Phones like the Magic 8 Pro and the Magic V5 have earned Honor a lot of well-deserved acclaim thanks to their impressive specs and bold designs, all without breaking the bank.
If you're looking for a new model and are intrigued by this brand's latest offerings, read on for the best Honor phones available in 2026, as reviewed by experts from iD Mobile, brought to you by Currys.
Best overall Honor phone: Honor Magic 8 Pro
Honor’s latest release, the Honor Magic 8 Pro is premium in every sense, with a sleek, modern design encasing an immersive screen and excellent camera suite.
Design-wise, Honor has combined a super-bright display (up to 6,000 nits) with AI Eye Comfort Display technology. Supported by an adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate, this innovative feature recreates natural light to help prevent tired eyes and protect your eyesight in low light. It's a thoughtful addition that makes a real difference whether you’re late-night scrolling or on a long video call. Paired with the stunning colours and the ultra-durable NanoCrystal shield covering the glass screen, you’ve got a smartphone that looks fantastic and can go the distance when it comes to durability.
Equipped with a 200MP UltraNight lens, the Magic 8 Pro’s camera suite is Honor’s sharpest yet, with colours, objects and faces captured in exquisite detail. True to its name, it’s in low-light conditions that the camera really shines. Image stabilization means blurry night-sky shots are a thing of the past, while the 3.7x telephoto lens ensures long-distance snaps retain their detail when zooming in from afar. AI features like Telephoto Night Portrait are also packed in; this one can capture distinct facial features even in the middle of the night – albeit less realistically than natural images captured in daylight. There’s also an abundance of editing tools to accurately get rid of things like reflections if you’re snapping the sunset through a window. This range of AI tools feel intuitive and well-integrated; there are no gimmicks here, just cleverly designed features to take your photography skills up a notch.
- Release date: January 2026
- Dimensions: 161.15 x 75 x 8.4mm
- Weight: 219g
- Display size and resolution: 6.71-inch OLED FHD+ (1256 x 2808)
- OS: MagicOS 10 (based on Android 16)
- Refresh rate: 1-120Hz
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- RAM: 12GB
- Battery: 6,270mAh
- Rear cameras: 200MP Ultra Night telephoto camera, 50MP Ultra Night main camera, 50MP ultra wide camera
- Front camera: 50MP front camera + 3D depth camera
- IP rating: IP68, IP69 and IP69K
- 80W wireless charging available, as well as 100W wired charging for speedy top-ups when you need them
- Honor NanoCrystal Shield helps keep that beautifully bright screen scratch-free
- Colourways in Sky Cyan, classic Black and Sunrise Gold feel classy and modern, perfectly matching Honor’s unique design
It’s important to consider what you want from your phone’s battery life. While the Magic 8 Pro offers wonderfully efficient battery life at 6,270mAh, Honor’s latest mid-range offering, the Magic 8 Lite, clocks in with 7,500mAh. If a bigger-spec battery is the most important feature on your checklist, the Lite is for you; but if you want the best technology Honor has to offer, the Magic 8 Pro will be everything you need and more for years to come.
Best foldable Honor phone: Honor Magic V5
If you’re on the market for a foldable phone with real flair, the Honor Magic V5 is worth a closer look. It has a slim and stylish design with an ultra-thin 4.1mm profile when unfolded, and a huge 7.95-inch OLED main display. The foldable design is cleverly done, with sturdy hinges and almost no crease when unfolded. You can use an HONOR Magic Pen on this model, and it has Eye Comfort Technology to reduce strain.
In terms of performance, the Magic V5 is powered by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which ensures smooth everyday use and an excellent gaming experience. This foldable phone has a quality camera array, too - its 50MP main sensor features Optical Image Stabilisation to prevent blurring; plus, it has a 64MP telephoto lens with zoom enhanced by AI, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. The result? Sharp, detailed, vibrant, and well-lit photos.
The Magic V5 holds its own in the battery department; in fact, this is one of the longest-lasting foldable phones you’ll find. Its 5,820mAh battery provides up to 25.5 hours of video playback on the main screen, blowing many of the best handsets out of the water.
- Release date: July 2025
-
Dimensions: Unfolded 156.8 x 145.9 x 4.1
mm (Ivory White) or 4.2 mm (other
colourways),
folded 156.8 x 74.3 x 8.8 mm (Ivory White) or 9.0 mm (other colourways) - Weight: 217g (Ivory White) or 222g (other versions)
- Display size and resolution: 7.95-inch LTPO OLED (2172 x 2352)
- OS: Android 15 with MagicOS 9.0.1
- Refresh rate: 120Hz
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Elite
- RAM: 16GB
- Battery: 5,820mAh
- Rear cameras: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 64MP telephoto
- Front camera: 20MP wide (main screen), 20MP wide (cover screen)
- IP rating: IP58 or 59
- Ultra-slim foldable design feels sleek and modern
- Advanced triple-camera array adds an extra touch to an already impressive tablet-style smartphone
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor makes multitasking quick and easy
The Magic V5 does offer strong telephoto zoom, but the AI enhancements that are involved in this process can make some images look overly processed. There may be some edge distortion when using the ultrawide camera – particularly in low light – but the more you use the camera suite, the easier it will snap more realistic images.
Best for battery life: Honor Magic 8 Lite
Hot on the heels of the Magic 8 Pro, Honor’s latest mid-range phone is packed full to the brim with features worthy of a more expensive model. Light and pocket-friendly for a handset of its size, the Honor Magic 8 Lite boasts Honor’s classic sleek design, complete with a halo camera suite to the rear and a beautifully bright OLED display.
