MobileManDan
Intro
HONOR have been making devices for many years now and some of their more recent ones especially have had some top of the line specs at very affordable prices, even at a time when pricing for a lot of technology is going up.
HONOR have as few different lines they offer in their smartphones, their main flagship ones go under the Magic title such as the Magic 8 Pro I recently reviewed, they then have their mid range with great specs such as this one the 600 Pro as well as the 600, and then comes the foldable series which is their ‘V’ range such as the V5.
This is a review on the HONOR 600 Pro device which has just been announced and offers near flagship specifications at a more affordable price, at time of writing the review you can pick up an HONOR 600 Pro for £899 here in the UK but there are always offers going on with big discounts as much as £200 off sometimes so be sure to look out for these if you are looking to pick one up for yourself.
My review was based on the HONOR 600 Pro which I had hands-on for 3 weeks before posting the review. This allowed me to get a decent amount of hands on time to check out the camera as well as all the other specifications and AI features that the company have put in their latest devices, some of which I found very useful.
All opinions are solely based on my experience with the device and no one has seen any of the content before it’s gone live. Everyone gets to see at the same time as it is purely my opinion and my thoughts on my time with the phone without any influence.
Design
The screen boasts a respectable 6.57-inch size and utilizes OLED technology for deep blacks and vibrant colors. It also features a 120Hz refresh rate, ideal for those interested in high-frame-rate gaming or who appreciate smooth, silky animations.
HONOR also offers clever technology to combat eye strain. This includes 3840Hz dimming, which covers blue light. This technology optimises screen refresh rates and helps your eyes adapt, resulting in less strain, especially at night.
The large screen takes up all the front with no physical buttons to be seen, just the large screen which looks great for watching content back on.
The bezels here are super thin too meaning you get more screen to phone percentage and gives you a better viewing experience, this was something I really noticed in my time using the HONOR 600 Pro and really came to appreciate when going back onto a different phone after just how great it was,
You also get the front facing selfie camera which is a large one at 50 megapixels and this will be covered in more detail later on in the review.
The left side is smooth with no buttons or switches. It’s free of protruding elements that could interfere with the design. A few small marks are present to assist the antenna in signal reception.
On the right-hand side, you’ll find a volume rocker for adjusting the sound and a central power button for quick access to Google Gemini Assistant. This is the latest and improved AI assistant, replacing the older Google Assistant found on older phones.
You also have the AI Button which can be used to load the cameras quickly but it’s main use is for quick access to some of the new AI features you get on the 600 Pro such as circle to search and turning images into short video clips, some examples of these are later in the review.
At the top, there is one of the dual microphones designed for noise cancellation and stereo recording. Additionally, the inclusion of an IR blaster is appreciated, allowing the phone to act as a remote control for a wide range of devices from your TV to air conditioner units.
At the bottom, there is an additional microphone that complements the dual setup. Additionally, there is a USB-C port available for data transfer or super fast charging at 80W which is one of the fastest speeds for charging phones at the moment.
The HONOR 600 Pro also comes with wireless charging should you have access to a airless charger and want to top up your phone on the go, and this comes in at a speedy 50W which was nice especially when you consider the flagship Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has just 25W wireless charging and costs a lot more too.
The HONOR 600 Pro features a SIM Nano slot for your preferred network SIM, along with Dual SIM support, allowing you to use two different networks simultaneously and also has eSIM support, should your network provide this option bit is becoming more popular, especially for people who like to travel or have one phone for personal use and one for work.
Turning over to the back you have a full glass panel with a HONOR logo at the bottom, but most of the things to see are up top where a rectangle camera bar stretches from one side to the other and is where you get the cameras as well as the LED flash.
The back of the phone looks very much like you see on the Apple iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max with the rectangle bar up top and the camera positioning, even more so when you see the Orange color, but then again that is not a bad thing as many people out there like this and it means there is already a lot of advertising out there showing off this design.
The device features a three camera setup that includes a main 200-megapixel lens with an LED flash to boost low-light photography. Additionally, it includes a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens perfect for capturing landscape shots, and finally a 50-megapixel telephoto with OIS which gets you 3.5x optical zoom so you can get closer to your subject and not lose quality.
Sample photos and videos taken from each camera can be found later on in the review so you can see what the quality is like.
Software
The HONOR Magic 600 Pro launches with Magic OS 10 which is the latest version of the software as the company have which is built on top of Android 16, they have also promised multiple years of software upgrades and security patches so your phone will stay new for as long as possible and get newer features in the future.
MagicOS 10.0 adds some handy AI features into the software such as Writing Tools, AI Recorder, AI Translation and even their new AI Deepfake Detection which is really key these days with so much AI generated content out there.
You also get the new version of the Image to Video AI which now lets you describe changes you want to make and within a few seconds right before your eyes you see your photo come to life.
This feature is so much fun and although it only makes a short 6 second video, you can really get creative with your ideas and watch it get made for you, although two things to point out, not every image will work with this, there were a few occasions I tried and it failed to create a video saying was not allowed, the other is that this will have limits on how many times in a short period you can use it.
