HONOR 600 Pro Review — The Graduation Arc

Unboxing the HONOR 600 Pro

At first glance, it seems like the HONOR 600 Pro has the same packaging as its predecessor as it has the model number listed on the center and a bare visible “600” taking up nearly the entire cover. One small difference is the 5G logo on the top-right corner. The box contains a good deal of items aside from the device itself, namely an HONOR SuperCharge charger, a USB-C cable, a SIM ejector pin, some documentations, and a clear protective case.

Walkaround

The HONOR 600 Pro finds a sweet spot with its 6.52‑inch AMOLED display, larger than most base model flagships but smaller than the Magic 8 Pro, making it perfect for one‑handed use. The screen is bright enough to handle Kuala Lumpur’s harsh afternoon sun, with a peak brightness of 8,000 nits, while the 3,840Hz PWM dimming makes it comfortable for night use. Flat sides add to the ergonomic feel, making it pleasant to hold for long sessions.

Apart from that, you do get a triple camera system consisting of a 200MP f/1.9 wide angle camera, a 50MP f/2.8 telephoto camera, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera. It’s not the thinnest smartphone around but it’s still reasonably thin, which is surprising since it manages to pack a hefty 7,000mAh battery inside. Sure, silicon carbon batteries aren’t new and they’re the reason why phones don’t up being bulky bricks given the large capacities but one would naturally expect it to be thicker than this.

It’s also worth noting that this is the first in the N series to have graduated from a midrange to a flagship smartphone. While I personally can’t consider it a true flagship as that would be reserved for their Magic series, it’s more akin to a value flagship or flagship killers like Xiaomi’s T series, Samsung’s FE series, and realme’s GT series. This is especially since it’s using last year’s flagship chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite as opposed to the 8 Elite Gen 5. It’s still strong, but it’s not the strongest one around.

Specifications

Body	Dimensions: 156 x 74.7 x 7.8 mm (6.14 x 2.94 x 0.31 in) Weight: 195 g or 200 g (6.88 oz) Build: Glass front, aluminum frame SIM: Nano-SIM + eSIM / Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) IP68/IP69K dust tight and water resistant (high pressure water jets; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)
Display	Type: AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 3840Hz PWM, HDR Vivid, 8000 nits (peak) Size: 6.57 inches, 106.2 cm² (~91.2% screen-to-body ratio) Resolution: 1264 x 2728 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) Protection: Mohs level 4
Platform	OS: Android 16, up to 6 major Android upgrades, MagicOS 10 Chipset: Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm) CPU: Octa-core (2×4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6×3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M) GPU: Adreno 830 (1200 MHz)
Memory	Card slot: No Internal: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM
Main Camera	Triple: 200 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.4″, 0.56µm, PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/2.8, (telephoto), PDAF, 3.5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), AF Features: Color spectrum sensor, LED flash, HDR, panorama Video: 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS, OIS
Selfie Camera	Single: 50 MP, f/2.0, (wide) Features: HDR Video: 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS
Sound	Stereo speakers
Comms	WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band or tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth: 6.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LHDC 5 Positioning: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC NFC: Yes (market/region dependent) Infrared port: Yes Radio: No USB: USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
Features	Sensors: Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity (ultrasound), compass
Battery	Type: Si/C Li-Ion 7000 mAh Charging: 80W wired, 50W wireless, 27W reverse wired
Colors	Golden White, Black, Orange

Performance

Starting off with AnTuTu v11, the HONOR 600 Pro performed pretty well, but that shouldn’t be a surprise given that the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is still very powerful. You can see that it practically matches up with last year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, though I find it interesting that it’s outpaced by the POCO F8 Pro despite running the same chip. Unsurprisingly, it couldn’t match up with this year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 devices.

Moving on to Geekbench 6, I’m surprised to see that it underperformed when it came to multi-core performance, though the single core score is par for the course. It’s either an optimization issue as HONOR wants the device to run as cool and energy-efficient as possible, or thermal throttling might plague the device. We’ll find out more in just a bit.

We can see a similar pattern on 3DMark, both in ray tracing and raster. It practically matches up with the S25 Ultra but lost to the POCO F8 Pro. At the very least, the HONOR 600 Pro is consistent with its capabilities but it’s rather odd since I expected more out of it.

And now we know why that is the case as the HONOR 600 Pro has a stability rating of 52.7%. This means that the smartphone thermal throttles often under heavy use, and it does get rather hot to the touch after our stress tests. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a rather hot chip, but HONOR should consider having better cooling solutions for future iterations of the N series if they want to attract the crowd who would be into high performance devices.

