Honor Magic 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Verdict
Honor Magic 8 Pro scores higher on the OH Rank (86 vs 82), winning 1 of 10 categories including Battery. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is 3.1mm wider than Honor Magic 8 Pro. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the more recent release, from Mar 4, 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
86
82
Honor Magic 8 Pro
75mm (2.95in) · Oct 23, 2025 · Rank #1
13+14+13+12+15+5+4+0+5+5 = 86
SUPERIORBEST Phone Fall Winter 2025* TOP Camera* TOP Selfie* TOP Software* TOP Desktop Replacement* TOP Battery Endurance
EDITORIAL: Smaller in every way then Magic 7 Pro, this phone brings the best SnapDragon chip, a significantly bigger battery, 120W charging, brighter LTPO screen and a variable apperature main camera that Magic 7 Pro dropped. This is a phone with top performance, amazing battery endurance, excellent screen and possibly the best camera in business. Honor even included a great desktop replacement feature making Magic 8 Pro incredibly hard to beat.
PROs
75mm narrow and easier to use one-hand, flagship built, top SD 8 Elite Gen 5 with UFS 4.0 performance, >40hr endurance from a 7100mAh (7200 in China, 6270mAh in EU) Si/C battery with 40min 100W charging (80W wireless), excellent >1800nits 450ppi LTPO AMOLED screen with very high frequency dimming and Dolby Vision certification, IP69 protection. top imaging from a 50MP 23mm OIS main + 200MP 85mm OIS 3.7x periscope telephoto + 50MP 12mm ultrawide (all with PDAF), excellent 50MP PDAF selfie, up to 7 years of OS updates, advanced AI integration and a powerful desktop replacement functionality, fast USB-C 3.2 with Display Port
CONs
excellent videos come with some inconsistentcies across lenses, no SDmemory slot
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
78.1mm (3.07in) · Mar 4, 2026 · Rank #3
13+8+15+12+15+5+4+0+5+5 = 82
SUPERIOR* TOP Screen* TOP Camera* TOP Selfie* TOP Software* TOP Desktop Replacement
EDITORIAL: Samsung is sticking to same choices they did last year: top processor, top screen and a tried and true camera setup. Battery remains the same – a disappointing 5000mAh Lithium unit that provides for (barely) a full day of heavy use. Like Apple, Samsung believes that it is better to fully deplete and fully charge the battery every single day (excellent sales numbers confirm that their customers feel the same). The S26U is still a great phone: top performance and screen (albeit with gimmicky "first phone with a privacy screen" tagline), great main and selfie cameras, industry leading OS update policy, extensive AI integration, DeX and a powerful stylus.
PROs
flagship build, excellent SD 8 Elite Gen 5 with UFS 4.1 performance, outstanding >1300nits >490ppi LTPO AMOLED screen with HDR10+ and DX antireflective coating, great 200MP 24mm main + 10MP 67mm tele + 50MP 111mm periscope telephoto + 50MP ~13mm ultrawide (all with PDAF, only ultrawide lacks OIS), (Feb 2023 old) 12MP 26mm dual-Pixel PDAF selfie that still delivers great pics, above average video recording, stable and feature packed OS with 7 years of updates, rich AI offerings, industry best desktop replacement functionality, fast USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort and OTG and powerful integration of build in stylus
CONs
disappointing lack of innovation Samsung used to be known for, wider then last year, same 5000mAh battery with 24hr endurance (but slightly faster) sub-60min 60W (25W wireless) charging, no expandable storage and Apple-like effort to limit access to best (wearables, peripherals) features to users fully committed to Samsung ecosystem
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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