Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Honor Magic 8
Verdict
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max and Honor Magic 8 tie on the OH Rank at a score of 79. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on Performance and Main Camera; Honor Magic 8 wins on Battery and Screen. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max is 4mm wider than Honor Magic 8. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max is the more recent release, from Sep 18, 2026.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
79
79
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max
78mm (3.07in) · Sep 18, 2026 · Rank #19
15+11+11+12+15+5+5+0+5+0 = 79
SUPERIOR* BEST Video* TOP Performance* TOP PHOTO/VIDEO* TOP Selfie* TOP Camera* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: In search of greater profits (as there's no such thing as "enough") Apple is back to incremental improvments. This time: black color is back, new processor, variable aperture on one of the lenses, smaller selfie camera cutout and improved charging speed... that, and a $100 higher price.
PROs
tank-like build, new A20 Pro (2nm) chip with NVMe performance, ~36hr endurance with 60min ~50W (25W wireless) charging, very good 460ppi 120Hz LTPO OLED screen with Dolby Vision, IP68 protection, excellent 48MP 24mm f/1.5-4.0 OIS main + 48MP 100mm OIS periscope telephoto + 48MP 13mm ultrawide (all 3 with PDAF) setup, great 18MP 20mm PDAF selfie, best video recording, improved Siri AI (by Google) OS with 6 years of updates, fast USB-C 3.2 port with Display Port tech, global availability
CONs
250g heavy, big and difficult to use one-hand, small (for a huge phone) 5400mAh (5500mAh on eSIM-only model) old-tech lithium battery, sub-1000nits (!) screen brightness, no expandable memory, no desktop replacement feature despite Display Port tech, very expensive, overall lack of innovation and excellence Apple products used to be known for
Honor Magic 8
74mm (2.91in) · Oct 23, 2025 · Rank #22
13+14+13+12+12+3+4+0+5+3 = 79
SUPERIORFLY* TOP Battery Endurance* TOP Software* TOP Desktop Replacement
EDITORIAL: 5mm shorter and 2mm narrower, Magic 8 comes with a much bigger battery and improved main and telephoto cameras. It steals Vivo's formula of battery+screen+camera to deliver a great package. The selfie is still AF-less and the USB-C stayed a disappointingly slow 2.0 but gained the Display Port 1.2 skill to allow for desktop replacement functionality. This is a great flagship, if you can get it.
PROs
74mm narrow body, flagship grade build with a small and symmetrical camera bump, top SD 8 Elite Gen 5 with UFS 4.0 performance, 48hr endurance from a 7000mAh Si-C battery with sub-60min 90W (80W wireless) charging. >1700nits bright 460ppi LTPO AMOLED screen with Dolby Vision certification and >4300Hz PWM, IP69 protection. great pics from a 50MP 24mm OIS PDAF main + 64MP ~70mm OIS PDAF telephoto + 50MP 12mm dual-pixel PDAF ultrawide, very good video recording, up to 7 years of OS updates, tons of AI tricks and good desktop replacement functionality
CONs
limited market availability, no AF on 50MP 21mm selfie, videos can differ across lenses, no SDmemory slot, slow USB-C 2.0 port (but with Display Port functionality)
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
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