pro models, the phone is comfortable to hold in the hand without a case (as always, I’d recommend buying a third-party one or even an Honor original case as soon as possible).

The key design feature that stands this apart from earlier models, as well as that of most rivals, is that AI button. Right now it can be used for the following features:

  • Camera: Slide zoom, hold to focus, long press for video or burst photo mode, take a photo.
  • AI Screen Suggestions: Provide recommended AI services based on screen content.
  • AI Settings Agent: Control system settings.
  • AI Photos Agent: Make AI photo edits with just one tap.
  • Honor AI: Access Honor AI settings with one tap.
  • AI Memories: Recognise and remember screen content at the tap of a button.
  • Google Lens: Translate, identify and search for products.

Camera

A close-up view of the rear of the Honor Magic 8 Pro smartphone, showing its camera module and the HONOR logo.

For me, and likely many of you, the camera is perhaps the most important aspect of the phone – and like earlier models, there is no shortage of cameras on offer here, offering the usual range of 0.5-100x zoom.

An interface showing in-camera AI button operations on a smartphone, including options for slide zoom, focus, recording video, and accidental touch protection.

Like ever, you can perhaps ignore the higher levels of zoom for the most part. Even though Honor AI is used to enhance images taken at huge distances, most people will be more interested in the capabilities at more normal, day-to-day, ranges.

That means, the odd ultra-wide landscape shot or group shots, combined with 1x, 2x and 3.7x (the optical length of the telephoto image sensor).

This time around, Honor has prioritised the night performance of the telephoto camera to further boost night shots even at distance. The enhancements also extend to video, with the phone topping out at 4K 120 frames-per-second (or 60fps if you record in HDR mode).

There’s no 8K support and, given 8K TVs are still not a thing for 99% of the population, that’s no bad thing.

While I always use Google Photos to back up my images, to get the most from the camera you will likely want to use the Honor Gallery app to best manage your photos and video, as this is where all of the cool AI features reside to edit your content in post.

Features such as AI Eraser, AI Upscale, AI Cutout, AI Outpainting (expand the image canvas), and AI Colour.

Camera Hardware

The rear camera array includes:

  • A 50 MP main camera with a large sensor and optical image stabilization
  • A 200 MP periscope telephoto lens (3.7x optical) offering high-quality optical zoom
  • A 50 MP ultra-wide camera that also supports macro photography
A street scene featuring shops and decorative lights, including stars and crescent shapes, under a clear blue sky.
An urban street scene being edited on a smartphone, showcasing colorful filters and AI color application tools.
A street scene illuminated with a warm orange sunset, featuring shops and decorative star and moon lights above, showing pedestrians and bicycles in a bustling atmosphere.
A historic building with intricate architectural details and large windows, surrounded by trees in a park setting, under a clear blue sky.
An image of a smartphone editing interface displaying various filters such as 'Magic Colour' and 'Warm Sunset', with a preview of a scene featuring a person on a surfboard during sunset.
A photo editing interface displaying a picturesque building with trees in autumn colors. Various editing options are visible on the right, including filter choices like 'Magic Colour' and 'Warm sunset'.
AI Colour enhancement within the Honor Gallery App
Photo Quality

View the Google Photos Open Gallery
This gallery will be constantly updated over time with my own content – plus yours!

You can add your own Magic 8 Pro photos and video to share with everyone!

Day or night, the Magic 8 Pro takes well exposed photos with a great deal of clarity and contrast. You can adjust the colour profiles before or after taking a picture, but a lot of the time you’ll be perfectly happy with the result first time.

The night mode performance keeps getting better year-on-year, and soon I expect you’ll be able to get photos in total and complete darkness. At times you can get images that are perhaps a bit too bright and unnatural, but you can easily dial down the exposure to correct.

For fast-moving action in challenging lighting conditions, there is also a Stage mode that increases the shutter speed to reduce motion blur.

The portrait mode feature is also getting better all the time, and at the pre-briefing event last year, I was able to test out the low-light portrait shooting with two very patient models.

