While we’re only a couple of weeks into 2025, the new phones keep on coming, and we’ve just seen the global launch of the Honor Magic 7 Pro. While the flagship Android arrived in China back in late 2024, it’s now available in more regions, and if you’ve already picked up the iPhone 16 Pro Max instead, you might have made a big mistake.
For those who don’t know, the Honor Magic 6 Pro was one of last year’s most impressive Androids, rivaling the RedMagic 9S Pro and Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro from our guide to the best gaming phones in terms of pure performance. This year’s Magic 7 Pro is even more of a blockbuster, with 1.8x faster CPU speeds than the iPhone 16 Pro Max according to Versus.com, which equates to better frame rates and less chance of visual stuttering.
Not only does the new Honor flagship blow the iPhone 16 Pro Max out of the water when it comes to running the best mobile games, but it also has it beat in other departments. For a start, the premium Apple device comes with 8GB of RAM, while the Magic 7 Pro has 16GB, so load times should be faster on the Honor phone. Then there’s charging. The iPhone 16 Pro Max offers 30W charging, which is pretty paltry compared to the Magic 7 Pro’s 100W capabilities. Simply put, Apple has some serious competition on its hands, but it might have a saving grace.
At the time of writing, Honor phones aren’t widely available through US network carriers such as Verizon or AT&T. This means your only option is to buy the phone outright when it becomes available via retailers including Amazon and AliExpress, and it can take a while for listings to appear, or you can opt to import the phone from Europe. With this in mind, Apple might be more worried about the impending launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series instead.
Fortunately, for readers in Europe, the Honor Magic 7 is now available via the official Honor site, with prices starting from £1,099.99 / €1,299, the equivalent of just over $1,300. If you don’t want to risk importing a device, don’t worry, we’ve plenty of other great buying advice in our guides to the best Android phones and the best mid-range phones, including options to suit all budgets.