HONOR’s latest flagship, the HONOR Magic8 Pro, is making a late-year push in the premium smartphone race on two fronts: independent camera benchmarking and attention-grabbing AI photo edits designed to “rescue” imperfect holiday shots. New coverage published today highlights the phone’s leap into DXOMARK’s global top tier, while HONOR’s seasonal marketing leans hard into AI that can “fix” family photos—right down to opening closed eyes and adding festive elements. [1]
Key takeaways from today’s updates
- DXOMARK score (official): 165 (Camera) with Photo: 170 and Video: 154, placing the Magic8 Pro at #5 in the global ranking on the DXOMARK Camera test page. [2]
- Today’s reporting says the Magic8 Pro’s top-5 move pushes the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL out of the top five. [3]
- HONOR’s holiday-themed teaser messaging frames its AI photo tools as a way to turn “not-quite-perfect” Christmas photos into a “Christmas miracle,” including opening closed eyes and adding Santa. [4]
- In the UAE/GCC, HONOR says pre-orders began December 11, with pricing at AED 3,999 (12GB/512GB) and AED 4,699 (16GB/1TB) and bundled pre-order perks (region-specific). [5]
What happened on December 27: Magic8 Pro rises in DXOMARK’s camera conversation
Two separate tech outlets publishing on December 27, 2025 point to the same headline: the HONOR Magic8 Pro is now a top-five camera phone in DXOMARK’s standings, and its score reshuffles a crowded “best camera flagship” leaderboard. [6]
DXOMARK’s own camera test page lists the Magic8 Pro at 165 points overall for Camera, with a label showing “5th Ranking Position in Global Ranking.” DXOMARK also breaks out the device’s major sub-scores as 170 for Photo and 154 for Video—a split that tells the story of where the Magic8 Pro shines most. [7]
Today’s reporting also emphasizes the competitive context around that #5 placement. NotebookCheck notes that this move nudges the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL out of the top five, while Gizguide frames the shift as the Magic8 Pro “entering the top 5” after overtaking the Pixel 10 Pro XL in the mobile camera ranking. [8]
A quick note on the “164 vs 165” score chatter
One of today’s articles reports an “average score of 164” from the Photo (170) and Video (154) results; however, DXOMARK’s official camera test page currently lists the Magic8 Pro at 165 for the Camera score along with its #5 ranking marker. For readers tracking the number closely, the DXOMARK listing is the primary reference. [9]
DXOMARK’s verdict: Excellent photos, but video is the pressure point
DXOMARK’s evaluation paints the Magic8 Pro as a strong all-rounder for still photography, backed by a large-sensor telephoto approach and modern HDR processing—yet it’s not presented as flawless, especially for demanding video creators.
Where DXOMARK says the Magic8 Pro performs best
DXOMARK highlights strengths that map to real-world priorities for flagship buyers:
- Accurate target exposure with a wide dynamic range in many photo and video situations. [10]
- Good detail in bright light across photo, video, and long telephoto range. [11]
- Often neutral white balance and pleasant skin tones in photos. [12]
- Generally low noise in many photo conditions. [13]
Those positives align with the phone’s core camera hardware formula: a 50MP main camera, 50MP ultra-wide, and 200MP periscope telephoto (3.7x optical)—the same sensor/zoom combination DXOMARK lists in its “key camera specifications.” [14]
The main caveat: video consistency and low light
DXOMARK’s “Cons” list is unusually telling because it reads like a checklist of challenges that often separate a great camera phone from a truly “creator-first” one:
- Exposure instabilities in video and across consecutive shots. [15]
- Video color rendering that can be inaccurate. [16]
- Visible noise in indoor/low-light video, especially with motion in the scene. [17]
- Limited detail in challenging video lighting. [18]
- In photos, depth of field can be limited—notably for group portraits where focus can land on the wrong face. [19]
- In video, artifacts like ghosting, quantization, and color fringing can appear. [20]
NotebookCheck underscores the same theme in plainer terms: while the Magic8 Pro’s overall standing is top five, its 154 video score places it outside the very top tier for video-focused rankings discussed in its report. [21]
HONOR’s angle: “Ultra Night” hardware plus AI that can “save” family photos
While today’s camera-ranking news is driven by third-party evaluation, HONOR is simultaneously pushing a more emotional message: the Magic8 Pro is the phone that can handle the moments you missed—or at least recreate them convincingly.
