Compact Honor Magic9 launches with dual 200 MP cameras tuned by ARRI at a surprising price

Honor has officially launched the Magic9 in China, with sales starting immediately after the launch through Honor Mall, authorized e-commerce platforms, experience stores, and retail partners. The compact flagship is billed as a "small-screen imaging flagship" and features cameras co-developed with ARRI.

The Magic9 uses a 6.37-inch flat 1.5K LTPS OLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 3,840 Hz PWM dimming, and ultra-narrow 0.95 mm bezels. Honor rates its peak brightness at 10,000 nits, with 2,000 nits in high-brightness mode. The phone is powered by the last-generation but still-mighty Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage and supported by Honor's C3 RF enhancement chip and E2 chip. The battery is rated at 8,000 mAh (typical), with 80 W wired and 50 W wireless charging. The phone measures 8.49 mm thick, weighs 209 g, and comes in four colorways: Popcorn Yellow, Olive Green, Morning White, and Curtain Black.

The camera system centers on a 200 MP 1/1.4-inch main sensor with OIS and a 200 MP 1/1.56-inch periscope telephoto (3.5x, 85 mm equivalent, up to 120x digital zoom). Both carry a CIPA 7.5 stabilization rating. A 50 MP ultrawide and a 55 MP square-format selfie camera round out the setup. Honor's H1 imaging chip handles processing, and the ARRI tie-up brings LogC3 video and official ARRI Look profiles. An optional 2.35x G200 teleconverter is also offered.

Other features include IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, dedicated AI and camera buttons, an IR blaster, dual speakers, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and NFC. It ships with MagicOS 11.

Pricing for the Honor Magic9

• 12 GB + 256 GB: 4,999 yuan ≈ $745
• 12 GB + 512 GB: 5,499 yuan ≈ $820
• 16 GB + 512 GB: 5,999 yuan ≈ $895
• 16 GB + 1 TB: 6,999 yuan ≈ $1,040

Honor is pricing the Magic9 below rivals that use last-generation chips. The Oppo Find X10 and Vivo X500 both start at 5,499 yuan for 12 GB + 256 GB, 500 yuan more than the Magic9's 4,999 yuan. Both rivals use the Dimensity 9600M, a rebranded Dimensity 9500, while the Magic9 runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Honor has not yet announced global availability.