In my entire life, both personal and tech-related, I've never gotten my hands on an Honor smartphone except for a model from way back in 2010 that I don't have any particular memories of. When I had the opportunity to try the Honor 400, I didn't hesitate, also because I'd heard pretty good things about it, albeit without any particular enthusiasm. The Honor 400 belongs to the mid-range category, but I can tell you that you won't regret not purchasing the renowned top-of-the-range model, because the Honor device has a winning combination of high performance and a competitive price. Most importantly, it offers a full 6 years of updates—not just security patches—for the operating system, thus extending to the future Android 21. Curious? Well, I'll tell you all about it in this review.
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![HONOR 400 Smartphone 5G Dual SIM NFC, 8GB/256GB, 200MP with AI Camera, 6.55 inch AMOLED Eye-Care Display 5000nit, 5300 mAh, Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, Android 15, Midnight Black, [Italian Version]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41cPaM7bT+L._SS520_.jpg)
Design and construction
The unboxing chapter for smartphones in general is probably one to skip. The Honor 400 follows the bad practice, now imposed by the EU, of not including a charger in the box, but only the cable, along with the manual and, of course, the phone itself. Fortunately, however, a protective film is already pre-applied to the display.
The Honor 400 also exists in Pro and Lite versions, but I won't make comparisons because I want to offer you a clean experience and make you fall in love with it, as I did. From the front, you immediately notice the flat display with thin bezels and a single central punch-hole for the selfie camera. The edges are also flat, resulting in an overall particularly square smartphone, which helps improve grip and prevents accidental drops, especially if you usually use your smartphone with one hand. The back cover has a double finish, matte for most of the surface, particularly pleasant to the eye and touch, available in three colors: Midnight Black, Meteor Silver, and Desert Gold. Excellent construction and assembly of materials with a feeling of very solidity. The optics, on the other hand, reside in an island positioned in the upper left corner, with an irregular shape, neither round nor oval, which houses two sensors and the LED flash. The island is slightly protruding but well integrated into the overall design, while the visual effect is glossy and not matte like the body. It's not so much a purely aesthetic issue, but the matte back cover doesn't retain fingerprints at all while the photo frame does.
Balanced yet recognizable and modern design, while some might turn up their noses at the use of plastic materials instead of metal, the Honor 400 makes up for this by including IP65 certification for dust and splash resistance, as well as SGS 5-star certification for drop resistance, which is not a given in the mid-range segment. Furthermore, the use of these materials allows the smartphone to weigh just 184 grams and be 7,3 mm thick (156,5 x 74,6 x 7,3 mm, quite compact compared to the competition), offering extreme ease of handling, combined with the absence of accidental touches on the display due to the flat form factor. Furthermore, the fingerprint sensor is integrated right into the display, strategically positioned and easily reachable by both small and large hands, but above all, it is ultra-fast and precise in unlocking. The vibration feedback is also excellent.
Display
And precisely when it comes to the display, the Honor 400 boasts a high-performance OLED panel (not LTPO), among the best seen in the mid-range. It has a peak brightness of 5000 nits, which, numbers aside, translates into excellent readability of on-screen content even in direct sunlight. The resolution of 2736 x 1264 pixels (about 2K) on 6,55" offers a density of 460 PPI, while the 120 Hz refresh rate (variable between 60 and 120 Hz) ensures fluidity in animations. But Honor offers many additional features dedicated to screen visibility, such as PWM Dimming technology at 3840 Hz that reduces visual fatigue. Indeed, at the software level, we find a dedicated menu for those with vision problems and eye strain, relying on important certifications in the sector such as Flicker Free TÜV Rheinland and functions such as AI Circadian Night Display which automatically adapts the color temperature during the day, reducing blue light in the evening hours without distorting the colors too much, while the Ultra Dark mode allows you to lower the brightness up to 1,5 nits for night-time use.
There's also no shortage of DRM Widevine L1 certifications compatible with all streaming platforms. Watching multimedia content is even more immersive thanks to the adoption of true stereo audio, as the Honor 400 integrates two speakers with excellent balance of the sound spectrum. The advantage of stereo sound with two speakers instead of sound coming out of the earpiece is that you always have uniform volume with perfect Dolby stereo effect. Perfect color details, in short, the Honor 400 display is a real pleasure.
Hardware and Performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is the processor chosen to power the Honor 400. You read that right, it's the same processor seen last year on the HONOR 200, a mid-range CPU that nevertheless guarantees solid performance, thus confirming that a winning team never changes. Personally, I'm not so attached to the fact that the CPU isn't the latest one launched on the market, also because we are living in a historical moment where often what should be new is instead an unnatural evolution of the past, often with poor results. That said, we're talking about a 4nm octa-core SoC clocked at 2.63 GHz accompanied by the Adreno 720 GPU, while for RAM only 8 GB has been reserved, and 256 or 512 GB for storage, which is not expandable via micro SD.
