Honor Magic9 Super vs Honor Play 9A

The Honor Magic9 Super (2026) 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 Magic9 Super leads — 87/100 vs 25/100 (a 62-point difference). Key differences: the Honor Magic9 Super has the bigger battery (11000 mAh vs 5000); the main camera is 200 MP vs 13 MP; the Honor Magic9 Super is faster in AnTuTu (4,290,399 vs 199,111); the Honor Magic9 Super has NFC for contactless payments, the Honor Play 9A doesn't; the Honor Play 9A is noticeably lighter (185g vs 227g).

The Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A by 62 points (87/100 vs 25/100).

Profile comparison

Category scores

Honor Magic9 Super

Performance 99
Display 84
Camera 78
Battery 91
Portability 41
Value for money —

Honor Play 9A

Performance 19
Display 40
Camera 10
Battery 43
Portability 57
Value for money —

What makes Honor Magic9 Super better?

  • Higher AnTuTu: 4290399 vs 199111
  • Better Geekbench Single: 3639 vs 476
  • Better Geekbench Multi: 11047 vs 828
  • Bigger battery: 11000 vs 5000 mAh
  • Faster charging: 80W vs 10W
  • Better main camera: 200MP vs 13MP

  • Higher performance (99/100 vs 19/100)
  • Better camera (78/100 vs 10/100)
  • Longer battery life (91/100 vs 43/100)
  • Better display (84/100 vs 40/100)

What makes Honor Play 9A better?

  • Lighter: 185g vs 227g

  • Better portability (57/100 vs 41/100)

Comparison verdict

Comparing the Honor Magic9 Super vs the Honor Play 9A, the Honor Magic9 Super scores 62 points higher (87/100 vs 25/100). In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic9 Super leads (99/100 vs 19/100). In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic9 Super leads (78/100 vs 10/100). In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic9 Super leads (91/100 vs 43/100). In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (99/100 vs 19/100). In the "display" category, the Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (84/100 vs 40/100). In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (78/100 vs 10/100). In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (91/100 vs 43/100). In the "portability" category, the Honor Play 9A notably outperforms the Honor Magic9 Super (57/100 vs 41/100).

Honor Magic9 Super: The Honor Magic9 Super is a better fit for gamers and power users, those who care about battery life.

Specs comparison

Specification Honor Magic9 Super Honor Play 9A
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 MediaTek Helio P35
AnTuTu 4290399 199111
Geekbench Single 3639 476
Geekbench Multi 11047 828
Display 6.8" OLED 6.3" IPS LCD
Resolution 1280x2788 720x1600
Refresh rate 120 Hz —
Battery 11000 mAh 5000 mAh
Charging 80W 10W
Wireless charging 50W 0W
Main camera 200 MP 13 MP
Ultrawide 12 MP 0 MP
Telephoto 50 MP 0 MP
Front camera 50 MP 8 MP
RAM 12GB / 16GB 4GB
Storage 256GB / 512GB 64GB / 128GB
OS Android 17 Android 10.0 (AOSP + HMS); Magic UI 3.0
Brightness (peak) 10000 nits —
NFC yes no
Protection IP68/IP69K —
Dimensions 161.8×76.7×8.1 mm 159.1×74.1×9.0 mm
Weight 227 g 185 g
Launch price — —

Camera comparison

Honor Magic9 Super

  • Main: 200MP f/1.9
  • Ultrawide: 12MP
  • Telephoto: 50MP
  • Front: 50MP
78
camera

Honor Play 9A

  • Main: 13MP f/1.8
  • Front: 8MP
10
camera

Display comparison

Honor Magic9 Super

  • 6.8" OLED
  • Resolution: 1280x2788
  • Refresh rate: 120 Hz
84
display

Honor Play 9A

  • 6.3" IPS LCD
  • Resolution: 720x1600
  • Refresh rate: —
40
display

Battery and charging

Honor Magic9 Super

  • 11000 mAh
  • Wired: 80W
  • Wireless: 50W
91
battery

Honor Play 9A

  • 5000 mAh
  • Wired: 10W
  • No wireless charging
43
battery

Overall performance score

We compared Honor Magic9 Super and Honor Play 9A, covering their specs and all relevant benchmarks.

Honor Magic9 Super Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
87/100
4290399 AnTuTu
Honor Play 9A MediaTek Helio P35
25/100 -2054.8%
199111 AnTuTu

Honor Magic9 Super leads Honor Play 9A by 2054.8% in our overall performance rating.

Benchmarks

Detailed category analysis

performance

In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (99/100 vs 19/100).

display

In the "display" category, the Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (84/100 vs 40/100).

camera

In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (78/100 vs 10/100).

battery

In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A (91/100 vs 43/100).

portability

In the "portability" category, the Honor Play 9A notably outperforms the Honor Magic9 Super (57/100 vs 41/100).

Frequently asked questions

Which is better: the Honor Magic9 Super or the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic9 Super significantly outperforms the Honor Play 9A by 62 points (87/100 vs 25/100).

What is the rating of the Honor Magic9 Super and the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic9 Super has a MobileRank rating of 87/100, the Honor Play 9A — 25/100.

Which has the better camera: the Honor Magic9 Super or the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic9 Super leads on camera score (78/100 vs 10/100).

Which is more powerful: the Honor Magic9 Super or the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic9 Super leads on performance (99/100 vs 19/100).

Should you choose the Honor Magic9 Super over the Honor Play 9A?

The Honor Magic9 Super is a better fit for gamers and power users, those who care about battery life.