Honor might be gearing up to revive something Android fans haven’t seen in a long time: a genuinely compact flagship, Magic 8 Mini, that isn’t a watered-down version of the “real” model. A fresh leak suggests the company is working on what’s reportedly called the Magic 8 Mini, and if the details hold up, it could end up being one of the thinnest and lightest compact phones of the year.
Only in October did the standard Magic 8 and Magic 8 Pro arrive, extending Honor’s dominance in the high-end market. However, rumors about a smaller “Mini” variant began to circulate almost immediately. A pre-production unit is already making the rounds, according to Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station. It is remarkably tiny, measuring between 5 and 6 mm. That would clearly place it in the “ultra-thin” category among gadgets like Apple’s iPhone Air and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge. However, the combination—not just slim, but truly compact—is what sets this one apart. It is a combination of two trends that hardly ever coincide these days.
The Magic 8 Mini is rumored to have a 6.31-inch display up front, which is essentially the new benchmark for phones labeled as small.
The camera situation is still unclear. Honor is apparently testing a 200MP primary sensor, but a 50MP 1/1.5 sensor is being discussed. The speculated telephoto lens is the more intriguing aspect. Since very few phones smaller than 6.5 inches have significant zoom capabilities (the 6.32-inch OnePlus 13T, for example, only has a modest 1/2.75″, 2x telephoto), if Honor does incorporate one here, it will probably employ a smaller sensor but still give the Mini an advantage in terms of adaptability.
The Dimensity 9500 chip from MediaTek, which powers Vivo’s X300 and X300 Pro, is anticipated to power the phone. Battery life is the only possible issue. There are rumors of a 5,500mAh cell, which is amazing considering the form factor but not nearly as big as the 6,260mAh pack of the 8.2mm-thick OnePlus 13T.
Honor hasn’t made any announcements yet, and it’s unclear if the Magic 8 Mini will share the stage or stay under wraps for a little while longer given that the Honor 500 series will debut in China on November 24. Nevertheless, this might be one of Honor’s more innovative phones if the reports turn out to be true. An “ultra-thin small-screen” gadget could be just what some of us have been waiting for in a market where flagship devices seem to be getting bigger and heavier.
Robert Haba is the founder and editor-in-chief of Droid Tools. A lifelong gadget enthusiast with over a decade following the Android ecosystem, he built this publication to cut through the noise and give readers honest, real-world coverage of the tech they actually use.
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