Performance exceeds all expectations in everyday use, with overall system fluidity and good app responsiveness. Even under the most demanding of conditions, the Honor 400 holds its own. In various benchmarks, the phone never suffered from overheating, freezing, or similar issues. Gaming, too, even with more demanding titles, runs smoothly and without frame rate drops, even with excellent graphics settings. Furthermore, we benefit from excellent gaming management thanks to the dedicated software feature provided.
Connectivity features include NFC, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX/LDAC codec support, GPS with fast fixes, and an IR transmitter for controlling TVs, home appliances, and more. Browsing speed relies on a 5G module with excellent signal reception, but most importantly, you can count on dual SIM support, both physical and eSIM, though you do without a second SIM card. The proximity sensor isn't physical, but despite this, I've never had any issues listening to voice notes or making calls, as is often the case with Redmi/Xiaomi devices.
Software
There's a lot to say here, but I'll try not to be boring or long-winded. The Honor 400 offers a graphical experience based on the recent Android 15 and MagicOS 9.0 UI customization with many AI-enhanced features. Before I tell you about it, I want to tell you right away that if you're a fan of update support, the Honor 400 boasts a full 6 years of guaranteed updates, not only for security patches but also for the Android version itself, ideally allowing for the support and release of Android 21, a true revolution and innovation in the Android smartphone market, which typically lasts a maximum of 2 years.
Among the Honor 400's most interesting AI features are Magic Portal 2.0, which uses artificial intelligence to understand user intent and guide them to the most suitable app or service, and the Circle & Glide to Anything feature, where you can circle an object on the screen to quickly open the related app. There's also a large menu with the option to translate videos with subtitles in real time, or real-time transcription and translation for calls, and "fake" user recognition for video calls. But above all, the feature that has generated so much buzz about the Honor 400 is the ability to turn photos into videos with just a few taps. We could open an endless debate on this issue, but it's still fascinating how AI can transform old photos, bringing them to life, perhaps of a deceased parent. The results are definitely satisfying and also adapt to the context in which the photo was taken, but you should know that you only have three free uses per month.
We then find many other software goodies such as one dedicated to relief from motion sickness, the ability to resize icons to show secondary functions of apps and then there is a sort of Dynamic Island.
Cameras
This is the section that generally causes everyone to disagree, because each of us has specific needs. I remain of the opinion that if we're looking for the best of the best, we shouldn't buy a smartphone but rather equip ourselves with a professional camera. Don't believe the many "influencers" who claim to have shot videos or taken ultra-top photos only with their trusty smartphone, usually the newly released ultra-mega top iPhone. But I don't want to start a controversy, but rather tell you about the joys that the Honor 400 offers in this area too, using a 200 MP main sensor with f/1.9 aperture, 1/1.4" sensor and optical stabilization plus electronic stabilization, accompanied by a 12 MP ultra-wide camera with 112° FOV and macro capabilities, while the selfie camera is 50 MP.
Numbers and acronyms aside, the photo quality leads me to recommend this smartphone, which always delivers usable shots that don't fall flat. Video is also well-received, with the ability to record up to 4K at 60 fps with optical stabilization that does a great job. It's worth noting that in low-light environments, image noise is present, but it's significantly less invasive than on smartphones in the same, if not higher, price range. Even in the photo and video departments, we find some nice features linked to Honor's artificial intelligence, specifically:
AI Super Zoom up to 30x that maintains acceptable details;
AI Portrait Snap for sharper portraits;
Film Simulation for cinematic effects;
Harcourt Portrait Mode with professional color profiles
But we also find advanced AI editing features, such as the ability to create short videos from photos, the ability to remove unwanted elements, extend the image edges, and automatic correction of closed-eye faces. AI Face Tune automatically corrects closed eyes. Overall, the Honor 400 is a smartphone I would take with me on a trip to entrust my unforgettable memories to.
Battery and autonomy
Despite the smartphone's compact size, under the hood we find a 5300 mAh silicon-carbon battery that guarantees unexpected battery life. We easily exceed 7/8 hours of screen-on time, averaging a day and a half of use. As mentioned, there is no charger in the box, but the Honor 400 can quickly charge at 66W, reaching a 45% charge level in just 15 minutes, while a full charge is achieved in less than an hour. Wireless charging is not available. Honor guarantees the battery for 1200 cycles.
Conclusions and price
The Honor 400 was launched a few months ago, but within a short time it's already dropped to an attractive price. Every aspect analyzed in this review did not disappoint, from battery life to the display, from the camera department to the software. In short, a smartphone that has been described as balanced but actually knows how to amaze and stir the spirit, thanks also to the support for 6 years of updates and the many well-integrated AI goodies. At its current selling price, it competes with the Xiaomi 14T and Realme 14 Pro+. In fact, in my case, having both it and the Xiaomi 14T, I'm having a serious hard time deciding which to keep. If I want to focus solely on photos, I'll stick with the 14T, but perhaps installing a GCam could bridge the gap between the two devices. What would you do? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, even if I may have spoiled my choice.
