English
We put the Honor Magic 8 Pro through our rigorous DXOMARK Camera test suite to measure its performance in photo, video, and zoom quality from an end-user perspective. This article breaks down how the device fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases and is intended to highlight the most important results of our testing with an extract of the captured data.
Overview
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 50 MP, f/1.6, 23mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 1.2µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 50 MP, f/2.0, 12mm, 122˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.88″, 0.61µm, dual pixel PDAF
- Tele: 200 MP, f/2.6, 85mm (periscope telephoto), 1/1.4″, 0.56µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS, 3.7x optical zoom
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Honor Magic8 Pro
Use cases & Conditions
Use case scores indicate the product performance in specific situations. They are not included in the overall score calculations.
Portrait
Portrait photos of either one person or a group of people
Outdoor
Photos & videos shot in bright light conditions (≥1000 lux)
Indoor
Photos & videos shot in good lighting conditions (≥100lux)
Lowlight
Photos & videos shot in low lighting conditions (<100 lux)
Zoom
Photos and videos captured using zoom (more than 1x)
Pros
- Target exposure is accurate with wide dynamic range in most conditions in photo and video.
- Good level of detail in bright light conditions in photo, video and long tele range.
- In Bokeh, level of detail is pretty high with a good segmentation.
- White balance is often neutral with pleasant skin tone renderings in photo.
- Level of noise is low on most conditions in photo.
Cons
- Exposure instabilities are sometimes visible in video and consecutive shots.
- Color rendering is sometimes inaccurate in video.
- Noise is visible in indoor and lowlight conditions, especially when there is movement in the scene in video.
- Limited level of detail in challenging light conditions in video.
- Depth of field can be a bit limited, especially on group portraits with autofocus target is sometimes done on the wrong face on group pictures in photo.
- Artifacts such as ghosting, quantization and color fringing are sometimes visible in video.
Overall, the Honor Magic 8 Pro offers a well-rounded camera experience, with strong exposure performance, pleasant color rendering in photo, and good detail in bright light. While it shows some limitations in video consistency, low-light performance, and autofocus reliability in more complex scenes, it remains a capable and versatile camera solution for most users.
In detail, the Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers a solid overall camera performance, providing reliable results across a wide range of common shooting scenarios. Target exposure is generally accurate, supported by a wide dynamic range in both photo and video, allowing for effective preservation of details in highlights and shadows in most conditions. In bright light, the camera achieves a good level of detail in photo, video, and long tele zoom, offering a satisfying experience for everyday use.
Color rendering is a strength in photo, with a mostly neutral white balance and pleasant skin tone reproduction. Noise is also well controlled in still images under most lighting conditions, contributing to clean and detailed results. In video, however, some limitations are noticeable. Exposure instabilities can occur, both during recording and between consecutive clips, which can affect overall consistency. Color rendering is sometimes inaccurate, and noise becomes visible in indoor and low-light environments, particularly when there is movement in the scene. In challenging lighting conditions, the level of detail in video can also be limited.
Some additional weaknesses can be observed in specific situations. In photo, the depth of field can be relatively limited, especially in group portraits, where autofocus may occasionally lock onto the wrong subject. In video, several artifacts may appear in certain conditions, including ghosting, quantization, and color fringing. On a more positive note, bokeh mode delivers a high level of detail with generally accurate subject segmentation, resulting in a pleasing and natural-looking portrait rendering.
Honor Magic 8 Pro photos show accurate target exposure with a good level of detail in most conditions, including low light. The extended dynamic range allows the camera to preserve details in both bright and dark areas, resulting in generally bright and well-balanced images. Noise is well managed overall, contributing to clean image rendering. Some minor limitations can nevertheless be observed. In warm lighting conditions, slight color casts may appear, and small color inaccuracies can occasionally be noticeable. Despite these issues, color rendering remains generally well controlled, and image quality stays consistent across most shooting situations.
Honor promotes the Magic 8 Pro as a flagship device with its “Ultra Night Engine” and AI-powered zoom, claiming to deliver perfect night photography and a natural, eye-like view of night scenes. Our in-depth testing shows that while the Magic 8 Pro produces bright images with wide dynamic range and good detail in low light, HDR processing often makes night scenes appear too bright, reducing naturalness compared to user preferences. Noise control is strong in photos, but video performance under low light falls short, with visible noise and reduced detail, especially during motion. Autofocus is generally reliable for single subjects but struggles in complex scenes. Overall, the device offers solid night photo capabilities but does not fully deliver the natural rendering and flawless night experience suggested by its marketing claims, particularly for video and realistic night aesthetics.