We wanted to get a clearer idea of the HONOR 600 Pro’s graphical capabilities and GPUScore Sacred Path raises more questions than answers. In this case, it’s more on par with both the POCO F8 Pro and the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and it’s not far off from the Xiaomi 17 and Galaxy S26 Ultra either.

Lastly on PCMark’s Work 3.0 test, the HONOR 600 Pro nearly broke through the 20K mark. Moreover, it managed to beat the POCO F8 Pro and seems to match up with the Galaxy S26 Ultra which is running the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra manages to score a little higher than all three devices. Regardless, the results are a clear indication that it would make for a strong daily driver.

Now for the part that I’m most excited about; its battery life. The massive 7,000mAh cell consistently sees it lasting 17 hours and 29 minutes in PCMark’s battery test. From my own use, I can easily get two days worth of use so this is a major plus for the HONOR 600 Pro. When it’s time to recharge, this is what I managed to get with the 80W charger, starting from 2%:

• 15 minutes = 37% battery
• 30 minutes = 64% battery
• Full charge = 1 hour and 7 minutes

It’s worth noting that it supports 50W wireless charging and 27W reverse charging in case you ever need to use it as a powerbank. However, we don’t have the necessary wireless charger to test it out so that part will be omitted for this test.

Cameras

HONOR equips the 600 Pro with a triple camera system that mirrors its flagship sibling. The 200MP primary sensor captures sharp, detailed shots across lighting conditions, while the 50MP telephoto lens delivers clean 3x optical zoom and up to 120x digital zoom. The 12MP ultrawide is less impressive, but still serviceable. AI processing occasionally introduces artifacts, yet overall results remain strong.

In practice, the camera system feels versatile. Whether shooting the local cityscapes or zooming in on distant subjects, the HONOR 600 Pro consistently delivers.

The Good

Unique AI Image to Video 2.0 feature

HONOR’s collaboration with Google Gemini makes this feature stand out. It’s creative, fun, and exclusive to HONOR, adding a layer of personality to the phone. It can be useful depending on what you want to do, though the novelty will wear off relatively quickly, so it might end up feeling more like a gimmick. You can definitely tell it’s AI, but over time, I’m sure the results will look more and more realistic.

Durable build with IP69K and SGS certifications

Beyond performance, the HONOR 600 Pro is built to withstand dust, water, and even high‑pressure jets. SGS certification for drop and crush resistance adds peace of mind. Given their past devices, HONOR is a brand I can trust to fully use their device without any protective cases if they say that it’s durable, and this one is no exception.

Balanced display size with eye‑comfort features

The 6.52‑inch AMOLED display is bright, comfortable, and easy on the eyes. The fact that it peaks out at 8000 nits is an insanely high figure, so even the brightest sunlight out won’t stop you from seeing what’s on the display. With 3840Hz PWM dimming, it will be easy on the eyes if you’re using it in dark environments. Flat sides and thoughtful ergonomics make it pleasant for extended use.

Polished MagicOS 10 software experience

Running on Android 16, MagicOS 10 offers smooth performance with extensive customisation options. From fonts to themes, it allows users to tailor the phone to their preferences, while maintaining HONOR’s familiar ecosystem continuity. In case you’re wondering, yes, it does heavily resemble a specific competitor’s UI, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it can make the transition to an HONOR device easier, and some people may just prefer how it looks.

The Bad

Design makes it look like a bootleg iPhone

We have to address the elephant in the room, in which that the HONOR 600 Pro looks very much like an iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max. We did point out with several devices, including its competitors, how their device look similar to an iPhone but this one is almost like a carbon copy of it. Sure, it looks good but because of how similar it looks, it makes the device look like a bootleg iPhone, which might diminish its value and perception.

It doesn’t help that the Android skin also tries to mimic an iPhone, which can be a good thing from a transitionary perspective. If you’re looking at smartphones purely from a performance or value perspective, it’s a solid device but with many consumers being more brand-conscious with their purchasing decisions, people might end up staying away from it as a result.

HONOR 600 Pro Verdict

The HONOR 600 Pro doesn’t carry the “Magic” name, but it delivers a magical experience nonetheless. It combines flagship‑grade cameras, a massive battery, durable hardware, polished software, and unique AI features into a package that feels premium yet accessible.

It’s not flawless, the ultrawide camera is weaker, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite isn’t the latest chip, but these are minor trade‑offs. With prices starting from RM3,099, the HONOR 600 Pro is an excellent choice for anyone seeking flagship features without the usual flagship costs. At the end of our HONOR 600 Pro review, I award this smartphone with our Silver Pokdeward.

Big thanks to HONOR Malaysia for sending us this smartphone for the purpose of this review.