The Honor Magic 9 Pro Max can shoot video like a cinema camera, but will anyone actually use it?

Published Sep 29, 2026, 5:22 AM EDT Andy is a seasoned technology journalist with more than 15 years experience in the mobile industry, writing for Digital Trends, Wired, and more. Andy has reviewed hundreds of smartphones and tablets, dozens of smartwatches, and a host of smart rings, smart glasses, and fitness trackers, giving him a unique ability to assess and evaluate the latest products. His daily mobile tech life includes Android and iOS devices, smart rings, and a smartwatch, unless it's a special occasion, when a traditional watch takes its place on his wrist. Andy always has a strong opinion on the state of the mobile industry, and writes in-depth analysis features to put the latest news and products into context. He has attended multiple CES, MWC, and IFA tradeshows, has a passion for photography and cars, listens to far too much K-pop, and follows F1. You can find Andy's portfolio of work on his Authory page. Honor and Arri are betting big on videography, and for a pro-level video feature to be enough of a draw that buyers will flock to the new Honor Magic 9 Pro Max smartphone. People want to shoot video using their phones. It’s also a feature that needs just as much manufacturer love as the stills camera. However, does anyone want a video feature so in-depth and serious that it would make Hollywood movie makers envious? I’m not so sure. Honor and Arri have been busy The Magic 9 Pro Max is seriously impressive Before we go deeper, you need to understand what the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max’s video feature is all about. In partnership with experts Arri, the Magic 9 Pro Max’s camera system provides an end-to-end professional cinema workflow, all inside a phone and not a massive camera that needs years of experience to operate. It can record video with Arri’s native Log C3 gamma curve, meaning it will initially look colorless and drab, but in reality the video is packed with detail and information, just waiting to be awoken using Arri’s Wide Gamut (AWG), and one of the 14 Arri LUT profiles. An extended library of 87 LUT profiles is also available. This is all performed using the Honor and Arri camera app and a complex Arri-inspired interface. The camera consists of a 200-megapixel main camera, a 200MP telephoto camera, and a 50MP wide-angle camera. Sound hasn’t been ignored either. The Magic 9 Pro Max uses four cinema-grade directional microphones and some clever software processing to record audio, suppressing unwanted sound, and focusing in on audio far away from the camera. I’ve already seen some of the Arri video feature in action on the Honor Robot Phone, and while it did look impressive, it was also very complicated. Honor told Android Police the Magic 9 Pro Max will have some educational elements to help people get to grips with the Arri videography features, but won’t have strict tutorials. Education may not be enough anyway Complete overkill? Credit: Honor Arri wants to make a name for itself in mobile, Honor wants a camera partner to rival Hasselblad and Leica, and it’s true that in the hands of talented creatives, incredible videos can be shot using a smartphone. It’s also true that smartphone still cameras are now so capable, that it’s hard to truly stand out anymore. Oppo and Google have still photography sewn up for 2026. Apple has made a big deal over video and its ProRes feature recently, which may also have helped Honor’s marketing team decide to pursue a brand like Arri. The other fact is, people are vlogging their lives more than ever, especially in China, where the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max will make its debut. But most vlogs do not look like they’re directed by Steven Spielberg, and I do wonder how many will want to shoot in Log C3 and spend hours color grading the results, when CapCut is faster and perfectly acceptable in most cases. It’s not just the creative side that’s going to be a problem. Research has shown 70% of the stills we take with our phones are never looked at again. It’s hard to think video doesn’t suffer from the same problem. Does the quick video of your dog/cat/child need to be shot in LOG? When’s the last time you really took the time to try and create a cinematic video using your phone? Or had the first idea where to begin if inspiration did strike? Globally, billions of still photos are taken each day. Why? Simplicity. Making videos is always more complicated and time-intensive, even without worrying about LOGs and LUTs. When a single minute of 4K video can take around 350MB of storage space, and LOG video will take up even more space, many will just switch to 1080p/30fps and call the job a good one. Especially if LUTs, LOGs, and color gamuts mean nothing, and there aren’t enough tutorials to ease you in gently. History tells us it’s a risky strategy Remember Sony? Credit: Honor I’m looking forward to trying the Honor and Arri video mode out on the Magic 9 Pro Max. The Robot Phone certainly piqued my interest, but outside professional curiosity and an interest in tech, I wonder how much long-term appeal there is in such a high-level, pro-level video feature. History tells us it’s not the most desirable feature for the general phone-buying public. For years, Sony used videography to try and sell its Xperia range of phones, such as the Xperia XZ2, Xperia 1V, and the Xperia 1. Sony Xperia phones have a small but dedicated fanbase, but Sony’s video expertise, and the phone features inspired by it, hasn’t helped it make an impact in the global smartphone market. Honor goes even further with its video modes than Sony does, and the Arri name certainly adds credibility to those in-the-know. However, leaning on the video capabilities over the Magic 9 Pro Max’s still camera performance, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor, or the massive 8,800mAh silicon-carbon battery is a risk. I’m keen to see if it pays off. The Honor Magic 9 Pro Max will be released in China first and costs around $1,000. A global release is likely to follow in the future, but no official details are available at the time of writing.