Pixel peepers will perhaps notice that at 100% there’s a fair degree of AI enhancement, which won’t be everyone’s cup of tea – but I’ll challenge all of you to notice it when viewed on a smaller display, which is how most people will likely share their images.

The jury will likely never agree whether AI is a good thing for photography, but while it can be considered controversial for the crazy zoomed images where a lot of data is ‘created’ to fill in for a lack of detail, for regular photos the AI is used more for the enhancements you would have traditionally done yourself in a paint package.

There appears to be two directions phone manufacturers are taking when it comes to mobile cameras. One is to keep enhancing the camera image sensors and lenses to try and get as close to the DSLR experience as possible, the other is to use more modest sensors and setups and allow software to enhance the photos – creating photos that are arguably more share-ready than images you might spend time enhancing in Lightroom before letting anyone else see.

Honor appears to be going in the second direction, and some images don’t really stand up to scrutiny if zoomed in to the max, but assuming you’re not taking photos to use in advertising campaigns on roadside billboards, the photos are a lot more ready-to-go on the Magic 8 Pro.

Other features of the Honor Gallery app includes the ability to turn a static photo into a video, using Google AI.

Video Performance

Video recording has often had moments of disappointment in the past, where frames can be dropped for seemingly no reason. It’s something that goes back to when Honor was part of Huawei. As such, anyone wanting a phone for good video capture has usually swerved towards other brands (most see Apple as the definitive standard for video capturing).

I wasn’t able to get any such issues on the Magic 8 Pro. Perhaps this is due in thanks to Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 chipset, or better software optimisation. The 120 frames per second capturing is also great for video editors wanting a bit more control in post, although overkill for just about everyone else.

One noticeable omission from the camera interface for video is the Movie mode, although this might be on account of early software on review models. Movie mode allows for you to adjust the colour profiles, activate LOG mode (so you can do colour grading later on) as well as recording at 24fps. It’s not a mode that a lot of people probably use, but it can produce fantastic results for those that do.

It’s loss is a bit of a disappointment, but will hopefully be added in at a later date.

