Honor 400 review: Striking the right balance

At a look

Professional’s Ranking

Professionals

• Premium feel and appear
• Nice cameras with Harcourt portrait results
• Wonderful battery life
• Nifty AI options
• Lengthy software program help

Cons

• Slower charging than its predecessor
• Not the most effective for gaming

Our Verdict

The Honor 400 is a strong mid-range telephone with a stacked spec sheet and tonnes of nice options. The cameras are strong, the battery lasts a very long time, and it appears and feels premium. It’s not sufficient of a powerhouse to fulfill eager avid gamers, however elsewhere the efficiency is nice.

Worth When Reviewed

This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined

Greatest Pricing Right now

Greatest Costs Right now: Honor 400

£449.99

Final 12 months’s Honor 200 made a splash by providing nice images at a really affordable value level. It stood out with its devoted 2.5x telephoto and the superb Studio Harcourt portrait mode, which landed first with the 200 sequence telephones.

Now, its successor has arrived (there is no such thing as a Honor 300), however Honor is taking a barely completely different strategy. This mannequin ditches the telephoto, counting on an upgraded 200Mp essential sensor and AI-powered tremendous zoom tech as an alternative.

It’s additionally considerably cheaper, launching at £399.99, slightly than £499 making it extra of a risk for the Tech Advisor’s finest mid-range telephones checklist.

Moreover, regardless of the lower cost, there are many upgrades right here. It now has a brighter show, an IP score, an even bigger battery and loads of new software program options.

The query is, has Honor managed to strike an ideal stability of upgrades and compromises for a £400-ish telephone? The competitors is stiff, however this mannequin has a lot to supply. Let’s see what it’s all about.

Design & Construct

• Aluminium body, glass again
• 184g
• IP65 rated

The Honor 400 takes the design in a barely completely different route from final 12 months’s 200. There are now not easy micro curves on the fringe of the show and on the rear panel, each are utterly flat, as are the aspect rails.

The brand new form makes it really feel similar to an iPhone 16, or the Samsung Galaxy S25+, however this one’s considerably cheaper than both of these.

Luke Baker

Nevertheless, judging by its feel and appear, you could possibly simply mistake it for a dear flagship machine. I’d usually say the twin rear cameras give away its mid-range standing, however now that the Galaxy S25 Edge exists, that’s now not strictly true.

The 400s rear is constructed from glass with a easy matte really feel, and the body is constructed from plastic, but when it weren’t for the dearth of antenna traces, you’d by no means have the ability to inform. I used to be actually fooled. It’s a comparatively light-weight telephone, at simply 184g, nevertheless it feels dense and strong all through.

I’ve the Midnight Black mannequin in for testing, which has a matte end on the rear. I really like the best way matt telephones look, however I’m all the time involved about fingerprint smudges. Fortunately, with this mannequin, it’s not a difficulty within the slightest; it all the time appears pristine.

Luke Baker

In order for you one thing that stands out a bit of extra, you could be tempted by the Desert Gold choice. In the meantime, the Meteor Silver colourway is a lighter choice with a equally skilled look.

The design of the digicam module has modified fairly dramatically since final 12 months; The Honor 200 sequence telephones had a slightly uncommon oval-shaped design, and I wasn’t too eager on it. This new format jogs my memory of Huawei’s Pura 70 sequence telephones, which I believe look nice. For my part, it’s a change for the higher.

Final 12 months’s Honor 200 lacked an IP score, which some discovered off-putting, however that’s been resolved this time round. The Honor 400 is IP65 rated, which suggests it’s resistant to mud ingress, and it’ll deal with jets of water from all instructions.

It’s very properly sealed towards the weather, simply don’t go submerging it absolutely.

Luke Baker

On a associated be aware, this telephone additionally options Honor’s wonderful “Tremendous Rainproof Contact.” So when you’re out in moist climate, the touchscreen will nonetheless work as anticipated – that’s an enormous win when you dwell within the UK like me.

