MobileManDan
Intro
HONOR have come a long way since they launched many years ago and now have three sets of devices available. They have their flagship range, which goes by the name Magic. They also have their numbered range, such as this, which is the HONOR 400; they also have the HONOR 400 Lite and the HONOR 400 Pro, each offering a different set of specifications for different customer types. The third range is their V series, which is their foldable range such as the V3.
This is a review on the HONOR 400 device which has just been announced and offers near flagship specifications at a much more affordable price, at time of writing the review you can pick up an HONOR 400 for £399 here in the UK.
My review was based on the HONOR 400 which I had hands-on for 3 weeks before posting the review. This allowed me to get a decent amount of hands on time to check out the camera as well as all the other specifications and AI features that the company have put in their latest devices, some of which I found very useful.
All opinions are solely based on my experience with the device and no one has seen any of the content before it’s gone live. Everyone gets to see at the same time as it is purely my opinion and my thoughts on my time with the phone without any influence.
Design
The screen boasts a respectable 6.55-inch size and utilizes OLED technology for deep blacks and vibrant colors. It also features a 120Hz refresh rate, ideal for those interested in high-frame-rate gaming or who appreciate smooth, silky animations.
HONOR also have some clever technology when it comes to preventing eye strain with 3840Hz dimming including for blue light, this technology helps with the way the screen refreshes and how your eyes cope with it, by having such a large number means less strain especially at night time.
The large screen takes up all the front with no physical buttons to be seen, just the large screen which looks great for watching content back on.
You also get the front facing selfie camera which is a large one at 50 megapixels and this will be covered in more detail later on in the review.
On the left side, there are no buttons or switches;, the whole side is smooth with nothing sticking out or getting in the way of the design as some other phones have a few little marks which are to help the antenna with signal, this is not the case here which keeps the clean overall design.
On the right-hand side, there is a volume rocker for adjusting the volume up and down, as well as a power button in the center that offers quick access to Google Gemini assistant, this is the new and up to date AI assistant which has replaced the older Google Assistant found on older phones.
At the top, there is one of the dual microphones designed for noise cancellation and stereo recording. Additionally, the inclusion of an IR blaster is appreciated, allowing the phone to act as a remote control for a wide range of devices from your TV to air conditioner units.
At the bottom, there is an additional microphone that complements the dual setup. Additionally, there is a USB-C port available for data transfer or fast charging at 66W.
One feature lacking here is Wireless Charging which unfortunatly you do not get with this device, hoever with 66W fast charging this should be more than enough to get you back running again with a few minutes plugged in.
The HONOR 400 features a SIM Nano slot for your preferred network SIM, along with Dual SIM support, allowing you to use two different networks simultaneously and also has eSIM support, should your network provide this option bit is becoming more popular, especially for people who like to travel or have one phone for personal use and one for work.
Turning over to the back you have a full glass panel with the HONOR logo in the corner.
The device features a dual camera setup that includes a main 200-megapixel lens withan LED flash to boost low-light photography. Additionally, it includes a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens perfect for capturing landscape shots.
Sample photos and videos taken from each camera can be found later on in the review so you can see what the quality is like.
Software
Both the HONOR 400 and the 400 Pro launch with their latest version of Magic OS, the name for the HONOR skin of Android which is based on Android 15, the company have also confirmed that both devices will get upgraded to Android 16 some time in 2025 so you won’t be waiting until next year to get the latest version.
MagicOS 9.0 adds some handy AI features into the software, some of which you see in their flagship HONOR Magic 7 Pro which costs around £1000, this gives you tools such as Writing Tools, AI Recorder, AI Translation and even their new AI Deepfake Detection which is really key these days with so much AI generated content out there.
The camera area up top has been improved with software over time and lets you tap to open up content fully or hold on to it to open up top, this has been seen on other devices in the past but works really well on the latest Magic OS 9 and really adds a new quick way of dealing with quick settings such as skipping a track or keeping an eye on that timer you set. It acts like the Magic Capsule found on the Magic 7 Pro, although smaller as it is just the camera.