In portrait scenarios, the Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers generally pleasing results, with accurate skin tone rendering and a good level of facial detail in most conditions. Combined with accurate target exposure and low noise levels, this results in a reliable portrait experience. Bokeh mode is also effective, offering natural subject segmentation and good detail preservation, which contributes to a convincing portrait rendering. The tele module further complements portrait shooting, maintaining similar strengths to the main camera, particularly at longer distances, where detail and exposure remain well controlled.
In zoom use cases, the 200 MP tele module delivers strong performance, maintaining a good level of detail even at long range. Rendering remains natural, without excessive sharpening, and detail levels stay high at close and medium zoom ranges. The ultra-wide module also provides good image quality overall, contributing to a consistent zoom experience across focal lengths.
Test summary
About DXOMARK Camera tests: DXOMARK’s camera evaluations take place in laboratories and real-world situations using a wide variety of use-cases. The scores rely on objective tests for which the results are calculated directly using measurement software in our laboratory setups, and on perceptual tests where a sophisticated set of metrics allow a panel of image experts to compare aspects of image quality that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. Photo and Video quality are scored separately and then combined into an overall score for comparison among the cameras in different devices. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera protocol, click here. More details on smartphone camera scores are available here. The following section gathers key elements of DXOMARK’s exhaustive tests and analyses. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us on how to receive a full report.
Photo
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For scoring and analysis, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 3,800 test images in controlled lab environments as well as outdoor, indoor and low-light natural scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The photo protocol is designed to take into account the main use cases and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as portraits, landscape and zoom photography. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements on images of charts captured in the lab under different lighting conditions from 0.1 to 10,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
The Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers solid photo performance across its different camera modules, offering reliable results in a wide range of shooting scenarios. A good compromise between texture preservation and noise reduction, combined with a wide dynamic range, allows the camera to perform well in challenging conditions.
Some limitations can nevertheless be observed when compared to the top devices in our database, with occasional failures or minor inconsistencies in certain situations. Despite these areas for improvement, the camera remains versatile and dependable, maintaining fairly good image quality even in demanding scenarios such as night photography or long-range shooting.
Main
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The Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers solid photo performance across a wide range of shooting conditions. Target exposure on faces is generally accurate, supported by a wide dynamic range that allows good preservation of detail in both highlights and shadows in most situations. A high level of detail is maintained, including in long tele zoom shots, and combined with pleasant color rendering, the camera usually produces appealing photos and portraits.
Color is a strength in photo, with a mostly neutral white balance and natural skin tone reproduction. Noise is well controlled under most lighting conditions, contributing to clean and natural-looking images. Some limitations can nevertheless be observed. Occasional exposure or white balance instabilities may appear between consecutive shots. In addition, the depth of field remains relatively limited in group portraits, and autofocus can show some inconsistencies, occasionally prioritizing the wrong subject.
Close-Up
In close-up shooting scenarios, the Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers good image quality, with a generally high level of detail, pleasant color rendering, and accurate target exposure. While it does not allow the same close focusing distance as the Apple iPhone 17 Pro, performance remains solid overall for this use case.
Exposure
Honor Magic8 Pro
134
Exposure is one of the key attributes for technically good pictures. The main attribute evaluated is the brightness level of the main subject through various use cases such as landscape, portrait, or still life. Other factors evaluated are the global contrast and the ability to render the dynamic range of the scene (ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas). When the camera provides Photo HDR format, the images are analyzed with a visualization on an HDR reference monitor, under reference conditions specified in the ISO-22028-5 standard. Repeatability is also important because it demonstrates the camera's ability to provide the same rendering when shooting several images of the same scene.
Like many high-end devices, the Honor Magic 8 Pro performs very well in capturing well-exposed photos and portraits. Its HDR processing provides a wide dynamic range, allowing the camera to preserve details in both bright and dark areas of the scene. Target exposure is generally very accurate, with very few failures observed.
Some minor limitations can nevertheless be noticed. Slight exposure instabilities may occur between consecutive shots, and in strong backlit HDR conditions, target exposure on the subject can be slightly low. However, highlight clipping is generally well avoided. Contrast rendering is often flattering, but in certain backlit scenes, especially with darker skin tones, it can appear slightly too strong.
Color
Honor Magic8 Pro
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Color is one of the key attributes for technically good pictures. The image quality attributes analyzed are skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, and repeatability. For color and skin tone rendering, we penalize unnatural colors according to results gathered in various studies and consumer insights while respecting the manufacturer's choice of color signature.
