Phones are getting bigger and bigger and ten years ago the Honor 600 would have been considered pretty big. These days it’s more compact, and considering what’s inside, its size is actually impressive. It measures 7.8mm thick, which is quite thin, but it still has a 7,000mAh battery. Of course, that’s one of the benefits of new silicon-carbon battery technology, and I’m happy to see this technology already expanding to mid-range phones.
The build quality is also quite good. The phone has an aluminum frame paired with a matte glass back and rounded edges that make it quite comfortable to hold. If you’ve seen images of the phone online, you’ve probably seen the orange model, which, yes, looks suspiciously like the flagship color of the iPhone 17 Pro. I don’t have this orange model; instead I have the white gold colorway, which looks quite nice. There is also a basic black color, which will appeal to those who want something a little more subtle.
Additionally, the phone is quite durable. It has an IP68/IP69K rating, meaning it’s not only designed to survive submersion of up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes, but it should also survive high-pressure water jets in certain situations. Of course, you won’t want to test this, and like any phone, I recommend doing your best to keep it away from water as much as possible. If an accident happens, it’s much more likely to survive than many other phones that don’t have as high a rating.
Most of the rest of the design is familiar, although there are a few additional surprises. On the back, we find a large edge-to-edge camera module with a dual camera setup, accompanied by a flash. On the right edge, there is a volume rocker and power button, as well as an additional button used to trigger Honor AI. I wish this button was on the left edge instead of the right edge and higher up on the device. Its current location makes it difficult to mount the phone without accidentally pressing buttons.
Fortunately, the button is customizable, although most of the customization options are AI-related. You can set different functions for short press, double press, or long press, with options like camera open, AI settings trigger, AI screen suggestions, AI memories, Google Lens, and more. I wish it offered additional customizations, like simply choosing an app to open or triggering other functions that aren’t AI-related. As it stands, most people probably won’t use it much except to open the camera, which makes an extra hardware button seem like a bit of a waste.