A dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) button and much better cameras are some of the features to look forward to when HONOR’s new flagship smartphone, the Magic 8 Pro which goes on sale in South Africa next month.
The HONOR Magic 8 Pro which was first launched in China last year will be available from 1 March in South Africa as the flagship takes the fight to Samsung who it regards as its biggest competitor in South Africa.
Samsung
Samsung is expected to launch its new Galaxy S26 series on 25 February. While Wired2Tech did get a sneak preview of the South Korean company’s new device, we cannot spill the beans just yet.
With 2026 touted as the year of AI, many manufacturers are heading in this direction, and HONOR and Samsung no different.
AI
The company’s South Africa marketing director, Mark Lei during a media session held at its Johannesburg offices told Wired2Tech that AI will always be the company’s approach as part of its Alpha Plan which was first announced at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in 2025.
It underscored HONOR’s evolution from a smartphone manufacturer into a global AI device ecosystem.
Expectations
So, what can you expect from the HONOR Magic 8 Pro? It is coming in a very competitive price and it likely to take the competition to other brands including Samsung.
The HONOR Magic 8 Pro offers significant upgrades over last year’s HONOR Magic 7 Pro in terms of processor, battery capacity, camera zoom capabilities, and display brightness, while the older model has a slightly larger display and more RAM in some configurations.
The HONOR Magic 8 Pro features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, a 7,100mAh-7,200mAh silicon-carbon battery with 100W wired/80W wireless charging.
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AI Button
The AI Button on the HONOR Magic 8 Pro is a dedicated physical key on the side of the device, offering a customizable shortcut to various AI features and common actions like controlling the camera.
The HONOR Magic 8 Pro is coming in at a lower price than last year’s Magic 7 Pro.
Price
The main competitors to the HONOR Magic 8 Pro in the South African flagship market are the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, yet to be launched, the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, and other high-end options from Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi and Oppo.
However, when it comes to affordability for a flagship, HONOR may just edge out the competition.
In terms of how much it will retail for, the HONOR confirmed that the recommended price of the Magic 8 Pro is R27 999.
Full specifications of the Magic 8 Pro are as follows:
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