The camera area at the top has improved over time with software updates. You can now tap to fully open content or hold down to open it up. This feature has been seen on other devices but works exceptionally well on Magic OS. It provides a quick way to access quick settings like skipping a track or monitoring a timer.
HONOR has done a great job on the software side, minimising bloatware and providing fast updates. Currently running the latest Android 16 version, your phone will receive seven years of future software updates. This means you’ll always have access to the latest software and security features. Android 17 is expected within the next few months.
Performance
The performance is really good as not only do you get 12GB or RAM to multitask and play graphic heavy games, but the HONOR 600 Pro comes packing the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor too, and whilst not the top of the line latest chipset, it is a flagship performance chip which means performance is right up there with the competition if not beating a lot of it.
Storage comes in at 512GB which is non expandable, if you do need more than this then you will have to look at online options, however 512GB is a huge amount of storage with a lot of phones offering 128GB or 256GB still as a starting point.
The included battery has a capacity of 6400mAh, ranking it among the top models currently on sale. This is particularly impressive given the phone’s OLED screen, which operates at 120hz you will easily get a full day of heavy use, including using the camera and playing games.
The HONOR 600 Pro comes with support for 2G/3G/4G/5G so you have a wide range of connectivity options depending on your network and sometimes price plan of choice (not all plans include 5G access)
Naturally, this device is packed with essential features like GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, and built-in WiFi for seamless navigation and communication. Furthermore, the WiFi supports the latest standards, delivering superior and faster data speeds when paired with the right router.
Cameras
There is a lot more than a high megapixel count to ensure a great camera, we see phones now with 200 megapixel lenses but capture poor results when compared to lower number of megapixels but a better A high megapixel count isn’t the only factor that determines a great camera. For example, phones with 200-megapixel lenses often produce poor results compared to lower megapixel counts but better lens quality and software experience. quality and software experience.
Having a 200 megapixel camera paired with great software can produce some great photos, especially when it allows you to zoom in closer to your subject without having a dedicated zoom lens, this is because you are not capturing a 200 megapixel photo every time, only if you select the mode to do this, instead you are using a crop of the image to allow you to zoom in and not lose any quality.
The selfie camera has a 50MP lens which delivered decent performance. In good lighting the photos it took were bright, clear and full of detail which was great, there are some AI settings you can play around with too which was fun to try but for the photos taken in good lighting were bright clear and full of detail which was great. There are also some AI settings to experiment with which was fun. However for point-and-shoot selfies the HONOR 600 Pro’s camera is excellent.point and shoot selfies, the HONOR 600 Pro has a great camera for selfies.
Selfie videos are decent too, offering a maximum resolution of 4K at 30fps. This is great for viewing on a phone at this price point, although many max out at 1080p. A thumbs up to HONOR for this feature even though it doesn’t offer 60fps. Many videos are still recorded at 30fps so this is more than adequate for vlogging or capturing important moments.
HONOR’s new camera boasts a three-lens system. This includes a main 200-megapixel camera a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens perfect for any lighting and a 50-megapixel telephoto lens offering 3.5x optical zoom.
In good lighting, the captured photos look decent. They pack a lot of detail and colour which is a good thing to see. However, they don’t have the boosted contrast that Samsung seems to favour in their photos, which makes greens look really over-the-top. While some people enjoy that style.
Here are the photos taken using each of the three cameras so you can see what quality you can expect to see.
Night photography often falls short of capturing as much detail as other competitors in the past. However, HONOR seems to have improved their quality significantly, producing some truly impressive photos even in challenging conditions. This was a welcome development.
Final Thoughts
My final thoughts on the HONOR 600 Pro are very positive. Considering its specifications and features, especially at the launch price of £899 in the UK, it’s a great deal.
While it may not be the top-performing processor, you’ll get a very good one that handles all your daily tasks and offers great gaming performance. Benchmark numbers might be lower than the top spec but actual use won’t show a difference and should put your mind at ease.
This phone offers a decent amount of storage, a promise of software updates for the next six years, a high-resolution main camera, a great ultra-wide camera, excellent screen quality and some AI features to enhance its capabilities. For the price, you’re getting a fantastic phone with a great design.
If you asked me if I would recommend this device. I would actually have to say yes, take a look at the competition and what they have to offer and look at this phone for what it has to offer, and you’re getting a great smartphone that will last a long time at a really affordable price.
My biggest concern for HONOR isn’t the 600 Pro as such, it’s that with discounts you can sometimes get the flagship model, the HONOR Magic 8 Pro for not a huge amount more more money leaving customers with a question which will be the better phone for them, if there was a bigger price difference such as the 600 Pro being about £100 lower then maybe this would have helped, especially as this was what we saw in the older models when the HONOR 400 Pro was launched around the time of the HONOR Magic 7 Pro.
That being said, the HONOR 600 Pro was one of the most enjoyable phones I have used in my time covering smartphones all these years, I loved being able to take it away on a trip away from home and use for my main camera and getting all my content on the go and with the power, performance, screen on offer, would have no issues recommending this phone to anyone.
Again a big thanks to HONOR for sending out the HONOR 600 Pro for review.
| Design | ★★★★ |
| Camera | ★★★★ |
| Software | ★★★★ |
| Performance | ★★★★ |
| Value For Money | ★★★★ |
