- 512GB of storage as the default
- Very long battery
- Terrible software support that's shorter than what Honor promises in other markets
- Operating system babies the user
The Honor 600 Pro is a competent device, but on principle, one I can’t recommend. Honor’s approach to software support treats Australians as second-class citizens. While international variants of the Honor 600 Pro get six years of operating system and security updates, the manufacturer is only committing to two major OS updates and three years of security for Australian variants. That is pathetic for a $1,499 phone.
Samsung and Google are the benchmark for software support on flagship Android devices. Both manufacturers’ phones get seven years of operating system upgrades and seven years of security. OPPO and Xiaomi are just a step behind, typically offering five years of operating system upgrades and six for security on their respective high-end phones.
We now regularly see cheaper phones with a stronger software commitment than the Honor 600 Pro. Samsung’s $599 Galaxy A37 will get six years of operating system upgrades and six years of security, while even OPPO’s $229 A6x 4G has been promised three years of operating system upgrades and six years of security.
The majority of Australians now hold on to their phones for at least three years, which isn’t surprising given the cost of phones. Even if you can forgive the lack of operating system upgrades, the security update period only just matching a phone’s lifespan is a red flag. For security updates to cover the entire three years, you would have needed to buy the Honor 600 Pro at launch. And the longer you keep it post the security support expiring, the more risk you put yourself at. Even if you’re a frequent upgrader, the short software support is the kind of thing that can and does negatively impact resale value.
It’s borderline offensive that Honor wants to sell phones to Australians, but is willing to shortchange them on software support commitments.
An Honor spokesperson confirmed the difference to WhistleOut, saying software support “varies by region” and that the manufacturer evaluates it “based on market and consumer needs”.
But let’s talk about the phone itself, and we have to start by talking about the apple in the room. The design is heavily inspired by the iPhone 17 Pro, featuring a familiar camera plateau and a legally distinct shade of orange. When I was testing the Honor 600 Pro, my partner made a remark about my iPhone looking weird, before realising it wasn’t an iPhone. Even if the Honor 600 Pro is clearly inspired by the iPhone 17 Pro, the back is glass rather than using an aluminium unibody. As such, it doesn’t have a two-tone finish.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, however, and the Honor 600 Pro certainly looks and feels nice. I’m also a fan of the 6.57-inch display, which is a nice middle ground between the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The Honor 600 Pro certainly isn’t a small phone, but it does feel that little bit more compact than the upper echelon of flagships that are now just shy of having 7-inch screens.
Despite the smaller size, the Honor 600 Pro has a huge 7,000mAh battery. In my testing, that was able to offer up to ten hours of screen time per charge, which is among the best we’ve seen on a phone. In real-world terms, the Honor 600 Pro should comfortably last two full days of moderate usage. It’s worth noting you don’t get a charger in the box, and while it supports wireless charging, the Honor 600 Pro doesn’t support Qi2 or magnetic accessories.
On the performance front, the Honor 600 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is Qualcomm’s top-end chip from last year. While it’s not quite on par with what you’d get from a 2026 flagship, it is still plenty fast. I didn’t have any issues day-to-day, and the Honor 600 Pro is more than capable of running demanding games like Diablo Immortal at high settings.
Another positive is storage: the Honor 600 Pro’s $1,499 price tag gets you 512GB out of the box. That’s a great price for this much storage. For comparison, you’re looking at $1,799 for a 512GB iPhone 17 or $1,849 for a 512GB Galaxy S26.
The Honor 600 Pro’s camera setup is also pretty good for the most part. The primary lens in the clear workhorse here, even if it can make low-light photos a little too bright. The 3.5x zoom lens is solid, but inconsistent. It’s a bit too slow to be reliable at night, but otherwise, it does an alright job. The ultra-wide lens is the only real letdown. It’s only 12MP, and images from it are far less detailed than those from the other lenses.
Honor 600 Pro camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Honor 600 Pro. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
Lastly, I’m not the biggest fan of Honor’s take on Android: MagicOS. The operating system often tries to baby you; it tells you that you can re-add a widget every time you remove one. It also threw similar prompts when disabling settings like the lock screen magazine. Yes, I know the lock screen magazine won’t work if I disable it; that’s why I’m trying to disable it. Sure, dismissing an extra prompt isn’t the end of the world, but I can’t remember seeing any other phone get in its own way like this.
Honor 600 Pro - Final Thoughts
The Honor 600 Pro is a good phone crippled by a terrible decision that specifically shortchanges Australian consumers. If you were set on the Honor 600 Pro, you’d be better off importing a European model than buying one from an Australian retailer, even if that could come with its own challenges - but that’s a super weird position to be put in.
I want to see more manufacturers competing in Australia. I want us to have more choices. I wholeheartedly believe a vibrant phone market is good for consumers and good for innovation. But if brands want to compete in Australia, they can’t treat us as an afterthought. Honor’s approach to software support on the Honor 600 Pro simply isn’t good enough, especially when it has demonstrated much better in other markets.
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Alex Choros
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