Camera samples

Two people at a dimly lit bar, engaged in conversation. An older man with a light beard and a black jacket is sitting beside a young woman with curly hair wearing a striped coat. They are both holding drinks, with decorative candle holders on the table.
A contemplative older man with a beard and gray hair, wearing a black turtleneck and a dark jacket adorned with a flower brooch. He is seated at a table in a restaurant, with soft lighting and other patrons visible in the background.
A young woman with curly hair wearing a black and white fur coat, sitting at a table with a tall glass in front of her, softly smiling at the camera.
An older man with a white beard is seated at a table, eating a piece of food. He wears a dark jacket and a decorative flower on his collar, with a plate of fries in front of him and an elegant candle holder nearby.
Close-up portrait of an older man with a thoughtful expression, featuring light blonde hair and a white beard, dressed in a dark jacket with an orange flower accessory.
Close-up portrait of an elderly man with gray hair and a beard, wearing a dark suit and a colorful flower pinned to his lapel, seated in a well-lit environment.
A young woman with curly hair wearing a black and white striped coat, sitting at a table with a glass of water in front of her.
An older man with a beard and styled hair is eating while wearing rings and a decorative flower on his jacket. The background features dim restaurant lighting and blurred figures.
Night view of a city skyline with illuminated buildings and a prominent structure in the foreground, under a cloudy sky.
Night view of London's Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, illuminated against a dark sky, with city lights and structures in the background.
Night view of London featuring the illuminated Tower Bridge and the historic Tower of London, with a skyline of modern buildings in the background.
The illuminated Tower Bridge in London at night, showcasing its distinctive Gothic architecture and bright lights.
Illuminated Tower Bridge at night, showcasing its architectural details and colorful lights reflecting on the River Thames.
A night view of the Tower Bridge in London, illuminated with blue lights, showcasing pedestrians on the bridge and surrounding buildings.
A man with glasses standing in front of a city skyline at night, with illuminated buildings and a bridge visible in the background.
A close-up view of the illuminated Tower Bridge at night, showcasing its ornate architecture and decorative features.
Nighttime view of a tall glass skyscraper with a pointed top, illuminated with various lights against a dark sky.
Nighttime city skyline featuring illuminated skyscrapers and construction cranes with red lights.
City skyline at night featuring a construction site with cranes and illuminated buildings.
Close-up of colorful Christmas ornaments, including a shiny pink and a gold ball, hanging from a decorated evergreen tree with twinkling lights.
A view of a busy highway with vehicles driving, illuminated by the warm glow of sunset. The iconic structure of Wembley Stadium is visible in the background, adding to the urban landscape.
Construction site showing a partially built steel structure with supporting beams and panels around it, set against a backdrop of buildings and clear blue sky.
Close-up of green leaves with some brown leaves on the ground, captured next to a dark surface.
Two ducks standing near a pond surrounded by grass and reeds.
A busy street scene featuring shops and cafes in a vibrant neighborhood, with decorative stars and crescent moon hanging above.
A cute pink octopus plush toy sitting atop a green decorative plant.
A street musician performing with an acoustic guitar in front of a textured brick wall, surrounded by musical equipment and a guitar case.
A brightly lit decorative penguin statue wearing a red hat and bowtie, standing on a pedestal adorned with red and yellow lights, set in a park at night with trees in the background.
A beautifully illuminated Christmas tree adorned with bright lights, set against a dark night sky in a public plaza, surrounded by festive decorations and onlookers.
Plate of puff pastry topped with a creamy shrimp salad, garnished with fresh dill and green herbs.
An artistic view of a historic building illuminated at dusk, featuring large banners and a Christmas tree in the courtyard, with people gathered around.
A night scene with sparse trees showing fireworks in the background above a residential area and parked cars.
A tall telecommunications tower with a cylindrical shape and illuminated in purple. The tower features antennas at the top and is partially surrounded by bare branches and a building in the foreground.
A red double-decker bus decorated with Paddington-themed advertisements is navigating through a city street during twilight, with festive lights in the background.
A vintage JVC video camera on a tripod displayed in a store window, with decorative elements such as a wooden mannequin and vibrant artwork in the background.
Two smartphones displayed on a stand, one labeled 'iPhone 17 Pro Max' and the other 'iPhone 17 Pro', featuring sleek designs with curved screens and modern aesthetics.
A close-up of a Birra Moretti beer bottle displaying the label with a man in a hat holding a beer, set against a blurred background of a rustic bar.
