Competition is a great thing in any walk of life, and it is making the UK’s Android smartphone market all the more interesting. Samsung and Google are go-to choices if you’re buying in 2025, but a phone has just been announced by a rival that, according to the spec sheet, has two big perks that other Android phones can’t match.
Honor has revealed that its Magic 8 Lite phone is coming to the UK, although the exact release date and (annoyingly) price are yet to be announced.
As the ‘Lite’ phone in the Magic 8 series, this is likely to be a cheaper device than the anticipated Magic 8 Pro. The Magic 7 Lite cost £399 when it launched in January earlier this year, so hopefully the 8 Lite sticks to that sort of price.
If it does, it means its headline features will look like great value for money.
Honor has given the Magic 8 Lite a 7,500mAh silicon-carbon battery that it claims can deliver up to three days of battery life. As well as that, Honor says it is “the most durable smartphone in the market” thanks to its “industry-first SGS 5-Star Comprehensive Reliability Certification” that can withstand drops of up to 2.5 metres.
First, longevity. For years, smartphones have used lithium-ion batteries, but new silicon-carbon battery technology is slowly being introduced. These batteries are more energy dense, so batteries can have more capacity without needing to make the phones larger.
I just reviewed the OnePlus 15 that has a 7,300mAh battery, and it just about lasted three days on a charge. The Honor Magic 8 Lite has a larger 7,500mAh cell and a less powerful Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor than the OnePlus’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. That could mean the Honor will last even longer, making it one of the best phones for battery life out there.
As for the durability, all phones are susceptible to scratches and smashed glass screens, but Honor says the 8 Lite’s body is reinforced and the screen has “ultra-deep tempered glass” to hopefully keep accidents at bay. These battery and durability specs are not features Samsung, Google or any other manufacturer is currently offering in the UK.
Elsewhere, the phone has a 6.79-inch OLED screen, IP69K water and dust resistance (the best you’ll find on any phone) plus a 108MP main camera and generous 8GB RAM and 512GB storage. It’ll come in Forest Green, Midnight Black and Reddish Brown.
If this feature set sounds up your street, you don’t have too long to wait. Honor says the Magic 8 Lite will be available in the UK in “early 2026” alongside the flagship Magic 8 Pro, which we await further details on.
But if you are shopping for a new phone on a budget and want to break free of the Samsung and Google Android merry go-round, the Honor Magic 8 Lite could be well worth a look – if the price is right.
