This review delves into the Honor 400 model, providing an in-depth look at what prospective buyers can expect. We will examine its design, display, anticipated performance, camera capabilities, battery life and charging, and software experience.

Design and Build Quality

The Honor 400 adopts a design language that aligns with contemporary smartphone aesthetics, featuring a flat-edged frame and a prominent rear camera module with an iconic multi-angle layout. Honor has often paid attention to the tactile feel and visual appeal of its devices, even in the mid-range, and the Honor 400 follows suit. It weighs in at a comfortable 184g and measures an ultra-slim 7.3mm thick, striking a good balance between style and ergonomics. Colour options include Midnight Black, Meteor Silver and Desert Gold (review colour), offering a few captivating choices to suit different preferences.

Adding to its practicality and built for everyday durability, the Honor 400 boasts SGS 5-star Drop resistance for the overall unit, ensuring protection against accidental drops. It also offers IP65 dust and water resistance for added reliability against splashes and dust ingress. The screen is designed for easy use even with wet hands, a practical feature for various scenarios. The inclusion of an in-display fingerprint sensor provides a modern and convenient method for unlocking the device. 

Display

The display is a key highlight of the Honor 400. It features a stunning 6.55-inch OLED panel that offers vibrant colours and sharp clarity. With a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, 2736×1264 resolution, and 460 PPI pixel density, it provides smooth visuals and crisp details. The display supports 1.07 billion colours and covers 100% of the DCI-P3 wide colour gamut, ensuring rich and accurate colour reproduction.

With a peak brightness of 5000 nits, the screen remains highly visible even in bright sunlight. This is further enhanced by the industry-leading Sunlight Display Enhancement feature, which automatically detects different usage scenarios with AI support. By increasing the colour gamut, lightness, colourfulness, brightness, and contrast, it boosts readability in sunlight, ensuring clear, vibrant details and allowing content to be easily viewed without straining the eyes, whether at the beach or outdoors.

Honor has also integrated a comprehensive suite of Human-centric Eye Care Technologies. The 3840Hz Risk-Free Dimming Display reduces screen flicker while minimising eye strain. Hardware-Level Low Blue Light Technology lowers exposure to harmful blue light, and Dynamic Dimming adjusts brightness to reduce eye fatigue by 18%. Circadian Night Mode shifts the display to warmer tones in the evening, boosting melatonin levels by 20% for better sleep. The AI Defocus Display, inspired by myopia-control lenses, helps reduce eye fatigue by adjusting content and projecting images slightly in front of the retina. Ultra Dark Mode allows the screen to dim to as low as 1.5 nits, offering precise brightness control for a comfortable nighttime viewing experience. A notable and unique feature is Motion Sickness Relief, which provides the most comprehensive solution in the industry for reducing nausea and discomfort during vehicle motion. Using advanced sensor technology and visual stabilisation by showing dot patterns on the screen, it counteracts motion-related nausea by aligning visual and balance cues, detecting and synchronising 12 different motions for comprehensive stabilisation performance and comfort in any moving transportation. The display also supports Super Rainproof Touch technology, allowing users to operate the device in damp conditions, such as during a shower or in the rain, enhancing everyday usability and convenience. Powered by AI trained on tens of thousands of water interaction scenarios, its edge water drop suppression algorithm accurately distinguishes between water and actual human touch input. The display features a punch-hole cutout for the front camera, a standard design choice for minimising bezels.

Performance

Powering the Honor 400 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 Mobile Platform. This octa-core processor, built on a 4nm fabrication process, is designed to offer a good balance of performance and power efficiency. It ensures smoother performance and higher graphics rendering, contributing to a better gaming experience compared to devices with less capable chipsets in this segment, further enhanced by the CPU Turbo X Game Engine.

Paired with 8GB of RAM, the Honor 400 should be capable of handling everyday tasks, multitasking, and moderately demanding applications with ease. The device also comes with up to 512GB of ultra-large storage, offering ample space to store up to 121,000 photos or 48,500 songs. This setup ensures smooth performance even with multiple apps and tasks running simultaneously. 

Cameras

The Honor 400 offers an impressive photography experience, particularly emphasising AI capabilities. The rear camera system is a dual setup, featuring a 200MP AI main camera with OIS and PDAF, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. The 200MP sensor is the headline feature, capable of capturing incredibly detailed photos, allowing for significant cropping.

The camera system is bolstered by a range of AI-powered features. These include AI Super Zoom and AI Portrait Snap for enhanced subject capture. HD Moving Photo allows for capturing moments with subtle motion. For creative effects, Film Simulation modes add cinematic flair to your shots. The AI Editing suite is comprehensive, featuring tools like AI Eraser to remove unwanted objects, AI Outpainting to intelligently extend images beyond their original borders, and AI Face Tune for flawless open-eyed photos.

