Honor Magic9 vs Sony Xperia 5 III

The Honor Magic9 (2026) runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while the Sony Xperia 5 III (2021) runs on the Snapdragon 888. By overall MobileRank rating, the Honor Magic9 leads — 92/100 vs 51/100 (a 41-point difference). Key differences: the Honor Magic9 has the bigger battery (8000 mAh vs 4500); the main camera is 200 MP vs 12 MP; the Honor Magic9 is faster in AnTuTu (4,288,382 vs 1,135,878); the Sony Xperia 5 III is noticeably lighter (168g vs 209g).

The Honor Magic9 significantly outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III by 41 points (92/100 vs 51/100).

Profile comparison

Category scores

Honor Magic9

Performance 99
Display 85
Camera 100
Battery 86
Portability 48
Value for money —

Sony Xperia 5 III

Performance 64
Display 84
Camera 20
Battery 35
Portability 76
Value for money 12

What makes Honor Magic9 better?

  • Higher AnTuTu: 4288382 vs 1135878
  • Better Geekbench Single: 3639 vs 1500
  • Better Geekbench Multi: 11047 vs 3537
  • Bigger battery: 8000 vs 4500 mAh
  • Faster charging: 80W vs 30W
  • Better main camera: 200MP vs 12MP

  • Higher performance (99/100 vs 64/100)
  • Better camera (100/100 vs 20/100)
  • Longer battery life (86/100 vs 35/100)
  • Better display (85/100 vs 84/100)

What makes Sony Xperia 5 III better?

  • Lighter: 168g vs 209g

  • Better portability (76/100 vs 48/100)

Comparison verdict

Comparing the Honor Magic9 vs the Sony Xperia 5 III, the Honor Magic9 scores 41 points higher (92/100 vs 51/100). In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic9 leads (99/100 vs 64/100). In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic9 leads (100/100 vs 20/100). In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic9 leads (86/100 vs 35/100). In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic9 significantly outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III (99/100 vs 64/100). In the "display" category, the Honor Magic9 and the Sony Xperia 5 III are nearly equal (85/100 vs 84/100). In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic9 significantly outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III (100/100 vs 20/100). In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic9 significantly outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III (86/100 vs 35/100). In the "portability" category, the Sony Xperia 5 III notably outperforms the Honor Magic9 (76/100 vs 48/100).

Honor Magic9: The Honor Magic9 is a better fit for gamers and power users, mobile photography enthusiasts, those who care about battery life.
Sony Xperia 5 III: The Sony Xperia 5 III is a better fit for active users.

Specs comparison

Specification Honor Magic9 Sony Xperia 5 III
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Snapdragon 888
AnTuTu 4288382 1135878
Geekbench Single 3639 1500
Geekbench Multi 11047 3537
Display 6.4" OLED 6.1" OLED
Resolution 1236x2664 1080x2520
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Battery 8000 mAh 4500 mAh
Charging 80W 30W
Wireless charging 50W 0W
Main camera 200 MP 12 MP
Ultrawide 50 MP 12 MP
Telephoto 200 MP 12 MP
Front camera 55 MP 8 MP
RAM 12GB / 16GB 8GB
Storage 256GB / 512GB / 1TB 128GB / 256GB
OS Android 17 Android 11
Brightness (peak) 10000 nits —
NFC yes yes
Protection IP68/IP69K IP65/IP68
Dimensions 151.0×72.3×8.5 mm 157.0×68.0×8.2 mm
Weight 209 g 168 g
Launch price — $999

Camera comparison

Honor Magic9

  • Main: 200MP f/1.9
  • Ultrawide: 50MP
  • Telephoto: 200MP
  • Front: 55MP
100
camera

Sony Xperia 5 III

  • Main: 12MP f/1.7
  • Ultrawide: 12MP
  • Telephoto: 12MP
  • Front: 8MP
20
camera

Display comparison

Honor Magic9

  • 6.4" OLED
  • Resolution: 1236x2664
  • Refresh rate: 120 Hz
85
display

Sony Xperia 5 III

  • 6.1" OLED
  • Resolution: 1080x2520
  • Refresh rate: 120 Hz
84
display

Battery and charging

Honor Magic9

  • 8000 mAh
  • Wired: 80W
  • Wireless: 50W
86
battery

Sony Xperia 5 III

  • 4500 mAh
  • Wired: 30W
  • No wireless charging
35
battery

Overall performance score

We compared Honor Magic9 and Sony Xperia 5 III, covering their specs and all relevant benchmarks.

Honor Magic9 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
92/100
4288382 AnTuTu
Sony Xperia 5 III Snapdragon 888
51/100 -277.5%
1135878 AnTuTu

Honor Magic9 leads Sony Xperia 5 III by 277.5% in our overall performance rating.

Benchmarks

Launch prices and where to check today's

Honor Magic9

Price unknown

Sony Xperia 5 III

$999

Detailed category analysis

performance

In the "performance" category, the Honor Magic9 significantly outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III (99/100 vs 64/100).

display

In the "display" category, the Honor Magic9 and the Sony Xperia 5 III are nearly equal (85/100 vs 84/100).

camera

In the "camera" category, the Honor Magic9 significantly outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III (100/100 vs 20/100).

battery

In the "battery" category, the Honor Magic9 significantly outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III (86/100 vs 35/100).

portability

In the "portability" category, the Sony Xperia 5 III notably outperforms the Honor Magic9 (76/100 vs 48/100).

Frequently asked questions

Which is better: the Honor Magic9 or the Sony Xperia 5 III?

The Honor Magic9 significantly outperforms the Sony Xperia 5 III by 41 points (92/100 vs 51/100).

What is the rating of the Honor Magic9 and the Sony Xperia 5 III?

The Honor Magic9 has a MobileRank rating of 92/100, the Sony Xperia 5 III — 51/100.

Which has the better camera: the Honor Magic9 or the Sony Xperia 5 III?

The Honor Magic9 leads on camera score (100/100 vs 20/100).

Which is more powerful: the Honor Magic9 or the Sony Xperia 5 III?

The Honor Magic9 leads on performance (99/100 vs 64/100).

Should you choose the Honor Magic9 over the Sony Xperia 5 III?

The Honor Magic9 is a better fit for gamers and power users, mobile photography enthusiasts, those who care about battery life. The Sony Xperia 5 III is a better fit for active users.