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

An earlier model of this Honor Magic 8 Professional article outlined a extreme downside I discovered with important purple fringing on photos from the ultrawide digicam. Honor recognized the fringing as a fault with my first evaluation unit and despatched me new evaluation samples to check. Having subsequently examined two further Magic 8 Professional fashions, I can confidently say that this explicit digicam downside shouldn’t be a difficulty on ultimate retail handsets. However I do nonetheless have complaints about this cellphone’s digicam, and since it is a flagship handset with a excessive value, 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 few of the greatest scores I’ve ever seen in our benchmark exams. 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 help. 

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

The digicam is the large subject for me, so let’s begin there.

Honor Magic 8 Professional: Problematic digicam

I’ve shot a whole bunch of images 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 digicam didn’t dwell as much as my expectations in any respect. All photos proven right here have been taken utilizing the substitute fashions that are the identical items that individuals are in a position to purchase in shops. 

On paper, the digicam {hardware} is stable: A 50-megapixel essential digicam leads the best way, backed up by 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 200-megapixel telephoto with a lens that gives 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. 

Enlarge Picture

I will begin off with this shot above of a road 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. 

Enlarge Picture

However a better look reveals that issues begin to disintegrate. An disagreeable hazy halo surrounds the tower block, together with digital artifacts, the place the cellphone is clearly making an attempt to each scale back picture noise whereas additionally growing the sharpness. 

Enlarge Picture

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. 

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

Once more, this picture above seems to be advantageous. It has a stable publicity and a coloration steadiness that I really suppose seems to be fairly good. 

Enlarge Picture

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

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

Enlarge Picture

The main points 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 a number of the great temper and drama that was current within the second. 

Enlarge Picture

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. 

Enlarge Picture

It isn’t that the digicam cannot take an excellent shot — the {hardware} is greater than succesful. Have 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. 

Enlarge Picture

And above is similar 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 stored the colours at a pure degree. I really actually like this shot and it goes to point out that this cellphone is completely able to taking good images — it is the picture processing within the digicam that is going too arduous. 

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

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).

Enlarge Picture

Enlarge Picture

Enlarge Picture

Enlarge Picture

I did say I would taken some that I like, and positive, these images above are fairly first rate and never overly troubled by picture processing, in my view.

Enlarge Picture

However at night time, the picture processing demon reveals 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?

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

And here is a bizarre one — the software program smoothed out a number 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. 

Enlarge Picture

It isn’t 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. 

Enlarge Picture

The iPhone 17 Professional’s shot has higher dealing with of noise and better-looking particulars. I do favor 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. 

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

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

Enlarge Picture

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 disenchanted with the Magic 8 Professional’s digicam efficiency general. Like many cellphone producers, Honor is leaning more and more arduous into its software program processing to beat the restrictions of small smartphone digicam sensors. However this cellphone is an ideal instance of issues going approach 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, really terrible when the cellphone’s picture processing has had a go on them.

Pictures is, in fact, a subjective matter, and what may look good to 1 individual can look terrible to another person. So positive, perhaps you’re keen on hyper saturation and shadows which are barely there. However a few of the larger issues — just like the picture noise in night time scenes or the blurring of particulars that needs to be clear — are goal indicators of dangerous picture processing. So, Honor, I am begging you instantly now: You may have an important digicam right here — please cease ruining it together with your software program. 

Honor Magic 8 Professional: Show and processor efficiency

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

The cellphone is powered by Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 processor, which places in a few of the greatest scores we have ever seen on our benchmark exams for each processor efficiency and graphics processing. It feels extraordinarily zippy in on a regular basis use. Enjoying demanding 3D video games like Genshin Influence was no downside 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 features 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 units.

The AI Images Agent means that you can use generative AI to upscale, recompose or take away objects from a picture or rework it into just a few restricted types together with “Cartoon” or “Animation,” which I might have assumed are the identical factor. Does it work? Properly, I will allow you to choose.

Enlarge Picture

This is my unique selfie taken with the cellphone.

Enlarge Picture

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

Elsewhere, you may discover instruments like an AI settings agent, the place you possibly can ask learn how to do issues like dim your display brightness, and an AI Reminiscences software, which largely appears to be a repository for screenshots. You may even have Google’s AI instruments like Gemini Reside, Gemini Superior and Circle to Search, the latter of which could be accessed by means of a devoted button on the facet of the cellphone. The button, nevertheless, may also be programed to open and function the digicam — very like Apple’s digicam management button — and I discover it extra helpful in that kind.

Honor has stated that the cellphone will obtain seven years of software program and safety help, that means this cellphone ought to nonetheless be good to make use of throughout 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 exams. Battery efficiency sits extra alongside telephones just like the Galaxy S25 or Google Pixel 10, nevertheless it’s a giant 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’ve a appropriate charger. It additionally presents 80W wi-fi charging, however you may want a proprietary charger to hit these speeds because the cellphone would not help Qi2.2 equipment. 

Honor Magic 8 Professional: Must you purchase it?

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

Positive, you possibly can shoot in uncooked on a regular basis and edit your photos in Lightroom such as you may with a daily digicam. However you should not have to bypass the cellphone’s efforts with the intention to get one thing usable. There’s an opportunity, in fact, that you simply love saturated photos with lightened shadows and particulars that appear like they have been given an oil portray filter from a free Play Retailer modifying app. If that sounds such as you, then you definitely’ll most likely get on extraordinarily properly with this cellphone. 

It isn’t all dangerous in fact, the Magic 8 Professional is massively highly effective. I like the beneficiant software program help 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 might actually be higher, however I’ve seen a lot worse. 

For the excessive value, I feel your cash is healthier spent on rival Android telephones. Need a greater digicam? Go along 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 group was utilized in the true world. We take a look at a cellphone’s options, play video games and take images. We look at the show to see if it is shiny, 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 ranking 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 situations, from shiny daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options, like night time mode and portrait mode, and evaluate our findings in opposition to equally priced competing telephones. We additionally try the battery life through the use of it every day, in addition to working a sequence of battery drain exams.

We additionally think about further options, akin to help for 5G, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus help, quick charging speeds and foldable shows, amongst others, that may be helpful. We steadiness all of this in opposition to the worth to provide the verdict on whether or not that cellphone, no matter its value, really represents good worth. Whereas these exams might not at all times be mirrored in CNET’s preliminary evaluation, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.