Honor Magic8 Lite review - "Immense battery life, mediocre gaming performance"

• A smart, simple design
• Incredible battery life
• Less impressive gaming performance

I previously reviewed the Honor 400 Pro and thought it was a fantastic device, particularly how pleasant simply holding it felt. A true ergonomic triumph for my hands, specifically. Heating issues aside, it was also a solid gaming device.

However, for the Honor Magic8 Lite, my expectations weren't raised because of my previous experience. It was missing the right three letters at the end of the name, after all. If anything, I'd prepared myself for a slight disappointment as a result of the lack of extra power. Now, having spent some time with it, I find myself let down and impressed in equal measure.

In terms of aesthetics, the Magic8 Lite is a decent-looking device that's not likely to grab much attention if you buy it in Midnight Black. The Forest Green and Reddish Brown variants are a little more showy if that's something you're after in a phone. As you might know if you've read my previous reviews, I'm not. Give me simple and understated every time, please. 

The most striking aspect of its appearance is the circular camera that's slightly elevated from the back of the device. It's also slap bang in the top-middle, rather than being closer to the left or the right, as is often the case with most phones. From a looks perspective, I think it looks pretty cool, giving the Magic8 Lite a futuristic vibe without going overboard. 

It doesn't feel as nice to hold as the 400 Pro. That said, I'm not entirely sure exactly what Honor managed to pull off there. I've tested many phones in my time, and only the Infinix Hot 60 Pro+ comes remotely close to that level of comfort, though it's still some distance away. Perhaps it's a simple case of the phone's dimensions perfectly suiting the size of my hands. Who knows?

Anyway, that mystery aside, the Magic8 Lite is still pleasant to use. It's not obnoxiously large, and it's a good weight - 189 grams - so it doesn't become uncomfortable even after multiple hours of use in one sitting. 

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• Status Audio Pro X review - "Great sound quality and noise cancelling"

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And here, multiple hours of use per session are perfectly possible. The standout feature, from a gaming and general-use perspective, is the seemingly endless battery life it possesses. I have mobile phone battery paranoia, being the type of person who views 80% as 'basically empty'. If I'm out and about, I'll sometimes panic that it’ll be dead before I get home. It's utterly ridiculous, I know, but it's how I'm wired.

With the Magic8 Lite, even I will accept that 80% will be more than enough, even if I'm playing games the entire journey back. 

Depending on what you're playing, it'll barely even break a sweat. I've played copious amounts of Into the Breach without noticing the percentage go down for long periods. Of course, that's not a particularly demanding game, so you can naturally expect more of a drop with anything more resource-intensive. For instance, Gumslinger 2: Ducks & Nukes took it down at a steadier rate, though far slower than most devices. 

Naturally, if you were to play Alien: Isolation or Genshin Impact, it'd still drain it like nobody's business, albeit slower than most. Even so, you probably won't be doing that.

One of the foibles of the Magic8 Lite is that games requiring a lot of processing power won’t run smoothly. Sure, you can lower the graphics settings, and most things will run okay, which might be fine for some people. However, if you're a more discerning gamer, it won’t deliver the performance you're after. 

Of course, it's important to remember this is a budget phone. If you're after superb battery and solid gaming chops, you might want to check out Jupiter's Honor Magic8 Pro review. But if you are content with playing the likes of Into the Breach, Vampire Survivors, or Retro Bowl, then the Magic8 Lite makes an excellent companion. Just keep it away from Arknights: Endfield and its ilk.