Reviews

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 review: Xiaomi got everything right, almost

Has one deal breaker

Published

November 1, 2018

When Xiaomi first introduced the original Mi MIX in 2016, it wasn’t like any other smartphone we had seen. All display, all screen. It was supposed to represent the future and, quite literally, pushed the boundaries of phones as we knew them. Not long after, others followed suit, each with a different approach to an edge-to-edge smartphone: big notch, small notch, curved edges, and pop-up cameras.

In its first three attempts, Xiaomi’s approach to the borderless concept involved moving the selfie camera to the lower-right corner of the screen. This meant that the phone’s upper half looked like the future, while its bottom half, not so much. The front camera was both awkward and impractical; it meant not being able to use Instagram Stories or video calls normally.

Four iterations later, Xiaomi fully embraces full borderless and takes bold new steps into the future with the new Mi MIX 3 by hiding the front camera completely. This setup gives the phone a 93.4 percent screen-to-body ratio and brings users closer to Xiaomi’s original vision for the phone — computing on an embellished piece of glass.

Durable design

No matter which way you look at it, there’s no denying that a notch-less, all-display phone is gorgeous. While this solution solves one issue, does it create another? By tucking away the front camera system, you’ll need to slide the display down to use it. It’s similar to what we saw from OPPO earlier this year with the Find X sans the motorized mechanism.

The OPPO Find X and Xiaomi Mi MIX 3

While OPPO’s offering presented durability problems not just with its overall build quality, but also by relying on a single motorized mechanism to support all of its sensors, Xiaomi says its approach is more durable. The Mi MIX 3 employs magnets for that bit of resistance, and snap. It’s pretty satisfying actually and Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun says it can double as a fidget toy replacement — and fidget with it, we did.

Xiaomi says the phone is rated for 300,000 snap cycles. That means if you plan on using the phone for three years, that leaves you with around 274 cycles a day. As of now we can’t really say if this claim is accurate, but the Mi MIX 3’s design does feel solid and durable — no wiggle room for bigger particles to get stuck in between the display and camera.

Not available during our time with the phone were sound effects and app toolbars that bring an expanded feature to the slider mechanism. Xiaomi says these will roll out another time through a software update.

For that peace of mind, Xiaomi bundles a black hard plastic case in the box that works seamlessly with the phone. There’s a cutout at the bottom that allows the display to slide down without obstruction.

Cameras that can compete

Apart from looking good, Xiaomi says they chose the sliding form factor with photography in mind. So it makes sense that the phone comes with pretty good cameras.

In all, there are four: two on each side — a first on a Xiaomi flagship. Its dual 12-megapixel rear cameras are arranged vertically on the phone’s back and not built into the slider. To our delight, Xiaomi kept the 2x telephoto lens as a secondary camera that many brands opt to omit in favor of a rather inadequate depth sensor.

These cameras are highly rated on DxOMark, a subjective but still pretty good measure of smartphone camera performance. The phone is now the third-highest-ranked smartphone camera — tied with the US$ 1,000-Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and one step above the regular Huawei P20.

Compared to last year’s model, photo quality has improved, albeit the difference is only noticeable in the most challenging scenarios like when shooting against the light.

We thought we’d also throw in some comparisons versus the Pixel 3 XL, iPhone XS Max, and Huawei Mate 20 Pro to show how it fares against some of the best smartphone cameras available in the market.

There are new features like 960fps super slow-mo video, video bokeh, as well as night mode, which works similarly to handheld low-light exposure shots on the Huawei P20 and Mate 20 series.

Here’s how it looks against similar shots taken with the Mate 20 Pro’s night mode.

There’s still AI scene detection built in, which you can turn off with a tap. This mode usually boosts color and saturation, although we usually prefer to leave it off since there’s no option to do so after taking the shot the way you can on Honor phones and Huawei’s Nova series.

Here are more photos we took around Beijing.

Underneath the display is the front camera system: a whopping 24MP selfie camera and a secondary 2MP lens to assist with portrait blur, plus a flash for low-light selfies.