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.55-inch 1200 x 2664 OLED 120Hz
• 5000 nits peak brightness
• Stereo audio system

The Honor 400 has a 6.55-inch display, which makes it greater than the usual iPhone 16 or Galaxy S25, however smaller than the S25+. I wouldn’t precisely name it a compact telephone, however these with smaller palms will discover this simpler to wield than any bumper-sized flagship.

Luke Baker

It’s a 120Hz OLED panel with a 1200 x 2664 decision and a peak brightness of 5000 nits. These are very spectacular specs at this value level, and as you may think, the panel appears fantastic.

It’s greater than vibrant sufficient to compete with direct daylight, colors are vibrant and correct, and the darkish areas are deep and inky. In case you watch some HDR content material, the panel actually reveals what it may possibly do. The dynamic vary is great, and the highlights are dazzling.

As we’ve seen with a number of latest Honor units, the display comes with a plethora of eye care certifications and options. The checklist contains 3840Hz PWM dimming, low blue mild mode, AI defocus mode, circadian night time show, movement illness reduction and extra.

In case you’re involved about eye well being, that is among the many finest choices available on the market.

Luke Baker

The telephone has twin stereo audio system positioned on the highest and backside sides.

It’s not a given on this value vary, and I’m all the time blissful to see a correct stereo set. The sound high quality is superb, there’s a lot of element, and extra low-end response than most mid-rangers can present, however they’re not particularly loud.

In case you max out the amount, an icon seems on display to let you realize you could have activated “200% excessive quantity mode”, however even then, it’s a bit of underwhelming. It’ll get the job completed at house, however if you wish to get the get together began, take into account choosing up among the finest Bluetooth audio system.

Specs & Efficiency

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB / 512GB storage

The Honor 400 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. Bizarrely, that’s the very same chip present in final 12 months’s telephone. Based mostly on that alone, we have already got a good concept of how this telephone will carry out.

It’ll be greater than highly effective sufficient for day-to-day duties, however avid gamers could also be left wanting extra.

Luke Baker

Except for the processor, the telephone comes outfitted with 8GB of RAM and both 256- or 512GB of storage. I’m all the time happy to see 256GB supplied as a base mannequin, as in 2025, 128GB can really feel slightly limiting.

As anticipated, the telephone by no means felt gradual or underpowered whereas I used to be checking e-mail, streaming movies and searching social media feeds. In reality, even throughout heavy multitasking, the telephone by no means stuttered or struggled to maintain up.

It’s gaming the place this telephone’s mid-range value level turns into extra obvious. It could possibly run all the most demanding titles, however you’ll have to stay to decrease graphical presets to get pleasure from secure framerates.

Luke Baker

I discovered titles like Genshin Affect and Zenless Zone Zero may maintain a secure 30fps on the Medium graphics preset, whereas 60fps was secure on Low settings. It’s completely playable, however there are different, extra highly effective, choices on this value vary if gaming is your precedence.

Honor 400 benchmarks

Cameras

• 200 Mp f/1.9 essential digicam
• 12 Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide
• 50 Mp, f/2.1 selfie digicam

The Honor 400 has a slightly uncommon digicam configuration. The devoted telephoto lens from final 12 months’s mannequin is gone, however the primary sensor has been upgraded massively. It’s now a 200Mp unit with a 1/1.4-inch sensor.

Luke Baker

It appears to be the identical sensor that the Xiaomi 15 Extremely and Vivo X200 Professional use for his or her telephoto cameras. For my part, they’re two of the most effective digicam telephones out there, and that’s largely due to the telephoto high quality.

That is the primary time I’ve seen it used as a essential sensor, and it performs simply as properly, with distinctive readability and element. Nevertheless, it’s price noting that two of my favorite facets of the aforementioned flagship telephotos don’t apply right here. With a 27mm equal focal size, you don’t get the identical background compression as an 85mm shot, and it doesn’t have the identical macro capabilities both.

Nonetheless, for close-ups, this comparatively giant sensor does produce some good pure bokeh. Plus, you’ll be able to all the time activate Honor’s wonderful Studio Harcourt portrait mode once you want some additional topic separation.

