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Honor has officially launched the Magic 9 in China with a compact 6.37-inch display, dual 200MP ARRI cameras, an 8,000mAh battery, and the new MagicOS 11 software. The phone starts at 4,999 yuan (~ $745) and is available in four colors: Popcorn Yellow, Opening White, Curtain Black, and Olive Green.
The Magic9 is a small-screen flagship in the series, but Honor has not cut back on its camera hardware. The phone has a 200MP ARRI main camera alongside a 200MP ARRI telephoto camera, much like the Magic9 Pro Max. It also supports Honor’s external teleconverter kit.
Honor Magic9 display and design
The Magic9 has a 6.37-inch flat OLED display with a 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The panel uses LTPS technology and has bezels as narrow as 0.95mm. Honor rates its peak brightness at up to 10,000 nits, while global brightness can reach 2,000 nits. The screen can also drop to 1 nit for use in darker environments.
Honor is also equipping the phone with its Oasis eye-care features. The display supports up to 3,840Hz PWM dimming, hardware-level low blue light, AI defocusing, a natural light-like display mode, and an AI sleep-aid display. Honor says the Magic9 is the first smartphone to receive TÜV Rheinland Global Eye Care 6.0 certification.
The phone has a 3D unibody cold-carved glass design with a camera module inspired by classic cinema cameras. Its four color options are Popcorn Yellow, Opening White, Curtain Black, and Olive Green. The Magic9 measures 8.49mm thick and weighs 209 grams.
Dual 200MP ARRI camera system
The camera setup is the biggest part of the Magic9. Honor has worked with ARRI to bring the company’s color science and cinematic tools to the phone, while the hardware includes two 200MP cameras on the rear.
The main camera uses a 200MP sensor measuring 1/1.4 inches, paired with an f/1.9 aperture and CIPA 7.5 image stabilization. It is designed to capture detailed photos in both daylight and low-light conditions.
The second camera is a 200MP telephoto sensor with a 1/1.56-inch size, f/2.6 aperture, and a 3.5x optical-equivalent focal length of 85mm. It also carries a CIPA 7.5 stabilization rating and supports up to 120x digital zoom.
The rear camera system is joined by a 50MP ultrawide camera with an f/2.0 aperture. On the front, there is a 55MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and a 1/2.74-inch sensor. The front camera uses a square sensor layout, allowing users to switch between 1:1, 16:9, and 9:16 framing without the same restrictions as a conventional rectangular selfie camera.
Honor is also using the H1 chip to lift some imaging load from the main SoC. The chip is built on a 6nm process and supports RAW-domain lossless video noise reduction. Honor says the chip can improve the signal-to-noise ratio by 8dB, helping retain more image detail in difficult lighting conditions.
ARRI cinematic tools
The Magic9’s ARRI partnership goes beyond color filters. The phone supports an ARRI LogC3 video pipeline, giving users more flexibility when grading footage later. It also includes 87 official ARRI Looks, allowing different cinematic color treatments to be applied directly to footage.
Another major feature is ARRI Movie Live. The mode uses a 2.39:1 cinematic widescreen format and can keep recording for three seconds after the shutter is pressed. This lets users capture short moving clips rather than a single still frame. The phone can also record in 4K while using the cinematic format.
The Magic9 also supports 200MP zoom-flash portraits, which combine the high-resolution telephoto camera with flash effects to create portraits with more controlled lighting. Honor is positioning the feature for both daytime and nighttime portrait photography.
For users who want more reach, the Honor G200 teleconverter is available separately. It weighs 88 grams and measures 81mm in length. When used with the phone’s 85mm telephoto camera, Honor says the setup can produce a 200mm equivalent focal length.
Snapdragon chip and 8,000mAh battery
The Magic9 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 platform, yes not the latest Gen 6. It’s still a flagship chip that can handle most workloads you throw at it. The phone comes with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. Honor also claims a smoother experience with no latency, crashes, frame drops, connection drops, or stuttering under its stated test conditions.
Power comes from an 8,000mAh Qinghai Lake battery. The battery uses a high-silicon material with 25% silicon content and supports up to 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Honor also says its wireless charging system can work with more than 300 compatible car models when paired with the required charging hardware.
MagicOS 11 and new AI features
The Honor Magic9 series is the first to run MagicOS 11, which adds a range of new AI features built around Honor’s YOYO assistant. One of the main additions is the dedicated AI button, which can record video highlights in a single press, while other actions can be assigned to different press patterns. YOYO can also handle tasks such as subtitle collages, video trimming, and converting videos into Live content.
The phone also includes YOYO Task and YOYO Proactive Service. These features can handle scheduled tasks and provide reminders for things such as food pickup and package collection codes. The system can also organize daily schedules and surface relevant information when needed.
Other AI tools include AI Call Assistant, AI Calendar, AI Recorder, AI Notes, and AI File Management. Honor is also introducing cross-device features that allow the Magic9 to work with Apple devices through the Honor Connect app, including synchronized call notifications and cloud photo syncing.
Connectivity and durability
The Magic9 comes with Honor’s third-generation C3 RF enhancement chip, which works with a seven-core RF architecture and AI-based network selection. Honor says the system can intelligently switch between 356 frequency-band combinations and optimize connectivity across 38 scenarios.
The phone also supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, and an IR blaster. Other hardware features include a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, a dedicated camera button, dual speakers, three microphones, and a USB 2.0 port.
For durability, the Magic9 carries IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings under controlled laboratory conditions. Honor notes that these ratings do not mean the phone is permanently waterproof, and liquid damage is not covered under warranty.
Pricing and colors
The Honor Magic9 comes in four configurations:
- 12GB + 256GB: 4,999 yuan (about $745)
- 12GB + 512GB: 5,499 yuan (about $819)
- 16GB + 512GB: 5,999 yuan (about $894)
- 16GB + 1TB: 6,999 yuan (about $1,043)
You can choose from Popcorn Yellow, Opening White, Curtain Black, and Olive Green.
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