A rustic table setting featuring a glass bottle with a spout, a metal container holding utensils, and two glass jars filled with spices, including herbs and chili flakes, against a textured brick wall.
A narrow urban street lined with brick buildings on either side, featuring a mix of modern and classic architecture. The scene is bathed in sunlight, with a clear blue sky and distant skyscrapers visible at the end of the street.
Interior of a restaurant with wooden tables and stools, featuring low-hanging pendant lights. Patrons are seated at tables, and a bar area can be seen in the background. A beer bottle is placed on a table in the foreground.
A close-up of a decorated Christmas tree featuring various ornaments in colors like gold, pink, and purple, along with twinkling lights.
A nighttime view of a canal with moored boats, illuminated buildings along the waterfront, and decorative lights creating a warm atmosphere.
Two men riding brightly colored pedal taxis adorned with pink fur seats and festive lights, one wearing a blue hat and the other in a black beanie, against an urban backdrop.
A busy city street at night adorned with holiday lights, featuring a pink double-decker bus and pedestrians walking by shops and trees decorated with lights.
A view of a park with a prominent building in the background, featuring a green hedge and a tree decorated with red ribbons. The sky is cloudy, adding to the serene atmosphere.
Close-up of a decorated Christmas tree featuring shiny ornaments in red and gold, with green foliage and soft glowing lights.
A beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights and colorful ornaments, surrounded by wrapped presents on a wooden floor, in a cozy living room setting.
A mural depicting a stylized face of Jesus with a crown of thorns and dripping blood, surrounded by vibrant colors and graffiti elements.
A bustling indoor market scene with numerous people walking through, dressed in winter clothing, under a grand chandelier and colorful decorative elements hanging from the ceiling.
A bench at Moorgate station, featuring a bright sign with the name 'MOORGATE' in blue text against a red diamond background. The station wall displays a map of the London Underground.
A close-up view of a railway signal showing a green light, surrounded by a metal grid structure and overhead wires.
A close-up of a golden Christmas ornament hanging in front of colorful wrapped presents, with a red ornament visible in the background.
A decorative holiday tree made of light-colored materials with a star on top, situated in an urban setting with signage for 'BROADGATE CENTRAL' and advertisements for dining and wellness nearby.
A narrow alleyway lined with various shop signs, including a prominent one for 'Jen Tea,' featuring a graphic of a drink with a straw and tapioca pearls. The scene captures outdoor storefronts and pedestrians walking through the cobblestone path under clear blue skies.
A bronze sculpture of a leaping rabbit emerging from a large curved horn, set against a modern architectural background.
A view of a train station with several buildings, including modern structures in the background and a roof with solar panels. The scene features a mix of urban elements and greenery, under a partly cloudy sky.
A festive view of a beautifully decorated building with large windows adorned with Christmas lights, wreaths, and numbers from an advent calendar, illuminated in red against a twilight sky.
A close-up view of two pizzas on a wooden table. The foreground pizza is topped with ham, pineapple, and cheese, while the background pizza is adorned with spinach and an egg. A bottle of Birra Morreti and a small red candle are also present on the table.
A building facade with large, bold graffiti lettering in green and black, showcasing the words 'HELLO HELLO' against a backdrop of windows.
A plate of festive holiday food featuring slices of roast ham topped with mustard, grilled sausages, boiled potatoes, colorful pickled vegetables, and garnished with fresh herbs.
A whimsical snowman with a cylindrical hat, adorned with a patterned scarf, stands cheerfully in a festive display surrounded by artificial snow and a decorated Christmas tree. The background features a bold red wall.
A softly lit alley at night featuring string lights hanging above and closed market stalls on either side, with a few people walking in the distance.
A beautifully designed tiered fountain illuminated at night, surrounded by modern buildings and decorated with warm lights.
Night view of Coal Drops Yard, featuring glowing blue lights and a welcoming sign. People are walking through the entrance, and the area is adorned with festive lighting, blending modern architecture with a vibrant atmosphere.
A large, festive bear sculpture made of silver tinsel, wearing a red scarf and a Santa hat, holding blue skis. It is situated outdoors near a white picket fence, with a red bench in front.
A festive street scene featuring colorful light decorations hanging above a crowded shopping area during twilight, with people walking along the street.
A close-up view of the BT Tower, featuring a prominent purple illuminated section with the 'BT' logo, set against a grey sky.