Color is a clear strength of the Honor Magic 8 Pro, particularly in skin tone rendering. While it may show a subtle green cast compared to the more neutral rendering of the Huawei, it generally delivers pleasant skin tones across a wide range of lighting conditions. Some minor limitations can nevertheless be observed. White balance is not always fully repeatable between consecutive shots, and color casts can occasionally become noticeable in indoor or low-light conditions. Slight desaturation is also sometimes present, which can be flattering for certain skin tones but may slightly impact overall scene colors.
Sharpness & Timing
Honor Magic8 Pro
135
Autofocus tests concentrate on focus accuracy, focus repeatability, shooting time delay, and depth of field. Shooting delay is the difference between the time the user presses the capture button and the time the image is actually taken. It includes focusing speed and the capability of the device to capture images at the right time, what is called 'zero shutter lag' capability. Even if a shallow depth of field can be pleasant for a single subject portrait or close-up shot, it can also be a problem in some specific conditions such as group portraits; Both situations are tested. Focus accuracy is also evaluated in all the real-life images taken, from infinity to close-up objects and in low light to outdoor conditions.
Autofocus remains an area for improvement on the Honor Magic 8 Pro. While focus is generally fast and accurate for portraits and landscapes, it can struggle in group shots. The camera occasionally prioritizes subjects in the background rather than the intended foreground subject, which can result in the first person appearing slightly out of focus. Autofocus speed can also be slower in certain situations, particularly under HDR conditions.
Texture
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Texture tests analyze the level of details and the texture of subjects in the images taken in the lab as well as in real-life scenarios. For natural shots, particular attention is paid to the level of details in the bright and dark areas of the image. Objective measurements are performed on chart images taken in various lighting conditions from 0.1 to 10,000+ lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The charts used are the proprietary DXOMARK chart (DMC), and the Dead Leaves chart. We also have an AI based metric for the level of details on our realistic mannequins Eugene and Diana.
As noted in previous sections, the Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers strong detail preservation across most conditions. Performance in low-light is particularly notable, maintaining fine details but some over sharpening and unnatural texture can be spotted in challenging conditions. Facial hairs and skin texture are often slightly too enhanced leading to over-processed rendering. In bright light, detail retention does not always reach the level of the Pura or iPhone, but the camera still performs reliably.
Noise
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Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure on real-life images as well as images of charts taken in the lab. For natural images, particular attention is paid to the noise on faces, landscapes, but also on dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Noise on moving objects is also evaluated on natural images. Objective measurements are performed on images of charts taken in various conditions from 0.1 to 10000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The chart used is the Dead Leaves chart and the standardized measurement such as Visual Noise derived from ISO 15739.
While the Honor Magic 8 Pro maintains a high level of detail in most conditions, it also manages to keep noise nearly invisible, even in low-light situations, offering an impressive texture-to-noise balance. Very slight noise may be noticeable in extreme low-light conditions, but overall, noise management remains better than that of many competitors.
Artifacts
Honor Magic8 Pro
81
The artifacts evaluation looks at flare, lens shading, chromatic aberrations, geometrical distortion, edges ringing, halos, ghosting, quantization, unexpected color hue shifts, among others type of possible unnatural effects on photos. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction on the score. The main artifacts observed and corresponding point loss are listed below.
Bokeh
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175
Bokeh is tested in one dedicated mode, usually portrait or aperture mode, and analyzed by visually inspecting all the images captured in the lab and in natural conditions. The goal is to reproduce portrait photography comparable to one taken with a DLSR and a wide aperture. The main image quality attributes paid attention to are depth estimation, artifacts, blur gradient, and the shape of the bokeh blur spotlights. Portrait image quality attributes (exposure, color, texture) are also taken into account.
The Bokeh mode of the Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers generally pleasing results, with accurate depth estimation and a good level of detail. Some minor instabilities can occur between consecutive shots, similar to the main camera module, but overall the mode performs well and remains competitive compared to other devices in this category.
Tele
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169
All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths from approximately 40 mm to 300 mm, with particular attention paid to texture and detail. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
Thanks to its 200 MP tele module, the Honor Magic 8 Pro captures long-range images with a high level of detail, delivering performance that is impressive compared to many competitors. It ranks among the top devices in our database for tele photography. Rendering is generally natural, with soft contrast and textures that preserve fine details without oversharpening, making it comparable—and in some cases superior—to the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra. Some limitations can appear at extreme long range, where texture rendering may occasionally look slightly unnatural.
UltraWide
Honor Magic8 Pro
169
These tests analyze the performance of the ultra-wide camera at several focal lengths from 12 mm to 20 mm. All image quality attributes are evaluated, with particular attention paid to such artifacts as chromatic aberrations, lens softness, and distortion. Pictures below are an extract of tested scenes.
The ultra-wide module of the Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers good image quality with solid detail preservation. Color rendering remains generally pleasant, resulting in reliable performance for ultra-wide photography.
