After Vivo introduced its sub-brand iQOO e-sports flagship iQOO 15 to Taiwan at the end of last year, HONOR’s flagship phone Magic8 Pro has also passed the NCC certification test and is rumored to be on sale in Taiwan soon.
What are the characteristics of the international version of HONOR Magic8 Pro, and what are the differences from the mainland version? Why does Honor want to import it into Taiwan as a flagship phone? Here is an explanation and analysis:
It’s no longer a matter of fact for HONOR to enter Taiwan! The following is information about the new flagship phone that HONOR is about to introduce to Taiwan, as well as a summary video and detailed description of the challenges it will face:
1. Introduction to the Taiwan version of HONOR Magic8 Pro and the differences between the mainland version:
A few days ago, the NCC mobile phone type certification official website appeared that HONOR (Glory) code BKQ-N49 passed the type certification report. In addition, industry insiders are actively setting up a sales team in Taiwan through Honor and consulting on matters related to entering the domestic market. There are general signs that HONOR (Glory), which will occupy the seventh place in the global mobile phone market in 2025, will be introduced to Taiwan!
At present, Honor has passed NCC certification. The mobile phone codename BKQ-N49 is the “AI imaging telephoto flagship” mobile phone released in China in October 2025 ~ Magic8 Pro 12/512GB standard version. The main demand is “the industry’s top AI telephoto imaging (equipped with a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, CIPA 5.5 level anti-shake)”, “ultra-long battery life (7100mAh large battery + 120W fast charging)” and “powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance”. The recommended price of the 12+512GB version in China is RMB 5999 (approximately NT$27,195).
The product to be launched in Taiwan will be the Honor Magic8 Pro 12/512GB international version. The main differences from the Chinese version are that it is built with the international version MagicOS based on Android 16 (supports Google GMS service), the battery capacity is reduced to 7100mAh (the mainland version is 7200mAh), and the wired fast charging is reduced to 100W (the mainland version is 120WmAh). The international version has an exclusive azure glaze color.
The main competition model of the international version of Hornor Magic8 Pro in Taiwan is the X300 PRO, which is known as the “concert artifact”. HONOR has more advantages in performance, battery life and charging speed, while the vivo X300 Pro performs better in the zoom capability of the telephoto lens and memory options.
2. Why does Honor want to introduce its flagship phone to Taiwan?
Honor Terminal Co., Ltd. (Honor) became independent from Huawei in November 2020. It is currently an independent entity wholly owned by Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd. The company’s shareholders are mainly formed by a number of Honor agents, distributors and investment platforms with backgrounds from the Shenzhen State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.Honor will actively expand overseas markets starting in 2022, but its entry into Taiwan has only been limited to the sound of stairs. In 2024, it received investment from China Mobile and announced that it would launch the IPO process at the appropriate time and disclose relevant financial data. In January 2025, Li Jian, the former Huawei overseas business champion, became the CEO and was committed to leading Honor to implement the “HONOR ALPHA PLAN”, accelerate its overseas market expansion and promote the company’s IPO listing process. In other words, when Honor enters Taiwan, instead of wanting toRelated to promoting the company’s IPO by entering overseas markets!
Due to the recent severe involution of the Chinese market and the shrinkage of the mid-to-low-end mobile phone market due to the surge in memory, considering the high acceptance of high-end flagship phones in the Taiwan market, it has naturally become a stepping stone for mainland brands to enter the international market. In October last year, vivo introduced the sub-brand iQOO e-sports flagship phone iQOO 15 in an attempt to replace the Asus ROG e-sports phone and exit the market vacancy. This is an example.
However, Honor is completely independent from Huawei’s system and does not have any operations team in Taiwan. The manufacturer that submitted the test to NCC this time, Minghong Technology, is only a motorcycle peripherals manufacturer with a capital of 5 million. It should only assist the company that submitted the test, not the actual Taiwanese operation team. Honor will face three major problems if it wants to enter Taiwan with the Magic8 Pro international version flagship phone:
A. Insufficient brand awareness:
Compared with OPPO, VIVO, Xiaomi, and even Huawei, mainland brands that have been deeply involved in Taiwan for a long time, HONOR is an independent mainland brand that has recently entered Taiwan, and the general public’s awareness and trust of HONOR still need to be improved.
B. Taiwan sales and maintenance team to be formed:
The manufacturers submitted for testing this time are not related to Taiwan’s communications industry, and Honor has nothing to do with Huawei. If you want to enter Taiwan, you must build a business and after-sales maintenance team that is familiar with Taiwan’s telecommunications and communication channels. It is not difficult for the business team to recruit experienced players from major mobile phone brands in Taiwan. However, after-sales service is an important consideration for Taiwanese consumers when purchasing land-based flagship phones. It is very important to establish a complete local maintenance and customer service system.
C. It is difficult for only flagship phones to break into telecommunications channels:
Taiwan’s mobile phone market is highly dependent on contracted sales with telecom operators. If there is a lack of momentum for mid- to low-end models, if Honor wants to quickly establish a beachhead in Taiwan, it is a shortcut to win the favor of a telecom operator as soon as possible. However, it is difficult for telecom operators who want to break into the sales of flagship phones by relying solely on a single high-priced flagship phone to obtain advantageous negotiating conditions.
Source: KOCPC Chinese