Honor Magic 7 Pro vs Sony Xperia 1 VIII
Verdict
Honor Magic 7 Pro and Sony Xperia 1 VIII tie on the OH Rank at a score of 78. Honor Magic 7 Pro wins on Battery and Screen; Sony Xperia 1 VIII wins on Performance and SD Memory. Honor Magic 7 Pro is 3.1mm wider than Sony Xperia 1 VIII. Sony Xperia 1 VIII is the more recent release, from Jun 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
78
78
Honor Magic 7 Pro
77.1mm (3.04in) · Nov 8, 2024 · Rank #24
11+11+13+12+14+5+4+0+5+3 = 78
* BEST phone Winter 2024FLY* TOP Selfie* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: While seemingly incremental, this is a real upgrade over excellent 2024 Magic 6 Pro. Only the camera is similar but the physical build, (flatter) screen, fingerprint reader, speakers, water resistance, OS, AI features and even battery charging speed (both weird and wireless) have been upgraded. There is a difference in the SiCarbon battery size this time: some markets will receive Magic 7 Pro with a 5270mAh pack, others with a 5850mAh sized battery. The smaller battery model will still give you a full-day battery life but not the 36hr level performance you will get from the bigger battery version. Either way, check before you buy. What is still missing is the SD memory expansion slot and a more polished desktop replacement software.
PROs
SnapDragon 8 Elite processor with excellent overall performance, 36hr endurance from 5850mAh Silicone Carbon battery (smaller in Europe) with sub-50min 100W (80W wireless) charging, >1500nits bright 450ppi LTPO OLED screen with Dolby Vision, IP69 water protection, excellent 50MP 24mm OIS main + 200MP 120mm OIS periscope telephoto + 50MP 13mm ultrawide (all with PDAF), excellent 50MP 23mm OIS PDAF selfie, 7 years of very stable and feature rich OS with great AI integration, Desktop replacement feature
CONs
large 223gr 77.1 body, somewhat inconsistent videos across lenses, lack of expandable SDmemory storage (while offering 8k video recording)
Sony Xperia 1 VIII
74mm (2.91in) · Jun 18, 2026 · Rank #19
13+10+10+12+12+4+4+5+5+3 = 78
SUPERIOR* TOP Memory Expansion* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: Sony is back with it's top-dog 1 Series phone but the alarming lack of software effort remains. As usual, the hardware is amazing: premium build, great battery life, bright screen, good front-facing stereo speakers, two-stage camera button and now exclusive in the flagship world: SD memory expansion and a headphone jack. The phone is still one of the narrowest flagships and the only one to hide the selfie in a bazel to let you view content on a full screen.
PROs
relatively narrow, updated design, good SD 8 Elite Gen 5 performance (tho it will heavily throttle under heavy load), 36hr long endurance from a (still just) 5000mAh lithium battery, selfie-free >1500nits bright (and sub-1nit capable) LTPO OLED screen with options like Creator Mode and HDR support, IP68 protection, excellent 52MP 24mm OIS main + 50MP 70mm OIS telephoto + 50MP 16mm ultrawide (all with dual-pixel PDAF) setup, very good 12MP 24mm selfie, good video recording, fast and tool-free expandable memory slot, 4 years of stock-like Android OS with some proprietary tricks, limited desktop replacement functionality with Android 17 update, very fast USB-C 3.2 port with OTG and Video Out, headphone/microphone jack, very good front-facing stereo speakers, two-step camera button
CONs
85min slow 30W (15W wireless) charging, sub-400ppi LTPO screen doesn't drop refresh below 30Hz, flagship-grade camera hardware should produce better images, no AF on a selfie, minimal AI integration and general lack of effort on the software side
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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