Honor 500 Pro vs Sony Xperia 1 VII
Verdict
Honor 500 Pro and Sony Xperia 1 VII tie on the OH Rank at a score of 72. Honor 500 Pro wins on Battery and Screen; Sony Xperia 1 VII wins on Main Camera and SD Memory. Honor 500 Pro is 0.2mm wider than Sony Xperia 1 VII. Honor 500 Pro is the more recent release, from Nov 27, 2025.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
72
72
Honor 500 Pro
74.2mm (2.92in) · Nov 27, 2025 · Rank #68
9+13+13+12+12+4+4+0+5+0 = 72
* TOP Battery Endurance* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: Honor 500 Pro midranger is actually a paired-down flagship: the 1-year old Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and camera setup and performance (now with periscope telephoto) take it out of the "midrange" territory while excellent build and feature rich MagicOS confirm this to be a proper flagship-killer phone. Too bad this is a China-only phone...
PROs
great build, fast 8 Elite with UFS 3.1 performance, 48hr endurance from a massive 8000mAh Si-C battery (in a 74mm body!) with sub-90min 80W (50W wireless) charging, >1600nits bright 460ppi AMOLED screen with HDR10+, IP69 protection, excellent imaging from a 200MP OIS PDAF main + 50MP OIS PDAF periscope telephoto + 12MP PDAF AF ultrawide setup, excellent 50MP selfie, very good videos, loaded and very useful MagicOS with 6 years of OS updates
CONs
China-only, relatively slow to charge (flagship Honor phones charge at 100W or 120W), no expandable memory, desktop replacement functionality or even video out, slow USB-C 2.0 port with OTG
Sony Xperia 1 VII
74mm (2.91in) · Jun 2025 · Rank #75
9+10+8+12+14+3+3+5+5+3 = 72
FLY* TOP Software* TOP Memory Expansion* TOP Camera
EDITORIAL: Sony seems unsure about the direction of it's mobile business. This year's Xperia announcement didn't introduce Xperia 10 VII- their midrange phone. Xperia 5 V from 2023 was the last compact flagship Sony put out and now they seem to have slimmed their model range from 3 to just 1. The 1 VII is still a great phone. It's hardware is unique and more functional then any other flagship phone. Great grip and a bright screen, forward facing stereo speakers, hi quality headphone jack, SDmemory - this phone offers so much value. The battery life is still a great affair, cameras are as good as ever (tho selfie lacks AF) and software is simple, elegant and bloatware-free.
PROs
excellent build and grip, relatively narrow (easier to use one hand) body, headphone/microphone jack, tool-less SD card slot for quick memory expansion, dedicated two-step camera button, fast SnapDragon 8 Elite chip with UFS4.0 performance, >30hr endurance from a 5000mAh battery, >1500nits bright LTPO OLED screen, IP68 protection, great photos from the 48MP OIS main + 12MP OIS continuous optical zoom + 48MP ultrawide (all 3 have PDAF), a tried and true Sony skin Android with 4 years of OS updates, limited Android 17 desktop replacement functionality
CONs
expensive, lack of innovation, heavy throttling under load, 90min slow charging 5000mAh Lithium battery, sub400ppi non-HDR10+ screen, no-AF selfie, mediocre videos
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
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