There’s no devoted telephoto on this mannequin (you want the Honor 400 Professional for that) however with a high-resolution 200Mp essential sensor, you’ll be able to digitally zoom fairly far, as long as there’s sufficient mild. I discovered that outcomes have been first rate as much as round 10x, however pushing it additional appeared fairly terrible.

Nevertheless, the Honor 400 has one other trick up its sleeve. It helps AI Tremendous Zoom, similar to the flagship Magic 7 Professional. At 15x zoom and above, an AI toggle seems on display, and when you activate it, your ensuing picture will likely be upscaled within the cloud.

I had combined outcomes with this on the Magic 7 Professional, nevertheless it appears to be getting higher over time. The Honor 400 produced rather more reasonable outcomes. In fact, it nonetheless made up superfluous particulars on occasion, however that’s what AI does. The massive distinction right here is that the zoom maxes out at 30x, slightly than 100x.

The ultrawide on this mannequin appears to be the identical as final 12 months’s, and that’s not nice information. It does have autofocus and macro capabilities, which is useful, however it may possibly’t come near the standard of the primary sensor. It actually struggles at night time, too.

The selfie digicam takes good pictures within the daylight, nevertheless it lacks autofocus, and it will get grainy in low-light circumstances. It’s a good exhibiting, however there are higher choices when you’re a selfie addict.

For video capturing, you’ll be able to seize at as much as 4K 30fps on all lenses, however if you need 60fps you’ll want to modify all the way down to 1080p. Stabilisation is superb, however switching between lenses isn’t the smoothest, so sticking to at least one focal size whereas recording is perhaps the best way to go.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5300mAh battery
• 66W wired charging
• No wi-fi charging

The Honor 400 has a 5300mAh battery, a modest enhance on the Honor 200’s 5200mAh battery. It’s utilizing the most recent silicon-carbon tech, and it’s an even bigger battery than you’ll discover in most equally priced telephones, so there’s nothing to complain about right here.

Charging, however, has seen a little bit of a downgrade. It’s now 66W, slightly than 100W, and also you now not get a cost within the field, not less than in Europe.

Luke Baker

Nonetheless, 66W charging is fairly fast, as long as you could have an acceptable energy adapter. I discovered it may take the machine from absolutely lifeless to over 75% charged in simply half an hour. For most individuals’s wants, that’s greater than fast sufficient.

Battery life has been incredible all through my testing, too. I shouldn’t be shocked, as I used to be impressed by the Magic 7 Professional’s longevity, and this has the identical capability and OS, with a much less power-hungry chip. I used to be persistently getting round two days of use on a cost, it’s a pleasure to dwell with.

Software program & Apps

• Magic OS 9, primarily based on Android 15
• Plenty of AI options
• The primary telephone to return with Google Picture to Video
• A giant improve on software program help promise

The Honor 400 runs Magic OS 9, the most recent model of Honor’s Android 15 pores and skin. It’s a divisive working system that strays fairly removed from the inventory Android expertise, however personally, I’ve turn into fairly keen on it.

Luke Baker

In some methods, it feels extra like iOS than Android, however as somebody who incessantly switches between the 2, I really feel proper at house. The notifications and settings shade are cut up and accessed with swipes from completely different sides of the show, there’s no app drawer by default, and there are even Honor’s personal variations of Dynamic Island and StandBy mode.

A number of the battery-saving measures are a bit of excessive, however that may be remedied by tweaking choices within the settings menu. There’s additionally a little bit of bloat to scrub up once you first arrange the machine, nevertheless it’s nothing too egregious, and you’ll have all of it eliminated in a matter of minutes.

In case you’ve used an Honor machine in the previous couple of years, none of that is new. What’s completely different this time is that Honor has added a slew of recent AI options into the combo. Some debuted early final 12 months, like Magic Portal, however there’s a lot extra to discover now.

