As Xiaomi has announced its flagship smartphone series, we’re intrigued to see how it compares to some of the best Android phones.
We’ve assessed the specs of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra to the 4.5-star Honor Magic 8 Pro to see the differences between the two smartphones. Keep reading to see what separates the phones and which one will likely suit you best.
Otherwise, we’ve put together Xiaomi 17 Ultra vs Galaxy S26 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max. Finally, if you want to know more about the series, make sure you visit our Xiaomi 17 vs 17 Ultra guide too.
Full Specs
| Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review | Honor Magic 8 Pro Review | |
|---|---|---|
| UK RRP | – | £1099 |
| Manufacturer | Xiaomi | Honor |
| Screen Size | – | 6.7 inches |
| Storage Capacity | 512GB, 1TB | 512GB |
| Rear Camera | 50MP + 200MP + 50MP | 50MP + 200MP + 50MP |
| Front Camera | 50MP | 50MP |
| Video Recording | Yes | Yes |
| IP rating | IP69K | IP69K |
| Battery | 6000 mAh | 6270 mAh |
| Wireless charging | Yes | Yes |
| Fast Charging | Yes | Yes |
| Size (Dimensions) | 77.6 x 8.3 x 162.9 MM | 75 x 8.3 x 161.2 MM |
| Weight | 218 G | 219 G |
| Operating System | HyperOS 3 (Android 16) | MagicOS 10 (Android 16) |
| Release Date | 2026 | 2026 |
| First Reviewed Date | 28/02/2026 | 13/01/2026 |
| Resolution | 1200 x 2608 | 1256 x 2808 |
| HDR | Yes | Yes |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| RAM | 12GB, 16GB | 12GB |
| Colours | Black, White, Starlit Green | Sunrise Gold, Sky Cyan, Black, White |
| Stated Power | 90 W | 100 W |
Price and Availability
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is available to order now, with a starting price of £1299 for its 16GB+512GB handset.
SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10208280
In comparison, the Honor Magic 8 Pro is slightly cheaper with a starting price of £1099.99 for the 12GB+512GB model.
Both run on Qualcomm’s flagship chip
Perhaps unsurprisingly, both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Honor Magic 8 Pro run on Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, which is seen in many of the best Android phones of the year so far. Overall, we’ve found that Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 not only offers speedy and lag-free performance across everything from scrolling on social media to even intensive tasks like video editing.
We were also impressed by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’s gaming prowess, and found even graphically demanding titles ran brilliantly. Essentially, when it comes to everyday performance, both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Honor Magic 8 Pro are undoubtedly appealing options.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Honor Magic 8 Pro
Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a larger display
Much like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra sports a mighty 6.9-inch display while the Honor Magic 8 Pro is 6.7-inches. Either way, both handsets are fitted with plenty of premium screen technologies that we’ve come to expect from top-end smartphones.
For example, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra sports a HyperRGB panel which Xiaomi explains “leverages independent red, green, and blue subpixels for 2K-level clarity”, an LTPO 120Hz refresh rate and Xiaomi’s Shield Glassy 3.0 that’s promised to offer up to 30% more drop resistance than its predecessor.
In comparison, we concluded that the Honor Magic 8 Pro feels like a “joy to use”, thanks to its vibrant colours, LTPO 120Hz refresh rate and whopping 6000 nits peak brightness too.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Honor Magic 8 Pro
Both have 200MP telephoto lenses
The camera specs for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Honor Magic 8 Pro are remarkably similar as both are equipped with 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide and 200MP telephoto lenses at their respective rears.
Considering the Xiaomi 15 Ultra currently has the top spot on our best camera phones list, we have high expectations for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Plus, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra supports two Leica photography add-ons: Photography Kit and Photography Kit Pro. The former weighs just 48g and includes a wrist strap, a customisable two-stage shutter button and a video recording button for precise control, while the Pro boasts an integrated 2000mAh battery which doubles as a power bank.
Otherwise, we concluded that the Magic 8 Pro offers consistent performance across all three lenses, albeit with a tendency to offer a slightly pale finish than we’d prefer. Not only that, but we were also impressed with Honor’s SuperNight capabilities which does a good job of keeping objects in focus, even when there’s not a lot of light to play with.
Honor Magic 8 Pro supports faster wireless charging
Not only does the Honor Magic 8 Pro boast a slightly larger battery than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, but it supports faster and wireless charging too. However, that’s not to say the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is lacking in the battery department, as it still sports a decent-sized 6000mAh cell and supports 90W and 50W wireless charging speeds too. With this in mind, the handset looks set to be at least an all-day device with convenient top-up speeds too.
Instead, the Honor Magic 8 Pro’s battery is 6270mAh and supports a mighty 100W and 80W speeds too. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to invest in compatible chargers to actually benefit from those speed promises.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes with more RAM as standard
It’s worth noting, especially given the ongoing RAM prices crisis, that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes equipped with 16GB RAM by default. In comparison, the Honor Magic 8 Pro only sports 12GB.
Essentially, this should mean that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra will be able to handle more without slowing down compared to the Honor Magic 8 Pro. Even so, we’d still expect that most users will find the 12GB Honor Magic 8 Pro to suffice in most use cases.
Early Verdict
Judging by their respective specs, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Honor Magic 8 Pro are very similar Android smartphones as they both run on the same Qualcomm chip, both have a 200MP telephoto lens and offer fast charging too.
However, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra does come with a slightly higher price that makes it even pricier than the Galaxy S26 Ultra. With this in mind, if you’re looking for a slightly more affordable Android, then the Honor Magic 8 Pro is an easier recommendation.