The Honor 400 series stands out for its groundbreaking “AI Image to Video” feature, powered by Google’s Veo 2 model running on Google Cloud. This innovative integration empowers users to:

• Transform still images into dynamic videos: Select a photo from your gallery and convert it into a 5-second MP4 video (16:9 or 9:16 aspect ratios).
• Enjoy automatic motion generation: The AI seamlessly adds motion, simulating camera movements, and even making subjects blink or breathe, bringing your still images to life without needing any text prompts or complex instructions.
• Benefit from native integration: The feature is built directly into the Honor phone’s Gallery app for a smooth and intuitive user experience.
• Gain early access: Honor 400 users are among the first to experience this Veo 2-powered capability, even before Google’s own Pixel phones or Gemini users, underscoring a significant partnership between Honor and Google Cloud.

Beyond the “AI Image to Video” functionality, the Honor 400 also incorporates a suite of other useful Google AI tools:

• AI Eraser: Effortlessly remove unwanted objects or people from your photos.
• AI Outpainting: Expand the borders of your images to create stunning panoramic compositions.
• AI Upscale: Restore and enhance the quality of old or damaged photos.
• AI Cutout: Easily isolate subjects from their backgrounds and place them in new environments.
• AI Subtitle: Get real-time translation and transcription for your videos and audio.

AI Image to Video:

The “AI Image to Video” feature will be free for the first two months, with a daily limit of 10 videos. Following this promotional period, a subscription fee is anticipated, likely to be determined by Google at the time of writing; no figure is known. This collaboration between Honor and Google highlights a growing trend of integrating advanced, cloud-based AI models directly into smartphone hardware, pushing the boundaries of mobile creativity and enhancing the overall user experience.

AI Image to Video Samples

On the front, the Honor 400 is equipped with a 50MP portrait selfie camera with an aperture of f/2.1, capable of capturing detailed selfies and performing well for video calls.

Video recording capabilities include 4K and 1080p resolution at 30fps for both the rear and front cameras, with Gyro-EIS for smoother footage. While the Honor 400 series, as part of the Number series, may not specifically target tech enthusiasts like the flagship Magic series, it still offers flagship-level AI capabilities in its camera system. Rather than reducing AI functionality, the Honor 400 series builds upon the AI capabilities inherited from flagship models by adding new AI features, creating a stark contrast with other mid-range phones in the market.

Battery Life and Charging

The Honor 400 is equipped with an all-new up to 5300mAh silicon-carbon battery, providing a longer-lasting user experience, especially when you are on the go. This silicon-carbon technology often allows for higher energy density compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, potentially contributing to the impressive capacity within the phone’s slim profile. The battery is designed for longevity, maintaining over 80% of its health even after 4 years. It is also designed for low temperature environments, around -20°C, with low battery level, maintaining its durability and task performance, such as making phone calls and video recording in any circumstances.

When it comes to charging, the Honor 400 supports up to 66W HONOR Wired SuperCharge. This fast charging capability ensures that the battery can be quickly topped up, minimising downtime. The device can charge up to 44% in just 15 minutes and reach a full charge in 46 minutes with Turbo-charging mode enabled. Once fully charged, the user can easily enjoy up to 15 hours of watching online videos, 31 hours of phone calls, and 26 hours of watching offline videos. This allows users to stay connected and entertained when they are travelling. While some competitors might offer higher wattage charging, 66W is still very fast and convenient for daily use. 

Software

The Honor 400 runs on the latest MagicOS 9.0 based on Android 15, offering a smart and user-friendly experience. With upgraded AI features and widgets, this intelligent operating system enables users to seamlessly streamline their daily tasks at work and leisure across activities with ease.

MagicOS 9.0 offers a plethora of flagship-level AI innovations that enhance the user experience. These include Magic Portal 2.0, which now supports more scenarios and apps. It leverages advanced AI to understand user messages and intentions, seamlessly directing them to the appropriate system apps. With the Circle & Glide to Anything capability, users can simply circle objects on screen to quickly access desired and suitable apps and services. This feature supports a wide range of applications such as transportation, productivity, and entertainment, and its upgraded natural language understanding elevates the user experience in a more personalised and intuitive way.

The Honor 400 is the first HONOR smartphone to feature the AI Writing Tools, co-developed with Google Gemini. Users can simply input a command or prompt, and the tool will help generate content accordingly. Whether it is drafting content from scratch, polishing or rephrasing existing text, expanding content, or performing grammar and spelling checks across multiple languages, the AI Writing Tools make everyday writing tasks faster and more efficient.

