Honor unveiled the Magic9 series: Two 200 Mpx cameras from ARRI and a lens with a range of 500 mm

Honor is gradually revealing its upcoming flagship line Magic9 ahead of the September debut, and this time it’s a serious photography powerhouse. The brand has officially confirmed a partnership with the legendary filmmaking company ARRI, as well as a set of external lenses—turning your phone into a practical little photo studio.

A pair of 200 MPx cameras with the ARRI seal

According to the Gizmochina website, the Magic9 series will feature two 200-megapixel sensors jointly developed with ARRI, designed to deliver a clean result both during the day and at night. The main 200MP sensor has an aperture of f/1.57 and a size of 1/1.28″, while next to it sits a 200MP “super-night” telephoto lens with an aperture of f/2.6 and a sensor size of 1/1.4″. The combination of large sensors in both positions is meant to ensure high-quality zoom and night shots without the typical noise from digital zoom.

We’ve already written about cameras earlier, when the first details leaked about the 6.36-inch body with an 8,000 mAh battery. Now we also know exactly what the camera setup will look like and who Honor collaborated with on it.

Photography Master Kit: a lens with a reach of up to 500 mm

The most interesting new feature is the Photography Master Kit set with two external lenses that can be physically attached to the phone. The main star is the massive 500 mm telephoto lens, designed to bring distant objects closer—such as wild animals, sports, or a concert—without having to carry a traditional camera kit. The second lens is a more compact 200 mm “palm-sized” lens, weighing just 88 grams and measuring 81 mm in length, so you can carry it around almost unnoticed.

Both lenses are designed as an add-on to the built-in cameras, not as a replacement for their native focal lengths. The same was shown recently by Vivo with its X500 Pro Max model and its own 400 mm telephoto lens.

External telephoto lenses are becoming a new trend

Honor isn’t the only one betting on add-on optics this week. Just a few days earlier, we wrote about the Vivo X500 Pro Max, which revealed its own concept with a 400 mm telephoto lens and a photographic grip. It looks like modular telephoto lenses that turn an everyday smartphone into a hybrid with a compact camera are becoming a new battleground for Chinese flagship makers. Honor’s 500 mm reach, however, goes the furthest for now.

According to the available information, the Magic9 series will be powered by the yet-unannounced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipset, which should also handle fast processing of those massive 200-megapixel photos. The lineup is expected to include two models: the standard Magic9 and the flagship Magic9 Pro Max.

When and whether it will be available in Slovakia

Honor typically sells its flagship Magic line officially in Slovakia, unlike some Chinese competitors. For example, you can buy the previous Magic7 Pro from us via the official e-shop, as well as from operators like Telekom and Orange. So you can expect Magic9 to follow a similar path on our market over time, although with external lens kits like the Photography Master Kit, it’s not certain whether Honor will offer them outside China.

And regarding the availability of the phone itself, we have information you can’t find anywhere else yet: according to our findings, the Magic9 will be listed in the Gshopper store lineup—right away in the global version. With Chinese flagship devices, this is a major difference. Global versions are usually prepared from day one for European customers, unlike Chinese units, where issues like the system language, missing Google services, or unsupported frequency bands need to be handled. This also means you won’t have to wait for Magic9 until Honor decides to bring it to our market officially. As soon as the offer goes live, we’ll let you know. And if we manage to negotiate a coupon, we’ll include it.

Pre-orders for the Magic9 series have already started in China; the actual launch is scheduled for 28 September 2026. According to Honor’s usual pattern, there’s still a few months before the international debut, but we’ll keep you updated with more details along the way.

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