Honor is about to introduce its latest mid-range model in the shape of the Honor 60, now confirmed to launch in China at the start of December.

We gather up all the latest news and rumours about features, prices and the release date so you’ll know whether you need to hoard your cash or not.

When will the Honor 60 be released?

Honor has confirmed that the Honor 60, along with possibly a Pro and SE version, will debut on 1 December 2021. There have been a number of ads and teaser videos bearing that date, and Honor is hosting an event on the aforementioned date where we expect the handsets to be revealed.

This is a Chinese launch event, and when the models will become available in different territories is another question. It may well be months before the phone launches in India and Europe, while a North American launch will likely never come – especially with the country possibly considering a ban on the brand just as it did with the previous parent company Huawei.

For example, the Honor 50 was unveiled in June 2021 but only just turned up in Europe in November for us to review, while the Honor Magic 3 was revealed in August yet we’re still waiting for its promised global release to materialise.

Add to this the current disruptions to the supply chain due to Covid and the problems also caused by the worldwide shortage of processors, and it’s unclear what release cycle we can authoritatively predict.

China should be able to enjoy the Honor 60 before Christmas –  with pre-order pages for the 60 and 60 Pro already live on JD.com – but the rest of the world may need to wait until the new year.

How much will the Honor 60 cost?

We don’t have a confirmed price as yet, although this will no doubt change at the 1 December event, so we’ll need to look to the previous models for a clue. Here’s how the last models lined up in the UK and Europe:

• Honor 50 – £449/€529 (6/128GB) or £529/€599 (8/256GB)
• Honor 50 Lite – £249/€299 (6/128GB)

There was actually a slightly different lineup of models in China though. For the Chinese market, here’s how the models were priced:

• Honor 50 – ¥2,699 (around £300/$420)
• Honor 50 Pro – ¥3,699 (around £410/$580)
• Honor 50 SE – ¥2,399 (around £265/$375)

You’ll notice there are no official USA prices, as Honor didn’t launch the Honor 50 there, presumably due to the country’s ongoing practice of banning Chinese tech manufacturers. As mentioned above, it’s not clear whether the Honor 60 will make it onto US shores, but if Honor keeps its price structure the same for the standard model then it might look like this:

Honor 60 – £449/€529/$529 (6/128GB) or £529/€599/$599 (8/256GB)

The Pro model, if it’s announced, will obviously be more, maybe by £150/€150/$150 or so, while the rumoured SE model could be closer to those prices you see for the Honor 50 Lite.

This is just speculation at the moment, but soon we’ll know the real price tags attached – at least for China.

What new features will we see in the Honor 60?

Thanks to the listings on JD.com mentioned above, we already know what the Honor 60 and 60 Pro will look like. You’ll see the Honor 60 at the top of this page, and this is the remarkably similar 60 Pro:

Photos of the phones have also appeared from an Honor store in China, revealing a range of colours and glossy, glittery finishes:

There are a few things to note. On the front, we once again see a curved display, though the two phones are slightly different – it looks like the 60 Pro may actually be curved at the top and bottom edges as well as the sides, and it certainly has a smaller bezel.

Both feature a central punch-hole selfie camera, and the return of the dual-ring rear camera design. There is a shift here though: while the Honor 50 series used quad cameras, with one in the top circle and three in the bottom, these two phones both feature three lenses, with one in each large circle and a smaller third lens nestled in between.

That suggests that the secondary lens – presumably an ultrawide, as it was on the 50 – will be getting a serious upgrade. The third lens is likely a depth sensor or macro camera.

We know less about the other internal specs. GSMArena reports that the Pro model will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor and a 4,500mAh battery. 

There’s been some debate over charging speeds though. A different report from GizChina which states that in 3C certification document found online, devices that look likely to be the Honor 50 range all support maximum 66W wired fast-charging. Other sources have pointed to 60W charging, while yet others suggest the Pro model will hit 100W.

It’s plausible that the 60 Pro could get beefed up to a flagship model, but with the premium Honor Magic 3 already filling that position, we think upper mid-range is the more sensible place for Honor to pitch the Pro.

Other than these speculations, it’s all surprisingly quiet in terms of rumours, which is impressive this close to a release date.

With the Honor 50 already having a decent spec for a mid-range phone, we can’t see significant upgrades in the new version. Here’s the technical breakdown of the 50:

• 6.57in 120Hz curved Full HD+ (2340×1080) OLED display
• Always-on display functionality
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• 108Mp main camera w/ 0.7µm pixels, f/1.9, 1/1.52in image sensor, EIS
• 8Mp ultrawide camera, f/2.2, 120° FoV
• 2Mp macro camera, f/2.4
• 2Mp depth sensor
• 32Mp hole-punch front camera, f/2.2
• USB-C
• Dual SIM
• 4300mAh battery
• Wired charging up to 66W
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset
• 6/8GB RAM
• 128/256GB storage
• Android 11 with Magic UI 4.2
• WiFi 6
• Bluetooth 5.2
• NFC
• 175g
• 160 x 73.8 x 7.8mm
• Colours: Frost Crystal, Emerald Green, Midnight Black, Honor Code

Thankfully, it won’t be long until we find out. Till then, be sure to read our best Honor phones and best Chinese phones roundups to see what other devices could fit the bill.