The Honor Magic 8 Professional Is My First Massive Telephone Disappointment of 2026

An earlier model of this Honor Magic 8 Professional article outlined a extreme drawback I discovered with vital purple fringing on photos from the ultrawide digital camera. Honor recognized the fringing as a fault with my first evaluation unit and despatched me new evaluation samples to check. Having subsequently examined two extra Magic 8 Professional fashions, I can confidently say that this explicit digital camera drawback just isn’t a problem on last retail handsets. However I do nonetheless have complaints about this cellphone’s digital camera, and since it is a flagship handset with a excessive worth, I positively anticipated extra.

The Magic 8 Professional is Honor’s first main Android cellphone of 2026, and it is has some potent tech, together with the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, which delivered a number of the greatest scores I’ve ever seen in our benchmark assessments. I just like the show, too. The Magic 8 Professional has options like 100W quick charging, varied AI expertise and a beneficiant seven years of software program and safety assist. 

However I wasn’t blown away by the cellphone’s battery life regardless of its massive capability. Plus, the exceptionally heavy-handed picture processing on the digital camera signifies that this cellphone falls down in two vital areas for me. At £1,099 within the UK, this cellphone wanted to impress greater than it does. Honor does not formally promote its telephones within the US, however for reference, that worth converts to roughly $1,480. 

The digital camera is the large problem for me, so let’s begin there.

Honor Magic 8 Professional: Problematic digital camera

I’ve shot a whole bunch of pictures throughout three fashions of the Honor Magic 8 Professional, and in all honesty, I have not been in a position to take many photos that I particularly like. This wasn’t helped by my first handset having early teething troubles, however even placing that apart, this cellphone digital camera didn’t stay as much as my expectations in any respect. All photos proven right here had been taken utilizing the alternative fashions that are the identical items that persons are in a position to purchase in shops. 

On paper, the digital camera {hardware} is stable: A 50-megapixel principal digital camera leads the best way, backed up by 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 200-megapixel telephoto with a lens that provides 3.7x optical zoom and 10x hybrid. However the {hardware}’s not the issue — it is Honor’s software program processing that is ruining the enjoyable right here. 

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I am going to begin off with this shot above of a avenue in Edinburgh. At first look, it is advantageous — the picture has an honest publicity (albeit with overly brightened shadows) and correct colours. It is really one of many higher photographs I’ve taken with the cellphone. 

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However a more in-depth look exhibits that issues begin to collapse. An disagreeable hazy halo surrounds the tower block, together with digital artifacts, the place the cellphone is clearly making an attempt to each cut back picture noise whereas additionally rising the sharpness. 

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This is a comparability from the iPhone 16 Professional. The shadows have not been lightened as a lot, which provides the picture a extra pure really feel. 

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Punch into the iPhone’s picture, and it is clear that Apple is processing the main points much less. There may be nearly no fuzzy halo across the tower and no artifacts from noise discount or sharpening. The small print on the brickwork look higher too. 

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Switching to the Honor’s ultrawide digital camera does not assist issues, with extra haloing across the tower and particulars which have a bizarre oil portray impact as a result of digital sharpening. 

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Once more, this picture above appears to be like advantageous. It has a stable publicity and a colour stability that I really assume appears to be like fairly good. 

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However once more I see proof of heavy-handed digital processing, with the sky wanting nearly minimize out in opposition to the perimeters of the buildings. If it seems like I am nitpicking, it is as a result of I’m. This cellphone is pricey, and an elite price ticket ought to include elite efficiency.

Lets take a look at some extra examples? After all!

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The small print on this sundown scene really do not look as overcooked as within the earlier photos, however the Magic 8 Professional has brightened the shadows a lot that it is misplaced lots of the great temper and drama that was current within the second. 

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Even the iPhone 17 Professional lightened issues a bit, however nowhere close to to the identical extent, leading to a way more natural-looking picture. 

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It is not that the digital camera cannot take shot — the {hardware} is greater than succesful. Take a look at this instance. The JPEG above has suffered by the hands of the cellphone’s processing, with unnaturally brightened shadows, crunchy particulars and overly vibrant colours. 

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And above is identical scene, taken as a DNG uncooked picture utilizing the cellphone’s Professional mode and adjusted in Adobe Lightroom. I’ve maintained the great depth of the shadows, added nearly no additional picture sharpening and saved the colours at a pure stage. I really actually like this shot and it goes to indicate that this cellphone is completely able to taking good pictures — it is the picture processing within the digital camera that is going too arduous. 

