HONOR launches Magic 8 Pro and X9d 5G in Australia
HONOR's latest smartphones for the Australian market have just been announced, led by the flagship Magic 8.
The HONOR Magic 8 Pro is the brand's most camera-focused phone to date, built around a triple-camera system powered by HONOR's AiMAGE platform.
The main shooter is a 200MP Ultra Night Telephoto camera with a large 1/1.4-inch sensor, f/2.6 aperture, optical image stabilisation and 3.7x optical zoom. That is a setup you would usually only find on phones costing well north of two grand.
Backing it up are a 50MP f/1.6 main camera and a 50MP ultrawide with 122-degree coverage and 2.5cm macro capability.
HONOR's AI Adaptive Stabilisation delivers what it claims is a CIPA 6.5-level of stabilisation, which in plain terms means handheld zoomed shots are significantly less likely to come out blurry.
AI features and performance
The Magic 8 Pro runs MagicOS 10 on Android 16 and ships with Google Gemini pre-installed, including a three-month free trial of Google AI Pro.
There is a dedicated AI Button on the side of the phone: a double-press launches the camera from a locked screen, and a long press pulls up contextual AI suggestions including AI Photos Agent, a Summary tool and AI Deepfake Detection.
That last feature is one worth explaining a bit. Both AI Deepfake Detection and AI Voice Cloning Detection run in real time during calls, flagging face-swap or voice-clone fraud as it happens.
Inside is a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, paired with a 7,100mAh silicon-carbon battery. Charging is fast at 100W wired and 80W wireless, though neither charger is in the box.
| Spec | HONOR Magic 8 Pro |
|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| Main camera | 50MP, f/1.6, OIS |
| Telephoto | 200MP, 1/1.4", f/2.6, OIS, 3.7x optical |
| Ultrawide | 50MP, 122°, 2.5cm macro |
| Battery | 7,100mAh |
| Charging | 100W wired, 80W wireless |
| OS | MagicOS 10 (Android 16) |
| Colours | Sunrise Gold, Sky Cyan, Midnight Black |
| Price | $1,999 |
HONOR X9d 5G: the tough mid-ranger
Sitting at $699 is the HONOR X9d 5G, and its standout feature is straightforward: it has an enormous 8,300mAh battery that HONOR says will last up to three days on a single charge.
The X9d is also built to take a beating. It carries an IP69K rating, which is the highest water resistance certification available and means the phone can handle high-pressure, high-temperature water jets (up to 85°C).
It has also passed SGS Triple Resistant Premium Performance Certification for drop resistance from up to 2.5 metres.
The camera setup is more modest than the flagship but still solid: a 108MP main sensor with a 1/1.67-inch sensor, OIS and EIS.
The display is a 6.79-inch OLED panel hitting 6,000 nits peak HDR brightness, which is more than enough to stay readable in direct sunlight.
Running everything is a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 with an effective 24GB RAM (12GB physical, 12GB virtual).
| Spec | HONOR X9d 5G |
|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 |
| Main camera | 108MP, 1/1.67", OIS + EIS |
| Display | 6.79" OLED, 1.5K, 6,000 nits peak HDR |
| Battery | 8,300mAh (up to 3 days) |
| RAM / Storage | 12GB + 12GB virtual / 256GB |
| Water resistance | IP69K |
| Colours | Midnight Black, Reddish Brown, Sunrise Gold |
| Price | $699 |
Pricing and availability
The HONOR Magic 8 Pro is priced at $1,999 and is available now from JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman in-store and online, and The Good Guys online. Customers who purchase between 16 April and 13 May receive a bonus HONOR Watch 4 Pro (RRP $499).
The HONOR X9d 5G is priced at $699 and is available now from JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and The Good Guys in-store and online. Customers who purchase between 16 April and 13 May receive a bonus HONOR Watch 2 Pro (RRP $299).
Sadly, we're yet to hear about local availability of the Magic V6 foldable announced at MWC, but fingers crossed it's not too far away.
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