There are also some fun portrait mode features available on both the front and rear cameras that you can add after the fact like adjusting background blur, light trails, and studio lighting effects. Our favorite is light trails, which was first teased during the Mi MIX 2S’ launch in spring. You can even save them as videos!

It’s not perfect but Light Trails on the #MiMIX3 is so much fun 😆 I’ve been wanting to try this since they teased it during the #MiMIX2S launch in spring! pic.twitter.com/m2UiFnOchs

— Chay Lazaro (@chaylazaro) October 31, 2018

In the Chinese version of the phone, there’s also feature called Magic Mirror which rates your mug on a scale of 1 to 10. There’s clearly something wrong with the software here since since we only got scores below 8. 😂 Rest assured, we didn’t let this affect our self-worth all that much.

It’s also worth mentioning that since the front cameras are no longer placed at the bottom of the phone, they now double as a face unlock system. While unlock times are quick and sliding the phone down make us look really cool, we personally prefer using the back-side fingerprint sensor in this case since it was still the more convenient option between the two.

Beauty and a beast

Just like its predecessors, the Mi MIX 3 is a handsome phone. With the right amount of curves and a ceramic finish, it looks good from any angle. Apart from the usual black, it comes in two extra colors — Sapphire Blue and Jade Green, inspired by, well, jade. Because of its ceramic finish, the phones look somewhat similar when viewed in certain angles.

There’s also a special Palace Museum Edition that comes in a different shade of blue, inspired by Chinese ceramics. This variant boasts of a 10GB+256GB configuration.

Sapphire Blue is our favorite color of the three. Its front camera module has the same blue finish as the back, unlike Jade Green, which has black.

The ceramic finish is still a fingerprint magnet, and can be slippery at times. The phone is also taller, narrower, curvier, and less boxy than the MIX 2S. This makes it easier to wrap your palms around, although it could feel too tall sometimes. Unless you have large hands, sliding the display down might be a bit of a struggle.

On the left side, there’s an extra button dedicated currently to Xiaomi’s personal assistant Xiao Ai (literally translated “little love”). For its global versions, Xiaomi says it’s working on Google Assistant functionality, although it would be nice if they also gave users the option to remap it. A dual-4G nano SIM card slot also slides out of the left side, but there’s still no expandable storage.

There’s an earpiece at the very top of the phone, and when you slide the display down, you’ll find a set of speakers underneath. The sound that comes out of it is very faint compared to the main speaker grille found at the bottom, beside the USB-C port. And nope, there is no headphone jack.

Internally, Xiaomi packed what is expected of a 2018 flagship: Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 chipset, up to 10GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB storage configurations. This means the Mi MIX 3 can handle virtually anything you throw at it without lag. Yes, PUBG works perfectly fine at the highest settings.

One of the MIX line’s strong suits has always been great battery life, partly due to a higher-than-average battery capacity. To say we’re disappointed to see a measly 3200mAh battery in the MIX 3 is an understatement. During our time with the phone, we barely got through the day with minimal use on a single charge. We had to plug in the phone even before we got around to playing PUBG on it.

Of course, battery capacity isn’t everything. With MIUI’s consistent updates, we’re hopeful the phone can be optimized further to handle basic tasks without sucking too much power. This being a Chinese version with side-loaded apps might also be a factor. On a more positive note, the Mi MIX 3 supports Quick Charge 4+ and is bundled with a Quick Charge 3.0 adapter. Fast charging is always welcome, and should be a standard in any flagship device launched this year.

Like the MIX 2S, the MIX 3 also supports wireless charging. In even better news, there’s a 10W wireless charger included in the box — a really nice touch. Other brands should take note: add free accessories, don’t take them away.

Stunning display

More than anything, this phone is all about its display, all 6.39 inches of it. After all, an all-screen experience is what Xiaomi’s most premium line of phones has always been about. For the first time in the MIX line, the Mi MIX 3 gets an AMOLED display and we can say that it does this borderless design justice.

