What you need to know
- Honor is supposedly developing a Magic 8 "Ultra," as tipsters on Chinese social media notice its certification.
- The device could sport 120W wired charging capabilities with satellite connectivity, a new "imaging system," and a main camera upgrade.
- The Magic 8 series launched in October, bringing a base model and a Pro model with a 50MP main lens and a new Magic Color engine.
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It looks like we're not done with Honor's recent flagship series, as a new certification allegedly appears with some juicy details.
Rumors are surfacing late this week, per ITHome, claiming Honor is working on a Magic 8 "Ultra" with some notable improvements over the Magic 8 series (via Gizmochina). The publication cites Weibo leaker, Digital Chat Station (DCS), who highlighted the apparent publishing of charging information for the device in question. According to the 3C certification listing, the phone could debut with 120W charging, which likely refers to its wired option.
Moreover, the leaker spotted that the alleged Magic 8 Ultra was listed with satellite connectivity support.
It seems Honor is looking to integrate Tiantong Satellite capabilities within the 8 Ultra, technology that we've seen implemented across other Chinese OEMs before. Additional rumors were mentioned, as the post also taps another Weibo leaker, Smart Pikachu. This social media post alleges that Honor's doing a little more with the Ultra variant by upgrading the phone's "materials." Honor is also rumored to begin focusing on the Ultra's photography with a "new imaging system" and main camera.
The tipsters didn't mention a potential launch date, but it is expected (per DCS) that a price hike could come for the Ultra variant.
Where we might go
Honor's Magic 8 series was just launched in October, and with it came a Magic 8 and a Magic 8 Pro. The OEM put quite a spotlight on the Pro model, as it highlighted its work to further merge the human and machine experience with the handheld. The entire series; however, sports the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, which brings speed and the appropriate support for its YOYO AI software.
The Magic 8 Pro already features the new Magic Color engine for more "professional" like film coloring for user photos. This is taken further with its 50MP primary lens with OIS (optical image stabilization), a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a 200MP telephoto lens. The rumors are suggesting a "main camera upgrade" for the Magic 8 Ultra, though it remains to be seen what that means.
We're either in for an MP change or, perhaps, there's something software/hardware coming under the hood.
More importantly, in China, the Magic 8 Pro started at what would be ~$798. A rumored price increase for the Ultra could push us closer to ~$1,000.