A corridor with a vibrant, illuminated wall and several people walking, including a person pushing a stroller.
A group of four people taking a selfie in a beautifully decorated hallway with festive lights and ornaments.
Abandoned industrial building with a green top section, multiple silos, and a tall cylindrical smokestack, set against a cloudy sky.
Interior view of a modern restaurant with wooden tables and stools, featuring a menu board, a pizza oven, and a display of drinks in the background.
A modern, illuminated art installation shaped like a tall, triangular structure with red and green lights, set against a night sky. The background features a contemporary building and additional lighting.
A decorative wooden toy soldier with vibrant colors, featuring a blue hat and red uniform, stands in a modern interior setting. In the background, plush seating and a green plant are visible, adding to the cozy atmosphere.
A nighttime view of a modern building featuring large windows and a lively outdoor dining area with umbrellas and plants. Neon signs and colorful lighting enhance the vibrant atmosphere.
A night scene at a train station, featuring a train in motion with blurred lights, platforms populated by waiting passengers, and an overpass in the background.
A vibrant night scene featuring a yellow gondola-like structure at King's Cross, surrounded by greenery and illuminated by blue lights. People are seen walking in the background along a well-lit pathway.
A view of a bike-sharing station with several bicycles parked along a bike lane, surrounded by greenery and urban architecture.
Night view of a modern building featuring blue illuminated glass and a landscaped area with trees and outdoor lights.
A nighttime view of a fountain with purple water jets, surrounded by trees and festive decorations, including a Christmas tree in the background.
A beautifully decorated Christmas tree adorned with red flowers, gold and red ornaments, and wrapped gifts, featuring a 'Letters to Santa' mailbox at its base, all set in a cozy indoor environment.
A vintage display showcasing a small Sony television in a shop window, featuring a man on the screen. Surrounding items include toy cars, a sewing machine, and various decorative objects with colorful decorations.
A brightly lit Christmas tree with colorful decorations stands in the background, illuminated against a dark night sky, while a fountain with flowing purple water is in the foreground.
Night view of a grand stone archway with classical columns and a statue on top, illuminated by soft lighting, surrounded by a well-kept park area.
Interior of a modern café with a wooden table and stools, featuring a decorative tiled tabletop. The scene is illuminated by overhead lights, with a view of a rainy street outside through large windows.
A nighttime cityscape featuring a mix of modern and classic architecture, with illuminated buildings and a warm glow from a wooden structure. People can be seen walking along the paved pathway.
A bustling street scene in Soho, London, featuring a crowded pedestrian walkway with a neon 'SOHO' sign illuminated above. People are walking in various directions, showcasing the vibrant urban atmosphere surrounded by shops and buildings.
View of a modern building at night, featuring numerous windows illuminated, with greenery and landscaping in the foreground and a sign reading 'Google' on the building.
A historic brick building with Gothic architecture, featuring tall arched windows and a steeply pitched roof, surrounded by leafless trees in a park-like setting.
A plate filled with several golden-brown sausage rolls, showcasing a flaky pastry exterior and visible filling inside, arranged neatly on a patterned surface.
A large, festive dog sculpture made of shiny, colorful decorations, wearing a Santa hat and sitting atop a red gift box in a park setting.
A nighttime view of a historic building illuminated with green lights, featuring pedestrians walking in front, with street lamps and parked cars visible.
A festive dining table setting featuring four lit candles on a black holder, surrounded by bottles, glasses, and decorative elements like flowers and a festive tablecloth.
A stylish retail space displaying a red shirt and black handbag on distorted silver pedestals, surrounded by stylish clothing racks.
A city street view featuring a tall telecommunications tower in the background, surrounded by buildings and trees with bare branches, illuminated at dusk.
An abandoned industrial building with a tall smokestack visible in the background, surrounded by trees and a rail line with a bridge in the foreground.
Nighttime urban scene with illuminated trees and people walking on a landscaped pathway, featuring blue and purple lighting.
A busy train station with a decorative Christmas tree in the center, surrounded by a crowd of people. The architecture features a modern, high-tech roof structure that contrasts with the historic brick walls.
A close-up of two pastry pieces topped with creamy seafood salad, garnished with dill and lemon slices, on a dark plate. In the background, a glass of beer is on a table with decorative elements.
A festive restaurant entrance adorned with holiday decorations, featuring a large illuminated snowman, a Santa Claus figure, and a chalkboard displaying a Christmas menu.

