HONOR 600 Review – The Jack of All Trades Approach

HONOR continues to provide more options to consumers with the release of its latest HONOR 600 series. The HONOR 600 series comes with the iconic look and colorway similar to the newly released iPhone 17 series, with its vibrant Orange colorway and camera plateau. But aside from the similar design aesthetic, the HONOR 600 offers unique AI features paired with its signature durability at a lower price. In this review, we have the base HONOR 600 smartphone to test out.

Unboxing and First Impressions

The HONOR 600 comes in your typical HONOR packaging with only the model name printed on the front.

Like most smartphones, you have the standard accessory pack included in the HONOR 600 – one USB Type-C adapter, one USB Type-C-to-C cable, and one transparent silicone case.

The HONOR 600 has a 6.57-inch AMOLED Straight Screen with a resolution of 2728×1264 and a 120Hz refresh rate. Like most honor devices, the HONOR 600 has an SGS 5-star Premium Performance Certification of Drop & Crush Resistance with IP68, IP69, and IP69K water & dust resistance.

The HONOR 600 is equipped with a 7000mAh Lithium Polymer Battery. Capacity-wise, it’s definitely one of the largest ones released in 2026, thanks to the usage of a new battery technology. It supports HONOR’s 80W SuperCharge wired charging and unfortunately doesn’t support wireless charging.

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All of the side buttons are located on the right-hand side of the device. The volume rocker and power/lock button are place ergonomically considering its 6.57-inch form factor. The HONOR AI button is positioned slightly below. It’s an awkward button placement, as unlocking the phone using my thumb sometimes triggers the AI button right after the fingerprint authentication. If you have bigger hands, you’ll likely have more misclicks with the button as you use your right thumb.

HOONOR 600 Rear Cameras

The HONOR 600 boasts a dual camera setup with a whopping 200MP Ultra-clear Night Camera with a f/1.9 aperture. The second camera is a 12MP Ultra Wide and Macro Camera at f/2.2. Complimenting the dual-camera setup is a Color Temperature sensor located beneath the flash. The PRO variant sports an extra 50MP telephoto camera.

The HONOR 600’s camera setup is versatile enough for your usual lifestyle shots, namely capturing landscapes, food, and some scenic shots. Its nightography is impressive, especially considering its price range. That said, the lack of a telephoto lens is what you may find an issue, especially if you’re into concerts or portraits. Sure, the 200 MP sensor’s pixel binning will help you up to 3x zoom, but if you have faced poor lighting conditions or record video instead of a photo, you’ll wish to pay the premium to get an HONOR 600 PRO instead.

HONOR 600 Selfie Camera

A 50MP f/2.0 Portrait Selfie Camera is equipped on the front

Selfies are pretty decent, especially when there’s adequate lighting. The HONOR 600 does not lack in this department and is what you would expect on a sub-Php-30k smartphone.

Conclusion

The HONOR 600 comes at Php 28,999, and for this price, you’d expect a “Jack of all trades, master of none” approach for smartphones, as it tends to be just a little bit above average than what’s available in the market. Of course, it’s a factor that the HONOR 600 is a new release, but much of it still comes from HONOR’s innovation and daringness to cram in every technology and feature it can without the huge scale on price. A few examples are its 200MP camera, durability, arguably trendy design, and AI features.

The HONOR 600 is a bold leap coming from the 400 series, an actual testament to HONOR’s aggressiveness in the market, especially with a pre-order price of Php 25,999 for the base model. That said, with it being a new product, it isn’t safe from the AI-induced price hikes as the optimal 12GB/256GB and 12/512GB variants are nearing close to entry-level flagship pricing. Speaking of AI, it’s one of the few departments where the HONOR 600 shines, but like the smartphone itself, its AI features follow the “jack of all trades” aspect, where its AI is capable enough to do almost every task that a Php 6,000 Highsfield subscription can, but requires masterful prompt engineering, especially in the image-to-video segment.

Addressing the elephant in the room with the HONOR 600 Smartphone is the question of when the “Limited time trial” expires, especially for those looking to get the smartphone post-launch. So, if you’re looking for an upsized mid-range smartphone with that signature HONOR durability but offers slightly more and something unique than what you would find in the current market, then the HONOR 600 with its AI features is a phone worth exploring. That said, if you’re on the photography side, then the extra Php 20,000 for a telephoto lens and better processor of the HONOR 600 PRO might be worth considering.