Nothing is currently an indie darling of the smartphone scene. Besides the brand’s unforgettable designs, every Nothing phone offered a clean Android experience with a refreshingly smooth skin. Late last year, that all changed with a newly introduced feature called Lock Glimpse, which also included unwanted ads on the lock screen. Fans outraged, and now, Nothing is almost completely backtracking on the feature.

At the end of last week, Nothing announced a small update for Nothing OS 4.0. Following feedback from users, the brand is removing Lock Glimpse from the Phone (a) series, except the Lite versions. The announcement does not rule out adding the feature again but only after it’s been made “less intrusive.”

If you’ve touched a midrange phone recently, you might be familiar with how Lock Glimpse works. Essentially, it’s a custom lock screen that includes content suggested by the software such as recommended articles, choice photos, and ads. For those who want a simple interface, you won’t get much peace from such a feature.

As expected, Nothing’s users balked at the feature’s inclusion, especially after the brand’s previous promises to not include ads. According to the initial announcement, Lock Glimpse is supposed to help the brand recoup the cost of producing non-flagship phones and pricing them competitively.

Now, only the Phone (3a) Lite and CMF devices will come with Lock Glimpse. It will still remain off by default. Plus, the brand is working on adding support to uninstall the feature completely in the future.

Besides the Lock Glimpse update, Nothing OS 4.0 will now also support the removal of Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Service. The update initially started pre-installing recommended apps, which users also disliked.

SEE ALSO: Nothing Phone (3a) Lite touts midrange specs as entry-level

Ahead of its launch in the Philippines, the REDMI Note 15 Series has its official ambassadors: popular Filipino boy band SB19.

Xiaomi announced the development, mentioning that the collaboration unites world-class performance with Filipino talent.

With the tagline “It’s Titan Tough”, the latest midrange series inspires users to push boundaries, capture life without compromise, and trust in durability that matches their lifestyles.

The upcoming REDMI Note 15 Series’ top-of-the-line variants feature a 6,500mAh battery coupled with 100W Xiaomi HyperCharge.

The lineup also includes a 200MP AI main camera, plus Xiaomi HyperAI-supported features.

Phones under the series will also tout “REDMI Titan Durability”. They come with SGS Premium Performance Certification for drops up to 2.5 meters.

There’s also quadruple IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K water and dust resistance ratings to withstand daily elements.

The REDMI Note 15 Series will officially launch on January 15 with SB19 joining the event.

There are phones that feel like upgrades because the spec sheet says so. Then there are phones like the HONOR Magic8 Pro — where the longer you use it, the more you start asking, “Wait, what kind of sorcery is happening here?” Because on paper this feels incremental. In real life, it feels like HONOR finally clicked.

Coming from the Magic7 Pro, the feeling was immediate. This is just better overall. Not loudly. Not showy. It’s one of those “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” situations where individual improvements don’t scream at you, but together they create something that feels confident, smooth, and genuinely premium. Not “premium for HONOR.” Premium, full stop.

HONOR may still be playing catch-up in reputation, but with a phone like this, they’ve stopped chasing in experience. They’re executing — and sometimes, it really does work like magic.

This is for the person who wants out of the usual rotation — who doesn’t want yet another iPhone or Samsung — but doesn’t want to feel like they’re experimenting. It’s different. But familiar enough that you don’t feel like you’re learning a new ecosystem from scratch.

Design and hand feel: lighter, friendlier, easier to live with

First impression: this feels better in the hand. Lighter. More balanced. More like something you’ll mindlessly hold even when you don’t need to. HONOR’s quad micro-curved screen plays a big part in that. It melts into your palm in a way that disappears after a few days — which is exactly the point.

I wasn’t immediately in love with the design or color options. They didn’t hit me the way some aggressively styled flagships do. But like many good decisions in life, it grew on me. Over time, you realize it’s not designed to impress in photos. It’s designed to feel right while you live with it.

NanoCrystal Shield? IP rating? I forgot they existed. And that’s a compliment. These are silent guardians — not features you constantly think about.

What surprised me most is how right the size and shape feel. HONOR didn’t go flashy. They went comfortable. And comfort wins long-term.

Display and eye comfort: the “oh right, real flagships exist” moment

The first true “wow” moment wasn’t dramatic. It was simply turning the phone on.

I came from a device that proudly wore the “flagship killer” label. Good display. Good everything. But the Magic8 Pro reminded me that “flagship killer” is still not the same as “flagship.” Real flagships feel different — and this one does from the first second.

Brightness when it needs to punch. Warm and easy when the lights go down. It’s the kind of display that never calls attention to itself, but you notice how relaxed your eyes feel after hours of use.

Late nights? This is still my favorite kind of HONOR device to use. I watched a lot of Surely Tomorrow on Prime Video — yes, partly because of Won Ji-an — but mostly because watching on this screen is simply satisfying.