Performance

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 SoC, complete with the latest 5G modem and Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) support, the Magic 8 Pro is the most powerful Honor to date, with an impressive AnTuTu v11 score of 3,552,768.

To keep the phone going, there’s an impressive 6,270mAh battery inside. Now, on Chinese and global models that could have been as high as 7,200mAh (China) or 7,100mAh (global) but European regulations limits the size of a single battery pack.

12GB of RAM is accompanied by up to 12GB of virtual RAM, and like so many other Honor flagships in recent years, 512GB of storage is standard – and ample for most people.

Global models can go to 1TB with 16GB of RAM, and can be made to run all Google applications and services, but you then have to consider warranty implications and other factors. If you are okay with that, there are various importers that will satisfy your needs – but this review is purely of the UK model.

AnTuTu benchmark results for Honor Magic 8 Pro displaying a total score of 3552768, along with breakdowns for CPU, GPU, Memory, and UX performance.
AnTuTu benchmark results screen showing performance metrics for a smartphone, including temperature, display size, camera specifications, and battery capacity.
Everyday Use

When has a flagship ever offered a stuttery, non-buttery smooth, experience? Well, quite.

It’s barely worth mentioning that everything you do on this phone is slick, as you’d expect. Apps load quickly, and with the fast connectivity, whether you’re using mobile data or Wi-Fi, you can expect things to load fast.

The Magic 8 Pro supports ridiculous Wi-Fi speeds of in excess of 5Gbps if you have the right equipment (and Internet connectivity if you fancy some crazy speed test results) and when I popped both an EE and Three SIM in the phone, I was getting faster results than in a Magic V5. Not substantially different I should add, but certainly enough to see that the integrated antennas are top-notch.

Gaming and Intensive Tasks

I’m not a massive mobile gamer, so a lot of the performance is lost on me. I’ll fire up the benchmarks and perhaps play some Genshin Impact or Call of Duty mobile to actually get the phone under any significant load, but even these titles are not able to push the latest generation chipsets to their limits.

A more relevant test for most is the time taken to process videos and image editing, and the phone is exceptionally fast when it comes to onboard video encoding and image processing. If you need to allow an offboard server to enhance an image, or let Google create a video for you, there’s obviously a time impact there – but that’s not down to the phone.

Battery Life and Charging
A person holding the Honor Magic 8 Pro smartphone displaying the 'About phone' section in MagicOS, showcasing device specifications such as processor, RAM, battery, and internal storage.

Battery life is of course a controversial issue because of the limitation of battery capacity for single pack batteries sold within Europe, and dropping from 7,200mAh to 6,270mAh sounds pretty terrible. 6,270mAh is still a huge improvement on the 5,270mAh battery in last year’s Magic 7 Pro.

What really matters though is how long the battery will last, and I was left more than impressed. I was previously impressed with the Magic V5 performance (5,820mAh) – especially given the large internal display requiring quite a bit more power consumption – but the Magic 8 Pro is a big leap, despite the bright display and a more powerful chipset and features that encourage more use of the processor.

It was quite easy to reach six hours of screen-on time and still have 20-30% of battery left. If you were glued to the phone for almost every hour you were awake, you’d probably still manage to keep going until bedtime.

But it isn’t just the battery capacity that impresses, as the phone also charges at 100W wired, or 80W wirelessly. Better yet, for a while now, Honor phones haven’t just required the use of proprietary SuperCharge power adapters.

A close-up image of the bottom edge of a smartphone, displaying a SIM card slot, a USB-C charging port, and speaker grilles, held in a person's hand.

With any recent USB Power Delivery charger supporting V3.1, you can charge at full speed also. That means you can recharge at max speed from a number of power adapters from the likes of Anker and UGreen, including power banks and portable power stations.

It can’t be underestimated just how useful that is, especially when the phone doesn’t come with a power adapter out of the box.

There’s no magsafe compatible magnet inside the phone, but many cases available on Amazon or AliExpress offer this feature, although regular wireless chargers will charge at a significantly slower speed. It’s also worth noting that if you buy a case with integrated magnet, it will very likely stop it working with Honor’s own wireless charger.

Summary

The biggest problem Honor faces right now is that its devices have become so powerful in recent years, that we’re at a point where every new device is a relatively minor jump.. coupled with seven years of OS updates, even Honor will acknowledge that people are not seeking to upgrade annually anymore.

Indeed, the chances are that with such a powerful chipset, a large battery with excellent longevity (thanks in part to a wealth of battery management options), and the plentiful updates, you may be happy to keep a device like this for three years or even more.

With two years of interest-free credit if you decide to buy this phone SIM-free (which I’d always advise doing if you can, especially if you bag a decent SIM-only contract), then you may opt to upgrade every second year. I can’t speak for you, but even when I power up the Honor Magic 5 Pro on occasion to check for updates (they’re still coming), I am reminded just how good things were even then.

If you own an old phone or want to upgrade from whatever you currently have, can I recommend the Magic 8 Pro? Yes, definitely. There isn’t anything that disappoints and the level of quality stands it apart from much of the competition.

