honor-magic8-pro-review-–-magic,-wow-and-power

Honor Magic8 Pro Review – Magic, Wow and Power

2025 is the year of photography for Android devices. Oppo with Hasselblad, Vivo with Zeiss, Xiaomi with Leica and Realme with Ricoh. So can a device without a camera brand collaboration offer the same photography performance? The short answer to this question for the Honor Magic8 Pro is yes. But for the longer answer please read the full review below.SPECIFICATIONSHonor Magic8 Pro6.71″ LTPO OLED screen, 120Hz1256 x 2808 pixelsDolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR VividSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor2 x 4.6 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L chips6 x 3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix MAdreno 840 Graphics ChipRAM 12/16 GB LPDDR5XInternal Storage 512/1000 GB UFS 4.1Primary Camera 50MP f/1.6, OIS (Wide Angle)50MP f/2.0 (Ultra Wide)200MP f/2.6, OIS (Telephoto 3.7x)4K@120fps50MP f/2.0 Selfie Camera4K 60FPS7100 mAh SiC batteryWired charging 100WWireless charging 80WReverse charging 5WNano SIM/Telephony/eSIMNFC YesAudio jack NoneWaterproof IP68/IP69KScanning System Ultrasonic under-screen fingerprint scanner3D face scanningSelling Price RM4599 (12/512 GB)RM5199 (16/1000 GB)SCREENThe 6.71″ LTPO OLED screen has a slight curve on the sides but it does not. interfere with the experience of using the device. The bezel is thin on all four corners making the face of the device always symmetrical and responsive with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz providing a smooth content scrolling experience. The haptic system is also excellent as it feels 3D with realistic vibrations.The OLED panel is bright enough to be used in bright sunlight. HDR Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content are supported on major streaming apps such as Netflix and Prime Video. Color reproduction is also quite good.Admittedly, the camera hole on this screen is quite large and annoying when playing games. But this is the price to pay for a 3D facial scanning system. It is an issue that iPhone users also have to face.BIOMETRICSThe biometric system is a 3D facial scanning that is rarely offered on Android and is comparable to my experience using Face ID. It is very fast to unlock the device even in the dark. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner placed under the screen is also fast. Its position is quite ergonomic without causing any difficulties during the period of this device being reviewed.DESIGNThe trend of phone design since last year is to resemble the body of the iPhone. This is the most comfortable and ergonomic design that is also used on the Magic8 Pro. From a positive point of view, I feel that this device is very comfortable to hold with the boxy metal sides. It feels very solid in the hand because it is "heavy" giving the feeling that you are holding an expensive device. The negative angle is definitely that Honor seems to have no identity. This is not helped by the Honor 500 series which looks like the iPhone Air.The audio adjustment buttons, power and camera buttons are placed on the right side. Yes, there is a camera button like the iPhone. Launching the camera is as easy as pressing the camera button twice with camera controls available via the same button.Two stereo speakers firing to the sides provide balanced audio. At the bottom is the SIM tray and USB-C charging port. This port supports the faster USB 3.2 transfer protocol compared to USB 2.0 supported by most devices out there.The back panel is made of polycarbonate with a metal-like finish. This is to bring wireless charging support. The back finish is not shiny so it does not collect dirt easily.The back is dominated by a large camera bump that houses the tri-camera and also the infrared emitter. It is large in size but in the middle of the device it will still be stable when placed on a table surface. All the camera lenses are protected by a large glass panel which makes me not worry about the lens being scratched.Because all modern devices now have a giant camera bump is it still a problem for you? For me it has now become a common allergy. We just learn to live in a post-hump world like we live in a post-audio jack world, no microSD support and no removable battery.The body passes the highest IP68/IP69K standards ever given to Honor devices. This year, IP69K has become the standard standard. There will be no problem with this device falling into a drain or being used in the rain.Camera bump with IR