Google Pixel 8 Pro vs HONOR Magic6 Pro

In this article, we’ll be comparing the Google Pixel 8 Pro vs HONOR Magic6 Pro. These are the very best smartphones from their respective companies. The Pixel 8 Pro has been around since October last year, while the global variant of the Magic6 Pro launched at MWC 2024 in Barcelona last month.. Both devices are quite large, and also quite powerful at the same time. They are quite different, though, which should make things rather interesting.

These two phones are different in many ways, and the design aspect is just one of them. They do have considerably different internals, on top of everything else. Before we get down to comparing the two phones across a number of categories, we’ll list their specifications. Following that, we’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio aspects. That being said, let’s get this party on the road, shall we?

Specs

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs HONOR Magic6 Pro, respectively

– Screen size:
6.7-inch Super Actua AMOLED display (flat, 120Hz LTPO, HDR10+, 2,400 nits)
6.8-inch LTPO OLED display (curved, 120Hz LTPO, HDR, 5,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
2992 x 1344
2800 x 1280
– SoC:
Google Tensor G3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 3.1)
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (f/1.68 aperture, 82-degree FoV, 1.2um pixel size, OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/1.95 aperture, 125.5-degree FoV, 0.8um pixel size), 48MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, 5x optical zoom)
50MP (wide, f/1.4-f/2.0 aperture, OIS, PDAF, Laser AF, 23mm lens), 50MP (ultrawide, f/2.0 aperture, 122-degree FoV, 13mm lens), 180MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.6 aperture, 2.5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF)
– Front cameras:
10.5MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1.22um pixel size)
50MP (f/2.0 aperture, 22mm lens), ToF 3D camera
– Battery:
5,050mAh
5,600mAh
– Charging:
30W wired, 23W wireless, reverse wireless (charger not included)
80W wired, 66W wireless, reverse wireless, reverse wired (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm
162.5 x 75.8 x 8.9mm
– Weight:
213 grams
225/229 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & 3D facial scanning
– OS:
Android 14
Android 14 with MagicOS 8.0
– Price:
$999+
€1,299+
– Buy:
Google Pixel 8 Pro (Best Buy)
HONOR Magic6 Pro (HONOR)

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Design

The moment you look at these two phones, you’ll realize how different they are. That actually goes for both their front and back sides. The Pixel 8 Pro features a flat display with a centered display hole at the top. The bezels around this display are uniform. The HONOR Magic6 Pro has a curved display, while it also includes uniform bezels. Instead of a punch hole, this handset has a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display. That’s because it packs 3D facial scanning tech in there, along with a front-facing camera.

If we flip them around, you’ll see further differences. The Pixel 8 Pro has a camera visor on the back. That visor is covered by metal, most of it is, and it connects to the metal frame on the left and right sides. It does protrude on the back quite a bit. The HONOR Magic6 Pro includes a centered camera island on the back. That camera island also has a rather unique look, and it hosts three cameras. That is the same number of cameras as the Pixel 8 Pro. Both smartphones feature curved backplates towards the edges, but they’re mostly flat.

The physical buttons sit on the right-hand side of both phones, though they have different placements. The Pixel 8 Pro includes a power/lock key above the volume rocker keys. It’s the exact opposite on the HONOR Magic6 Pro. The two phones are almost equal in terms of height and thickness, while the Pixel 8 Pro is slightly wider. The HONOR Magic6 Pro is a bit heavier than Google’s handset, however. It’s 12-16 grams heavier, depending on the variant. The HONOR Magic6 Pro comes in both glass and vegan leather models, the latter is lighter. The Pixel 8 Pro is made out of metal and glass.

Both smartphones do come with IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. The glass models of both phones are very slippery, so keep that in mind. The vegan leather HONOR Magic6 Pro does add some grip to the equation.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Display

The Pixel 8 Pro features a 6.7-inch 2992 x 1344 LTPO OLED display. That panel is flat, and it has an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. It also comes with support for HDR10+ content, and it goes all the way up to 2,400 nits of brightness at its peak. The display aspect ratio on this panel is 20:9, and the display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The screen-to-body ratio here is around 87%.

The HONOR Magic6 Pro, on the other hand, includes a 6.8-inch 2800 x 1280 LTPO OLED display. That display is curved, and it supports HDR content. It can project up to 1 billion colors, and it has an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. The theoretical maximum brightness of this panel is 5,000 nits, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. Jurhino glass protects the display, while the screen-to-body ratio is around 91%.