If you’ve already got the Magic 7 Pro then, no, I’d say you should be happy with what you’ve got. The main difference here is the larger battery, but battery life hasn’t really been an issue for a few generations now. You’ll still be getting those updates for another six years or so.

The improvements in software for the camera might also push some to upgrade, but some features of this new flagship may trickle down to older models.

Final Verdict

In conclusion; yes, it’s a fantastic flagship and another winner from Honor – but it is competing head-on with not only devices from other manufacturers, but also itself. From a consumer point of view, this is great news and exactly what we need.

Finally, if you do buy this phone – please share your content on the open Google Photos gallery. It will further help people decide whether this phone is for them, plus it’s a great community to share your photos or video to others who enjoy smartphone photography.

Close-up view of the side of the Honor Magic 8 Pro smartphone, showcasing the metal frame, buttons, and circular camera module.

Honor Magic 8 Pro Key Specifications

Honor Magic 8 Pro
Size/Weight161.2 x 75 x 8.3mm
219g
Screen 6.71-inch AMOLED (1-120Hz)
10-Bit colour (1.07bn colours) with 6000 nits peak brightness
1256 x 2808 pixels
Circadian Night Display Technology with 4320Hz PWM Dimming
Dolby Vision & HDR Vivid
AudioStereo Sound
ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm)
Octa-core, Max freq 4.6GHz
Adreno 840 GPU
RAM12GB (+ Honor RAM Turbo)
Storage512GB
Camera (selfie)50MP, f/2.0
TOS 3D (depth & biometric camera)
4K Video recording, Max 60fps
Camera (rear)Primary: 50-megapixel f/1.6 PDAF+OIS
Ultra-wide: 50-megapixel f/2.0 Dual Pixel PDAF
Telephoto: 200-megapixel periscope camera (3.7x optical) f/2.6
4K Video recording, Max 60fps
HDR and colour spectrum sensor
ConnectivityTri-band Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth 6.0
5G NR (SA & NSA) Sub 6
4G+ with VoLTE, ViLTE and VoWiFi
NFC
USB-C 3.2, USB On-the-Go & DisplayPort 1.2
Battery6,270mAh
100W fast-charging (SuperCharge protocol & USB-PD 3.1) wired [Not included with the device as standard, but may be included as part of a bundle offer]
80W wireless-charging with suitably compatible Huawei/Honor wireless charger, otherwise standard Qi speeds apply
OtherMagicOS 10 (Android 16) with seven years of OS and security updates [exact number of years to be confirmed, but based on recent devices from Honor]
Fingerprint sensor + face unlock
Factory fitted screen protector
Dual SIM (Dual Standby) + eSIM
Price£1099 (various bundles available at launch, including money off vouchers)
Promotional display showcasing the Honor Magic 8 Lite and Honor Magic 8 Pro smartphones, highlighting features like AI capabilities, battery life, and camera quality.

Honor Magic 8 Pro Pricing and Availability

The Honor Magic 8 Pro is available in the UK with 12GB RAM + 516GB storage for £1099.99, before discounts and promotions.

  • Purchase the Honor Magic 8 Pro from EE, VodafoneThree, VM02, Very, Argos, Amazon or Currys between January 8th and February 4th 2026 and receive a gift bundle worth £814, comprising an Honor Magic Pad 3, Honor Choice Watch 2 Pro, and a Honor Wireless Charger Stand.
  • Purchase the Honor Magic 8 Pro from the Honor website and you can firstly receive a discount of £200 using the voucher code ‘AM8PUK200’ and then the following offers: Honor Pad X9a (limited to first 1,000 orders), Honor 100W SuperCharge Power Adapter, Honor Choice Magic 8 Pro case, Screen Damage Protection (1 service in 12 months), 12-month replacement without repair, and the option of purchasing in 24 interest-free payments (£37.50 per month) via PayPal credit.
Promotional graphic displaying exclusive offers and benefits for the Honor Magic 8 Pro, including early bird voucher discounts, free gifts, care benefits, replacement options, and payment installment plans.

Three colours are available from launch: Sunrise Gold, Sky Cyan and Black.

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