emitterThis waterproof and dustproof body is still quite thin despite housing a 7100 mAh battery of the SiC type. It is not the largest capacity among flagship devices but this is much larger than the 5850 mAh on the Magic7 Pro. Charging still remains 100W wired and 80W wireless and can charge up to 5W for TWC, smart rings and smart watches.Plus Key ButtonSoftware – MagicOS 10The device uses MagicOS 10 based on Android 16 which is the latest version. The changes to the interface elements made by Honor are small but have a big impact compared to MagicOS 9. At the beginning of this review I said that the design of the Magic8 Pro body is like an iPhone. MagicOS 10 also seems to have been affected by the Liquid Glass effect used by iOS 26.The elements on the Quick Settings now have a Gaussian blur effect which makes the device look almost like iOS 26. There is no transparent effect of Liquid Glass but it is very similar to the Frosted mode on iOS 26. Is this a negative thing? Maybe from a creative point of view but this Apple trend can also be seen in other Android device launchers.The window boxes, multitasking and various elements inside but now more rounded. A little save from Google Material Expressive which I used on Pixel 10 Pro XL recently. As a hardcore Android user I admit that I prefer the Pixel 10 series interface but this is a matter of personal preference. The important thing in my opinion is that MagicOS 10 is more pleasing to the eye than MagicOS 9. Overall it looks classier and neater this year.There is also support for sending files across Android, iOS, HarmonyOS and Windows operating systems earlier than what Google has just given. The trend of Chinese manufacturers supporting the Apple and Huawei ecosystems is very attractive for those who are agnostic to the operating system. It is a liberation from having to use only one ecosystem. Chinese companies were early to provide this option which makes them more in line with the DMA requirements set by the European Union (EU).AI features are not left behind because we are now living in the post-self-employment era and rely on AI instead. Honor AI offers Magic Text, Magic Portal, AI Translate, Call Translation, AI Writing, AI Deepfake Detection and more. Even the feature of making animations from photos is also brought back after being the talk of the town on the Honor 400 series a few months ago.The performance of Honor AI features is on par with that offered by other Android devices and several hundred steps ahead of Apple Intelligence. For fans of the Google ecosystem, there is a Gemini summoning feature with the power button and Google Circle to Search built-in.Honor promises 7 Android version update support and 7 years of security patches on the Magic series which puts it on par with Samsung and Google.BENCHMARKHonor Magic8 Pro is the third phone to enter the Malaysian market with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip paired with UFS 4.1 storage and LPDDR5X memory. The specifications are very groundbreaking this year. Therefore, it is very compatible compared to the devices and chips below.Dimensity 9500 – Vivo X300 ProSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 – OnePlus 15Tensor G5 – Google Pixel 10 Pro XLDimensity 9500 – Oppo Find X9 ProApple A19 Pro – Apple iPhone 17 ProSnapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy – Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraMediaTek Dimensity 9400 – Oppo Find X8 ProApple A18 Pro – Apple iPhone 16 Pro MaxAnTuTu 3DChip ScoreHonor Magic8 Pro 3,424,247Vivo X300 Pro 3,507,869OnePlus 15 3,720,096Google Pixel 10 Pro 1,214,735Oppo Find X9 Pro 3,472,342Apple iPhone 17 Pro 2,634,345Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 1,946,864Oppo Find X8 Pro 2,629,017Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 1,720,751Geekbench 6Single Core Multi Core ChipHonor Magic8 Pro 3587 9853Vivo X300 Pro 3507 10469OnePlus 15 3553 10484Google Pixel 10 Pro 2303 6134Oppo Find X9 Pro 3158 9298Apple iPhone 17 Pro 3560 8835Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 2957 9435Oppo Find X8 Pro 2663 8959Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 3359 81293DMark Wildlife ExtremeChip ScoreHonor Magic8 Pro 7659Vivo X300 Pro 7075OnePlus 15 6741Google Pixel 10 Pro 3266Oppo Find X9 Pro 6127Apple iPhone 17 Pro 5873Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 6135Oppo Find X8 Pro 6251Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 4560The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 on the Magic8 Pro