Everything pops at you, or is it the other way around? The display draws you in. Colors are vibrant, text is crisp, and viewing angles are great.

Although, just like any phone with a taller aspect ratio, videos aren’t designed to fill the entire screen, which defeats the purpose of immersive entertainment. When you’re watching YouTube, for example, you can pinch to fill the screen, but expect some content to be cropped out unless the video was made for the taller aspect ratio.

Netflix also doesn’t fill the entire screen even when zoomed in. There’s a black bar on the right when watching in landscape mode so the phone ends up looking like it has a huge chin that fans love to hate.

Is the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 your GadgetMatch?

The MIX line is not for everyone, and the Mi MIX 3, with all its bells and whistles, is no exception.

It’s an interesting piece of tech, still with bits and pieces of the future Xiaomi envisioned this phone to represent. The sliding display is a novel idea but we’re curious to see if it will stick or if other manufacturers can find even better solutions to the all-display, no-notch dilemma.

With the headphone jack and expandable storage indefinitely absent in the MIX line, we would have loved to finally see water resistance for added protection instead. The Mi MIX 3 would have been an easy phone to recommend had it offered a bigger battery to match its larger display. Unfortunately, it’s no longer a phone made for heavy users the way its predecessors were.

Just like its predecessors though, selfies are still not a priority for this phone despite the dual-camera upgrade in front. Unless you genuinely enjoy sliding half the phone down just to reveal the front cameras, taking selfies is still an inconvenience compared to a few quick taps on other phones. If you have small hands and are clumsy, we’d even go as far as saying this is more inconvenient than the previous generations’ awkwardly placed cameras; you will end up dropping this phone at some point sliding the mechanism down trying to take a selfie.

But at a starting price of CNY 3,299 (US$ 475), the Mi MIX 3 is easily a top contender in the best bang-for-your-buck race. It’s not perfect, but it’s closer to perfection than most smartphones in this price point. Aside from impressive cameras, the beautiful notch-less display, and overall performance, we recommend this phone for its novelty and for users who hate Thanos-like chins on smartphones.

Otherwise, the MIX 2S launched in March is a great choice and is still one of the most beautiful and capable smartphones this year. You’ll get the same performance, dual cameras, wireless and fast charging, and a much better battery life. It’s likely to get a discount, too, as soon as the MIX 3 starts rolling out to more markets outside China. Xiaomi says most of the new camera features on the MIX 3 will also come to the Mi MIX 2S.

If you live in Europe, it’s also best to wait as Xiaomi promises that 5G versions of the Mi MIX 3 will launch in the region some time in early 2019.

Related Topics:featured Mi Mix 3 Xiaomi Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

Gaming

Saros review: Returnal’s difficulty is back and better than ever

Although, it loses the memorable storywriting.

Published

April 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In 2012, Housemarque worked on the Angry Birds Trilogy compilation, the quintessential experience of throwing things at a wall and seeing which one will break it. In 2021, the studio developed Returnal, once again a quintessential experience of frustratingly throwing things at a wall. Now, in 2026, the studio is back with Saros, an experience with more of the same but with more flair and the accessibility to more easily break down those walls.

Turn back time over and over again

Like Returnal, Saros is a roguelike shooter. Players start every run from almost-scratch, earning Lucenite along the way. Upon death or winning the run, Arjun Devraj, the playable character, returns to the starting hub and spends his earned Lucenite to unlock meaningful (and permanent!) upgrades for the next run.

Along the way, Devraj finds an armory of available weapons and powerups that subsist through a single run, adding enough variability to ensure that no two runs are completely the same. Coupled with tangible upgrades, Saros creates an ever-changing experience but ensures that you feel stronger with every consecutive run.

It’s also a visually stunning game with designs that border on Lovecraftian. Enemies are so well designed that it’s impossible not to stop and stare at how detailed the monsters are.