Won Ji-An as Seo Ji Woo in “Surely Tomorrow”

Eye comfort has been consistently good across HONOR Magic devices, and that continues here. And while we’re talking consumption: the speakers are excellent. Not “good enough.” Excellent.

Outdoor visibility? Never squinted. Never fought the brightness slider. Just worked.

MagicOS’s translucent visuals sit quietly in the background. They’re there. They add polish. But they don’t steal attention. Think liquid glass aesthetic. Familiar, but still HONOR.

Camera: confidence at night, honesty in tone, and just… fun

The first thing I checked? Stage mode. Because I was planning to bring this to a concert. It was there, it worked, and I ended up writing an entirely different story about it. That should tell you how confident I felt about the camera system early.

Outside of that? I didn’t “test” the camera. I just used it. Food. My mom’s cats. Street moments. CES 2026 in Las Vegas. Normal life. Which is the highest compliment — I wasn’t thinking about whether the camera could keep up. I trusted it to.

At 10x and beyond, I’ll be honest — I didn’t trust it before reviewing shots. Then I checked. And I was pleasantly surprised. There’s definitely processing going on, especially at night. But the results are consistently usable, and more importantly, they look good.

 

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Blue hour? Beautiful. Cinematic without feeling fake. My default has always been the Authentic preset — warm, moody, emotional images that still feel real.

Skin tones behaved well even under chaotic neon and mixed street lights. That matters. HONOR’s camera finally feels like something I want to shoot with, not just something I can rely on.

And yes, handheld night shooting absolutely feels more confident than before. I enjoyed shooting on the Magic8 Pro. Simple as that.

Magic Color: not a gimmick — just early

Magic Color sits somewhere between “interesting toy” and “future essential.” In the right hands, it’s powerful — letting people create their own color identity without going into full editing mode. For me? It didn’t completely replace editing, but it did speed things up.

More often than not, I was already happy with the output. Especially in fast-paced shooting. This has potential to evolve into something truly meaningful over time.

AI Button and AI features: helpful… but not yet instinctive

HONOR really wants the AI Button to matter. I… almost forgot it existed.

Not because it’s useless. But because habits take time to rewire. I kept it on default, rarely reached for it, and never felt disrupted by it. It’s neutral for now — useful eventually, but not yet muscle memory.

Where AI did help: setup and daily flow. The AI Settings Agent organizing my apps? Loved that. Anything that saves time in review cycles is a win. AI suggestions sometimes felt smart, sometimes like they needed more maturity. But HONOR is on the right track.

Gemini remains my primary AI tool on Android — translate and circle-to-search will always be two of my most-used features. HONOR AI and Gemini don’t clash. They coexist.

AI Safety features? Good to have. Haven’t had to use them. Hopefully never will.

Performance, gaming, and heat

Zenless Zone Zero ran well. Frames felt stable. Movement felt crisp. The phone does heat up faster than I’d like — not uncomfortable, but noticeable. You can feel it working hard.

Oddly enough, screen brightness and audio probably impacted my gaming enjoyment more than raw horsepower. And honestly, that matters more in real use.

Battery and charging: genuinely excellent

This might be the most boringly excellent part of the Magic8 Pro. Full day? Absolutely. Even during heavy usage days — like concerts with constant video recording — I never felt anxious.

Charging feels like cheating. Blink, and you’re basically back. Wireless charging? Actually useful. Not just “nice to have.”

Battery here feels dependable. Quietly elite.

MagicOS 10 and day-to-day life

MagicOS 10 feels like a helpful salesperson at a store. Mostly out of sight. Never pushing. But always there when you need help. Feature-packed without feeling like it’s shouting for attention.

It fades into the background the right way. Just letting you live.

Cross-device life

This needs work.

I primarily use a MacBook Pro M4. Connecting wasn’t smooth. Sharing sits somewhere between “fine” and “needs work.” If you’re deep in Apple’s ecosystem, this will be the hesitation point.

But also? I switched from an older iPhone. And yes — I’d still recommend that switch.

Is the HONOR Magic8 Pro your GadgetMatch?

Compared to the Magic7 Pro? No hesitation — upgrade.
Is this HONOR’s strongest non-folding flagship so far? Absolutely.

This feels like the year HONOR quietly cracked the code. Not because of a single headline feature, but because everything finally works together — display, performance, battery life, cameras, and all the little quality-of-life details that make a phone feel reliable, capable, and genuinely exciting to use.

If you want a phone that feels different without feeling risky, swipe up.
If you shoot a lot at night and want photos that simply work, swipe up.
If you want a device that feels confident without trying too hard to impress you, swipe up.

Hesitate only if you’re deeply tied to Apple’s ecosystem and that cross-device life matters more than anything else.

Otherwise? The HONOR Magic8 Pro is HONOR at its most polished, most confident, and most magical yet — the kind of phone that looks incremental on paper but feels like sorcery in real life. A no-brainer recommendation, and absolutely worthy of the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.

SEE ALSO: 

• We took the HONOR Magic8 Pro to a TWICE concert
• HONOR Magic8 Pro price and availability