Honor Magic 9 and Magic 9 Pro Max flagship smartphones unveiled

Honor has unveiled the flagship Magic 9 and Magic 9 Pro Max smartphones in China. The new generation of the lineup features a redesigned look, high-capacity batteries, and a camera system developed jointly with German professional cinema equipment manufacturer ARRI.

The Honor Magic 9 has a body with a glass back panel. The device features a 6.37-inch flat LTPS OLED display with a resolution of 2664 × 1236 pixels (460 ppi), a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, and peak brightness of 10,000 nits. Maximum brightness in HBM mode is 2,000 nits, while the PWM frequency reaches 3,840 Hz. The panel is covered with the company's Black Diamond glass, designed to provide greater resistance to everyday scratches and impacts. Dolby Vision is supported. The bezels around the display are 0.95 mm wide.

The smartphone is powered by a 3-nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor with Adreno 840 graphics. It comes with 12 or 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Storage options include 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB of UFS 4.1 storage.

The triple rear camera consists of a 200 MP main sensor (1/1.4″, f/1.9, OIS, CIPA 7.5), a 50 MP ultrawide module (f/2.0), and a 200 MP periscope lens (1/1.56″, f/2.6, 3.5x optical zoom, OIS, CIPA 7.5). The camera can record 4K@120fps video. The smartphone features Honor's H1 image processor for working with RAW video and supports ARRI video technologies, including LogC3, a library of 87 color profiles, and a Cinema Live mode with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio.

The front-facing camera has a resolution of 55 MP (1/2.74″, f/2.0, 4K@60fps video recording). Thanks to its square 1:1 sensor, the camera can not only capture more space above and to the sides but also shoot in horizontal or vertical orientation without turning the smartphone itself. An external telephoto lens with a 200 mm equivalent focal length is supported.

The silicon-carbon battery has a capacity of 8,000 mAh and supports 80 W wired charging and 50 W wireless charging. The smartphone measures 151 × 72.28 × 8.49 mm and weighs 209 g. The device will be available in four colors: yellow, white, black, and olive green.

The Honor Magic 9 Pro Max is the first model in the company's lineup to carry the Pro Max name. The smartphone has a unibody metal construction and a redesigned camera module inspired by the classic ARRI ARRIFLEX 35 retro camera released back in 1937. The main lens is surrounded by a ridged frame reminiscent of elements found on professional cinema equipment and emphasizing the device's positioning.

The device features a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display with a resolution of 2868 × 1320 pixels (464 ppi) and an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz. Peak brightness reaches 10,000 nits, while maximum brightness in HBM mode is 2,000 nits. The PWM dimming frequency is 4,320 Hz. The bezels around the display are 0.98 mm wide. Dolby Vision and HDR Vivid are supported. The display is protected by NanoCrystal Shield glass with an anti-reflective coating. According to Honor, light reflectance has been reduced to 1.5%, scratch resistance has been increased 15 times, and drop resistance has been increased 25 times. The smartphone is powered by the new 2-nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor with Adreno 850 graphics. Its memory configurations are the same as those of the Magic 9.

The smartphone has the same camera setup as the base model, but it uses larger and more advanced sensors. The rear camera includes a 200 MP main sensor (1/1.28″, f/1.57, OIS, CIPA 8.0), a 50 MP ultrawide module (f/2.0), and a 200 MP periscope lens (1/1.4″, f/2.6, 3.5x optical zoom, OIS, CIPA 8.0). The camera records 4K@120fps video. Image processing is handled by the company's H1 chip. The front-facing camera is the same but is supplemented by a 3D facial recognition system.

As part of its collaboration with ARRI, the smartphone received a professional video system supporting 10-bit color and the LogC3 logarithmic profile, which preserves more detail in highlights and shadows for subsequent color grading. Users have access to 14 preset Arri Look LUT profiles, as well as a library of official and third-party LUTs. Video is recorded using the APV codec with 10-bit color and 4:2:2 chroma subsampling. An ARRI Cinema mode provides manual control over ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus, and stabilization. Audio recording is handled by a directional microphone system, including a built-in microphone with a narrow pickup pattern. Two external telephoto lenses with equivalent focal lengths of 200 mm and 500 mm are offered as additional accessories. A dedicated photography grip and a professional video kit developed jointly with SmallRig are also available.

The 8,800 mAh silicon-carbon battery supports 100 W wired charging and 80 W wireless charging. The smartphone measures 161.64 × 76.98 × 8.59 mm and weighs 233 g. Three colors are available: black, silver, and green.

The models also support 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 (Bluetooth 6.3 on the Magic 9 Pro Max), GPS, NFC, an infrared remote, two nanoSIM cards (two nanoSIM cards plus two eSIMs on the Magic 9 Pro Max), a USB Type-C 2.0 port, stereo speakers (plus Honor Surround subwoofer on the Magic 9 Pro Max), and IP68/69/69K protection. An ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is located under the display. The smartphones feature a touch-sensitive camera control key on the right edge, a separate button for quick access to AI features on the left edge, and a C3 radio chip for a more stable connection in challenging conditions. The devices run Android 17 with the MagicOS 11 interface.

Honor Magic 9 prices: 12/256 GB — $745, 12/512 GB — $819, 16/512 GB — $894, 16 GB/1 TB — $1,043. The 16 GB/1 TB version bundled with a photography kit costs $1,638. Honor Magic 9 Pro Max prices: 12/256 GB — $968, 12/512 GB — $1,043, 16/512 GB — $1,117, 16 GB/1 TB — $1,266. A photography kit bundle is available for the higher-end model with 16 GB/1 TB of memory for $1,638. The G200 telephoto lens costs $149, the G200 with the professional grip costs $223, the G500 costs $298, and the G500 with the professional grip costs $372.

Sales have already begun in China, while the timing of the international release has not yet been announced.