HONOR’s Magic9 Pro Max is co-engineered with ARRI and records native LogC3 in ARRI Wide Gamut 3, backed by two 200MP rear cameras and 14 built-in ARRI Looks.
HONOR has launched the Magic9 Pro Max in China, and it’s the most serious attempt yet to bring a cinema camera maker’s colour science to a phone. The handset carries ARRI co-branding and what HONOR describes as an end-to-end professional cinema workflow developed with the German cinema camera company.
ARRI CINEMA mode
The headline feature is ARRI CINEMA mode, which records at up to 4K 60fps using the ARRI LogC3 curve, 10-bit colour and ARRI Wide Gamut 3. That’s the same log and gamut combination that ALEXA users grade every day, so footage should drop straight into an existing ARRI colour pipeline. HONOR claims 14 stops of dynamic range.
For those who don’t want to grade, there are 14 preset ARRI Looks, including two standard ARRI conversion Looks and 12 stylised options, while the ARRI Look Library offers 87 predefined creative grades.
Two 200MP cameras
The rear camera system is led by a 200MP main camera with a 1/1.28in sensor, f/1.57 aperture, OIS and what HONOR calls 3-degree gimbal-level stabilisation. Alongside it is a 200MP telephoto with a 1/1.4in sensor, f/2.6 aperture and OIS, plus a 50MP f/2.0 ultra-wide. HONOR quotes CIPA 8.0 stabilisation for the main and telephoto cameras.
Processing is handled by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, working with HONOR’s own 6nm H1 imaging chip. On the front is a 55MP square-format camera that supports 1:1 capture.
Why it matters
Log recording on phones is nothing new, but a native LogC3 and AWG3 pipeline, endorsed by ARRI, is a significant step. For B-camera, crash-cam and social work alongside an ALEXA, matching colour could become much easier. We’ll be keen to see how well the grade holds up once the footage is pushed.
HONOR Magic9 Pro Max specifications
- Main camera: 200MP, 1/1.28in, f/1.57, OIS
- Telephoto: 200MP, 1/1.4in, f/2.6, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 50MP, f/2.0
- Front camera: 55MP square format, 1:1 capture
- ARRI CINEMA mode: Up to 4K 60fps, ARRI LogC3, 10-bit, ARRI Wide Gamut 3
- ARRI Looks: 14 presets, plus 87-grade ARRI Look Library
- Processors: Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, HONOR Imaging Chip H1
- Display: 6.8in LTPO OLED, up to 10,000 nits peak
- Battery: 8,600mAh rated (8,800mAh typical)
- Charging: 100W wired, 80W wireless
HONOR Magic9 Pro Max price and availability
The HONOR Magic9 Pro Max went on sale in China on 28 September, starting at RMB 6,499, with configurations up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. HONOR says rollouts across Europe and other international markets will be announced shortly. UK pricing and availability haven’t been confirmed yet. More details are on the HONOR website.