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Working example, I took the shot above overlooking Edinburgh utilizing the three.7x telephoto lens. It is overly vibrant — each within the highlights and within the shadows — whereas the noise discount and sharpening have resulted in crunchy particulars that look disagreeable, particularly when considered shut up.

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But the DNG uncooked file above appears to be like nice. I’ve barely touched this one because it did not want a lot. The drama of the sundown has been maintained with sturdy shadows and particulars that have not been destroyed by software program. 

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Pushing the zoom to its 10x hybrid produced the decent-looking picture above of a lighthouse. However guess what.

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That is proper, the Magic 8 Professional’s picture processing (left) has given it harsh, crunchy particulars that look disagreeable in comparison with the extra pure look of the iPhone 17 Professional’s picture (proper).

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I did say I would taken some that I like, and certain, these pictures above are fairly first rate and never overly troubled by picture processing, for my part.

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However at evening, the picture processing demon exhibits its hand but once more. The picture above is overly saturated with particulars misplaced in some areas resulting from noise discount whereas different areas have been over sharpened. Possibly it is a one off?

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Nope! The colours have been critically ramped up within the picture above whereas the noise discount and sharpening have once more had their enjoyable with the main points. 

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This is how the iPhone 17 Professional dealt with the identical scene. It’s miles extra pure.

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And here is a bizarre one — the software program smoothed out lots of element on the buildings, giving them an unnatural clean look, however but there’s nonetheless an enormous quantity of picture noise within the sky and the darkish elements of the river. 

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It is not tremendous simple to see, nevertheless it’s even produced these odd sq. patches the place the colours have shifted, presumably an error in how the cellphone processes completely different elements of the scene. 

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The iPhone 17 Professional’s shot has higher dealing with of noise and better-looking particulars. I do want the extra cyan tone of the sky within the Honor’s shot, however that is me actually greedy at straws in looking for some positives. 

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And one other instance of the cellphone producing bizarre noise artifacts.

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Nighttime outcomes from the ultrawide digital camera are roughly in-line with what I noticed from the iPhone. The Honor’s publicity is a bit higher, however unsurprisingly, its particulars look far too digitally sharpened. 

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And at 3.7x zoom, the Honor’s shot is barely brighter and better distinction than the iPhone 17 Professional’s, however sure, particulars do not look as pure. In all actually, although, neither cellphone has precisely excelled right here. 

Secure to say then that I am disillusioned with the Magic 8 Professional’s digital camera efficiency general. Like many cellphone producers, Honor is leaning more and more arduous into its software program processing to beat the constraints of small smartphone digital camera sensors. However this cellphone is an ideal instance of issues going method too far. The DNG uncooked recordsdata I took present that the {hardware} is able to taking handsome photos with pure publicity and clear particulars. Those self same photos look, to my eye, actually terrible when the cellphone’s picture processing has had a go on them.

Images is, in fact, a subjective matter, and what would possibly look good to 1 particular person can look terrible to another person. So certain, possibly you’re keen on hyper saturation and shadows which might be barely there. However a number of the larger issues — just like the picture noise in evening scenes or the blurring of particulars that needs to be clear — are goal indicators of dangerous picture processing. So, Honor, I am begging you immediately now: You might have an awesome digital camera right here — please cease ruining it along with your software program. 

Honor Magic 8 Professional: Show and processor efficiency

Transferring on to one thing extra optimistic now, I do just like the cellphone’s 6.71-inch show. It is vibrant and vibrant, which makes it simply seen beneath harsh outside sunshine and permits colourful YouTube movies to pop properly. It is beautiful for gaming, too, because of its max 120Hz refresh price that may dynamically shift to 1Hz to assist cut back the load in your battery. 

The cellphone is powered by Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 processor, which places in a number of the greatest scores we have ever seen on our benchmark assessments for each processor efficiency and graphics processing. It feels extraordinarily zippy in on a regular basis use. Taking part in demanding 3D video games like Genshin Affect was no drawback in any respect, even after I cranked the settings to the max. 

Honor Magic 8 Professional: Software program and AI additions

The cellphone runs Android 16 at its core, over which Honor has slapped its personal Magic OS 10 interface. It capabilities principally like all model of Android, however you will see that some additions thrown in, principally within the type of AI instruments, together with ones like Google’s Gemini we might see on different Android gadgets.

