Honor Magic 9 Pro: square selfie camera, dual 200 MP and a 2K display

📌 The essentials — It is official: Honor will unveil its Magic 9 series on 28 September 2026 in Beijing, and blind pre-orders are already open in China. The Magic 9 Pro sits in the middle of the range, between the Magic 9 and the Pro Max. On the menu: a square selfie camera, the first of its kind on Android, two 200 MP sensors tuned by ARRI, a 2K 6.85-inch display and a 9,000 mAh battery. We will keep this page alive until the announcement.

📌 Update, 1 September 2026: a detailed comparison table finally separates the three models in the series. The Magic 9 Pro gets its full spec sheet — 6.85 inches in 2K, 9,000 mAh, 120 W charging, and a 50 MP ultra-wide completing the dual 200 MP setup. A separate leak also credits it with a square front camera.

The news broke on the sidelines of a far more spectacular launch. While presenting its Robot Phone in China — a handset whose camera sits on a robotic arm — Honor CEO Li Jian confirmed that the Honor Magic 9 series would be officially unveiled on 28 September 2026 in Beijing. The brand immediately opened reservations on its Chinese online store, and released the first official image of the device.

Three models make up this generation: the Magic 9, the Magic 9 Pro and the Magic 9 Pro Max. This page covers the Magic 9 Pro, the model that concentrates most of the photographic innovation without reaching for the size of the range-topper. Until it lands, the current generation is already available in our Honor smartphones section.

A square selfie camera, an Android first

This is the most unexpected item in the file, and it is not on the back of the phone. The Magic 9 Pro would carry a 1:1 front sensor, perfectly square — a configuration no Android phone has offered so far.

The appeal fits in one sentence: a square sensor covers both vertical and horizontal framing at once. You no longer have to rotate the phone to switch from portrait to landscape, nor give up resolution by cropping. For a group selfie, for a vlog shot at arm’s length, or simply to swap format mid-recording, the gain is immediate.

That front camera would reuse part of what Honor developed for its Robot Phone, the articulated-arm prototype shown this summer. The connection makes sense: both devices chase the same thing, framing a shot without forcing the user to move the hardware.

And this is not one manufacturer acting alone. Oppo was tipped for a square sensor on its Find X10 series, and Vivo is said to be preparing its own for next year. Honor may simply be first to market. The square format is therefore not a spec-sheet curiosity: it is a shift being prepared at three brands at once.

Photography: two 200 MP sensors and 3-degree stabilisation

On the hardware side, leaks shared by tipster Digital Chat Station point to a first-rate rear camera array:

• 200-megapixel main sensor (1/1.28-inch): with a bright f/1.57 aperture and optical stabilisation (OIS) extended to 3 degrees.
• 50-megapixel ultra-wide: it rounds out the set on wider framing.
• 200-megapixel periscope telephoto (1/1.4-inch): with an f/2.6 aperture to hold sharpness at optical zoom and in low light.

A 3-degree optical stabilisation system on the main camera would be a concrete technical step forward. Unlike conventional OIS, capped at 1.5 or 2 degrees of compensation, this reinforced stabilisation absorbs the jolts of walking and the tremor of a hand. It promises very smooth video and longer exposures at night without motion blur.

The jump over the current generation is dramatic: the Magic 8 Pro pairs a 50 MP main sensor with a 200 MP telephoto. Taking both to 200 MP doubles down on the most scrutinised line of the spec sheet.

It is also what clearly separates the Pro from the entry model: the Magic 9 makes do with a 50 MP main camera and a 64 MP periscope. The difference is not about screen size, then, but about what the device can actually do with a photo.

Design: an off-centre camera island with cinema lines

After several generations faithful to the large centred circle on the back, Honor makes a marked design change. The first official preview released by the manufacturer shows a large circular camera island shifted into the top left corner, joined by a second two-lens module to its right.

• Reinforced metal frame with a brushed finish.
• AG glass back, a frosted glass that diffuses light and does not hold fingerprints.
• ARRI logo set on the camera island.

The choice is not merely cosmetic: the back plate takes its cues from professional cinema cameras. It makes room for bulkier optics while giving the fingers a more natural resting point on the back of the phone when shooting in landscape. Three finishes appear on the official images: a graphite black with a textured back, a white and a green.

ARRI partnership: professional-grade colour and video

The main argument of the Honor Magic 9 series lies in its technical collaboration with German company ARRI, the absolute world reference in cinema cameras. Honor is aiming for a decisive step forward in mobile video, a field historically dominated by Apple.

One detail matters here: the alliance was not created for the occasion. Honor and ARRI had already signed a global imaging partnership, announced well in advance. The Magic 9 would simply be the first consumer device to benefit — which suggests others will follow.

The partnership goes beyond a logo: it would bring software features and colour science built directly into the device.

• ARRI LogC profile: it records video with a very wide dynamic range and neutral contrast. That raw format is ideal for creators who want to grade the colour professionally in the edit, without degrading the image.
• ARRI Look & Cinema modes: they replicate the colour and light handling typical of Hollywood cinema cameras, straight out of the camera app.
• Dedicated imaging chip: the camera system would lean on an image signal processor (ISP) designed in-house by Honor, to run those heavy algorithms in real time without lag or overheating.