The Honor 400 also supports the AI Recorder function, an on-device solution powered by Google. It offers speech-to-text conversion, translation, intelligent summary, and voice record trackback, supporting multiple languages. This enhances users’ productivity with a smarter, more efficient solution for work and daily tasks.

Empowered by AI, the Honor 400 breaks language barriers with the AI Translation feature. This AI-powered translation feature facilitates seamless communication by offering instant translation support for multiple languages, making conversations seamless and natural. The device offers two distinct modes: Simultaneous interpretation for communication between two individuals seated next to each other, and Face-to-Face interpretation for conversations between individuals positioned on opposite sides of the device.

At the forefront of AI innovations in the smartphone industry, HONOR remains committed to its human-centric approach, developing AI solutions tailored to meet users’ specific needs. The AI Deepfake Detection feature is designed to detect potential deepfakes during video calls. Users can initiate AI Deepfake Detection during a video call, which will instantly provide detection results to identify whether the other party’s face shows signs of AI synthesis. If any suspicious issues are detected, users will receive notifications displaying the risk percentage of deepfake.

Magic Capsule on the Honor 400 enhances the user experience by enabling multimodal interactions with notifications. With just a simple tap on a notification at the top of the screen, users can streamline the overall user experience, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple apps and offering quick and convenient access to essential details.

Equipped with the Magic Lock Screen feature, the Honor 400 enhances user experience with a personalised and dynamic interface. The device displays relevant information such as weather updates, news, and events, adapting to individual preferences. Users can easily change their lock screen layout and presentation, whether it is in original, anime, or with a filter. With the ability to change wallpapers based on mood or activity, this feature ensures the lock screen is both functional and tailored to users’ lifestyles.

The Honor 400 also comes with the Google Gemini app pre-installed, offering an AI assistant to supercharge productivity and creativity. It aids with daily email drafting, planning events, using text, voice, photos, and the camera, or even generating images for different uses. Its Circle to Search function also gives you a smoother experience to access information by drawing a circle. Google Lens features also provide a quick way to explore surroundings, identify objects, translate text, find solutions to academic questions, and shop for goods by scanning products.

MagicOS offers a range of features and customisations, though it can sometimes feel a bit cluttered compared to stock Android for users unfamiliar with it. It includes various system optimisations and multitasking features. While pre-installed third-party apps (bloatware) can sometimes be present on Honor devices, they are often uninstallable. The user interface is generally smooth and responsive, and Honor has been working on refining the user experience with each iteration of MagicOS. Honor has committed to providing long-term software updates for some of its recent devices, and it’s hoped that the standard Honor 400 will also benefit from a strong update policy, including both OS upgrades and security patches.

Connectivity and Other Features

As expected for a modern smartphone in 2025, the Honor 400 supports 5G connectivity, ensuring fast mobile data speeds where 5G networks are available. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) for faster and more stable wireless internet connections. Bluetooth v5.4 is listed, offering improved range, speed, and power efficiency compared to previous versions. NFC is included for contactless payments and easy pairing with other devices.

The phone features a USB Type-C port, likely supporting USB 2.0 speeds, which is standard for data transfer and charging. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack, meaning users will need to rely on USB-C headphones, Bluetooth audio, or a dongle. Stereo speakers are expected, providing a more immersive audio experience than a single bottom-firing speaker.

In terms of sensors, the standard array includes an accelerometer, gyro, a compass, and an ultrasound proximity sensor. The in-display fingerprint sensor is optical, which is common and generally fast and reliable. Face unlock is also expected as an alternative biometric authentication method. The IP65 water and dust resistance rating and SGS 5-Star Drop Resistance add layers of durability. An Infrared (IR) blaster is also mentioned in some specs, which would allow the phone to be used as a universal remote control, a feature less common but appreciated by some users.

Camera Samples

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User Experience

Bringing together the hardware and software, the Honor 400 is poised to offer a solid and feature-rich user experience. The high-refresh-rate OLED display with its excellent brightness and extensive eye comfort and unique usability features makes interactions smooth and enjoyable, whether scrolling through social media, browsing the web, watching videos, or gaming. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor and CPU Turbo X Game Engine provide capable performance for daily tasks and improved graphics rendering for gaming.

The camera system, with its 200MP main sensor and extensive AI features, including the innovative AI Image to Video function, offers significant creative potential and the ability to capture high-quality photos and transform them in unique ways. The large 5300mAh silicon-carbon battery, combined with 66W fast charging, effectively addresses battery anxiety for most users, offering impressive longevity and quick top-ups.

