{"id":678488,"date":"2026-11-08T09:40:18","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T09:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/678488\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T09:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T09:40:18","slug":"i-recorded-a-short-film-with-the-honor-magic9-pro-max-and-it-legit-rivals-hollywood-cinema-cameras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/678488\/","title":{"rendered":"I recorded a short film with the Honor Magic9 Pro Max \u2014 and it legit rivals Hollywood cinema cameras"},"content":{"rendered":"

best camera phones<\/a> around. Here\u2019s what I learned.<\/p>\n

The collaboration<\/p>\n

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\"Honor\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Myriam Joire \/ Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with Arri<\/a>, here\u2019s what you need to know. Since 1917, this German company has earned a reputation for making intuitive-to-use, individually-calibrated cinema cameras designed to work reliably in the most demanding conditions using industry standard rigging and workflows. Arri started with compact film cameras but beginning in 2010, it became one of the leaders in digital cinema with its Alexa cameras.<\/p>\n

Latest Videos FromTom’s Guide<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Besides cameras, the company offers an entire ecosystem of cinema products, including lenses and lights. Today, Alexa cinema cameras are known for the \u201cArri Look\u201d, which combines industry leading dynamic-range, excellent low-light performance, accurate colors, and beautiful skin tones. If you\u2019ve watched movies like “Sinners,” “Oppenheimer,” “Dune,” “Blade Runner 2049,” and “Gravity,” you\u2019re familiar with the Arri Look.<\/p>\n

To achieve this, Alexa cinema cameras capture footage using Arri\u2019s LogC3 gamma curve to preserve dynamic range and color data. 3D Look-Up Tables (LUTs) are then applied during production to convert the LogC3 footage to SD or HD target color spaces, and Arri offers a Look Library with 87 unique LUTs. Custom LUTs are also an option, and this allows filmmakers to achieve the exact look they want for their movies.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

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\"Arri\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Myriam Joire \/ Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve covered Honor here on Tom\u2019s Guide before<\/a>, but let me give you a quick refresher. Honor started life as one of Huawei\u2019s sub-brands, making a range of more affordable smartphones, from budget to flagship, marketed at a younger demographic. In 2020, Huawei sold Honor to a group of investors (Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd.), and the company\u2019s been thriving on its own ever since.<\/p>\n

Today, Honor makes some truly impressive smartphones, including the Magic V6<\/a>, which battles Oppo\u2019s Find N6<\/a> for best book-style folding phone on the market. The company is also a leader in silicon-carbon batteries<\/a> and mobile imaging, as exemplified by the highly innovative and insanely cool Robot Phone<\/a>. But while Honor\u2019s hardware is always outstanding, its software leaves a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

Honor and Arri\u2019s collaboration started with the Robot Phone, which first implemented the Arri Cinema mode, Arri LogC3 capture, and Arri Looks, and is continuing with the Magic9 Pro Max, the company\u2019s flagship. While the Robot Phone is China only, the Magic 9 Pro Max will be launched globally. Unfortunately, I can\u2019t share much information about the global Magic9 Pro Max, but I can discuss its cameras and the Arri Cinema mode.<\/p>\n

The cameras<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 3<\/p>\n

\"Honor<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Myriam Joire \/ Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

\"Honor<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Myriam Joire \/ Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

\"Honor<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Myriam Joire \/ Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

As I mentioned above, I recently had the opportunity to go hands-on with Honor\u2019s global Magic9 Pro Max in Los Angeles. This flagship is already available in China, and while Honor didn\u2019t share any specs for the global model beyond the cameras, you can draw your own conclusions by checking out the specs for the Chinese model<\/a>. I expect most of these will carry over, but there will likely be some changes, based on past experience.<\/p>\n

The Magic9 Pro Max packs three rear cameras: a 200 MP f\/1.6 24mm 1\/1.28″ main shooter with 3-degree \u201cgimbal-grade\u201d OIS, a 200 MP f\/2.6 85mm 1\/1.4-inch 3.5x telephoto with OIS, and a 50 MP f\/2.0 12mm ultrawide with AF. In front, there\u2019s a 55MP f\/2.0 25mm selfie camera (without AF). These shooters are complemented by Honor’s in-house H1 imaging chip, co-developed with Arri, which was first introduced on the Robot Phone.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

Honor optimized this AI-powered ISP (Image Signal Processor) for cinema-grade video capture and computational photography, while also making it power efficient (18.8 TOPS\/W). This chip handles real-time RAW-domain parallel image processing and natively supports<\/a> 10-bit Arri LogC3 capture, Arri Wide Gamut 3 (AWG3), custom LUTs, and Arri Looks. It offers up to 14 stops of dynamic range and improves the signal-to-noise ratio by 8dB.<\/p>\n

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\"Honor\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Myriam Joire \/ Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Another first is that the Magic9 Pro Max\u2019s 200MP main and telephoto cameras get a CIPA 8.0 image stabilization rating, offering gimbal-grade stabilization. The Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) is an international industry group that sets standard testing procedures to measure imaging performance. CIPA 8.0 means that with these shooters, the shutter speed can be set 8 stops slower while keeping handheld shots sharp vs. no stabilization.<\/p>\n