Modern and light as it is, Honor have taken pains to make this phone incredibly durable. It has the same IP69K rating as the Magic 8 Pro - one of the best water and dust resistance ratings on the market. These numbers mean this handset is super-tough: it can withstand a drop in the shower and pressurised jets of water, as well as being chucked in the bottom of your bag for a day.
Let's talk about the most showstopping feature of all: the Magic 8 Lite supports a humongous 7,500mAh battery, giving you up to 3 days of battery life according to Honor if you want a phone that you’ll never have to think twice about charging, this is the handset you’ve been looking for.
- Release date: January 2026
- Dimensions: 161.9 x 76.1 x 7.76mm
- Weight: 189g
- Display size and resolution: 6.79-inch AMOLED (2640 x 1200)
- OS: MagicOS 9.0 (Android 15)
- Refresh rate: 120Hz
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: Snapdragon 6 Gen 4
- RAM: 8GB
- Battery: 7,500mAh
- Rear cameras: 108MP main camera, 5MP wide
- Front camera: 16MP
- IP rating: IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K
- A 7,500mAh battery that’ll easily keep you going for up to 3 days with moderate use
- The IP69K water and dust resistance provides best-in-class protection against water and internal-debris damage
- Ultra Bright display lets you scroll without squinting, even in bright sunlight
To compensate for that mega-sized battery, Honor have foregone some of the more technically impressive features present in the Magic 8 Pro; there’s a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor rather than the 8 Pro’s more advanced Snapdragon 8 Elite, and the 8 Lite runs on an older version of Android. That doesn’t change the fact that you’re getting incredible bang for your buck here.
Best mid-range Honor phone: Honor 400 Pro
The HONOR 400 Pro sits on the more affordable side of Honor’s handsets, but it’s not short of impressive features. The 400 Pro is more than capable of handling intense gaming, heavy multitasking and more; safe to say, we came away very impressed with the performance on offer here.
The ‘Pro’ title isn’t just some fancy name. However we pushed it, the 400 Pro exceeded our expectations time and time again. Games look fantastic and play brilliantly, the 5,000 nits brightness level helps colours and details pop no matter what conditions you’re in, and there’s a 120Hz refresh rate that keeps things feeling silky smooth with very little lag. We’re still not done though; there’s 12GB RAM on offer here, too – more than enough to noticeably boost performance – and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor makes for responsive, intuitive gameplay.
Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the triple-camera setup, comprised of a 200MP Ultra-clear AI main camera, a 50MP telephoto lens with up to 50x zoom and a 12MP ultrawide camera - perfect for capturing expansive landscapes. The front-facing dual 50MP selfie and 2MP depth sensors make sure you get crisp, detailed self-portraits and clear-as-a-bell video calls. Don’t fret about battery life either, as you can snap all day long thanks to the 400 Pro's 5,300mAh battery, with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging available.
- Release date: May 2025
- Dimensions: 160.8 x 76.1 x 8.1 mm
- Weight: 205g
- Display size and resolution: 6.7-inch AMOLED (2800 x 1280)
- OS: MagicOS 9.0 (based on Android 15)
- Refresh rate: 120Hz
- Storage: 512GB
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- RAM: 12GB
- Battery: 5,300mAh
- Rear cameras: 200MP ultra-clear main camera + 50MP telephoto + 12MP ultrawide
- Front camera: 50MP wide lens with Portrait Selfie camera
- IP rating: IP68 and IP69
- A whole host of AI features like real-time translation and Magic Portal make your phone feel entirely personalised to you
- Stunning 200MP camera system produces superb detail with up to 50x zoom
- Vibrant 6.7-inch display feels sharp and immersive, with 5,000 nits brightness
Best battery on a budget Honor phone: Honor 400 Lite
With a solid battery, impressive camera and fantastic display, the HONOR 400 Lite has a lot to offer for a budget-friendly device – and the battery life is just the tip of the iceberg. Lighter on price but heavy on features, this model has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, making streaming and scrolling feel quick and seamless. The design feels high-end, too, with its sleek, lightweight styling and easy-in-the-hand comfort.
At 5,230mAh, it’s a strong player amongst phones with the best battery life (comparatively, one of 2025’s leading flagships - the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra - has a 5,000mAh battery), easily last over a full day and night with normal use. There’s fast 35W charging on offer to give your phone some juice quickly when you need it.
- Release date: April 2025
- Dimensions: 161 x 74.55 x 7.29 mm
- Weight: 171 g
- Display size and resolution: 6.7-inch AMOLED (1080 x 2412)
- OS: MagicOS 9.0 (Based on Android 15)
- Refresh rate: 120Hz
- Storage: 256GB
- CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra
- RAM: 8GB
- Battery: 5,230mAh
- Rear cameras: 108MP main + 5MP wide
- Front camera: 16MP
- IP rating: IP65
- 108MP main camera - surprising for a budget phone
- Large AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate
- IP65 dust and water resistance for durability
Summary
Honor has proven itself to be a serious contender in the smartphone market, offering premium flagship models as well as budget-friendly options, all of which stand out for their quality and innovation. Looking for more of the best phones available? Browse our guide to the best Android phones.
FAQs
The Honor Magic 8 Pro really stands out thanks to its 200MP telephoto camera, plus advanced AI features. You can expect professional-quality photos and impressive zoom capabilities, as well as excellent night-time shots.