Between iPhone inspiration and its own identity - Honor 600

The Honor 600 makes no secret of where its design inspiration comes from. Especially in the colored version, the device is strongly reminiscent of current iPhone models: flat edges, a clearly structured frame and a camera island that looks familiar. Parallels to iOS can also be seen in the system itself. MagicOS 10, which is based on Google Android 16, adopts a similar visual language in many places, from the quick toggles to animations and app layouts. In practice, this is less annoying than it sounds at first glance, because the operation remains intuitive and fluid, especially for users who switch between the Android and iOS worlds.

It is not so much a problem with the aesthetics as with the software itself. MagicOS seems overloaded in places, and the bloatware installed from the factory is clearly noticeable. Numerous pre-installed apps and services, including some unnecessary third-party tools and Honor's own apps with overlapping functions, make for an unnecessarily bloated first impression. Although much of it can be uninstalled or deactivated, the effort remains a clear minus point and clouds the otherwise tidy user experience.

This is precisely why the strong iOS proximity seems ambivalent: On the one hand, it helps to quickly understand the interface and ensures a low barrier to entry. On the other hand, Honor is missing the chance to consistently develop its own design language. That's a shame, because the Honor 600 shows character on the hardware side, from the high-quality case to the very bright display.

All in all, the proximity to Apple is not a knock-out criterion, but rather a stylistic shortcut that works well in everyday life. At the same time, Honor should be more self-confident, differentiate MagicOS more clearly from iOS and, above all, free the software from unnecessary bloatware. This is because the actual potential of the device is limited less by design issues than by a system that does not yet quite reach the elegance of the hardware.