The whole range would also accept 4K video at 120 frames per second with native Log recording. That is not a spec-sheet detail: shooting at 120 frames per second lets you slow a sequence by half without losing smoothness or resolution.

A 2K 6.85-inch display and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro

Under the hood, the Honor Magic 9 Pro would be among the very first phones on the market with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro platform, built by TSMC on a 2 nm process. Leaks specify that the Pro and Pro Max would get a higher-clocked variant of that chip, where the base Magic 9 sticks to the standard version. It is a discreet distinction on a spec sheet, but it translates into extra headroom on the heaviest workloads.

The expected gain is not limited to raw power: the 2 nm process also promises unprecedented efficiency and markedly stronger on-device artificial intelligence. Enough to feed MagicOS, Honor’s interface, announced in a major version rebuilt around agents able to chain actions on their own rather than waiting for each instruction.

For the display, the Magic 9 Pro would adopt a flat 6.85-inch panel in 2K resolution, an OLED LTPO screen with an adaptive refresh rate. Dropping heavily curved edges in favour of a gently softened 2.5D glass answers a strong user demand: eliminating accidental edge touches, while making it far easier to fit an effective screen protector.

Two points are worth unpacking. LTPO technology varies the refresh rate according to what is on screen, and therefore saves battery on static text. And high-frequency PWM dimming describes how the panel sets its brightness: by multiplying the on-off cycles per second, it makes flicker imperceptible, which relieves people prone to headaches in front of a very dim screen.

9,000 mAh, 120 W charging and dual biometric security

The spec sheet also reports very complete power and security credentials:

• 9,000 mAh battery: the middle position in the range, between the 8,000 mAh of the Magic 9 and the 10,000 mAh of the Pro Max. That capacity fits in an 8.4 mm chassis at 215 grams, which only the new silicon-carbon chemistries make possible.
• 120 W wired and 80 W wireless charging: charging by induction reaches a level here that many flagships do not manage even with a cable.
• Dual biometric security: the Magic 9 Pro would carry both 3D structured-light face recognition and an ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the display. That combination is reserved for the Pro and Pro Max — the Magic 9 sticks to the fingerprint.
• IP68 water resistance: protection against immersion, with the Pro Max going as far as IP69K.

Pairing 3D face recognition with an ultrasonic sensor would offer the highest security level on the Android market: face unlock works instantly in complete darkness, while the ultrasonic reader stays accurate even with wet fingers.

A word on the charging figure. A Chinese certification recorded 100 W fast charging on two models in the series, while the most recent leaks announce 120 W. The first figure comes from a regulator, the second from a leak summary: the final value is not settled yet, and we will correct it as soon as it is announced.

Expected Honor Magic 9 Pro specifications

Honor Magic 9 Pro price: what to expect

Honor has communicated no price, and will not before the announcement. A leak table is circulating nonetheless, placing the Magic 9 Pro at 5,699 yuan, around 695 euros, between the 4,999 yuan of the Magic 9 and the 6,999 yuan of the Pro Max.

Take that figure for what it is: an estimate, presented as such by its own source. One detail invites caution — 5,699 yuan is exactly the price the Magic 8 Pro launched at. Repeating it verbatim looks more like a projection than an obtained figure.

Two caveats apply to all these amounts. First, a Chinese price never transfers as-is to Europe: taxes, warranty and positioning always push the figure up. Second, the dual 200 MP camera and the 2 nm process are two expensive line items. We will update this section as soon as it becomes official.

Release date: what about outside China?

The Chinese date will not move: 28 September 2026, in Beijing, confirmed by the brand’s CEO. Honor is even two or three weeks ahead of its usual schedule, since the Magic 8 was made official in mid-October 2025.

Elsewhere, expect the usual gap between the Chinese launch and the global version — six weeks to three months depending on the model, and not every model in a range crosses the border. As soon as the Magic 9 Pro is available, you will find it in our Honor smartphones section.

Magic 9, Magic 9 Pro or Pro Max: which one to choose?

The range now reads without ambiguity, and each step brings more than extra size:

• Honor Magic 9: the compact one, 6.36 inches at 198 grams, and still 8,000 mAh. Its camera array is more modest — 50 MP main, 64 MP periscope.
• Honor Magic 9 Pro: the balanced one. It takes the full dual 200 MP setup, the 3-degree OIS, the dedicated imaging chip, the square selfie camera and the 2K display, without the bulk of the range-topper.
• Honor Magic 9 Pro Max: the summit, with 10,000 mAh, 100 W wireless charging, stabilisation rated at CIPA 7.0 and IP69K water resistance.

In short

With an announcement dated 28 September 2026, the Honor Magic 9 Pro stands out as one of the most strategic launches of the autumn. By combining ARRI’s cinema expertise, a front sensor in a format never seen on Android, the power of 2 nm and very generous battery life, Honor is setting out clear ambitions against its direct rivals.

You will find the brand’s models on our shop as soon as they are available. In the meantime, explore the Honor brand, our selection of Honor smartphones, along with our Honor cases and Honor tempered glass.