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Honor’s Magic8 Series Unveiled: 200MP AI Zoom Camera, YOYO AI Button & Smart Shopping Tools

October 20, 2025
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Honor’s Magic8 Series Unveiled: 200MP AI Zoom Camera, YOYO AI Button & Smart Shopping Tools
  • AI-Powered Launch: Honor launched the Magic8 series in China on Oct. 15, 2025 as its first “self-evolving AI smartphone,” featuring a new YOYO AI assistant and dedicated AI button [1] [2]. The lineup includes the Magic8 Pro flagship and base Magic8, both powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (Elite) chipset with a novel GPU-NPU AI architecture [3] [4].
  • Amazing Camera System: The Magic8 Pro boasts a 200 MP periscope telephoto camera (1/1.4″ sensor, f/2.6, 3.7× optical zoom) with advanced AI image stabilization (industry-leading CIPA 5.5-stop) [5] [6]. Honor claims this setup captures clearer zoomed shots at night than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, even without a tripod [7] [8].
  • Dedicated AI Button: A new AI button on the frame makes the YOYO assistant instantly accessible. For example, a long press launches “YOYO Video Call” (point the phone at anything and YOYO describes it), while a double-press still takes a photo [9] [10]. Users can also customize the button for one-touch shortcuts.
  • Smart Shopping Assistant: Honor demoed an on-device AI shopping tool that compares deals across JD.com, Taobao, etc., automatically applying coupons and saving users up to ~20% on purchases [11]. Honor’s product chief Fei Fang says these AI features should help Honor climb into China’s top three smartphone brands by year’s end [12] [13].
  • Battery & Performance: The Magic8 Pro packs a massive 7,200 mAh “silicon-carbon” battery with 120W wired/80W wireless charging [14]. Honor also introduced a GPU-NPU hybrid AI upscaling (like Nvidia DLSS) for gaming, promising smooth high-FPS play [15] [16].
  • Prices & Availability: In China the phones start at RMB 4,499 (~$620) for Magic8 and RMB 5,699 (~$790) for Magic8 Pro [17] [18]. Honor says international release will follow “later this year” [19] [20].

Magic8 Launch: Honor Pushes AI Era

Honor’s CEO Li Jian framed the Magic8 launch as ushering in a new “AI phone era.” He noted that the smartphone revolution began with the iPhone and now Honor aims to lead the next wave [21]. Indeed, Honor brands the Magic8 as “the first self-evolving AI smartphone” [22]. The company introduced a host of AI innovations: a next-gen YOYO AI agent (built into Android-based MagicOS) that can anticipate tasks, and a dedicated AI Button on the phone’s side for instant access to services [23].

Long-pressing the new AI Button starts a “YOYO Video Call,” letting users point the camera at an object or scene and hear an immediate description [24]. A double-press still snaps a photo, and a single tap can be set to any app or function. Honor even showed off “YOYO Memories,” an on-device AI that organizes personal photos, chats and documents into a private knowledge base for easy searching [25]. This emphasis on on-device AI reflects Honor’s strategy: Fang says Honor’s AI features learn from user behavior across apps, growing from ~200 tasks in July to over 3,000 by fall [26]. Honor invested heavily in AI – pledging $10 billion over 5 years – to create consumer value first, even if it means offering many features free for now [27].

Breakthrough Camera System: Beating the iPhone?

At the heart of the Magic8 Pro is a new 200 MP “Ultra Night Telephoto” camera. This 1/1.4″ sensor with f/2.6 lens yields 3.7× optical zoom and massive light intake [28] [29]. Crucially, Honor pairs it with AI-driven stabilization: its CIPA-certified 5.5-stop image stabilization is claimed to be industry-leading [30] [31]. In lab tests, Honor claims this lets users capture sharp 10x handheld night zoom shots that would blur on other phones [32] [33]. HuaweiCentral reports that in a side-by-side nighttime “helicopter zoom test,” the Magic8 Pro outperformed Apple’s new iPhone 17 Pro Max in long-range clarity [34].

Tech media note the novelty: 9to5Google highlights the Magic8 Pro’s camera as a key differentiator, dubbing the 200 MP module an “Ultra Night Telephoto” with proprietary AI stabilization [35] [36]. In short, Honor is challenging the iPhone’s recent zoom crown – Apple’s 17 Pro Max uses a 48 MP 4× telephoto – by boosting resolution and AI stabilization [37]. Honor’s press release adds an AI “Magic Color” engine for richer colors, but the 200 MP periscope is clearly the headline [38].

Smart Shopping and Other AI Tricks

Besides cameras, Honor’s big news is AI shopping assistance. In a CNBC interview, Fei Fang (Honor’s president of products) described an on-device AI that scans across Chinese e-commerce sites to find deals and coupons [39]. In one demo, the Honor app automatically applied promo codes across JD.com and Taobao listings and saved the user about 20% off an item [40]. Fang expects such tools to boost Honor’s market share: “with the AI upgrade, Honor expects to climb into the top three smartphone brands by [year’s] end,” she told CNBC [41]. Indeed, Honor spent recent months partnering with Alibaba (Taobao’s owner) and local companies (Meituan, Bilibili, etc.) to integrate deep AI features into Magic8 [42].

