This is magic
The Magic 8 Pro is a great choice if you need a flagship with all the extras. The phone has fabulous cameras, an OLED panel that gets bright and has a suite of eye-care features that are meaningful in regular use, and a big enough battery to last a day with ease. It runs the latest iteration of Honor’s software, and with seven years of guaranteed updates, it will last just as long as Google and Samsung phones.
Pros
- Latest internals
- Vibrant OLED with LTPO
- Great cameras
- Will get seven years of software updates
- IP68 and IP69K ingress protection
- Good battery life
Cons
- Costlier (by a lot)
- Software isn’t on par with Android rivals
- Camera tuning tends to be aggressive at times
Battery beast
The massive battery makes the Magic 8 Lite a clear standout, so if you need a phone that’s designed to last two days, this is the one to get. That said, the hardware isn’t anywhere as good as the Magic 8 Pro, you only get one good rear camera, there’s no tele lens, the device is still running Android 15, and it won’t get as many software updates as the Magic 8 Pro. If you need a mid-ranger, I’d consider another brand.
Pros
- Huge battery that lasts two days
- Good design
- Bright AMOLED with useful eye protection features
- IP68 and IP69K ingress protection
Cons
- Launches with Android 15
- Wide-angle lens is average
- No tele module
- Misses out on 12GB RAM and UFS 4.1 storage
- Won’t get as many software updates
Honor Magic 8 Pro vs. Magic 8 Lite: Design
(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)
Honor isn’t making many alterations when it comes to the design of its latest phones. Both devices have roughly similar dimensions, but the Magic 8 Pro is heavier because of the aluminum mid-frame, giving it better rigidity. The Magic 8 Lite is made out of plastic, and while there are no issues with build quality, it doesn’t quite have the same feel.
Thankfully, both devices get IP68 and IP69K dust and water resistance, so they should hold up just as well at the pool or in the shower. The Magic 8 Pro has a massive camera island, and it looks like a natural evolution of what we saw on the Magic 7 Pro last year. The Magic 8 Lite has a cleaner design, and if anything, I like the way it looks a little better.
Honor went with a plastic rear on both devices, with the Magic 8 Pro using a fiber-reinforced material that gives it a better in-hand feel. Outside of that, there isn’t much to differentiate the devices at least when it comes to the design.
You may like
Honor Magic 8 Pro vs. Magic 8 Lite: Hardware
(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)
This is where you’ll see a real difference between the two phones. With the Magic 8 Pro, Honor went with the latest Qualcomm silicon, putting the device on par with the iQOO 15 and the upcoming Galaxy S26. But the Magic 8 Lite gets the 4nm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4, and although it is decent enough, it doesn’t have anywhere close to the kind of power as the Magic 8 Pro.
Another limitation is the memory; the Magic 8 Pro gets the standard 12GB memory, but the Magic 8 Lite only gets 8GB, and Honor really should have included 12GB on both models. You don’t get UFS 4.1 storage on the Magic 8 Lite either, and it misses out on Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and USB-C Gen 3.2. Basically, Honor made several changes to the Magic 8 Lite, and the result is a device that doesn’t measure up to other phones in this category, much less the Magic 8 Pro.
The upside is that the Magic 8 Lite dominates when it comes to the battery; thanks to a massive 7,500mAh battery, the phone manages to last two days between charges. The Magic 8 Pro is pretty decent in this area as well, but the global model doesn’t quite measure up to its Lite sibling.
Honor Magic 8 Pro vs. Magic 8 Lite: Cameras
(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)
The Magic 8 Pro has a trio of great cameras, and you get a similar level of versatility as the best Android phones. The main 50MP camera shoots outstanding photos in all situations, and the 200MP tele lens is great in its own right. It’s not quite as good as the Vivo X300 Pro or the Find X9 Pro, but it is better than what Honor managed last year.
The Magic 8 Lite, on the other hand, gets a main 108MP module and a paltry 5MP wide-angle lens, and as you can imagine, the secondary lens is average at best. You don’t get a dedicated telephoto, and that’s annoying to say the least.
Honor Magic 8 Pro vs. Magic 8 Lite: Software
(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)
Normally, I’d say that the software is the same on these devices, but that isn’t the case. The Magic 8 Pro comes with Android 16 out of the box, but the Magic 8 Lite is still on Android 15, and that’s infuriating. What’s even more egregious is that the Magic 8 Lite won’t get as many software updates; with six guaranteed updates, the phone will get two fewer Android platform updates as the Magic 8 Pro.
Other than the update situation, the software is roughly similar on either device. Honor is badly in need of a visual overhaul, and while the brand insists that its software is built in-house, there are too many Huawei-esque influences still around. With other brands rolling out new interfaces and modernizing their software, the Magic 8 Pro and 8 Lite look a little outdated.
Honor Magic 8 Pro vs. Magic 8 Lite: Which should you buy?
(Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Android Central)
Of the two, the Magic 8 Pro is clearly the better device, but that’s obvious. The device doesn’t really have any limitations, and it holds its own against the likes of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Pixel 10 Pro.
The Magic 8 Lite also has a lot going for it, and that’s particularly the case when it comes to battery life and ingress protection. If that’s what you need, then yes, the Magic 8 Lite is a good choice. But the phone isn’t quite as good when it comes to the cameras, or even the hardware, with Honor shortchanging buyers on small things like the Bluetooth modem. I also don’t like that the phone is running Android 15 instead of the latest Android 16.
If you need the best that Honor has to offer, the Magic 8 Pro is the phone you should buy. If you need a mid-ranger with the best value, I’d suggest taking a look at the Pixel 9a or the Xiaomi 15T.
This is magic
The Magic 8 Pro is a great choice if you need a phone with standout cameras, and all the extras you need in 2026.
Battery beast
The Magic 8 Lite has several compromises with the hardware, but if you’re willing to put up with that and want a phone with standout battery life, it’s a decent choice. That said, I’d suggest looking at the Xiaomi 15T if you need an all-rounder with better cameras, better internals, better software, and a bigger OLED panel.