A smoother, hypnotic fight

Saros plays like butter. Normally, shooters played on a controller are too finicky for me, but Saros just works. The game features a good number of auto-aiming weapons that help you focus on dodging projectiles. Even the native aim assist on non-automatic weapons is useful enough for making shots.

There’s also Power Weapons, or high-damage attacks that use consumable Power. There are a handful, and all of them are powerful enough to help win a difficult battle.

Fighting, then, is simply fluid. It didn’t take long for me to breeze through runs without focusing on muscle control. This makes for an easier game overall. Whereas Returnal has players beating their heads against the wall for hours, Saros is more accessible. It wants you to win. It wants you to get stronger.

As mentioned, each permanent upgrade is palpable. Devraj does get stronger. You can feel it when you rush past the starting area in no time. There are caps, but each cap is unlocked when you first beat a boss.

That said, the game still offers a challenge. Often, bosses take a few runs to master. Sometimes, you’ll get bodied by a surprise barrage from behind.

Variability that eventually runs out

The key to making a great roguelike rests on how different every run is. Some even have game-breaking combinations with ultra-rare pickups that wreck all of the game’s challenges.

At the start (especially before everything is unlocked), Saros does feature enough variability that invites you to discover everything that the game has to offer.

However, it does become clear that this variability has a limit. Once I had everything unlocked, I was defaulting to only a few combinations: a smart rifle (with auto-aim) with powerups that improve health and Lucenite drops. Plus, since I already had rerolls unlocked, I could just reset every drop until I got what I wanted. Experimentation doesn’t seem like a major draw for players; instead, it’s more about discovering the combination that works for you and grinding until you find it in every run.

Additionally, the map doesn’t really change. Though there are miniscule changes, none of which alters the experience that much. Each room features different terrain, but they’re all essentially identical to one another: fight the horde that spawns in and collect the reward afterwards.

Despite being treated as a major change to the map, even the self-imposed eclipse mode (from which the game derives its title) doesn’t add much besides the corruption status effect. At first, there’s a sense of dread going into the eclipse, as the game says that enemies are more powerful and unpredictable, but it will eventually teach you that eclipses are just part of the level design. There is zero tradeoff.

Every run has a lingering sense of sameness to it. This should be appealing to some, especially since it helps make the game more accessible. However, this approach will naturally run into a wall, particularly after you spend 2.5 hours on a run only to die on the final boss.

What story?

Saros is an exercise in Lovecraftian worldbuilding. Like all stories of the same bent, the game’s plot focuses more on the insanity of its world, rather than its characters.

The game does not say much about the story besides the bare brushstrokes. Devraj is part of the Echelon IV expedition to the planet of Carcosa. While his main mission is to find the past expeditions, he has a secret motivation to find Nitya, a member of Echelon III and his lover.

Similar to The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, the game features allusions to madness because of “the Yellow”. Both previous expeditions and members of his own team succumb to the madness. However, the game never gives players enough time with any of these characters, so when they reveal themselves as victims of the same religious insanity, it’s never treated with the gravitas it deserves. People die, but you’ll barely miss them.

The same, unfortunately, goes for Devraj himself. Despite the world descending into cosmic horror around him, he stoically continues his mission to find Nitya. He doesn’t seem too affected by death. And, as such, he doesn’t really have a lot of qualities to latch on to, as a player who should be invested in the development of their playable character.

It’s atypical for a first-party PlayStation game to prioritize world-building over character writing. Most of the platform’s titles have incredibly memorable characters, but Saros just doesn’t. That said, the world-building is phenomenal; I just don’t want to spend hours reading through journal entries to find out what’s wrong with this world.

Is Saros your GameMatch?

If you found Returnal too difficult, Saros is a lot more approachable. It didn’t take me long to reach the game’s latter parts. If anything, the difficulty is finding two hours to go on an extended run. With the substantial progression system, it feels meaningful to restart and go again. Fans of roguelikes will easily Swipe Right on this game.