Luke Baker

One of many large ones is Google’s new Picture to Video instrument, which is debuting first on the Honor 400 sequence telephones. This allows you to take any picture, hit a button, and it’ll spit out a 5-second video. It’s fairly wild, and it may be unpredictable, however that’s a part of the enjoyable.

There’s no prompting or management of any variety, the AI will simply do because it sees match. Typically it’s easy, like water flowing down a stream, or somebody smiling and blinking, and generally it’s simply weird, like a vase of flowers that telescopes into an even bigger one. In any case, the outcomes look shockingly reasonable.

This can be a characteristic that’s developed by Google (like Circle to Search), so it’ll arrive on different telephones sooner or later, nevertheless it’s touchdown right here first. It’s free for now, nevertheless it seems like Google might cost for the privilege sooner or later. Personally, I may by no means think about myself paying for one thing like this, nevertheless it’ll seemingly be bundled with extra helpful stuff like Google Photographs and Gemini options.

Honor’s personal AI functions have a tendency extra towards the sensible aspect. There’s all the standard stuff, like AI translation, summarisation and writing instruments, plus some extra uncommon ones like AI deepfake safety for video calls.

Luke Baker

Nevertheless, the picture modifying instruments impressed me probably the most. The article eraser is great and the brand new AI outpainting characteristic means that you can increase photographs to have a wider discipline of view, which may be very useful. Reflection removing works fairly properly, too. We’ve seen related options from rivals however Honor’s implementation may be very spectacular.

It’s additionally price mentioning the software program help phrases. Honor is now promising 6 years of main Android OS upgrades and 6 years of safety patches for the 400 sequence. It’s an enormous enchancment over the thre Android upgrades and 4 years of safety patches promised for final 12 months’s fashions and just one 12 months off Samsung and Google.

Worth & Availability

The Honor 400 launched on 22 Might 2025 within the UK, alongside the Honor 400 Professional. It’s out there to order outright from Honor’s web site and authorised retailers like Amazon, Argos, Currys and Very.

It’ll even be out there on contract from community suppliers like Three, EE O2, Vodaphone and Tesco Cell.

Globally, the Honor 400 sequence will likely be out there in most areas, however Honor telephones not often launch within the US, and this one’s no completely different.

The Honor 400 retails for £399.99 with 256GB of storage or £449 with 512GB storage.

Within the EU, it’ll price you €499 for 256GB or €549 for 512GB.

Take a look at our checklist of the most effective mid-range telephones for extra alternate options.

Must you purchase the Honor 400?

The Honor 400 is a compelling all-rounder at a really approachable value level. It appears and feels nice, the display is beautiful, the cameras are good and the battery lasts for ages. The software program may not be to everybody’s style, nevertheless it works properly for me, and there are many new AI options to check out.

Honor appears to be gunning for the Google Pixel 9a and Samsung Galaxy A56 with this launch, and it stands up properly in comparison with both. It’s considerably cheaper than each, however usually bests them in specs. Neither can match the battery capability and charging speeds, for instance, and it’s the one one with a 200Mp snapper.

That stated, there are many different tempting fashions on this value vary. The Nothing Cellphone (3a) and (3a) Professional are undoubtedly price contemplating, and when you’re a gamer, the equally priced Poco F7 Professional blows all of those telephones out of the water with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.

In case you’re in search of a mix of photographic chops and AI smarts across the £400 mark, although, the Honor 400 stands out as among the finest choices out there.

Specs

• Magic OS 9, primarily based on Android 15
• 6.55-inch, 1200 x 2664, OLED, 120Hz
• Optical under-display fingerprint sensor
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB / 512GB storage
• Cameras:
• 200Mp essential sensor
• 12Mp ultrawide
• 50Mp selfie digicam
• As much as 4K @ 60fps rear video
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
• Bluetooth 5.4
• 5300mAh battery
• 66W wired charging
• 156.6 x 73.8 x 9.9 mm (folded)
• IP65 licensed
• 184g
• Colors: Midnight Black / Meteor Silver / Desert Gold