Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Honor Magic 8
Verdict
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max scores higher on the OH Rank (81 vs 79), winning 4 of 10 categories including Performance and Main Camera. 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
81
79
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max
78mm (3.07in) · Sep 18, 2026 · Rank #4
15+13+11+12+15+5+5+0+5+0 = 81
SUPERIOR* BEST Video* TOP Performance* TOP Battery Endurance* TOP PHOTO/VIDEO* TOP Selfie* TOP Camera* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: (this is a pre-test listing based on reasonable expectation of battery, charging and imaging performance) In search of greater profits (because there is no such thing as "enough") Apple is back to microscopic improvments. This time: black color is back, new processor and a variable aperture on one of the lenses... that, and a $100 higher price is all you get.
PROs
tank-like build, fast A20 Pro (2nm) chip with NVMe performance, ~42hr endurance, 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 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 with >70min slow 35W (25W wireless) charging, ~1000nits (dim) 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 #10
13+14+13+12+12+3+4+0+5+3 = 79
SUPERIOR* 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.
Visit Home page to compare world's best phones. You can see scoring and ranking explained on the About page.