Honor 700 Series Copies Xiaomi with Rear Display
Honor has already unveiled the Honor 700, 700 Pro, and 700S in China. All three phones have a rear display similar to those of the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. Preorders are open, but Honor is keeping prices and specifications under wraps. The official announcement is expected later this month.
Second screen on the camera island
Honor isn't the first: Xiaomi already gave the Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max in China a screen on the camera island and is continuing this on the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. Honor’s version is a small square screen, and just like with Xiaomi, its use for notifications, widgets, and a preview when taking selfies with the main camera is obvious. Honor hasn’t yet revealed how big it is or exactly what you can do with it. We don’t expect much from it: in our own experience with the Xiaomi 18 Pro, such a second screen turned out to be more of a gimmick than something useful, let alone indispensable.
Three models, four colors
Honor hasn’t revealed much more than the design details yet. The reservation pages confirm that all three models will be available in the same four colors (white, light blue, dark blue, and pink) and reveal the memory configurations. From this, the hierarchy is clear: the Honor 700 and Honor 700 Pro offer up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while the Honor 700S tops out at 12GB with either 256GB or 512GB of storage, making it the entry-level model in the series. Honor has not disclosed any details about chipsets, cameras, or batteries; what’s circulating about those features are, for now, just rumors.
Prices in China not yet known
Reservations are already open in China, both through Honor directly and at retail stores, for a nominal fee. Honor has not yet announced a price: the product pages only show a deposit that will be applied toward the final payment later. Those who reserve now will receive extras such as free earbuds and one year of screen protection. The full announcement with prices and specifications is expected later this month.
Will the Honor 700 series come to the Netherlands?
Honor typically brings its numbered series to Europe as well: the Honor 600 and Honor 600 Pro were released here in April, and before that, the 200 and 400 series were also released. So there’s a real chance the Honor 700 and 700 Pro will follow, though Honor hasn’t confirmed anything yet. If the pattern from previous years holds, the 700S will remain in China: the 600S stayed there as well.
You can also expect the European versions to differ, and the 600 series shows just how significantly. The Chinese Honor 600 has a 9,000 mAh battery, while the European version has to make do with 6,400 mAh—more than a quarter less. Honor confirmed a similar discrepancy with the Magic8 Pro: 7,200 mAh in China, 6,270 mAh in the EU. The explanation lies in transportation regulations for lithium batteries, which make high capacities difficult to ship outside of China. The software also differs (Google services instead of Chinese apps), and the price in Europe is structurally higher than in China due to VAT, import duties, and local marketing costs. As a point of reference: the Honor 600 started at around €400 here, while the 600 Pro was priced at €999.