Both of these displays are fantastic, to say the least. They’re not only very vivid and very sharp, but they have great viewing angles. The blacks are deep on both panels, and the touch sensitivity is also great. The HONOR Magic6 Pro panel does get a bit brighter, but both displays are more than bright enough for everyday use. Do note that one panel is flat, and the other is not, so that should probably be your main guiding point.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Performance

Google’s flagship comes with the Google Tensor G3 processor. That’s the latest chip from Google at the time of writing this article. The phone also includes 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The HONOR Magic6 Pro, on the flip side, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, the best of Qualcomm. The phone includes 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM globally, and it uses UFS 4.0 flash storage.

HONOR’s flagship does have more powerful specs, technically. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a more powerful processor, while the phone also comes with faster storage. The Tensor G3 is made for Pixels, however, and it enables a ton of AI features. In day-to-day use, both smartphones are quite snappy. In direct comparison, the Magic6 Pro is snappier, however, and it has fewer stutters, but generally speaking, both are great in that regard.

Their software builds are very different, though. The Pixel 8 Pro has stock Android, while the HONOR Magic6 Pro comes with MagicOS 8.0, which is a mix of iOS and Android, in a way. When it comes to gaming, both devices do a great job, though in terms of graphically-intensive titles, the HONOR Magic6 Pro is the clear winner. It can handle titles like Genshin Impact better than the Pixel 8 Pro, without a doubt. Both phones do get quite warm during longer gaming sessions, though not too warm. The Magic6 Pro is better when it comes to heat management, though.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Battery

Google’s flagship comes with a 5,050mAh battery on the inside. The HONOR Magic6 Pro includes a 5,600mAh battery. HONOR is using a second-generation silicon carbon battery, while the Pixel 8 Pro utilizes a regular Li-Ion battery. The HONOR Magic6 Pro does have more capacity to work with, and it does offer noticeably better battery life than the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Pixel 8 Pro battery life is not bad, but it doesn’t come near what the Magic6 Pro can provide.

The Pixel 8 Pro got us around 7 hours of screen-on-time, on average. The HONOR Magic6 Pro went above and beyond that at 8-9 hours of use. The Magic6 Pro was also more consistent when it comes to battery life, in case you were wondering. Your mileage may vary, though, of course. Do note that gaming was not really a part of our use, outside of testing. We did use both phones for pretty much everything else. Both devices were used mostly on Wi-Fi, with some 5G on a day-to-day basis.

In terms of charging, the HONOR Magic6 Pro completely destroys the Pixel 8 Pro. The device supports 80W wired, 66W wireless, 5W reverse wired, and also reverse wireless charging. The Pixel 8 Pro, on the flip side, supports 30W wired, 23W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging. Neither smartphone comes with a charger in the box, but with the right charger, the Magic6 Pro does charge a lot faster. In fact, its wireless charging is much faster than the Pixel 8 Pro’s wired charging.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs HONOR Magic6 Pro: Cameras

Google’s handset has three cameras on the back. A 50-megapixel main shooter is backed by a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit (126-degree FoV), and a 48-megapixel telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The HONOR Magic6 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera with variable aperture, a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (122-degree FoV), and a 180-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (2.5x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom).

Both of these smartphones have great camera setups, there’s no denying that. They do provide considerably different results, though. The Pixel 8 Pro prefers contrasty shots, that do look processed, but also great at the same time. The HONOR Magic6 Pro also goes for that processed look but in a different way. It prefers warmer tones, and it also likes to keep scenes a bit brighter in comparison. Both ultrawide and telephoto cameras on the two devices do a great job of keeping similar color profiles to the main shooters, especially during the day.

When the light goes away, both devices yield good results, and the photos do look more similar than during the day. They both pull a lot of detail from the shadows too. The colors are good on both phones. That periscope telephoto camera is great on the HONOR Magic6 Pro, but the two phones are trading blows from one scene to the next. Both of these smartphones are great for taking photos.

Audio

You will find stereo speakers on both of these smartphones. Those speakers are well-balanced, and good overall, but the ones on the HONOR Magic6 Pro are louder. The distortion is barely noticeable at the very highest of volumes.

You will not get a 3.5mm headphone jack on either of these two smartphones. They do include Type-C ports, however, so you can connect your wired headphones that way if you want. Alternatively, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity is enabled on both devices.