Honor has officially launched the Honor 500 series in Beijing, and at first glance it's clear where the design team has spent the last few months - apparently admiring the iPhone Air. But don't be fooled: the new series isn't just a facelift, it's packed with some serious tech goodies.
If you're familiar with the latest iPhone lineup (including the camera viewfinder), then you'll recognize the Honor 500 from space. The new phones feature a minimalist aesthetic with rounded edges and a prominent camera island - yes, it does resemble "that apple", but Honor still maintains its character with a touch of robustness and practicality.
Both models – Honor 500 and Honor 500 Pro – are surrounded by an aluminum frame, and the back is entirely made of glass. But they are not delicate princesses from a box: with a rating IP68 and IP69K They can withstand dust, water, and (potentially) other household accidents.
A screen that would even outshine the polar night
On the front, both phones feature a 6.55-inch LTPO OLED display with resolution 1264 x 2736 pixels, 120 Hz refresh rate and absurdly high brightness to 6,000 threadsYes, with this screen you could read the May news in the middle of a sunny beach in Split.
There's more hidden under the screen optical fingerprint reader, while the upper cutout houses 50MP front camera, which will happily capture every morning's dark circles – in 4K resolution, of course.
200 MP for everyday life… and telephoto for a little more
Both models boast the main 200 MP camera (1/1.4” sensor), which in itself sounds like an exaggeration. But hey, who wants a “just good enough” camera these days? Plus, there’s 12 MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, for all those culinary photos from the top.
Model Honor 500 Pro but goes one step further – with an additional 50 MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, which will come in handy for both paparazzi and stalkers... sorry, romantic souls on Instagram.
A chipmunk who doesn't think slowly
The main difference between the two models lies under the hood. Honor 500 Pro powered by top-notch Snapdragon 8 Elite (new for autumn 2025), which in combination with up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB internal memory acts as a mobile tank.
Ordinary Honor 500 is calmer, but still powerful – uses Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which is somewhere between mid-range and high-end. For most users – more than enough, unless you're editing 8K videos while waiting for your coffee.
A battery that refuses to give up
In a world where most phones still rely on 4,000-5,000 mAh batteries, the Honor 500 series delivers 8,000 mAh Si-C (silicon-carbon) batteryThis is no longer a “day and a half” phone – this is a “two days + spare hour” phone.
Honor 500 Pro besides 80W wired charging is also supported 50W wireless charging, and both models also allow 27W reversible charging – which means you can use it to charge other devices if you're feeling like a technological savior.
MagicOS 10 and Android 16: Welcome to the future (where there's still no physical back button)
The phones use Honor's latest skin MagicOS 10, which runs on Android 16The interface is intuitive, the animations are fluid, and Honor promises at least 3 years of upgrades – which in the Android world is already considered a respectable commitment.
Colors, prices and (im)patience
They come in colors that already sound like high-fashion perfumes: Aquamarine, Starlight Powder, Moonlight Silver and Obsidian Black.
- Honor 500 starts at 2699 CNY (approx. 380 $ / 350 €),
- Honor 500 Pro but it costs 3599 CNY (approx. 505 $ / 465 €).
The phones are already in pre-sales in China, and the first deliveries are expected November 27, 2025A global release has not yet been officially confirmed, but based on past trends, we can expect it in early 2026.
Finally: Android's homage to the iPhone or a future where everyone is a little alike?
Honor 500 The series is more than just a copy from the East – it's proof that design inspiration is not a sin as long as it's accompanied by technical excellence. And when you consider everything from the screen to the battery, you could say that Honor didn't just copy, it improved.
Will this be enough to entice Western users? We'll see. But the fact remains: in a world where phones cost as much as used cars, the Honor 500 is a real small revolution with its price and specifications - and a great camera too.
