Honor Magic8 Pro vs Honor Play 9A

The Honor Magic8 Pro (2025) runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while the Honor Play 9A (2020) runs on the MediaTek Helio P35. By overall MobileRank rating, the Honor Magic8 Pro leads — 88/100 vs 25/100 (a 63-point difference). Key differences: the Honor Magic8 Pro has the bigger battery (5850 mAh vs 5000); the main camera is 50 MP vs 13 MP; the Honor Magic8 Pro is faster in AnTuTu (3,147,042 vs 199,111); the Honor Magic8 Pro has NFC for contactless payments, the Honor Play 9A doesn't.

The Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A by 63 points (88/100 vs 25/100).
Profile comparison
Category scores
Honor Magic8 Pro
Performance 95
Display 84
Camera 91
Battery 82
Portability 56
Value for money 88
Honor Play 9A
Performance 19
Display 40
Camera 10
Battery 43
Portability 57
Value for money
What makes Honor Magic8 Pro better?
  • Higher AnTuTu: 3147042 vs 199111
  • Better Geekbench Single: 3640 vs 476
  • Better Geekbench Multi: 11033 vs 828
  • Bigger battery: 5850 vs 5000 mAh
  • Faster charging: 100W vs 10W
  • Better main camera: 50MP vs 13MP

  • Higher performance (95/100 vs 19/100)
  • Better camera (91/100 vs 10/100)
  • Longer battery life (82/100 vs 43/100)
  • Better display (84/100 vs 40/100)
What makes Honor Play 9A better?
  • Lighter: 185g vs 199g

  • Better portability (57/100 vs 56/100)
Comparison verdict

Comparing the Honor Magic8 Pro vs the Honor Play 9A, the Honor Magic8 Pro scores 63 points higher (88/100 vs 25/100). In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro leads (95/100 vs 19/100). In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro leads (91/100 vs 10/100). In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro leads (82/100 vs 43/100). In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (95/100 vs 19/100). In the "display" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (84/100 vs 40/100). In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (91/100 vs 10/100). In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (82/100 vs 43/100). In the "portability" category, the Honor Play 9A and the Honor Magic8 Pro are nearly equal (57/100 vs 56/100).

Honor Magic8 Pro: The Honor Magic8 Pro is a better fit for gamers and power users, mobile photography enthusiasts, those who care about battery life, budget-conscious buyers.
Honor Play 9A: The Honor Play 9A is a better fit for everyday use.
Specs comparison
Specification Honor Magic8 Pro Honor Play 9A
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 MediaTek Helio P35
AnTuTu 3147042 199111
Geekbench Single 3640 476
Geekbench Multi 11033 828
Display 6.8" LTPO AMOLED 6.3" IPS LCD
Resolution 2800x1260 720x1600
Refresh rate 120 Hz
Battery 5850 mAh 5000 mAh
Charging 100W 10W
Wireless charging 80W 0W
DXOMark (camera) 164
Main camera 50 MP 13 MP
Ultrawide 50 MP 0 MP
Telephoto 12 MP 0 MP
Front camera 16 MP 8 MP
RAM 12GB / 16GB 4GB
Storage 256GB / 512GB 64GB / 128GB
OS Android 15 Android 10.0 (AOSP + HMS); Magic UI 3.0
Brightness (peak) 6000 nits
NFC yes no
Protection IP68
Dimensions 161.2×75.0×8.3 mm 159.1×74.1×9.0 mm
Weight 199 g 185 g
Price $957
Camera comparison
Honor Magic8 Pro
  • Main: 50MP f/1.4
  • Ultrawide: 50MP
  • Telephoto: 12MP
  • Front: 16MP
91
camera
Honor Play 9A
  • Main: 13MP f/f/1.8
  • Front: 8MP
10
camera
Display comparison
Honor Magic8 Pro
  • 6.8" LTPO AMOLED
  • Resolution: 2800x1260
  • Refresh rate: 120 Hz
84
display
Honor Play 9A
  • 6.3" IPS LCD
  • Resolution: 720x1600
  • Refresh rate: —
40
display
Battery and charging
Honor Magic8 Pro
  • 5850 mAh
  • Wired: 100W
  • Wireless: 80W
82
battery
Honor Play 9A
  • 5000 mAh
  • Wired: 10W
  • No wireless charging
43
battery
Overall performance score

We compared Honor Magic8 Pro and Honor Play 9A, covering their specs and all relevant benchmarks.

Honor Magic8 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
88/100
3147042 AnTuTu
Honor Play 9A MediaTek Helio P35
25/100 -1480.5%
199111 AnTuTu

Honor Magic8 Pro leads Honor Play 9A by 1480.5% in our overall performance rating.

Benchmarks
Price and availability
Honor Magic8 Pro
$957
Honor Play 9A
Price unknown
Detailed category analysis
performance

In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (95/100 vs 19/100).

display

In the "display" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (84/100 vs 40/100).

camera

In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (91/100 vs 10/100).

battery

In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (82/100 vs 43/100).

portability

In the "portability" category, the Honor Play 9A and the Honor Magic8 Pro are nearly equal (57/100 vs 56/100).

Frequently asked questions
Which is better: the Honor Magic8 Pro or the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A by 63 points (88/100 vs 25/100).

What is the rating of the Honor Magic8 Pro and the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic8 Pro has a MobileRank rating of 88/100, the Honor Play 9A — 25/100.

Which has the better camera: the Honor Magic8 Pro or the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic8 Pro leads on camera score (91/100 vs 10/100).

Which is more powerful: the Honor Magic8 Pro or the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic8 Pro leads on performance (95/100 vs 19/100).

Should you choose the Honor Magic8 Pro over the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic8 Pro is a better fit for gamers and power users, mobile photography enthusiasts, those who care about battery life, budget-conscious buyers. The Honor Play 9A is a better fit for everyday use.