Honor didn’t just launch another flagship in China — it launched a statement. At its January 2026 event, the brand unveiled two very different interpretations of “premium”: the new Honor Magic 8 Pro Air, built around an ultra-thin profile without sacrificing core flagship muscle, and the Honor Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design, a full-blown luxury powerhouse that doesn’t even pretend to be sensible.
Together, they show exactly where Honor wants to play in 2026: top-tier, high-spec, and unapologetically ambitious. But these phones won’t please the same kind of buyer — and that’s where this launch gets interesting.
Honor Magic 8 Pro Air, Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design price in China
Honor is clearly positioning the Magic 8 Pro Air as the “premium, but still realistic” option. The Honor Magic 8 Pro Air starts at CNY 4,999 (around Rs. 65,000) for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant.
Here’s the full pricing:
- 12GB + 512GB: CNY 5,299 (around Rs. 69,000)
- 16GB + 512GB: CNY 5,599 (around Rs. 73,000)
- 16GB + 1TB: CNY 5,999 (around Rs. 78,000)
Meanwhile, the Honor Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design is clearly built for buyers who want the most expensive, most extreme version of everything — and the pricing reflects that. It starts at CNY 7,999 (around Rs. 1,04,000) for the 16GB RAM + 512GB storage model. The top-end variant costs CNY 8,999 (around Rs. 1,17,000) and brings 24GB RAM + 1TB storage — an unapologetically overpowered combination for those who don’t believe in “enough.”
Sale date and colour options
Both Honor Magic 8 series handsets will go on sale in China starting January 23 via the Honor online store. Colour options also make the lineup feel more premium than plain:
- Honor Magic 8 Pro Air: Fairy Purple, Light Orange, Feather White, Shadow Black (translated)
- Honor Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design: Moonlight Stone, Slate Grey (translated)
Honor Magic 8 Pro Air: thin body, flagship ambitions
The Magic 8 Pro Air is the phone that divides opinion — because it’s trying to deliver flagship credentials while staying remarkably slim. It supports one physical SIM and one eSIM, and runs Android 16-based MagicOS 10. Honor is clearly pushing the idea that “Air” doesn’t have to mean compromise, and the hardware choices back that up.
You get a 6.31-inch OLED display with 1,216 x 2,640 pixels resolution, up to a 120Hz refresh rate, 460ppi density, 1.07 billion colours, and a peak brightness of up to 6,000 nits. HDR support is included too, so this should be a strong panel for streaming and gaming.
Under the hood is the octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset, clocked up to 4.21GHz, paired with a Mali G1-Ultra MC12 GPU, up to 16GB RAM, and up to 1TB storage. This is one of the most important parts of the Magic 8 Pro Air story: Honor didn’t “tone down” the core performance. It went after flagship-level numbers in a body that screams slim premium styling. That’s the trade-off buyers need to accept — it’s built to feel elegant and modern, not like a chunky performance brick.
Cameras: triple rear setup with periscope zoom
Honor isn’t treating the Pro Air like a secondary device in the lineup. The camera setup is genuinely premium. It features a triple rear camera unit:
- 50-megapixel main camera (f/1.6) with OIS
- 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera (f/2.2)
- 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (f/2.6)
On the front, it gets a 50-megapixel selfie shooter (f/2.0) for selfies and video calls. Video recording goes up to 4K at 60fps, which puts it in serious flagship territory — at least based on the spec sheet.
Battery, charging and durability
This is where the Magic 8 Pro Air looks especially aggressive for its size. Honor has packed in a 5,500mAh battery, along with 80W wired and 50W wireless fast charging support. That charging setup, combined with the thin profile, is the kind of spec combo premium buyers love — fast, convenient, and built for daily use rather than “charge anxiety.”
Durability is another strong headline. Honor claims IP68 + IP69 dust and water resistance, so it’s not just a fragile fashion phone. It’s designed to survive rough real-world use — a choice that won’t please everyone aesthetically, but it makes the phone far more credible. the phone measures 150.5 x 71.9 x 6.1mm and weighs around 155g. The 6.1mm thickness is the kind of number that instantly grabs attention, especially when it’s still carrying a periscope camera and a 5,500mAh battery.
Honor Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design: big display, extreme hardware
If the Magic 8 Pro Air is about smart balance, the Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design is about indulgence. This is a phone built for people who want the boldest spec sheet possible — and honestly, it doesn’t try to hide it. It runs Android 16-based MagicOS 10 and supports dual SIM. On the front is a 6.71-inch full-HD+ OLED panel with 1,256 x 2,808 pixels resolution. Like the Pro Air, it supports up to 120Hz refresh rate, 1.07 billion colours, HDR support, and peak brightness up to 6,000 nits.
The real flex is inside: Qualcomm’s octa-core 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with a peak clock speed of 4.6GHz, paired with an Adreno 840 GPU, up to 24GB LPDDR5x Ultra RAM, and up to 1TB storage. Yes, 24GB RAM on a phone. That single spec tells you exactly who this device is for — enthusiasts who want maximum performance, maximum bragging rights, and zero restraint.
200MP periscope camera and 4K 120fps video
The camera hardware also leans hard into flagship excess. The Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design includes:
- 50-megapixel primary camera (f/1.6)
- 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera (f/2.0)
- 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (f/2.6)
Selfies are handled by a 50-megapixel front camera (f/2.0). It supports video recording up to 4K at 120fps — a spec that clearly targets power users and action-video creators. For anyone who shoots a lot of fast-moving content, this is the kind of detail that immediately changes how “serious” a phone feels.
Massive 7,200mAh battery + super-fast charging
Honor didn’t stop at speed — it doubled down on endurance. The Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design gets a massive 7,200mAh battery, along with 120W wired and 80W wireless fast charging support. It’s the kind of package that screams: no compromises, no excuses.
Durability also goes beyond the Pro Air. It comes with IP68 + IP69 + IP69K ratings for dust and water resistance, reinforcing the idea that this flagship is meant to be tough, not delicate. The handset measures 161.15 x 75 x 8.45mm and weighs around 239g. This is not a phone you buy for comfort. It’s built like a performance tank — and that weight is the cost of going all-in.
Connectivity and sensors
Both phones cover modern flagship connectivity, including 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, USB Type-C, and navigation systems such as BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and NavIC.
The Magic 8 Pro Air also includes an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for security and features like an IR blaster, e-compass, gyroscope, Hall sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer, gravity sensor and a colour temperature sensor.
Verdict: who should buy what — and who should skip
The Magic 8 Pro Air is the more strategic phone in this launch. If you want premium design, a genuinely slim build, strong flagship performance, serious cameras, and fast charging without crossing into ridiculous territory, this is the clear pick. The Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design is for a very different buyer — one who wants the biggest battery, the most aggressive charging, the highest memory and storage options, and top-end camera hardware with Porsche branding. It’s a luxury-and-performance flex, and it’s priced like one.
If you hate heavy phones or want something practical, the RSR will feel like too much. And if you’re buying purely for prestige and maximum specs, the Pro Air may feel too restrained. Either way, Honor’s Magic 8 strategy is refreshingly decisive — slim elegance for premium buyers who want balance, and extreme luxury hardware for those who want everything. The only remaining question is whether Honor takes these models beyond China, because the global premium segment could use this kind of pressure.
Ramesh is a technology writer at gemch.in, covering smartphone launches, leaks, and comparisons. His articles focus on real-world features, performance, and value-for-money insights to help readers make informed buying decisions.