Chinese smartphone brands have never been shy about taking inspiration from Apple, sometimes mirroring everything from hardware styling to software effects. The real surprise is how far some companies are willing to go to recreate that “looks like an iPhone” feel. Honor’s latest move with the Power2 is a perfect example, and it’s already turning heads for all the right (and wrong) reasons.
At first glance, the Honor Power2 looks remarkably close to Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, largely thanks to a similar-looking rear camera “plateau” design. Honor even leans into the vibe with a bold Cosmic Orange finish, making the resemblance even harder to ignore. In side-by-side comparisons, the two phones can look almost identical from a distance, which is exactly the point.
But the most amusing detail is also the most controversial: the Power2 reportedly includes a rear “camera” that doesn’t actually function. While the back looks like it houses a triple-camera setup, the phone effectively runs on just two working cameras. According to the listed specs, the Honor Power2 features a 50MP main camera paired with a 5MP ultra-wide sensor. That third “sensor” appears to be a dummy unit added purely for aesthetics, helping the phone mimic the high-end iPhone camera layout without delivering the same imaging hardware.
Honor didn’t stop at the exterior, either. The company also built its own take on Apple’s Liquid Glass-style interface into Android, calling it “Transparency mode.” It’s clearly designed to give users that glossy, see-through visual effect associated with Apple’s latest design language. To Honor’s credit, it isn’t forced on everyone—Power2 owners can toggle the look on or off, which is a smart move considering plenty of people prefer a cleaner, more traditional Android style.
Where the Honor Power2 truly separates itself from Apple’s flagship is battery life. Instead of competing on premium camera hardware, Honor went massive on power, packing in a 10,080mAh battery. It’s large enough that the phone can even act like a power bank to charge other devices. Even more surprising, Honor manages this while keeping the Power2 slim—reportedly thinner than the iPhone 17 Pro Max—coming in at just 7.98mm.
Of course, there are trade-offs to hit that price-to-feature balance. The Power2 isn’t positioned as a full flagship competitor in terms of raw performance specs. It’s said to come with a MediaTek Dimensity 8500 processor, 12GB of RAM, and an LTPS OLED display—solid hardware for many users, but not aimed at the absolute top tier.
In the end, the Honor Power2 feels like a phone built around a very specific promise: deliver the iPhone-style look and a trendy glossy UI effect, while offering a huge battery that many users will care about even more than premium camera hardware. The dummy camera detail might be the internet’s favorite talking point, but the oversized battery and surprisingly slim build are what could make the Power2 genuinely appealing for everyday buyers.