“Christmas Miracle” edits: fun, viral… and a little complicated
A holiday-themed teaser highlighted by ProPakistani positions the Magic8 Pro as a solution to “parental Christmas stress,” suggesting its AI can fix common photo problems. The examples cited are bold: turning “not-quite-perfect” photos into a “Christmas miracle” by adding Santa Claus and opening closed eyes in images. [22]
It’s also an unusual timing choice. The same report points out that the UK launch is set for January 8, 2026, making the Christmas-centric theme feel slightly out of sync with actual on-shelf availability there. [23]
Still, the strategy is clear: HONOR wants the Magic8 Pro to be associated not just with camera specs, but with AI-powered memory-making—a theme that’s increasingly common across flagship launches as AI becomes central to how people shoot and edit photos on phones. [24]
How that marketing lines up with DXOMARK’s testing language
DXOMARK explicitly references HONOR’s positioning around night photography and AI zoom, noting that HONOR promotes the Magic8 Pro with an “Ultra Night Engine” and AI-powered zoom claims. In testing, DXOMARK says the phone can produce bright low-light images with wide dynamic range and good detail, but also suggests HDR processing can make night scenes appear too bright, affecting “naturalness” compared to some user preferences. [25]
The hardware story behind the hype: camera, battery, charging, and the AI button
Beyond the benchmarking headlines, the Magic8 Pro’s broader “flagship package” is built around three pillars: big imaging hardware, big battery, and one-tap AI access.
Camera system highlights
On HONOR’s global product page, the Magic8 Pro is presented as an “Ultra Night Camera System,” featuring:
- 200MP Ultra Night Telephoto with 3.7x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom
- 50MP Ultra Night Main camera (with OIS)
- 50MP Ultra Wide camera
- 50MP Front camera (plus a 3D depth-sensing camera mentioned on the page) [26]
Battery and charging: the “all-day creator” pitch
HONOR lists a 7100mAh silicon-carbon battery and fast charging up to 100W wired and 80W wireless on its product page, and that same combo is echoed in Gulf News’ partner content positioning the phone for long “creator” days. [27]
AI features: the one-press idea
HONOR’s product page describes multiple AI capabilities, including an AI Button, AI Screen Suggestions, and an AI Photos Agent for automated image optimization. Gulf News similarly highlights the AI Button as a “command key,” and also mentions Google Gemini built in as part of the broader productivity story. [28]
Pricing and availability: UAE/GCC details, plus the UK date to watch
Pricing and availability remain highly regional—so the most reliable approach is to treat market announcements separately.
UAE/GCC: official regional pricing and pre-order bundle
In HONOR’s UAE announcement, the company states that pre-orders began December 11, 2025, and lists two configurations:
- 12GB + 512GB priced at AED 3,999
- 16GB + 1TB priced at AED 4,699
HONOR also describes a pre-order gift package (region-specific) and names multiple retail channels across the UAE. [29]
UK: launch date cited as January 8, 2026
For the UK specifically, ProPakistani reports that HONOR is preparing to launch the Magic8 Pro on January 8, framing the Christmas-themed teaser as a lead-in to that debut. [30]
Why this matters: the new flagship battleground is “trust + taste” in mobile photos
The Magic8 Pro’s December story is a snapshot of where the premium phone market is heading:
- Benchmarks still move headlines (Top 5 rankings, score bumps, “X beats Y”). [31]
- AI edits are the mainstream hook—especially around emotional, shareable moments like holidays. [32]
- But credibility is now part of the camera experience: if a phone can “fix” photos by generating or altering details, consumers increasingly ask what’s real, what’s enhanced, and what’s invented.
In short: HONOR is trying to win both the lab test and the living-room photo album—and the Magic8 Pro’s top-five DXOMARK position gives that narrative real momentum heading into early 2026. [33]
References
1. www.gizguide.com, 2. www.dxomark.com, 3. www.gizguide.com, 4. propakistani.pk, 5. www.honor.com, 6. www.gizguide.com, 7. www.dxomark.com, 8. www.notebookcheck.com, 9. www.gizguide.com, 10. www.dxomark.com, 11. www.dxomark.com, 12. www.dxomark.com, 13. www.dxomark.com, 14. www.dxomark.com, 15. www.dxomark.com, 16. www.dxomark.com, 17. www.dxomark.com, 18. www.dxomark.com, 19. www.dxomark.com, 20. www.dxomark.com, 21. www.notebookcheck.com, 22. propakistani.pk, 23. propakistani.pk, 24. propakistani.pk, 25. www.dxomark.com, 26. www.honor.com, 27. www.honor.com, 28. www.honor.com, 29. www.honor.com, 30. propakistani.pk, 31. www.gizguide.com, 32. propakistani.pk, 33. www.dxomark.com
