Xiaomi 15 Ultra vs Honor Magic 9
Verdict
Xiaomi 15 Ultra scores higher on the OH Rank (77 vs 76), winning 3 of 10 categories including Screen and Main Camera. Xiaomi 15 Ultra is 2.7mm wider than Honor Magic 9. 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
77
76
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
75mm (2.95in) · Feb 27, 2025 · Rank #32
11+11+15+12+15+3+5+0+5+0 = 77
FLY* TOP Screen* TOP Camera* TOP Video Recording
EDITORIAL: This year, one of the TOP 5 camera phones came with a significant battery endurance improvement. The main camera retained the 1" sensor, lost the variable aperture but the 2 zoom cameras are now better then ever. There is no AF on the selfie and like last year, there is an extra camera grip available for the ultimate photo & video creation. Still missing are SD memory card and the desktop replacement feature. Promised are 4 years of OS updates.
PROs
SnapDragon 8 Elite processor with UFS 4.1 fast overall performance, a 5410mAh Silicone Carbon battery (6000mAh in China) with a >30hr endurance, 90W wired or 80W wireless charging, >1500nits bright 500+ppi LTPO OLED screen with Dolby Vision, one of the best cameras on the market: 50MP 23mm main + 200MP 100mm tele + 50MP 70mm tele (all with PDAF & OIS) + 50MP 14mm PDAF ultrawide, great back camera recording, 4 years of OS updates
CONs
32MP 21mm selfie with no OIS or even AF, lack of expandable SDmemory storage (while offering 8k video recording) and a lack of desktop replacement software
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)
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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