This flagship is getting a smaller screen than before and I'm all for it

We've become numb and just stare at the screen inflation; phones are getting bigger and bigger. The 7-inch screen might soon be the norm. Currently, mainly flagships arrive with 6.9-inch panels (like the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max).

That's why it's a bit refreshing to see a rumor that hints at a phone that'll go down in screen size.

For a change…

The upcoming Honor Magic 9 might come with all sorts of alluring features and a smaller screen:

• Honor Magic 9 – a 6.3-inch display
• Honor Magic 8 – a 6.58-inch display

As usual, nothing is official right now and these claims could turn out to be false in the end, so take them with a grain of salt. But it's a nice "upgrade" – even if, technically speaking, we're dealing with a downgrade in size.

Are big phones that bad?!

Personally, I have nothing against the big flagships: I'm not mad about them, either. I have to have a large flagship for a daily driver, as only 6.8–6.9-inch phones today offer the best camera setups. And that's what I'm looking for in a phone above all.

I'm lucky to have relatively large hands, so using a large phone isn't a problem. But many people are after compact phones because they simply can't operate big ones with one hand, and that irritates them.

A 6.3-inch phone is what they tolerate at the upper end, so I'm glad to see the Magic 9 (allegedly) returning to that.

What else is there with the Honor Magic 9?

Another major selling point would be the rumored battery – a cell with a capacity of 8,000 mAh. Even if the display on this phone is bright (and I'm pretty sure it will be), it'll go gentler on the battery, since it's not that large in sheer size.

In terms of performance, the Magic 9 could come with the 2nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 or the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which is what most of today's flagships go for.

Per the rumors, if Honor goes with the Gen 6 option, the Magic 9 price might go up steeply.

What about cameras?

In terms of the camera setup, the phone won't compete with the true camera kings out there, but it'll offer a solid experience with the rumored 200 MP main camera (with a 1/2.8-inch sensor), the 50 MP ultra-wide camera and a 64 MP periscope telephoto (with a 1/2-inch sensor).

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