Running Qualcomm’s newest flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, how does the new Honor Magic 8 Pro compare to one of the best Android phones around, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Although the Honor Magic 8 Pro is only currently available in China, it is expected to launch across Europe in the coming months – and there are plenty of differences between the two aside from the chipset of choice.
Ahead of the wider launch, let’s compare the specs of the Honor Magic 8 Pro to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Price and Availability
At the time of writing, the Honor Magic 8 Pro is only available in China, although a global launch is expected within the next few months or so.
While we do know the Magic 8 Pro has a starting RRP of RMB 5,699 in its home region, we don’t know how much it will cost outside of China. Considering its predecessor has an RRP of £1099.99, it’s likely the Magic 8 Pro won’t stray too far from this price.
Although the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra officially starts at £1249/$1299, as the handset is nearly a year old, it is possible to find it with a price cut, especially during sales such as Prime Day or Black Friday.
Honor Magic 8 Pro runs on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Both the Honor Magic 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra run on Qualcomm mobile chips; however, they differ in their exact offerings. Firstly, the Honor Magic 8 Pro runs on the latest flagship, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and is actually among the first handsets to offer this new chipset alongside the likes of the Xiaomi 17 series and the OnePlus 15.
As we’re yet to review either the Honor Magic 8 Pro or the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, we can’t comment on how well it performs in everyday use and will have to wait and see. In the meantime, Qualcomm says we can expect a boost to on-device AI, CPU uplift and better efficiency compared to the mighty Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, on the other hand, runs on 2025’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, a custom version found across the Galaxy S25 range. We found the Galaxy S25 Ultra felt fast and responsive during day-to-day use and even when gaming, although it did have a tendency to heat up during intensive sessions.
We also found Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy’s benchmarking scores to be on par with the seriously powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite and even easily trounced the iPhone 16 Pro Max in many tests.
Honor Magic 8 Pro has IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings
Durability is key for any phone, and it’s safe to say that Honor really didn’t want to take any chances with the Magic 8 Pro. Not only does the phone sport a fairly typical IP68 rating, which means it’s dust-tight and protected from submersion in water, but it also sports an IP69 and even an IP69K rating too.
Essentially, an IP69 rating indicates that a device can withstand exposure to high-pressure and high-temperature water jets while IP69K indicates that the device has a specific level of protection from the likes of steam cleaning too.
Whether a phone truly needs an IP69, especially an IP69K rating, is debatable, and in reality, an IP68 rating is perfectly sufficient.
With that in mind, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra only sports an IP68 rating.
MagicOS 10 vs One UI 8
Although both phones run on Android 16, they naturally differ in the software. The Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on Samsung’s One UI 8 software, which focuses heavily on AI, enabling tools such as Now Brief, Gemini, and the ability to combine multiple app actions into a single request.
If you’ve used a Samsung device in the past, then you’ll notice One UI 8 also boasts a redesign with new icons and new features that give it a much-needed refresh in the face of the Android competition.
In comparison, the Magic 8 Pro runs on MagicOS 10. While we’re yet to experience MagicOS 10 for ourselves, Honor explains the software “introduces the translucent visual design philosophy” and “simulates realistic light effects to guarantee content readability” and adjusts colours to complement wallpapers too.
Of course, this sounds remarkably a lot like Liquid Glass, but we’ll hold off from drawing such conclusions for now.
Honor Magic 8 Pro has a larger battery and promises faster charging
The difference between the Honor Magic 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s battery capacities is huge. While the latter is fitted with the same 5000mAh cell as its predecessor, the Honor Magic 8 Pro boasts a massive 7200mAh capacity.
As we’re yet to review the phone, we don’t know how well this battery really performs in everyday use; however, Honor explains that the call is supported by three power management chips that use AI to optimise voltage, thermal control and long-term battery health.
In addition, the Magic 8 Pro supports charging speeds of up to 120W and 80W wireless, whereas the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers just 45W and 15W wireless support.
Sure, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s battery may sound slightly lacklustre in comparison, but it’s worth noting that we found the cell easily provided us with a day’s worth of use with around four hours of screen time.
Honor Magic 8 Pro has a 200MP telephoto lens
Samsung’s Galaxy S-series more often than not make their way into our best camera phones list, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra was no exception. Made up of a 200MP main, 10MP 3x, and 50MP 5x telephoto lenses, along with a 50MP ultrawide, we found that overall the phone was able to capture detailed shots in both bright and low lighting conditions.
In comparison, the Honor Magic 8 Pro promises to “elevate smartphone photography to new heights” and features a 200MP Ultra Night Telephoto lens. This, Honor promises, will improve light intake and deliver clearer details even at long distances.
In addition, Honor claims that the Magic 8 Pro achieves the industry’s most stable CIPA 5.5-level thanks to an industry-leading AI Adaptive Stabilisation Model.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we’ve reviewed the Honor Magic 8 Pro for ourselves.
Early Verdict
With Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a massive 7200mAh battery and a 200MP telephoto lens, the Honor Magic 8 Pro certainly seems like a promising Android handset.
However, the 4.5-star Galaxy S25 Ultra is a tried-and-tested all-rounder that, despite being nearly a year old, remains a brilliant choice for many.
