{"id":525618,"date":"2026-03-15T20:55:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T20:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/525618\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T20:55:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T20:55:29","slug":"the-magic-8-pro-air-proves-that-apple-and-samsung-got-their-thin-phones-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/525618\/","title":{"rendered":"The Magic 8 Pro Air proves that Apple and Samsung got their thin phones wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nWhy you can trust Android Central<\/p>\n

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

After 18 years of reviewing technology, it\u2019s quite rare that smartphones can truly surprise or excite me, but last year marked a big moment. I love small phones and thin phones, which bucks the trend of bigger devices, and the iPhone Air<\/a> and Galaxy S25 Edge<\/a> both left me enamored when they were announced.<\/p>\n

Yet neither became my main phone for one key reason: compromises. Both phones feature considerable compromises compared to their non-thin counterparts, especially as the latter become increasingly thinner with each generation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The reason seemed simple: a thin body would naturally lead to several compromises in performance, battery life, charging, and camera performance. At least it seemed to be until a couple of weeks ago when I started using a new thin phone that proved that Samsung and Apple<\/a> got it wrong.<\/p>\n

Meet the best thin phone ever made: the Honor Magic 8 Pro Air. It\u2019s so good, it\u2019s my favorite phone to use right now.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Thickness\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

The Honor Magic 8 Pro Air is slightly thicker than the Galaxy S25 Edge and the iPhone Air, but this is a worthwhile trade-off. The Magic 8 Pro Air measures 6.1mm thin, compared to 5.6mm for the iPhone Air and 5.8mm for the Galaxy S25 Edge, but while it’s 0.6mm thicker, you\u2019ll be grateful for it.<\/p>\n

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHonor Magic 8 Pro Air Specs<\/p>\n

Specs<\/p>\n

Honor Magic 8 Pro Air<\/p>\n

Build<\/p>\n

150.5 x 71.9 x 6.1 mm
155 grams
Glass front + aluminum frame<\/p>\n

Display<\/p>\n

6.31-inch LTPO OLED
1216 x 2640 pixels
4320Hz PWM, 120Hz refresh rate<\/p>\n

Dolby Vision, HDR<\/p>\n

1800 nits HBM\/6,000 nits peak brightness<\/p>\n

Chipset<\/p>\n

MediaTek Dimensity 9500 SoC<\/p>\n

Memory\/Storage<\/p>\n

12GB RAM\/256GB<\/p>\n

12GB RAM\/512GB<\/p>\n

16GB RAM\/512GB<\/p>\n

16GB RAM\/1TB<\/p>\n

Main Camera<\/p>\n

50MP, f\/1.6, 23mm, 1.2\u00b5m, multi-directional PDAF, OIS<\/p>\n

Ultrawide Camera<\/p>\n

50MP, f\/2.2, 16mm, 112\u00b0 field-of-view<\/p>\n

Telephoto Camera<\/p>\n

64MP periscope telephoto, f\/2.6, 74mm, 3.2x optical zoom, OIS<\/p>\n

Selfie Camera<\/p>\n

50MP, f\/2.1, 21mm<\/p>\n

Battery<\/p>\n

5,500 mAh Silicon Carbon<\/p>\n

Charging<\/p>\n

80W wired charging<\/p>\n

55W wireless charging<\/p>\n

Connectivity<\/p>\n

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, GPS, USB-C 2.0 OTG
Nano-SIM + eSIM<\/p>\n

Colors<\/p>\n

Black, White, Purple, Orange<\/p>\n

Price<\/p>\n

\u00a54,999 (~$717)<\/p>\n

The reason? Much better cameras, a much larger battery, and considerably faster charging. The result is the only thin phone that feels like it doesn\u2019t really compromise the flagship phone experience, especially compared to the competition.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that Honor managed to do all of this in a body that\u2019s smaller than the competition as well, which makes the Magic 8 Pro Air even more enjoyable to use.<\/p>\n

Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android<\/p>\n

\n

\"USB-C\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

The Magic 8 Pro Air features a vibrant 6.31-inch display, complete with Dolby Vision and 6,000 nits peak brightness, and it resonates with me because I love small phones<\/a>; this is much more comfortable to use in one hand than the 6.5-inch display on the iPhone Air (which is near perfectly sized) and the 6.7-inch display in the Galaxy S25 Edge, which I find a little too large.<\/p>\n

If Honor had picked a larger display, it might not have been as enjoyable for me, but there\u2019s a strong chance they could have made it thinner as well. Regardless, this is among the best-designed phones I\u2019ve used in years, and as we\u2019ll see, it finally addresses the key compromises of other thin phones. It also comes in four colors \u2014 Black, White, Purple, and Orange \u2014 and yes, I\u2019m using the now-very-familiar Orange variant that looks just as stylish as my iPhone 17 Pro<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

