Tired of your phone dying at the worst possible moment? Let's dive into the battery life and charging capabilities of the Honor Magic8 Pro, a phone that promises to keep you powered up.
We've been putting the Honor Magic8 Pro through its paces, and now we're ready to share some key findings from our review-in-progress, focusing on the all-important battery and charging speeds.
Battery Life: A Tale of Two (or Three) Batteries
The Honor Magic8 Pro's battery capacity isn't a one-size-fits-all situation. Depending on where you are in the world, you'll get a different battery size. The Chinese version boasts the largest battery, a hefty 7,200mAh. Meanwhile, European models (like the one we tested) come in at 6,270mAh. There's also a version for markets outside of China and Europe, which sits at 7,100mAh. Regardless of the capacity, all versions utilize silicon-carbon anode technology.
Despite having the smallest battery of the bunch, the European version we tested performed admirably. We recorded an Active Use Score of 19 hours and 7 minutes, with impressive results across individual tests. While the Oppo Find X9 Pro, with its massive 7,500mAh battery, still edges out the competition, the Magic8 Pro significantly outperforms its rivals and offers a notable improvement over the previous generation.
Our Active Use Score gives you an estimate of how long the battery will last with a mix of typical phone activities.
Charging Speed: Fast, But With a Few Caveats
The global version of the Magic8 Pro supports 100W charging, whether you use a proprietary charger or a USB Power Delivery adapter. The Chinese version takes it up a notch with 120W proprietary charging. We didn't receive a charger with our review unit, but we tested it with a 100W Honor SuperCharge adapter from previous models, along with a few aftermarket USB PD adapters.
Using the 100W Honor adapter, we saw a peak charging speed of 73W from near empty, reaching 100% in about 40 minutes. At the 30-minute mark, the phone showed 81% charged. USB Power Delivery adapters performed only slightly worse, achieving 70W and reaching 100% in 42 minutes (79% at the 30-minute mark). A 67W adapter was noticeably slower, achieving 50W and reaching 100% in 46 minutes (76% at the 30-minute mark).
But here's where it gets controversial... For optimal charging speeds, you'll want a USB Power Delivery adapter with PPS profiles that extend to 20/21V. The phone charges fastest at 18V, while some lower-end adapters might limit it to 9V. With one such charger, we observed only 69% charge at the 30-minute mark.
Regardless of the charger used, there's a relatively long period of trickle charging after the phone reports 100%. This can take around 25 minutes.
With the 100W options, you must activate a boost mode on the screen when you plug in the charger to get the absolute maximum charging speed.
Wireless Charging: Not as Speedy
The Magic8 Pro supports wireless charging, with Honor claiming a maximum of 80W when using its in-house wireless charger. We tested it with a 25W Qi2-compliant third-party charger and observed very low power readings. Unless you have Honor's charger, wireless charging is best reserved for overnight top-ups. Reverse wireless charging is also supported.
What are your thoughts? Do you prioritize battery life or charging speed in a phone? Are you willing to pay extra for a faster charger? Share your opinions in the comments below!
