Honor Magic8 Pro vs Honor Play9A

The Honor Magic8 Pro (2025) runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while the Honor Play9A (2024) runs on the MediaTek Helio G36. By overall MobileRank rating, the Honor Magic8 Pro leads — 88/100 vs 27/100 (a 61-point difference). Key differences: the Honor Magic8 Pro has the bigger battery (5850 mAh vs 5200); the main camera is 50 MP vs 13 MP; the Honor Magic8 Pro is faster in AnTuTu (3,147,042 vs 195,539); the Honor Magic8 Pro has NFC for contactless payments, the Honor Play9A doesn't.

The Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play9A by 61 points (88/100 vs 27/100).
Profile comparison
Category scores
Honor Magic8 Pro
Performance 95
Display 84
Camera 91
Battery 82
Portability 56
Value for money 88
Honor Play9A
Performance 11
Display 34
Camera 10
Battery 74
Portability 55
Value for money
What makes Honor Magic8 Pro better?
  • Higher AnTuTu: 3147042 vs 195539
  • Better Geekbench Single: 3640 vs 189
  • Better Geekbench Multi: 11033 vs 781
  • Bigger battery: 5850 vs 5200 mAh
  • Better main camera: 50MP vs 13MP

  • Higher performance (95/100 vs 11/100)
  • Better camera (91/100 vs 10/100)
  • Longer battery life (82/100 vs 74/100)
  • Better display (84/100 vs 34/100)
  • Better portability (56/100 vs 55/100)
What makes Honor Play9A better?
  • Lighter: 194g vs 199g

  • Overall rating 27/100
Comparison verdict

Comparing the Honor Magic8 Pro vs the Honor Play9A, the Honor Magic8 Pro scores 61 points higher (88/100 vs 27/100). In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro leads (95/100 vs 11/100). In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro leads (91/100 vs 10/100). In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play9A (95/100 vs 11/100). In the "display" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play9A (84/100 vs 34/100). In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play9A (91/100 vs 10/100). In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro is a bit better (82/100 vs 74/100). In the "portability" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro and the Honor Play9A are nearly equal (56/100 vs 55/100).

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 Play9A: The Honor Play9A is a better fit for everyday use.
Specs comparison
Specification Honor Magic8 Pro Honor Play9A
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 MediaTek Helio G36
AnTuTu 3147042 195539
Geekbench Single 3640 189
Geekbench Multi 11033 781
Display 6.8" LTPO AMOLED 6.6"
Resolution 2800x1260 720x1612
Refresh rate 120 Hz
Battery 5850 mAh 5200 mAh
Charging 100W
Wireless charging 80W
DXOMark (camera) 164
Main camera 50 MP 13 MP
Ultrawide 50 MP 0 MP
Telephoto 12 MP 0 MP
Front camera 16 MP 5 MP
RAM 12GB / 16GB 4GB
Storage 256GB / 512GB 64GB / 128GB / 256GB
OS Android 15 Android 14, MagicOS 8
Brightness (peak) 6000 nits
NFC yes no
Protection IP68
Dimensions 161.2×75.0×8.3 mm 163.9×75.8×8.7 mm
Weight 199 g 194 g
Price $899
Camera comparison
Honor Magic8 Pro
  • Main: 50MP f/1.4
  • Ultrawide: 50MP
  • Telephoto: 12MP
  • Front: 16MP
91
camera
Honor Play9A
  • Main: 13MP f/f/1.8
  • Front: 5MP
10
camera
Display comparison
Honor Magic8 Pro
  • 6.8" LTPO AMOLED
  • Resolution: 2800x1260
  • Refresh rate: 120 Hz
84
display
Honor Play9A
  • 6.6"
  • Resolution: 720x1612
  • Refresh rate: —
34
display
Battery and charging
Honor Magic8 Pro
  • 5850 mAh
  • Wired: 100W
  • Wireless: 80W
82
battery
Honor Play9A
  • 5200 mAh
  • Wireless charging: no data
74
battery
Overall performance score

We compared Honor Magic8 Pro and Honor Play9A, covering their specs and all relevant benchmarks.

Honor Magic8 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
88/100
3147042 AnTuTu
Honor Play9A MediaTek Helio G36
27/100 -1509.4%
195539 AnTuTu

Honor Magic8 Pro leads Honor Play9A by 1509.4% in our overall performance rating.

Benchmarks
Price and availability
Honor Magic8 Pro
$899
Honor Play9A
Price unknown
Detailed category analysis
performance

In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play9A (95/100 vs 11/100).

display

In the "display" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play9A (84/100 vs 34/100).

camera

In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play9A (91/100 vs 10/100).

battery

In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro is a bit better (82/100 vs 74/100).

portability

In the "portability" category, the Honor Magic8 Pro and the Honor Play9A are nearly equal (56/100 vs 55/100).

Frequently asked questions
Which is better: the Honor Magic8 Pro or the Honor Play9A?

The Honor Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms the Honor Play9A by 61 points (88/100 vs 27/100).

What is the rating of the Honor Magic8 Pro and the Honor Play9A?

The Honor Magic8 Pro has a MobileRank rating of 88/100, the Honor Play9A — 27/100.

Which has the better camera: the Honor Magic8 Pro or the Honor Play9A?

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

Which is more powerful: the Honor Magic8 Pro or the Honor Play9A?

The Honor Magic8 Pro leads on performance (95/100 vs 11/100).

Should you choose the Honor Magic8 Pro over the Honor Play9A?

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 Play9A is a better fit for everyday use.