The AI Pictures Agent permits you to use generative AI to upscale, recompose or take away objects from a picture or rework it into a number of restricted kinds together with “Cartoon” or “Animation,” which I’d have assumed are the identical factor. Does it work? Effectively, I am going to allow you to decide.

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This is my unique selfie taken with the cellphone.

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And here is what the cellphone’s “Cartoon” AI instrument has accomplished to me. I do not even want to consider a sarcastic quip; it very a lot speaks for itself. 

Elsewhere, you will discover instruments like an AI settings agent, the place you may ask tips on how to do issues like dim your display screen brightness, and an AI Recollections instrument, which largely appears to be a repository for screenshots. You may even have Google’s AI instruments like Gemini Stay, Gemini Superior and Circle to Search, the latter of which may be accessed via a devoted button on the aspect of the cellphone. The button, nevertheless, can be programed to open and function the digital camera — very similar to Apple’s digital camera management button — and I discover it extra helpful in that kind.

Honor has mentioned that the cellphone will obtain seven years of software program and safety assist, which means this cellphone ought to nonetheless be good to make use of all through to 2033.

Honor Magic 8 Professional: Battery life and charging

The cellphone runs on a 6,270-mAh battery, which, whereas sizable, solely gave common outcomes on our battery drain assessments. Battery efficiency sits extra alongside telephones just like the Galaxy S25 or Google Pixel 10, nevertheless it’s an enormous step beneath the iPhone 17 Professional Max or OnePlus 15. 

It does, nevertheless, supply 100W wired charging, which ought to make it extraordinarily fast to juice it again up, so long as you might have a suitable charger. It additionally presents 80W wi-fi charging, however you will want a proprietary charger to hit these speeds because the cellphone does not assist Qi2.2 equipment. 

Honor Magic 8 Professional: Do you have to purchase it?

I am glad I retested this cellphone on a number of items. It confirmed me that the early problem I discovered with the digital camera was not an issue, nevertheless it additionally proved to me that the cameras on this factor nonetheless want lots of work. I am disillusioned with Honor right here, because the cellphone’s {hardware} might be good, however its picture processing all however ruins in any other case stable pictures. I would not thoughts a lot, however with a flagship worth over £1,000 right here within the UK, I count on higher. 

Certain, you may shoot in uncooked on a regular basis and edit your photos in Lightroom such as you would possibly with a daily digital camera. However you should not have to bypass the cellphone’s efforts in an effort to get one thing usable. There’s an opportunity, in fact, that you simply love saturated photos with lightened shadows and particulars that seem like they have been given an oil portray filter from a free Play Retailer enhancing app. If that sounds such as you, then you definately’ll in all probability get on extraordinarily properly with this cellphone. 

It is not all dangerous in fact, the Magic 8 Professional is massively highly effective. I really like the beneficiant software program assist interval, and whereas a few of Honor’s personal AI additions are pretty redundant, the general interface of the cellphone is nice to make use of. Battery life may actually be higher, however I’ve seen a lot worse. 

For the excessive worth, I believe your cash is best spent on rival Android telephones. Need a greater digital camera? Go together with the Oppo Discover X9 Professional. Need higher battery life? The OnePlus 15 is for you. 

How we take a look at telephones

Each cellphone examined by CNET’s evaluations workforce was utilized in the true world. We take a look at a cellphone’s options, play video games and take pictures. We study the show to see if it is vibrant, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to find out the way it holds up and whether or not it has an IP score for water resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes utilizing standardized benchmark instruments like Geekbench and 3DMark, together with our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and enjoying graphically intense video games at high-refresh charges.

All of the cameras are examined in a wide range of circumstances, from vibrant daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options, like evening mode and portrait mode, and examine our findings in opposition to equally priced competing telephones. We additionally take a look at the battery life by utilizing it day by day, in addition to working a sequence of battery drain assessments.

We additionally take into account extra options, similar to assist for 5G, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus assist, quick charging speeds and foldable shows, amongst others, that may be useful. We stability all of this in opposition to the worth to provide the verdict on whether or not that cellphone, no matter its worth, really represents good worth. Whereas these assessments could not at all times be mirrored in CNET’s preliminary evaluation, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.