\"The\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

Battery and charging are key areas in which the Magic 8 Pro Air excels compared to the competition, and simultaneously solves the biggest issue with other thin phones.<\/p>\n

The iPhone Air features a 3,149 mAh battery, with Apple also making a separate iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack that close to doubles the capacity. At around 7mm thick, this more than doubles the iPhone Air’s overall thickness to ~13mm when used together. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Edge features a larger 3,900 mAh battery with no official Qi2 battery pack.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Battery\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

In comparison, the Magic 8 Pro Air excels considerably, featuring a 5,500 mAh battery with support for 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. For context, this is larger than the battery in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the new Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a>, or even folding phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 7<\/a>. It takes around 50 minutes to charge the Magic 8 Pro Air to full, which is also faster than both the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge.<\/p>\n

I was shocked by the battery size, and then even more shocked when it delivered the exact all-day battery life I\u2019ve been waiting for from a thin phone. Over the past few weeks, the battery life has averaged around 5-6 hours of screen time per day, which is more than enough, but I\u2019ve also had it go over seven hours when used mostly on Wi-Fi. This is incredible, and simply put, the Magic 8 Pro Air is the first thin phone to offer true flagship battery life.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Camera\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

The camera is another area in which the Magic 8 Pro Air excels. The iPhone Air features a single 48MP camera, while the Galaxy S25 Edge features a 200MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera. Yet both lack the full range of camera features you\u2019d find in either company\u2019s flagship phones, which is another reason some customers may have opted against the thin variants.<\/p>\n

The Honor Magic 8 Pro Air doesn\u2019t have such compromises.<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 20<\/p>\n

\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"Camera(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

The Magic 8 Pro Air shows that thin phones can have great cameras, thanks to a 50MP main camera with f\/1.6 aperture, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with 3.2x optical zoom.<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 5<\/p>\n

\"1x1x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"3.2x3.2x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"6.4x6.4x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"10x10x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"20x20x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

This is virtually identical to the camera system found in the new Honor Magic V6 folding phone, but the Magic 8 Pro Air also has a much better 50MP selfie camera.<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 7<\/p>\n

\"1x1x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"2x2x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"3.2x3.2x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"6.4x6.4x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"10x10x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"20x20x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)\"30x30x(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been waiting for a thin phone that actually delivers in the camera department, and this is the first phone not to disappoint: the Honor Magic 8 Pro Air is the first thin phone to actually deliver a flagship camera experience, and it\u2019s absolutely wonderful to use in real-world usage.<\/p>\n

\n

\"The\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

Thin phones often struggle with cooling under heavy performance, but the MediaTek Dimensity 9500<\/a> processor inside the Magic 8 Pro Air stays noticeably cooler than any other thin phone, even when using on-device AI<\/a> features.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Honor\u2019s software is well-optimized for both the form factor and the lack of thermal window, and the phone has yet to struggle, crash, or lag in any way. Yes, it runs a Chinese ROM, so you can\u2019t set a different default launcher, but aside from that small point, Honor\u2019s Magic UI is fantastic and intuitive to use.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Selfie\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also full support for Google Apps, support for eSIMs \u2014 which is extremely rare on Chinese phones \u2014 and even a SIM tray, which is missing from the iPhone Air. This could easily launch globally with very few tweaks to the UX.<\/p>\n

The under-display fingerprint sensor works well, but I do wish Honor had adopted a fingerprint sensor on the power button instead. And just to prove it\u2019s truly a flagship, there\u2019s also IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance<\/a>, with the latter proving to be a key differentiator that many non-thin phones don\u2019t even offer.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Back\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nirave Gondhia)<\/p>\n

The Magic 8 Pro Air is the best thin phone ever made.<\/p>\n

This is a big statement, and the caveat is that there aren\u2019t that many. Having tried every thin phone \u2014 including the Tecno, Huawei, and Motorola versions that are limited to China or elsewhere \u2014 one thing is clear: the Magic 8 Pro Air is the best thin phone ever made.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll take it a step further: it\u2019s one of the best phones<\/a> ever made, thin or otherwise. Honor has proven that thin phones can be made without many compromises, and in doing so, it\u2019s set a benchmark for other companies to follow. If a thin phone can be this good, what does it mean for non-thin phones going forward? Regardless, it’s already one of my favorite Android phones, and aside from the best folding phones<\/a>, it’s setting a benchmark that I’m not sure the competition will beat.<\/p>\n

The only downside to the Magic 8 Pro Air? It\u2019s exclusive to China only, at least right now. It starts at \u00a54,999 (~$717) for the 12\/256GB version in China, with the top variant costing \u00a55,999 for 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It would be more expensive in global markets, but there\u2019s no doubt in my mind that Honor needs to bring this to global markets. It\u2019s that good that every country deserves to be able to buy this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":525619,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[165,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-525618","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=525618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/525619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}