However, if you’re looking for a meaningful story to sink your teeth into, the game heavily prefers environmental storytelling. Prepare to spend hours just poring over lore. Even then, you won’t really get a sense of which characters to root for. For that, it’s a Swipe Left.

Laptops

ASUS Zenbook S14 (2026) review: The perfect portable buddy

At only 1.1cm thin and 1.2kg light, the Zenbook S14 fits in any daily kit.

Published

April 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As a gamer, thin notebooks are difficult to love. Despite the loss of convenience, the thought of playing all my favorite games in one machine is still more tantalizing. However, with commute times getting longer by the day, it’s now impossible to ignore the importance of portability. Once again, with an ultrathin 1.1cm profile, the ASUS Zenbook S14 makes the perfect everyday commute buddy.

A laptop light enough to run with

The Zenbook S14 weighs only 1.2 kilograms. Just from handling it, you can tell that this weight (or lack thereof) makes so much of a difference. You can hardly tell that you’re holding a laptop. The Zenbook series has been known for ultrathin portability, so it’s no surprise that the new S14 has this down to perfection.

If that’s not enough, we put the laptop through a run test. That is, I tried running a 5K with the laptop on my back. It wasn’t a difficult time at all. In fact, I had to pack in more things inside my backpack just to make it feel more impactful.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter how heavy the backpack was. The Zenbook S14 barely contributes to your daily pack. If you had to face a long commute every day, this ultrathin laptop is a perfect match for you.

Ceraluminum: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

I’ve said this the last time I had my hands on a Zenbook. Ceraluminum remains one of the most consistently good features of the series. The matte texture once again adds a look that simply stands out.

Though the gray is similar to the shade common today, Ceraluminum feels pleasantly tactile and smooth to the touch. Plus, it’s also durable.

When I stuffed the notebook with an umbrella inside my pack, I intentionally left the notebook without a sleeve to see how the chassis would react with other things. Lo and behold, after running a few kilometers, the Zenbook S14 had no discernible scratches. Besides the portability, it’s a durable beast that fits in any pack.

Fourteen inches of fun

Normally, I prefer larger screens for my laptops. However, the Zenbook S14’s 14-inch 3K Lumina screen was more than enough for what I needed the laptop to be.

Color accuracy was almost spot-on but leaned a bit towards the vivid side. This wasn’t a huge problem for me, but it might be a consideration for those who need absolute accuracy.

Also, while I was doing my run, I did test the screen under the sunlight. In bright situations, the glare became a bit of an issue. The 1100 nits of peak HDR brightness overcame this, though.

The touchscreen capabilities is another useful tool. I don’t usually need touchscreens on laptops, but it’s still useful to have. The experience was smooth and responsive. It was particularly useful for small games like Balatro.

A machine good enough for most things

The Zenbook S14 is no slouch. Under the hood, the notebook touts an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H. For a work device, this seems like overkill. Do you really need a robust processor to get through your workday?

Well, it’s a matter of not knowing what you’ve got until it’s there. This powerful chipset is a godsend for multitasking.

Personally, I prefer working with a lot of windows up at the same time: a word processor, a bunch of tabs for research, another bunch for music or videos, and the usual slew of chatting apps. Despite having so many things up at once, the laptop never seemed like it was struggling to keep up.

The performance is beefed up with up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. It’s smooth for everyday use and can last for a long time without needing a cleanup.

That said, the chipset is not enough for gaming, especially for power-hungry games like Call of Duty. However, it’s just enough for lighter fare like Balatro. It’s no great loss, though. Rather, it’s an assurance that you can leave the heavy gaming rig at home but still have a decent machine for quick fixes.

Also, if you’re coming from the previous model, this new version doesn’t really offer much in terms of upgrades. This doesn’t take away from the current model’s capabilities as its own device, but it’s a consideration if you already own the previous model.

The battery life to keep you going

For such a light laptop, the Zenbook S14 still touts a sizable 77Whr battery. ASUS claims that a full charge can last up to 27 hours. On paper, that’s enough to last two working days with some change.