MagicOS 9.0, with its plethora of flagship-level AI innovations like Magic Portal 2.0, AI Writing Tools, AI Recorder, AI Translation, AI Deepfake Detection, Magic Capsule, and Magic Lock Screen, provides a smart, intuitive, and highly functional user interface that enhances productivity and convenience. The inclusion of features like an in-display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, IP65 rating, SGS drop resistance, and the unique Super Rainproof Touch and Motion Sickness Relief features contributes to a modern, durable, and convenient user experience. The Honor 400 successfully blends performance with a fashion-forward design, delivering a balanced package of style, comfort, technology, and robust AI capabilities.

Market Positioning and Competition

The Honor 400 offers a compelling set of features at a price point below flagship devices. Its key selling points are likely to be the high-resolution 200MP AI camera with advanced AI features, the large 5300mAh silicon-carbon battery with 66W fast charging and impressive longevity, a vibrant, high-refresh-rate OLED display with extensive eye comfort and unique usability features, enhanced durability with IP65 and SGS drop resistance, and a focus on integrating flagship-level AI capabilities into the mid-range via MagicOS 9.0.

The inclusion of features like the advanced AI camera capabilities, robust durability features, unique display technologies like Super Rainproof Touch and Motion Sickness Relief, and the extensive AI features in MagicOS 9.0 could give it a distinct edge in this crowded market.

Pricing

The HONOR 400 Series range of smartphones will be available in the United Kingdom from today, the 22nd May, at honor.com/uk. Prices for the HONOR 400 5G start from £399.99 with 256GB storage, £449 with 512GB storage in Desert Gold, Meteor Silver and Midnight Black.

Potential Pros and Cons 

Pros:

• Stunning 6.55-inch 120Hz OLED display with high resolution, 5000 nits peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3, and extensive eye comfort features (3840Hz Risk-Free Dimming, Low Blue Light, Dynamic Dimming, Circadian Night Mode, AI Defocus Display, Ultra Dark Mode).
• High-resolution 200MP AI main camera with OIS and a wide array of AI photography and editing features (AI Super Zoom, AI Portrait Snap, HD Moving Photo, Film Simulation, AI Eraser, AI Outpainting, AI Face Tune).
• Innovative AI Image to Video feature co-developed with Google Cloud.
• Large 5300mAh silicon-carbon battery promising excellent battery life (up to 15 hours online video, 31 hours calls, 26 hours offline video) and designed for longevity (over 80% health after 4 years) and low temperature environments.
• Fast 66W wired HONOR Wired SuperCharge support (44% in 15 mins, full charge in 46 mins with Turbo-charging).
• Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor and CPU Turbo X Game Engine for solid performance and improved graphics rendering.
• Generous up to 512GB internal storage and 8GB RAM.
• Modern, slim, and fashion-forward design with premium colour options.
• IP65 dust and water resistance and SGS 5-Star Drop Resistance for enhanced durability.
• 50MP high-resolution portrait selfie camera.
• Unique display usability features like Super Rainproof Touch and Motion Sickness Relief.
• Extensive flagship-level AI innovations integrated into MagicOS 9.0 (Magic Portal 2.0, AI Writing Tools, AI Recorder, AI Translation, AI Deepfake Detection, Magic Capsule, Magic Lock Screen), including pre-installed Google Lens and Google Gemini.

Cons:

• Lack of a dedicated telephoto camera lens (relies on digital zoom/cropping).
• Software experience (MagicOS) might not appeal to users preferring stock Android.
• Potential for pre-installed bloatware.

Conclusion

The Honor 400 is shaping up to be a highly competitive contender in the upper-mid-range smartphone market. It brings several flagship-level features, most notably the 200MP AI main camera with advanced AI capabilities, the large 5300mAh silicon-carbon battery with rapid 66W charging and impressive longevity, and a vibrant, feature-rich OLED display with extensive eye comfort and unique usability features, to a more accessible price point. The enhanced durability with IP65 and SGS drop resistance, coupled with the integration of flagship-level AI innovations into MagicOS 9.0, further enhances its appeal.

While it makes some compromises compared to higher-end devices, such as the absence of a dedicated telephoto lens, the standard Honor 400 appears to offer a well-rounded package that prioritizes the features most valued by a broad segment of users: camera performance with advanced AI, battery longevity with fast charging and durability, a smooth and visually impressive display with unique usability features, enhanced physical durability, and smart software features powered by AI. The choice of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor and CPU Turbo X Game Engine suggests capable performance for its class.

TNC Score

4.3/5.0