HONOR has done a good job on the software front with little bloatware and quick software updates such as to the latest Android 15 and the promise to upgrade to Android 16 in the following months.
Performance
The performance is really good too featuring a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, whilst not top of the range, it was more than capable for running normal every day tasks as well as the new AI features and some heavy gaming from Call of Duty mainly.
Storage comes in at 256GB which is non expandable, if you do need more than this then you will have to look at online options, however 256GB is very genuous when many phones that are on sale today normally start at half this at 128GB.
The included battery has a capacity of 5300mAh, ranking it among the top models currently on sale. This is particularly impressive given the phone’s OLED screen, which operates at 120hz you will easily get a full day of heavy use, including using the camera and playing games.
The HONOR 400 comes with support for 2G/3G/4G/5G so you have a wide range of connectivity options depending on your network and sometimes price plan of choice (not all plans include 5G access)
Naturally, this device is packed with essential features like GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, and built-in WiFi for seamless navigation and communication. Furthermore, the WiFi supports the latest standards, delivering superior and faster data speeds when paired with the right router.
Camera
There is a lot more than a high megapixel count to ensure a great camera, we see phones now with 200 megapixel lenses but capture poor results when compared to lower number of megapixels but a better lens quality and software experiance.
Having a 200 megapixel camera paired with great software can produce some great photos, especially when it allows you to zoom in closer to your subject without having a dedicated zoom lens, this is because you are not capturing a 200 megapixel photo every time, only if you select the mode to do this, instead you are using a crop of the image to allow you to zoom in and not lose any quality.
The selfie camera has a 50MP lens which delivered decent performance. In good lighting the photos it took were bright, clear and full of detail which was great, there are some AI settings you can play around with too which was fun to try but for point and shoot selfies, the HONOR 400 has a great camera.
Selfie videos are decent too offering a meximum resolution for recording of 4K at 30fps which is good to see on a phone at this price, still many max out at 1080p so a thumbs up to HONOR here, even if you do not get 60fps, many videos still prefer to be recorded in 30fps so this is more than decent to use for vlogging or capturing that importaint moment.
HONOR has opted for a two-lens setup, featuring a main 200-megapixel camera and a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera suitable for all conditions.
In good lighting the captured photos seem decent packing a lot of details and colour which was good to see, it does not have the boosted contrast which Samsung seem to love doing in there photos that make greens really over the top which is a good thing although some people do like that style of photo.
Here are the photos taken using each of the three cameras so you can see what quality you can expect to see.
Normally, night photos struggle to capture many details compared to some of the competition in the past for me. However, it seems that HONOR has managed to enhance their quality and capture some really good photos, even under the toughest conditions, which was great to see.
Final Thoughts
So my final thoughts on the HONOR 400, they are very positive, especially when you consider all the specifications and features you get for the price of £399 at time of launch here in the UK.
Whilst you dont get the highest performing processor, what you do get is a very good one which will handle all your daily tasks plus some great gaming performance, sure if you look at benchmark numbers they will be lower than the top spec, but when it comes to ACTUAL use of the phone you will not notice a difference and should help put your mind at rest.
With a decent amout of storage, promise of software updates for the next 6 years, a high resolution main camera paired with a great ultra-wide, great screen quality and some AI features thrown in to help with it, you are getting one hell of a phone for the price, and it has a great look to go with it, the only thing it is really lacking is a dedicated zoom lens which you would instead need to look at the also just announced HONOR 400 Pro, but this also comes with a higher price.
If you asked me if I would recommend this device. I would actually have to say yes, take a look at the competition and what they have to offer and look at this phone for what it has to offer, and you’re getting a great smartphone that will last a long time at a really affordable price.
Again a big thanks to HONOR for sending out the HONOR 400 for review.
| Design | ★★★★ |
| Camera | ★★★★ |
| Software | ★★★★ |
| Performance | ★★★★ |
| Value For Money | ★★★★★ |
