Honor Magic 9 vs Xiaomi 17 Pro
Verdict
Honor Magic 9 and Xiaomi 17 Pro tie on the OH Rank at a score of 76. Honor Magic 9 wins on Battery and Screen; Xiaomi 17 Pro wins on Selfie and Desktop Replacement. Honor Magic 9 is 0.5mm wider than Xiaomi 17 Pro. 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 #39
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)
Xiaomi 17 Pro
71.8mm (2.83in) · Sep 25, 2025 · Rank #43
13+11+11+12+12+5+4+0+5+3 = 76
FLY* TOP Compact* TOP Selfie* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: This year, Xiaomi is all-out after Apple. Not only did it skip the 16th gen and name their flagships to match Apple's 17th gen - they also matched the design too. Except, instead of just offering a "plateau" bump across the upper back of their Pro phones, Xiaomi put a second screen there. Both back and main screens match in brightness and Dolby Vision certification and allow you to take selfies with back cameras. Otherwise, 17 Pro upgrades on last year's (China only) 15 Pro with better processor, faster memory, bigger battery size and charging speed, higher screen PWM dimming rate, water immersion depth, selfie with a PDAF, new OS and even added Dolby Atmos speaker certification.
PROs
compact, great new design with a large and bright back screen, fast SD Elite 8 Gen 5 processor with UFS 4.1 performance, 36hr endurance from a 6300mAh battery with sub-50min 100W (50W wireless) charging. 2 <1300 bright LTPO AMOLED screens with 120Hz refresh >2000Hz PWM and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision tech, IP68 protection (up to 4m water immersion for 30 min), excellent imaging from the 50MP 23mm OIS main and 50MP 17mm ultrawide (both with PDAF), excellent new 50MP 21mm PDAF selfie, HyperOS 3.0 with 4 years of updates, Android 17's native desktop replacement feature, fast USB-C 3.2 port with Video-out and screen sharing with PCs or Macs
CONs
could end up China-only, sub-1300nits on both screens, only okay 50MP 115mm periscope telephoto performance, no SDmemory, China only
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.