The HONOR 500 and 500 Pro Are Official: Specs, Prices, and New Features
HONOR promised a major launch: it’s here. The new HONOR 500 and HONOR 500 Pro have just been unveiled in China, and it’s clear that the brand is making a bold entry into the affordable premium category.
With an ultra-bright OLED display, a massive 8000 mAh battery, and a 200-megapixel camera labeled as “the largest in its class,” the Honor 500 series feels more like a flagship hidden in a mid-range form.
Honor 500: A Flat OLED Screen That Redefines Standards
HONOR places great emphasis on the display: 6.55 inches, FHD+, 120 Hz, OLED, and up to 6000 nits in HDR. Yes, 6000 nits. This is one of the highest values ever reported for a smartphone across all categories.
The ultra-slim bezels (1.05 mm) provide a welcome sense of compactness, especially for a device housing… a battery twice as large as the average.
The differences between the two models lie elsewhere.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite: The Power Difference
Indeed, under the hood, the HONOR 500 boasts a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a premium SoC based on a modern Prime core, designed for sustained performance. Meanwhile, the HONOR 500 Pro features a Snapdragon 8 Elite built on a 3nm process, currently one of the fastest chips on the market, close to 2026’s flagships.
Both models feature HONOR’s Phantom Engine technology, which aims to maintain a constant 120 fps in popular MOBA games, with an advertised jitter rate of… 0.00%. This ambitious — and heavily marketed — promise illustrates HONOR’s desire to create a credible mobile gaming machine.
A New Visual Identity: “Crystal Island”
HONOR introduces a brand new camera module called Crystal Island, designed to optimize space by 10% compared to the previous generation.
Four colors are available: Moonlight Silver, Aquamarine, Starlight Pink, and Obsidian Black.
All of this comes in a chassis only 7.75 mm thick, certified IP68/IP69/IP69K — water and pressure resistance levels typically reserved for ultra-rugged flagships.
Photography: An Impressive 200 Megapixel Sensor, A 3x Telephoto Reserved for Pro
HONOR takes imaging seriously. The main sensor of the Honor 500 & 500 Pro is 200 megapixels, a 1/1.4’’ sensor with OIS. This is one of the largest sensors offered in this price range.
The ultra-wide angle sensor offers 12 megapixels, autofocus, and a macro mode for 2.5 cm shots. Finally, the telephoto (Pro only) features a 50-megapixel sensor with a 3x optical zoom, and OIS.
On the front, the Honor 500 series boasts a 50-megapixel sensor supporting 4K video recording and includes a 3D sensor for improved depth detection.
This places it firmly in the premium photography category, especially for the Pro model.
A Titan Battery: 8,000 mAh
This is another astonishing surprise: 8,000 mAh on both models, a record in this range. The HONOR 500 will feature 80W wired charging and 27W wireless charging, while the HONOR 500 Pro offers 80W wired and 50W wireless charging.
The Pro also includes an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.
On paper, battery life and endurance should rank among the best on the market.
MagicOS 10, Comprehensive Connectivity, Mastered Slimness
Both models run on MagicOS 10/Android 16 and come equipped with a complete arsenal: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, Ultra-GNSS constellation (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS, NavIC…), Dual SIM 5G, stereo speakers, and an infrared sensor.
All this comes in at 198g (500) or 201g (500 Pro).
Prices in China: Aggressive… Even Confusing
For this level of technical specifications, the prices seem almost unreal.
HONOR 500:
- 12/256 → 2,699 ¥ (~ 330 euros)
- 12/512 → 2,999 ¥ (~ 366 euros)
- 16/512 → 3,299 ¥ (~ 402 euros)
HONOR 500 Pro
- 12/256 → 3,599 ¥ (~ 440 euros)
- 12/512 → 3,899 ¥ (~ 476 euros)
- 16/512 → 4,199 ¥ (~ 512 euros)
- 16/1 To → 4,799 ¥ (~ 586 euros)
Commercialization: November 27 in China.
A HONOR 500 Series That Flirts With the High-End
With specifications worthy of a flagship, an enormous battery, a refreshed design, and competitive pricing, HONOR clearly positions the HONOR 500 series as a premium alternative to the more expensive models from major Android players.
It remains to be seen whether this duo will make an international impact. Given the current context, it is likely one of the most ambitious launches on the Chinese market.
