Honors Magic 8 Pro and 600 Pro have the hardware to beat Apple so why do
they look like iPhones?

Date:
Tue, 22 Sep 2026 06:36:19 +0000

Description:
Honors latest phones offer outstanding battery life, capable cameras and impressive durability but their increasingly Apple-like software and
hardware make them feel less distinctive than they should.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Honor is no stranger to smartphone innovations, with its clear embrace of silicon-carbon battery technology, high durability ratings, and even trying out some wild concepts with the Honor Robot Phone .

I recently tried the flagship Honor Magic 8 Pro and the mid-range Honor 600 Pro , and their spec sheets alone were immediately impressive: large silicon-carbon batteries with fast charging, ambitious camera hardware and IP68/IP69K durability ratings.

Importantly, both handsets deliver on the promise those specs make on paper. Their 7,100mAh and 7,000mAh batteries lasted more than two days under normal use, longer than any phone Ive previously tested. The cameras were also impressive, particularly the Magic8 Pros 200MP 3.7x telephoto. Each phones chassis felt premium despite using plastic for the back, and both held up
well during an informal tap-water test (although I admit that its hardly a controlled durability experiment). Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: (Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda) Performance is strong,
too, with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipsets (Gen 5 for the Magic 8 Pro and last years Gen 4 for the 600 Pro) powering both phones. Both handled multitasking and demanding games comfortably. More importantly, both handsets are competitively priced, with the base 512GB Magic 8 Pro retailing for 1,099.99/AU$1,999 and the 600 Pro starting at 899.99/AU$1,499 for the same storage option (neither phone is officially available in the US). You may
like Honor Magic V6 review: the battery life and durability king The Honor Robot Phone is going viral, and commenters are calling it an 'innovation light-years ahead of iPhone' Huawei MatePad Pro Max review: brilliant, iPad Pro-rivaling hardware but theres one major flaw

On paper, both phones should have won me over. In practice, their strengths are overshadowed by how closely Honor borrows from Apple particularly in MagicOS and the Honor 600 Pros camera design. Homage or replica? At first glance, its clear that MagicOS tries to replicate the iOS experience on Android. The quick-settings panel has a similar layout and design style to
the iOS Control Center. System transitions, app opening animations and even scrolling felt like I was using an iPhone. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

MagicOS also has the Android app drawer disabled by default, with all apps displayed across multiple home screen pages, similar to how iOS organized
apps before introducing the App Library in iOS 14. Admittedly the default theme is not a carbon copy of iOS, but details such as the clock and wallpapers will feel unmistakably familiar to iPhone users.

Even the initial setup uses a cursive Hello animation reminiscent of Apples, with MagicOS placed above it. (Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda) Both Honor handsets have an AI button on the bottom-right corner that looks and behaves much like the iPhones Camera Control button. It launches AI features, but a double press opens the camera; in the camera app, it works as a shutter release and adjusts zoom when swiped. The button is useful, but its most distinctive behavior is still borrowed from Apple. What to read next The
Honor Robot Phone is ridiculous, remarkable, and made me feel like a kid
again Honor and ARRI explain why the Robot Phone's extremely high processing power makes it such a revolutionary device Apple iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max review: better in all the right places

Honor deserves credit here: Magic Capsule predates Apples Dynamic Island, launching in 2019 three years ahead of the features debut on the iPhone 14 Pro. My argument is not that every similar feature originated with Apple; it is that Honors overall design language repeatedly points in the same direction.

The Honor 600 Pros camera bump also recalls the iPhone 17 Pro, with a wide rectangular module and a similar three-camera arrangement. Even the orange finish on the 600 Pro felt like a close variation on Apples Cosmic Orange.
The differences are there, but they do little to create a distinct visual identity. (Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda) Having used Android phones for years and recently having switched to an iPhone, I found these similarities less like an homage and more a lack of confidence. Honor has
made enough changes to distinguish the features technically, but not enough
to give them a clear identity of their own.

Our reviewers have acknowledged these similarities too, noting in the our Honor Magic 8 Pro review that its AI button worked similarly to the iPhone Camera Control button, while our Honor 600 Pro review says it clearly (and some might say shamelessly) influenced by the iPhone 17 Pro, and MagicOS was just a little too in thrall to Apples work. What should Honor do differently? Complaints aside, both the Honor Magic 8 Pro and 600 Pro are otherwise brilliant handsets that couldve stood out as great alternative Android phones for very competitive prices. The specs alone give them a credible advantage
in areas such as battery life and durability, particularly at these prices. But instead, Honors phones come across as imitators, which is a shame considering its handsets have plenty to offer.

Its not like Honor is a stranger to innovation, either. In fact, the brand
has had some creative designs like the Honor V Purse foldable and the aforementioned Robot Phone, which have moved from concept to full commercial release (though have only been sold in China so far). That makes the
imitation more frustrating: Honor has already shown that it can design products with a personality of their own. (Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda) With software, brands like Nothing have shown that its possible to provide a fresh spin on Android , and maybe Honor could take a similar route too.

Honor already has what it needs to make compelling alternatives: exceptional battery life, ambitious cameras, strong durability and competitive prices. What it needs now is the confidence to make those phones look and feel like Honor products. Until then, its best hardware will remain overshadowed by the question of whose path it is following. Today's best Honor Magic 8 Pro and Honor 600 Pro deals Contract Deals Sim Free gift Honor Magic 8 Pro 24 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 200GB data 29 upfront 36.99 /mth View Deal at Mobiles.co.uk See all prices gift Honor 600 Pro 24 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 200GB data 29 upfront 28.99 /mth View Deal at Mobiles.co.uk See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/honor-phones/honors-magic-8-pro-and-600-pro-h ave-the-hardware-to-beat-apple-so-why-do-they-look-like-iphones


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