From personal experience, the notebook does last a good amount of time. As I mentioned above, I usually work with several windows up at the same time. Of course, that means more of a load on the battery. When I worked in a café for an entire afternoon, the laptop lasted handily.

While I’m confident that the battery can last from morning to evening based on my experience, I’d still take a charger with me because of the heavy nature of my work. That said, if you’re more used to normal office work, this notebook can get you through the day with no issues.

If you do need a charger, the package comes with a compact brick that barely makes any dent on your kit’s total weight. It’s also rated for 68W wired charging, which can fill the battery up from empty in just around 90 minutes.

Is the ASUS Zenbook S14 your GadgetMatch?

Alas, here’s the rub: The Zenbook S14 isn’t friendly on your wallet. The notebook costs PhP 129,995. For what the notebook is, the price tag feels a bit too much. At that price, you might want to get a hardier device with more robust specs.

Swipe Left if you prefer a daily notebook with top-of-the-line specs, or if you’re a gamer looking for a platform to play on.

However, if you’re looking for the ultimate portable buddy for your daily kit, the Zenbook S14’s impressive weight and profile makes this a Swipe Right.

Reviews

HONOR 600 review: A taste of more

When midrange feels enough

Published

April 22, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

The HONOR 600 is one of many midrangers in 2026 taking a bite out of Apple.

A lot of them share a silhouette and general look that evoke the iPhone 17 series. That much is obvious at a glance.

That aside, the HONOR 600 also feels like a “mini me” of its flagship sibling — particularly the Magic series — because of familiar button placements and MagicOS 10.

It’s the kind of familiarity that doesn’t feel lazy. It feels intentional — like HONOR knows exactly what parts of the experience are worth keeping consistent across devices.

I personally am already quite familiar with the “magic” of MagicOS, so there was little friction for me here.

One thing I appreciate: the convenience of letting the OS group your installed apps for you. It’s a godsend for someone like me who has to deal with multiple phones at any given time.

I suppose that can be helpful too for people who can’t immediately allot time to set up their phone. Although, I’d still say carve out time to do this. I digress.

Familiar, but comfortably so

The HONOR 600 doesn’t try too hard to reinvent things.

Instead, it leans into what already works — both visually and functionally. That familiarity makes it easy to pick up and settle into, whether you’ve used an HONOR device before or not.

It’s the kind of phone that doesn’t demand your attention. It just fits into your routine.

Cameras that hold their own (and then some)

Like most base midrangers, the HONOR 600’s shooters are a step or two above “serviceable.”

In fact, I’d call it pretty darn good overall — especially if you stick to its zoom capabilities, limited as they may be to my liking.

I was pleasantly surprised with how it performed when I brought it to a late night bar gig. Unstable lights. Lots of movement. Generally low light sources.

Still, it captured decent stills of the stage and our food.

The video did pretty alright too. I managed to capture snippets of performances — the kind of moments I wouldn’t usually trust to a midranger — and walked away with clips that were usable.

They’re not sharpest out there, but these clips aren’t terrible for a base model midranger. There’s also the issue of the platform reducing the quality upon upload so there’s that.

@rodneil Piece of This by P.O.T #PieceOfThis #POT #OPM ♬ original sound – Rodneil

Of course, it helped that we were seated pretty close to the stage, so the 4X max optical zoom for photos and 2X max optical zoom for videos worked out just fine.

@rodneil Fallen On Deaf Ears by #Urbandub ♬ original sound – Rodneil

Also quite happy that it has HONOR’s Classic, Vibrant, and Authentic shooting presets.

I’m particularly fond of the Authentic preset.

: Classic

: Authentic

Took it to pizza with the boys.

Snapped a few snaps during late lunches in Kuala Lumpur.

These are the kinds of moments most people actually use their phones for — not staged shots, not perfect lighting. Just real life. And in those situations, the HONOR 600 holds up.