Fang emphasized that shopping is just one use case. The Magic8’s YOYO AI can also suggest better photo angles, recommend nearby restaurants from a snapshot, or even hail a taxi via voice prompt – all by learning the user’s habits [43] [44]. Honor claims this multi-step AI capability (handling logins, memberships, coupons) is its edge, completing tasks in one command. “We believe [the AI portal approach] will happen and we are working along this direction,” Fang said [45]. At an October 23rd ecosystem conference, Honor plans to reveal more AI features (sports, health, companionship, etc.), showing its ambition beyond hardware.

Performance, Battery and Market Outlook

Under the hood, both Magic8 models run on Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (called “Elite” version), and Honor touts novel GPU-NPU synergy to upscale games and graphics [46] [47]. This allows real-time “AI super-resolution” in games – for example turning 60fps/850p gaming into smooth 120fps/1080p playback [48]. To power all this, the Magic8 Pro carries a huge 7,200 mAh battery (silicon-carbon anode) with 120W wired and 80W wireless charging [49]. As 9to5Google notes, this “confidence-inspiring” battery “has the potential to last multiple days” under typical use [50].

Honor’s global strategy will follow soon. The Magic8 series launches in China first (Oct. 15 preorder, retail shortly after) and will come to international markets “later this year” [51] [52]. The phones start at RMB 4,499 (~$620) for the Magic8 and 5,699 (~$790) for the Magic8 Pro [53] [54]. This pricing undercuts many rivals with similar specs. Even as Honor invests heavily in AI (it plans $10B over five years [55]), it still lags competitors: Counterpoint reports Honor has only ~13% share in China vs. 18% for Huawei/Vivo and 15% for Apple [56].

Nevertheless, Honor is positioning the Magic8 as a game changer. CEO Li Jian hinted at even bolder plans – a “ROBOT PHONE” with a fold-out camera is teased for 2026 [57] [58]. For now, Honor’s bet is that advanced AI features and camera performance will draw buyers. As mobile analyst Andrew Romero (9to5Google) observes, Honor has “gone into the deep end” with AI, even choosing its own YOYO assistant over Google’s Gemini on this device [59]. Whether consumers bite remains to be seen, but the Magic8 launch shows Honor doubling down on AI as the next smartphone battlefield – aiming to outsmart rivals from Apple to Xiaomi on both tech and price [60] [61].

Sources: Honor corporate release [62] [63] [64]; HuaweiCentral coverage [65] [66]; CNBC/Evelyn Cheng interview with Honor’s Fei Fang [67] [68]; 9to5Google report [69] [70].

Honor Magic 6 Pro's AI camera is actually useful
Watch this video on YouTube.

References

1. www.honor.com, 2. www.honor.com, 3. 9to5google.com, 4. www.honor.com, 5. www.huaweicentral.com, 6. www.honor.com, 7. www.huaweicentral.com, 8. www.honor.com, 9. www.honor.com, 10. 9to5google.com, 11. www.mexc.fm, 12. www.mexc.fm, 13. www.mexc.fm, 14. www.honor.com, 15. 9to5google.com, 16. www.honor.com, 17. 9to5google.com, 18. www.honor.com, 19. 9to5google.com, 20. www.honor.com, 21. www.huaweicentral.com, 22. www.honor.com, 23. www.honor.com, 24. www.honor.com, 25. www.honor.com, 26. www.mexc.fm, 27. www.mexc.fm, 28. www.huaweicentral.com, 29. www.honor.com, 30. www.huaweicentral.com, 31. www.honor.com, 32. www.huaweicentral.com, 33. www.honor.com, 34. www.huaweicentral.com, 35. 9to5google.com, 36. www.honor.com, 37. www.huaweicentral.com, 38. www.honor.com, 39. www.mexc.fm, 40. www.mexc.fm, 41. www.mexc.fm, 42. www.mexc.fm, 43. www.mexc.fm, 44. www.mexc.fm, 45. www.mexc.fm, 46. 9to5google.com, 47. www.honor.com, 48. www.honor.com, 49. www.honor.com, 50. 9to5google.com, 51. www.honor.com, 52. 9to5google.com, 53. www.honor.com, 54. 9to5google.com, 55. www.mexc.fm, 56. www.mexc.fm, 57. www.huaweicentral.com, 58. www.honor.com, 59. 9to5google.com, 60. www.mexc.fm, 61. 9to5google.com, 62. www.honor.com, 63. www.honor.com, 64. www.honor.com, 65. www.huaweicentral.com, 66. www.huaweicentral.com, 67. www.mexc.fm, 68. www.mexc.fm, 69. 9to5google.com, 70. 9to5google.com

Mateusz Brzeziński

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