Honor Makes a Giant Leap with the Magic 8 Pro

Now available in Europe following its earlier launch in China, the Honor Magic 8 Pro aims to solidify Honor’s position in the competitive smartphone market. As a reviewer, I have a straightforward benchmark for assessing phones, particularly those that boast about their camera capabilities: during my time using it, how frequently do I find myself yearning for a different device? Of late, the Vivo X300 Pro is typically the phone I miss, especially for its unbeatable camera performance.

While various smartphones may surpass the Vivo in battery longevity or software fluidity, my mind drifts to the Vivo whenever I attempt a portrait shot or capture a low-light image for my culinary blog, thinking, "The Vivo could handle this much better." Surprisingly, throughout my month-long evaluation of the Honor Magic 8 Pro, such thoughts seldom crossed my mind.

Evaluating the Honor Magic 8 Pro

Honor’s flagship model, priced at approximately £1,099.99, which equates to around $1,500, has finally reached the European market. Competing against some of the finest handsets from big names like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo, Honor asserts its prominence. Historically, Honor, following its roots with Huawei, has positioned its main devices as photography specialists. However, I was never entirely swayed — though Honor tossed several phones with competent cameras into the ring, none clinched the top spot.

Camera Capabilities

At the core of the Magic 8 Pro lies a triple camera system: a 50-megapixel main camera (f/1.6), paired with an ultrawide 50MP (f/2.0) and a telephoto 200MP (f/2.6) lens offering 3.7x zoom. The telephoto lens is significant here, excelling in the competitive space of zoom photography, crucial for capturing portraits, close-up shots of animals, or that mouthwatering lunch.

This specific telephoto lens aligns with current trends — it is equipped with a large sensor and quick aperture, intended to operate efficiently under dimmers lighting conditions, and ensuring clarity even with rapid movement and fluctuating lighting. It provides a natural depth of field, avoiding the flatness typical with many smartphone cameras, yielding imagery reminiscent of more professional equipment.

Performance Observations

While similar in hardware to competitors, the quality of photos from the Magic 8 Pro stands out. With impressive dynamic range, warm color tones, and minimal noise, the camera performs reliably on all three rear lenses, although the ultrawide lens does struggle with certain lighting conditions.

Minor issues include occasional over-sharpening or excessive contrast, and capturing fast movement can sometimes result in blurred images. Despite these, the phone holds its ground against top-tier camera phones. Although personally, I might favor Vivo’s X300 Pro for its color calibration providing a nearly film-like appearance, the difference in this regard is largely subjective.

Additional Features

Additional functionality in the Honor Magic 8 Pro includes a customizable button doubling as both a zoom control and an AI button, although its limitations prevent app launches outside Honor's camera and AI suite. The device comes with seven years of promised software support, further assuring European users.

A substantial battery complements this model — a global version houses a 7,100mAh battery, whereas the European variant features a smaller 6,270mAh albeit still offering long-lasting usage over two days. Concerns about battery longevity persist due to silicon-carbon composition, but the starting point is strong.

Final Reflections

In other aspects, such as the 6.71-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and power-efficient processors haven’t disappointed, whilst fast charging capabilities, water and dust resistance ratings, and expansive storage ensure it meets the expectations for a modern high-end device.

As Honor steps into contention with its Chinese rivals, the Magic 8 Pro emerges as a feasible threat, especially in the European market, which has seen scattered availability from other brands. As I transition to my next device, I now ponder, if confronted with a camera shortfall, whether I will long for the versatility that Honor’s Magic 8 Pro has demonstrated.