Video
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DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate almost 3 hours of video in controlled lab environments and in natural low-light, indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The evaluation consists of visually inspecting natural videos taken in various conditions and running objective measurements on videos of charts recorded in the lab under different conditions from 0.1 to 10000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
In video, the Honor Magic 8 Pro was tested in 4K 30 fps HDR mode. Overall, it delivers a good recording experience, though it struggles to match some high-end competitors in challenging lighting conditions. Exposure is generally accurate, supported by a fairly wide dynamic range, but slight instabilities can occasionally be observed. Color rendering is mostly accurate, though minor white balance shifts and variations may appear in certain scenes.
Detail levels are generally high, but noise becomes noticeable in more demanding situations, particularly when there is motion. Autofocus is fast and reliable in most conditions, effectively tracking subjects even in dynamic scenes. Stabilization performs well overall, though some residual motion, sharpness fluctuations between frames, and occasional frame shifts can be seen under more challenging conditions.
Main
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Exposure tests evaluate the brightness level of the main subject, the global contrast and the ability to render the dynamic range of the scene (ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas). When the camera provides Video HDR format, the videos are analyzed with a visualization on an HDR reference monitor, under reference conditions specified in the metadata. Stability and temporal adaption of the exposure are also analyzed.
In terms of exposure, the Honor Magic 8 Pro benefits from a wide dynamic range, performing on par with best-in-class devices. Target exposure is generally accurate, and contrast rendering is pleasant in most conditions. Some minor exposure instabilities were observed during testing, but overall performance remains solid.
Color
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131
Image-quality color analysis looks at color rendering, skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, stability of the white balance and its adaption when light is changing.
Color rendering on the Honor Magic 8 Pro is generally pleasant, with mostly accurate white balance and natural skin tones. Some minor color instabilities can occasionally be observed, even in well-lit conditions.
Sharpness & Timing
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124
For video, autofocus tests concentrate on focus accuracy, focus stability and analysis of convergence regarding speed and smoothness.
Autofocus on the Honor Magic 8 Pro is generally fast and reliable in video, with subjects accurately and smoothly tracked in most conditions.
Texture
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Texture tests analyze the level of details and texture of the real-life videos as well as the videos of charts recorded in the lab. Natural videos recordings are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the level of details in the bright and areas as well as in the dark. Objective measurements are performed of images of charts taken in various conditions from 0.1 to 10000 lux. The charts used are the DXOMARK chart (DMC) and Dead Leaves chart.
Video texture rendering on the Honor Magic 8 Pro is generally pleasant, with a high level of detail in bright light for landscapes and portraits. In more challenging conditions, such as indoor, low-light, or backlit scenes, detail retention is lower than that of top-tier devices like the iPhone 17 Pro.
Noise
Honor Magic8 Pro
129
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure, temporal aspects on real-life video recording as well as videos of charts taken in the lab. Natural videos are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the noise in the dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Objective measurements are performed on the videos of charts recorded in various conditions from 0.1 to 10000 lux. The chart used is the DXOMARK visual noise chart.
Noise levels on the Honor Magic 8 Pro are well controlled in bright light, with a good balance between noise reduction and detail preservation. In more challenging conditions, such as indoor or low-light scenes, noise reduction is less effective, particularly when there is motion in the scene.
Stabilization
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Stabilization evaluation tests the ability of the device to stabilize footage thanks to software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS, or any others means. The evaluation looks at residual motion, smoothness, jello artifacts and residual motion blur on walk and run use cases in various lighting conditions. The video below is an extract from one of the tested scenes.
Video stabilization on the Honor Magic 8 Pro is generally effective in bright light, but performance declines in indoor and low-light conditions compared with high-end devices. Under challenging conditions, residual motion, frame shifts, and visible sharpness differences between frames can be observed.
Artifacts
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Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ringing measurements on the SFR chart in the lab as well as frame-rate measurements using the LED Universal Timer. Natural videos are visually evaluated by paying particular attention to artifacts such as aliasing, quantization, blocking, and hue shift, among others. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts and corresponding point loss are listed below.
UltraWide
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All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths from approximately 12 mm to 30 mm, with particular attention paid to texture and smoothness of the zooming effect. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life video recordings.
Tele
Honor Magic8 Pro
140
All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths from approximately 50 mm to 300 mm, with particular attention paid to texture and smoothness of the zooming effect. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life video recordings.
The Honor Magic 8 Pro delivers good video zoom performance overall. At close and medium ranges, detail is somewhat limited and noise can become noticeable. At longer distances, when the telephoto module engages, detail preservation improves significantly. Some visible camera jumps can occur when pinching to zoom.