Honor Magic 9 vs Samsung Galaxy S26
Verdict
Honor Magic 9 and Samsung Galaxy S26 tie on the OH Rank at a score of 76. Honor Magic 9 wins on Battery; Samsung Galaxy S26 wins on Selfie and Desktop Replacement. Honor Magic 9 is 0.6mm wider than Samsung Galaxy S26. Honor Magic 9 is the more recent release, from Oct 8, 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
76
76
Honor Magic 9
72.3mm (2.85in) · Oct 8, 2026 · Rank #35
13+13+13+12+12+4+4+0+5+0 = 76
* TOP Battery Endurance* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: (this is a pre-test listing based on reasonable expectation of charging and imaging) Matching the pattern of optimization and direction changes, Honor downgraded their smaller flagship. The processor is "last year's", gone are LTPO tech and the fast USB-C with Display Port but the phone got a massive battery while shrinking width by 1.7mm making it (almost) compact. This year, it will come to international markets too.
PROs
bold yellow (among other colors), flagship built, fast (last year's top) SD 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) with UFS 4.0 performance, >42hr endurance from a massive 8000mAh Si-C battery, ~1800nits 460ppi 120Hz OLED screen with Dolby Vision, IP69 protection, very good 200MP OIS main + 200MP OIS periscope telephoto + 50MP ultrawide (all PDAF) setup, new 55MP 21mm selfie, good video recording, AI and other features loaded MagicOS with a "7 years of OS updates" promise, dedicated AI hardware button, available internationally
CONs
>60min 80W (50W wireless) charging - Magic 8 had 90W, no LTPO tech means shorter battery endurance, no AF on selfie, no expandable memory, removed desktop replacement functionality Magic 8 had, slow USB-C 2.0 with no Display Port tech (tho it offers OTG)
Samsung Galaxy S26
71.7mm (2.82in) · Mar 4, 2026 · Rank #38
13+7+13+12+12+5+4+0+5+5 = 76
* TOP Selfie* TOP Software* TOP Desktop Replacement* TOP Compact
EDITORIAL: Like S26 Ultra and the S26+, the vanilla S26 will be remembered for the sad lack of improvement. S26 gained the latest processor and a silly 300mAh more of battery capacity. And that’s it. Oh, it grew 1.2mm in width – when rivals are all shrinking. Still, in a small world of compacts (pun intended) many will love this phone’s performance, bright screen, proficient imaging, Samsung’s polished ecosystem and having the DeX on board.
PROs
one-hand friendly and well build, fast SD 8 Elite Gen 5 (Exynos 2600 in EU) with UFS 4.0 performance, 24hr endurance from a 4300mAh (old Lithium tech) battery with sub-70min 25W (15 wireless) charging, IP69 protection, very good (same as last year) front and back camera setup with a 50MP 24mm main + 10MP 67mm telephoto (both OIS PDAF) + 12MP 13mm sans-AF ultrawide, excellent 12MP 26mm dual pixel PDAF selfie, above average video recording skills, polished and AI feature-packed OneOS with up to 7 years of updates, excellent DeX and fast USBC 3.2 port with DisplayPort and OTG
CONs
same as last year save for updated processor and extra 300mAh of battery, wider then S25, no expandable memory, walled-off Samsung garden you may wish you didn’t enter
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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