Arri Cinema mode on the Magic9 Pro Max supports resolutions and frame rates up to 4k 60fps, standard 16:9 or wide 2.39:1 (CinemaScope) aspect ratios, and AVC (H.264), HVEC (H.265), or APV 10-bit 4:2:2 codecs. The phone offers 14 different preinstalled Arri Looks, but more LUTs can be imported from within the camera app, and Honor offers Arri\u2019s full Look Library with 87 unique LUTs for download on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"Honor\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Myriam Joire \/ Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

The Magic9 Pro Max also features a four-microphone array (one directional and three omni) that, combined with Honor\u2019s proprietary AI-based DSP (Digital Signal Processing), replicates the phase-cancellation properties of a professional interference-tube shotgun microphone and enables cinema-grade audio capture. Five audio presets are available: standard, long-range, close-up, voice isolation, and voice boost.<\/p>\n

Finally, the Magic9 Pro Max is the first Android handset to feature a selfie camera with a 1:1 (square) aspect ratio, making it possible to capture landscape or portrait photos and videos without sacrificing resolution regardless of the orientation of the phone, just like the Center Stage front shooter<\/a> found on Apple\u2019s recent iPhones. I\u2019m honestly surprised it took over a year for this feature to come to Android.<\/p>\n

And if all of this isn\u2019t enough, the Magic9 Pro Max offers two teleconverter kits (200mm \/ 2.3x and 500mm \/ 5.8x) and a SmallRig Pro Expansion Kit (which includes a cage, two quick-release handles, a Bluetooth wireless shutter, teleconverter and filter mounts, plus a cooling fan). Measuring 81mm and weighing just 88g, Honor\u2019s 200mm teleconverter is the lightest and smallest of its kind on the market today.<\/p>\n

The results<\/p>\n

I was able to compare Honor\u2019s Magic9 Pro Max with Arri\u2019s Alexa Mini LF in Arri\u2019s studios. The company built two stages with different lighting, hired two actors, and set up rigs in front of each stage. Each rig consisted of a Magic9 Pro Max mounted on top of an Alexa Mini LF, with the phone and cinema cameras both capturing LogC3 footage of the same scene, and the 4k output of each displayed on identical monitors using the same Arri look.<\/p>\n

Other than the cinema camera having a shallower depth-of-field than the phone, it was difficult telling the footage apart. Dynamic range was similar, and so was low-light performance; colors were virtually identical between the phone and cinema camera. In other words, the Magic9 Pro Max\u2019s output closely matched the Alexa Mini LF\u2019s in the same conditions, which is impressive, especially since one of the stages was dimly lit.<\/p>\n

Honor Magic9 Pro Max vs. Arri Alexa Mini LF – YouTube
\n\"Honor<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

One of the rigs was mounted on a dolly, and we had the chance to take turns operating the cinema camera (panning and tilting the camera while someone else was moving the dolly), and remotely pulling focus, which was a lot of fun. Above is a video containing identical side-by-side 4k footage captured in Arri\u2019s studios with the Magic9 Pro Max (left) and Alexa Mini LF (right), so you can see the results for yourself.<\/p>\n

Next, I went hands-on with the Magic9 Pro Max at Griffith Observatory, taking pictures and capturing LogC3 footage using the Arri Cinema mode. Below is a short film I made using a series of short 16:9 LogC3 clips shot with the Magic9 Pro Max. I imported these clips into DaVinci Resolve and applied one of the 87 LUTs from Arri\u2019s Look Library to each clip. The results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

Telescope: a short film made with Honor’s Magic9 Pro using Arri\u2019s Cinema mode – YouTube
\n\"Telescope:<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Not only does my short film exude the Arri look, the way the Magic9 Pro Max\u2019s camera system handles stabilization, focus, exposure, and white balance throughout these clips is outstanding. The clip of the hummingbird in the video above is particularly impressive considering I captured it hand-held with the telephoto. I haven\u2019t captured footage of this quality on any Android phone before, which is why I always use iPhones to record video.<\/p>\n

Samsung and Oppo\u2019s flagships do a very good job, and I hear great things about the Vivo X300 Ultra<\/a>, but in my experience, iPhones are the ones to beat when it comes to video quality \u2014 especially the Pro models that support ProRes and Log. So, it looks like Honor and Arri\u2019s collaboration is changing the game. And if you\u2019re wondering what regular video capture looks like with the Magic9 Pro Max, check my Instagram reel below.<\/p>\n

When it comes to photography, the Magic9 Pro Max does a wonderful job. Then again, Honor\u2019s flagships have been delivering top notch image quality for a while now. As you can see below, the Magic9 Pro Max\u2019s telephoto stands out as the star of the show. Is it Oppo Find X10 Pro Max<\/a> good? Not quite, but it\u2019s close. Honor\u2019s 50MP ultrawide falls short of Oppo\u2019s 200MP setup. In fact, the Arri Cinema mode doesn\u2019t support the ultrawide.<\/p>\n

Bottom Line<\/p>\n

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\"Honor\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Myriam Joire \/ Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

After going hands-on with Honor\u2019s global Magic9 Pro Max, a few things are abundantly clear. Honor and Arri\u2019s collaboration goes far beyond a mere branding exercise, and definitely raises the bar for mobile videography. Arri Cinema mode, Arri LogC3 capture, and Arri Looks, together with the Magic9 Pro Max\u2019s camera system and Honor\u2019s in-house H1 imaging chip, deliver meaningful improvements in video quality, and I\u2019m here for it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. <\/p>\n

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