Honor’s 500 Series Arrives, Borrowing the Familiar Silhouette of Apple’s iPhone Air

Honor has officially lifted the lid on its 500 series in China. For those interested, both the basic 500 and the Pro model are now available. Preorders began today, with sales scheduled to begin on November 27. The 500 and Pro phones exude minimalism; their flat backs are eerily similar to the appearance of the iPhone Air, not to mention the camera array, which cleverly blends into the rear panel with little notice.

You can get your hands on one in four stunning colors: Moonlight Silver, which throws a hushed glow, Aquamarine, which features a deeper blue-green that is simply entrancing, Starlight Pink, which is lively but restrained and works beautifully, and Obsidian Black, which is slick and discreet. With dimensions of 155.8 by 74.2 by 7.75 millimeters and weights of 198 grams for the 500 and 201 grams for the Pro, they’re already looking sturdy. A metal frame wraps around them, and the front is covered in high-quality aluminosilicate glass, giving them a robust feel in the hand. Of course, because this is a high-end product, we get IP68, IP69, and IP69K water and dust resistance, so you can toss it around if you want. Alternatively, immerse one or blast it with a high-pressure spray; in either case, they will continue to tick.

The way they manage color is quite unique, moving under the light like an optical illusion. The Moonlight Silver one captures the eye, as does the Aquamarine that looks amazing in the daylight. Starlight Pink offers warmth without overwhelming the design, while Obsidian Black provides a sleek, elegant finish. The back camera array, dubbed the “Crystal Island,” has been thoroughly thought out, employing space more efficiently – a 10% increase over the previous iteration. It does not stick out like a sore thumb; rather, it blends in seamlessly. Stereo speakers are on board to provide you with crystal-clear sound while on the phone or watching the latest blockbuster. You also get an infrared sensor, which functions similarly to a remote control for other devices.


The base model 500 phone features a 6.55-inch OLED screen with a full HD+ resolution of 2736 by 1264 pixels. As if that wasn’t enough, the refresh rate is 120 hertz, which allows for silky smooth scrolling and animations. Furthermore, the peak brightness approaches 6000 nits, eliminating the need to squint when outside in direct sunshine. And the new colours are feasible because the screen supports the whole DCI-P3 gamut, which is a photographer’s dream. Then there’s the dimming, which occurs at a quick 3840 hertz PWM rate, so even the most sensitive people won’t be affected when the lights turn off. The bezels, which are only 1.05 millimeters thick, are nearly invisible. The flat sides provide a very comfortable one-handed grip, and of course, 4K video playback is on board for all your cameras, because why limit yourself?


In terms of performance, the two phones behave similarly. The Honor 500 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, which includes an Adreno 825 graphics unit. The 12 or 16 gigabytes of LPDDR5X RAM, as well as storage options ranging from 256 to 512 gigabytes, will make short work of everyday duties like as email checking and video calls. The Honor’s Phantom Engine is what really sets it apart, allowing it to push frame rates up to 120 on some popular mobile titles while reducing judder, or unpleasant small frame drops, to a minimum.

Upgrading to the Pro brings in the big guns: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. This powerful 3-nanometer CPU has a high-end Adreno 830 graphics unit, making the Pro a beast when it comes to demanding tasks. Whether you’re into video editing or long gaming sessions, the speed boost is significant. You may expect up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB storage option, which is plenty space for all of your files for years to come. Benchmarks reveal that the Pro outperforms the competition in terms of multi-core performance, which should result in no slowdown even after a few hours of heavy use. Both the Pro and the basic models run MagicOS 10 on top of Android 16, which includes useful features such as intuitive gestures and a home screen that learns and adjusts to your habits over time. Plus, with three years of guaranteed OS upgrades and four years of security patches, you can be confident that your phone will be secure and up to date.


But let’s get to the good stuff: the cameras. You get a top-tier 200 megapixel primary sensor measuring 1/1.4 inches, which is the largest in its class, with an f/1.9 aperture and optical image stabilisation. Daylight images are sharp, and the light sensitivity is accurate, even when the sun goes down. You also get a 12 megapixel ultra-wide lens with 112-degree coverage and autofocus, which is ideal for sweeping landscapes or group photographs. And, if you want to get up close and personal, it’s also a useful macro tool, allowing you to reach as near as 2.5 cm to your subject. On the front, there’s a 50 megapixel selfie shooter with an f/2.0 aperture and a 3D depth sensor that allows you to snap precisely focused selfies at any angle by adjusting the bokeh to look natural.

The Pro, of course, goes a step further by including an additional 50 megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and f/2.4 aperture, as well as optical stabilization. Portraits appear sharper now, separating your subject from the fuzz in the background. And, with a 5.0 rating for stabilisation on the Pro against 4.5 on the ordinary model, you can be confident that your handheld images will look smooth. Then there’s night mode, which quickly moves through scenes and stacks exposures to reveal details hidden in shadows. while the colors, well, they keep true to life throughout all modes; the skin tones are warm, while the skies remain blue without being overly exposed.


One area where the Pro excels is battery life. Both phones include an 8000 mAh hour silicon-carbon battery, which is enough to last two full days of mixed use on the base model and closer to three days on the Pro, depending on how hard you use it. Then there’s the charging speeds: 80 watts gets you a full tank in under 40 minutes, and both phones include a 27 watt reverse wired output that can charge your headphones or watch. The Pro also includes 50 watt wireless charging, so you can go from empty to full in roughly an hour. Heat is effectively managed when charging, and if you happen to be using the phone while it charges, don’t worry; there’s a bypass mode that keeps the phone running at full speed.

Dual nano-SIM slots let you to use 5G on the sub-6 and mmWave bands, while dual 4G VoLTE ensures you never have to worry about dropped calls again. Wi-Fi 7 allows you to easily attain gigabit speeds over the 2.4 and 5 gigahertz bands, while Bluetooth 6.0 simplifies device connection and NFC tags enable tap-to-pay transactions. Positioning uses a variety of technologies, including BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and NavIC, to provide pinpoint precision whether you’re inside or outside. Connectivity-wise, USB-C ports transfer music and data at full speed, while the in-display fingerprint reader unlocks even with wet fingers or a dirty screen.


Prices start off fairly inexpensive, given the value you get. If you’re looking at the Honor 500, you can get it for as cheap as 2699 yuan (about $380) for 12 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigs of storage. However, you may upgrade to 16 gigabytes and 512 gigabytes for 3299 yuan, or $464. The Pro model starts at 3599 yuan (about $506) for the base 12/256 configuration, up to 4799 yuan for 16 gigabytes and 1 terabyte.
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