is competitive with the one used in the OnePlus 15 and the Dimensity 9500 on the Vivo X300. The device can run common apps without issues and games like Genshin Impact, and COD Mobile on high settings without any issues. There were no serious heating issues during the review period. It was just lukewarm after 30 minutes.The device also doesn't become an oven after taking a lot of photos. The Magic8 Pro's built-in cooling system does a good job of ensuring that the device doesn't overheat. In the Antutu 3D test for example, the device was cooler after the test was over than the OnePlus 15. Perhaps this is a factor in the slightly lower score recorded,.With UFS 4.1 storage, downloading, installing and launching apps is fast. There's no need to wait long. LPDDR5X memory also ensures that there are no refresh or lag issues. Honor's RAM Turbo adds up to 12GB of virtual RAM. Honor doesn't allow the size of this virtual memory to be changed compared to what Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo and Xiaomi offer.CAMERAThe main camera consists of a 50MP wide-angle, 50MP ultra-wide and 200MP telephoto with up to 3.7x optical zoom or 100X digital zoom. On the front, there's a 50MP selfie camera. On paper, the sensor specifications are the same as the Magic7 Pro. The only changes are in the optical zoom capabilities and there's no longer a variable aperture on the wide-angle lens.However, this year the priority is given to the camera software that improves the post-processing features. As a result, the pictures look more alive and sharp. Previously, I criticized the camera as a significant weakness of Honor. This year I can't criticize because the picture taken is indeed very good. Sharp, alive and very impressive especially in night mode. An example is as follows.The colors look quite vivid and I admit that they are not accurate to the real situation. This is not an issue for people like me who prefer beautiful and not original SOOC pictures. The images are also sharp no matter night or day.The camera can zoom up to 100X through digital mode. I usually do zoom tests during the day because at night the exposure required produces a blurrier image. But on the Magic8 Pro in night mode even the zoom is very satisfactory. I feel the image post-processing system on this device is comparable to the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Is thereBATTERYThe 7100 mAh battery can last all day and has lasted almost two days several times during the review period. In moderate use, getting SOT over 10 hours is a common thing. The 100W SuperCharge supported allows the battery to be recharged in around 50 minutes which is very fast. Wireless charging is up to 80W and the reverse is 5W. Honor provides a 100W charger in the box with a USB-A header.AUDIOIt's not just the camera, the battery and software have received significant upgrades this year. Audio also needs to be praised as previously Honor devices had issues with not being loud enough. 100% on Honor devices is the same as 70% on other devices. The device still doesn't have Dolby Atmos but Honor's system this time is loud enough.In 3D Surround Sound mode the staging feels wider and the audio sounds more satisfying. There are no more flat audio issues. This is also helped by the stereo speakers both firing to the sides.IN THE BOXHere's what's included in the box.1x Honor Magic8 Pro1x SuperCharge 100W USB-A Charger1x USB-A to USB-C charging cable.1x Plastic frame1x Manual.1x SIM pin.CONCLUSIONThis year's Honor Magic8 Pro not only has magic in the software but also wow in the camera capabilities and power on the processor chip. In addition, the battery is very long-lasting and the audio is improved compared to other Magic models.The only minor drawback is that the design has not changed much from last year. But if consumers can forgive Apple and Samsung for doing this, there is no reason not to turn a blind eye when Honor does it too.With a selling price of RM4599 for 16/512 GB and RM5199 for 16/1000 GB, it is offered at a competitive price with the specifications offered.ProsThe premium design is very comfortable and not easy to get dirty.The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the most powerful so far.The combination of RAM and fast storage.Good camera capabilities.IP69K waterproof and dustproofThe 7100 mAh battery is long-lasting and supports 100W fast charging.Supports 7 Android versions and 7 years of security patches.ConsSame design as last year.Interface takes a lot of “inspiration” from iOS 26