The comments on the HONOR Magic8 Pro Air unboxing videos are full of praise for this phone, and I’m not at all surprised. It really is that good. Weighing just 155 g and boasting a 6.3-inch display, it’s even lighter than the so-called ‘Air’ phones on the market. It takes us back to the days when mobile phones were compact and easy to hold. If you’re tired of phones getting bigger and heavier every year, you’ll understand exactly why this device exists.

Design

For how thin and light it is, the Magic8 Pro Air doesn’t skimp on essential features at all. It has an IR blaster, NFC, stereo dual speakers, wireless charging, and even a physical SIM slot. Other than the USB 2.0 port, there’s barely a flaw to find. The triple-camera setup shifts its center of gravity slightly upward, but its ultra-light, compact build means you never feel that top-heavy awkwardness in your hand.

Honestly, I’ve never liked the feel of the iPhone Air. It’s way too thin—holding it feels like holding a piece of corrugated paper. The slightly thicker Magic8 Pro Air, on the other hand, delivers a far better hold. I know that might sound like an excuse, but it’s how I truly feel. And I’m a total fan of small phones—the Magic8 Pro Air is the tiniest among all Air phones. So yeah, HONOR built my dream phone.

Now, everyone has their own preferences. The iPhone Air is still the thinnest Air phone around, and it looks better too. But one thing’s undeniable: the Magic8 Pro Air blows the iPhone Air out of the water in specs. The most obvious win? It’s triple cameras.

Cameras

Of the Magic8 Pro Air’s three cameras, the ultra-wide is the weak link—everything else is flagship-grade.

The 3.2x telephoto lens is perfect for daily use, with a focal length that’s just right, not too long, not too short. Image quality is solid too; it’s barely different from the main cam in most cases. You just need a steady hand, though—any shake and the shot gets blurry fast. Even at 6.4x zoom, it still performs surprisingly well, and I’m really happy with that.

The main camera is flawless, right up there with other flagship phones. Colors are vibrant, and the bokeh effect is stunning. Since the telephoto lacks a macro mode and has a minimum focusing distance of nearly 50cm, the main cam takes on macro shooting duties. The ultra-wide can do macro, too, but neither camera delivers satisfying macro shots.

The ultra-wide is easily one of the phone’s biggest letdowns. It’s better than the 8MP ultra-wides on budget phones—50MP clearly boosts sharpness, and daytime shots look totally fine. But as soon as the light dims, image quality drops off a cliff around the edges. Video on the ultra-wide isn’t the best either; there’s a lot of frame tearing. Switch to the main cam, though, and all those issues disappear.

For a 155g phone, this camera performance is seriously impressive. A great main cam, a solid telephoto, a decent ultra-wide in daylight—it’s easily the best triple-camera Air phone you can get.

The camera’s quick-launch button? It’s not great. Just like the iPhone’s, it’s a struggle to switch to your desired focal length with it. And since it’s a capacitive touch button, not a physical one, the tactile feel is off. As an AI button, though, it’s pretty good. It basically does what Apple Intelligence promised in its launch ads—hold up the phone, and it tells you what you’re looking at. The only downside is the lack of customizability; most of the time, I forget it’s even there.

Performance

The Dimensity 9500 is one of the most powerful mobile chips currently available, so HONOR made the perfect call by putting it in the Magic8 Pro Air. I even think there’s a reason HONOR went with a MediaTek chip—they’ve clearly found a secret optimization formula. Its performance in Honkai: Star Rail is insane, with perfect power efficiency and frame rates that are almost scary good. We checked, no funny business here—its resolution is the same as other phones, over 900P.

We can’t guarantee it won’t throttle when it gets hot in summer, but I can say its gaming experience in winter beats a lot of flagships. No AI frame interpolation or AI super resolution, but this thing is basically a gaming phone in a compact body.

Display & Battery

The display tuning works perfectly with battery life. Daily streaming and scrolling look sharp and natural, and the screen’s power draw is super well-controlled—no excessive battery drain for the sake of better visuals. It strikes the perfect balance between experience and efficiency.

This screen handles gaming and media with ease, and it lays a great foundation for the phone’s battery life. Pair that with a large-capacity battery, and whether you’re a heavy gamer or a light daily user, you get all the battery life you need. A full day of normal use means no need to top up the battery constantly. Our real-world tests back this up: 15 minutes of Honkai: Star Rail uses just 6% battery, 20 minutes of high-load Genshin Impact only 5%. Even heavy gaming doesn’t eat through the battery fast, and light daily use keeps power drain super low.

Verdict

How many of you love the iPhone Air for its lightness and thinness, but hate the compromises—single speaker, no physical SIM, only one camera, and short battery life? Well, HONOR has the solution.

I’ll admit, the Magic8 Pro Air is an incredibly appealing phone. It’s cheaper than the iPhone Air in China, but it’s still a lot more expensive than I thought it would be. If it gets a $100 price drop down the line, this will be the perfect phone in the world—no exceptions.