I’m fairly confident that anyone buying this will be relatively satisfied with the cameras in most scenarios — except those that require zoom, which doesn’t seem to come up for most people anyway.

Although I did experience a bit of lag when shooting. Nothing dealbreaking. Just something to watch out for.

AI experiments, for better or for later

The HONOR 600 also comes with AI Image to Video 2.0 — one of its headline features.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t feel compelled to play with it. My feelings towards AI remain… complicated.

At the risk of sounding hypocritical, I had some fun with the first iteration before — adding motion to my “harem of married men” in the Philippine tech media landscape — and I’ve seen others create everything from heartfelt clips to genuinely funny ones.

So, I get the appeal.

I had a bit of fun with it again with this “Henshin” clip.

@rodneil“Henshin” HONOR 600 AI Image to Video 2.0 test. @honorglobal♬ original sound – Rodneil

It still leans in the “AI Slop” category for me. That’s why despite the “fun”, part of me still feels a bit apprehensive using it.

That said, I can commend HONOR here.

The Number Series feels like the place where they experiment a bit — where they play around with new features like this — while still making the device competitive in the midrange category.

The continuity, and the intention to build on good things, is nothing to scoff at. It feels like a nice progression.

Now Playing: Hayley Williams, Perfect Crown, and LE SSERAFIM

“I miss you like I miss the rage”

My Reels and TikTok feeds have been pleasantly bombarded with fancams of Hayley Williams on tour. That’s why the song I’ve had on repeat lately is “Good Ol’ Days” by Miss Paramore herself.

Audio was a pleasant surprise. The HONOR 600 produces more full and rounded sounds than a base model flagship smartphone I used a few months ago.

On the display side, it holds up just as well.

I’ve been watching Perfect Crown on Disney+ — a refreshing little romcom with sprinkles of familial trauma and political intrigue — and the phone shows off its colors properly.

Same goes for LE SSERAFIM’s “PUREFLOW” trailer, which honestly feels like a short film in itself. The color, the sound — everything looked and sounded fantastic on the HONOR 600.

I have to admit I didn’t play much on the phone.

I downloaded one of those Yu Yu Hakusho games that’s been all over my algorithm. Turns out it’s an auto-battler at first. Not really for me.

The phone ran it with no problems at all.

Battery that keeps up with your pace

I never pushed the HONOR 600 to the extreme. Just regular daily use. And in that scenario, I never felt any urge to plug in in the middle of the day.

I was just in my usual flow — using the phone as I would any other — and then charging it when I got home.

I didn’t exactly monitor the charging speeds either. It just always felt pretty quick. About two to three 10-minute YouTube videos quick.

Price and availability

The HONOR 600 is positioned squarely in that “accessible flagship” or upper midranger space — and the pricing reflects that.

In Malaysia, the HONOR 600 (12GB + 512GB) is priced at RM2,599.

Pre-orders run until April 29, 2026. During this period, buyers get a RM200 instant rebate along with a free HONOR CHOICE Watch 2 Epic and added protection bundles including extended warranty and damage protection.

General availability begins April 30, 2026 via HONOR Experience Stores, official online platforms, and authorized retailers nationwide.

What’s interesting is how this pricing translates globally.

In Europe, the HONOR 600 starts at €649.9 for the 256GB model and €699.9 for the 512GB variant. With launch coupons applied, both effectively drop to €499.9, bundled with 12 months of screen insurance.

Meanwhile, the HONOR 600 Pro (512GB) is priced at €999.9, with a €200 coupon bringing it down to €799.9. Early buyers also get bundled freebies, including a tablet or projector, plus headphones for select orders, alongside the same 12-month screen protection.

In the UK, the HONOR 600 Pro (512GB) is priced at £899.99, while the HONOR 600 comes in at £549.99 for 256GB and £599.99 for 512GB. A Lite variant is also available at £369.99.

Taken together, the HONOR 600 lands right where it needs to.

Aggressive enough to compete, but still positioned as a step below full flagship — reinforcing its role as a capable, everyday companion with a taste of more.