Honor just dropped the first official images of its Magic 8 Pro flagship, and there's a game-changing detail hiding on the side - a dedicated AI button. The phone launches in China October 15th with Qualcomm's brand-new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, marking a bold shift in how phones handle AI interactions.
Honor is pushing the AI phone revolution into overdrive. The company just revealed its Magic 8 Pro flagship through exclusive images shared with The Verge, and the most striking feature isn't the camera or screen - it's that extra button sitting proudly on the phone's side.
That dedicated AI button represents a serious bet on where smartphones are headed. While other manufacturers keep cramming AI features into software menus, Honor is literally giving users a physical gateway to artificial intelligence. The button sits alongside the usual volume rocker and fingerprint sensor, but its purpose remains somewhat mysterious. Honor hasn't detailed exactly what AI functions it'll trigger, though the company is teasing a new Magic Color feature that lets you restyle images and videos using color palettes from other photos.
The Magic 8 Pro launches October 15th in China, powered by Qualcomm's freshly announced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. That timing puts Honor in a fascinating race with Xiaomi, which is also launching its 17 series with the same chip this Thursday. The question is who'll make the bigger splash with their AI implementations.
From the exclusive images, the Magic 8 Pro looks remarkably similar to last year's Magic 7 Pro, but with some key refinements. The back is now completely flat instead of having subtle curves, and the light blue colorway looks nearly identical to one of 2024's options. It's an evolutionary design that suggests Honor's betting more on what's inside than dramatic visual changes.
The camera system tells a more interesting story. Honor's CMO Guo Rui shared a sample on Weibo from what appears to be a 200-megapixel telephoto camera with 85mm equivalent focal length and f/2.6 aperture. That's a significant upgrade from the Magic 7 Pro's 72mm periscope setup, suggesting serious improvements to long-range photography.
Honor's targeting the premium market with typical pricing around €1,000 ($1,200) when the phone eventually reaches Europe early next year. That puts it squarely against Samsung's Galaxy S series and iPhone Pro models, but with what could be a unique AI advantage if that dedicated button delivers meaningful functionality.
