Honor 400 Pro Smartphone Review – One Foot in the Major Leagues

The device comes in a neat white box with the model name embossed on the front.

The package includes a standard set of accessories: a smartphone, a transparent silicone case, a 100W charging adapter, a USB-A to USB-C cable, a SIM tray tool, a user manual, and a warranty card.

From the front, the HONOR 400 Pro looks normal, quite typical for a sub-flagship: very thin bezels around the screen, slightly rounded corners, a small “island” in the center of the top, which houses two front cameras.

The rear panel is more interesting: the camera module is integrated into an irregularly shaped island offset to the edge. It looks impressive and stands out from the competition. The model is available in Velvet Black and Titanium Gray, the latter of which, subjectively, is more attractive and also less likely to show fingerprints. 

The smartphone’s side frames are made of plastic. The left edge is bare, while the right edge houses the volume rocker and power button. The top edge houses the speaker slot, microphone, and IR port, while the bottom edge houses the SIM card slot, microphone, USB-C port, and the main speaker. There’s no 3.5mm audio jack, but you wouldn’t expect one in a mid-range phone. The fingerprint scanner is integrated into the display, and face unlock is also available; both options work instantly.

Additionally, the model boasts IP68/IP69 water resistance, meaning the HONOR 400 Pro can survive drops in water. While you shouldn’t take underwater photos, the smartphone is still safe from accidental submersion. It also offers drop protection, certified by the SGS five-star durability certification. However, if you’re unsure about the device’s durability, you can always use the included silicone case.

The rounded corners ensure the device fits perfectly in your hand, ensuring a secure grip. The thin bezels around the display and the unique camera design lend a premium feel. Visually, the HONOR 400 Pro leaves a pleasant impression. 

Cameras

The device features a triple AI camera system: a 200MP main module, a 50MP telephoto module, and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle module. All cameras feature autofocus, and optical image stabilization is available on both the main and telephoto modules.

The HONOR 400 Pro is the smartphone to choose if you’re looking for a non-flagship smartphone with flagship-quality cameras. It takes excellent photos, especially portraits: detailed shots are captured with beautifully blurred backgrounds, and there’s not a single flaw to be found. The main camera takes near-perfect photos, though it can sometimes be a bit overzealous in sharpening images. The hybrid zoom is excellent, while the optical zoom is a bit weaker, with slight color rendition issues, but it’s still very well implemented. Night photography will only disappoint on moonless nights, while with any light sources, the smartphone maintains sharpness and clarity. Macro photography is excellent, despite the lack of a dedicated macro camera. Even the ultra-wide-angle camera, which is often criticized, is beyond reproach.

The settings offer a variety of filters that let you adjust color rendition, warm or cool images, and add artistic effects. There are also unique filters created specifically for HONOR: “Harcourt Vivid” softens the image slightly, balancing light and shadow; “Harcourt Color” creates a vintage camera effect; and “Harcourt Classic” shoots black-and-white portraits. Those who love to enhance their photos have plenty to choose from.

Video recording is a bit more limited. The HONOR 400 Pro can record video in 4K and 60 fps, zoom on the fly, and create artificial background blur, but the image may be slightly choppy when shooting in motion.

The front camera features a 50MP module, aided by a 2MP depth sensor. It takes excellent photos, blurs the background beautifully, allows for the use of filters, and produces very good photos even in the evening.

Display and sound

The HONOR 400 Pro features an AMOLED display with a resolution of 2800×1280, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and a pixel density of 460 ppi. It uses a non-LTPO panel, so the refresh rate switches between 60Hz and 120Hz, rather than between 1Hz and 120Hz. However, the difference is unnoticeable in normal use, and thanks to a PWM frequency of 3840Hz, screen flickering is not annoying even at minimum brightness.

The display’s peak brightness can reach 5,000 nits, but this is limited to limited areas when playing HDR and Dolby Vision content. However, in everyday use, the brightness remains quite decent (up to 1,500 nits at peak), so even on a sunny day, you won’t need to scramble for shade to read notifications.

The screen’s color reproduction is excellent, with several color modes to choose from, from a standard palette to a vibrant one. Eye protection options are available in the settings; these can be scheduled or left to automatic operation – the smartphone will automatically adjust to your circadian rhythms, changing the picture tone depending on the time of day.

Extensive display customization options are also available, from various themes and wallpapers to the Always-on Display feature. You can also enable dark and light themes, adjust the font size, set the image resolution, activate software-based video quality enhancement, and much more—there are a wealth of settings.

The HONOR 400 Pro’s stereo speakers deliver very decent sound. The bottom speaker is slightly louder, due to the earpiece being routed to the top edge. The volume threshold is high, allowing the ringtone to be heard in almost any environment. As noted above, there’s no mini-jack, but it does feature high-quality Bluetooth profiles: aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC, so you can enjoy detailed sound when consuming relevant content.

Performance and OS

The smartphone is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which was also used in flagships like the HONOR Magic 6 Pro last year. Therefore, you can expect outstanding performance for both work and gaming, thanks to the Adreno 750 chip handling graphics.

Current gaming titles run at frame rates up to 120 fps, and the device doesn’t get too hot, though throttling does occur occasionally. This model is definitely a gaming device.

The HONOR 400 Pro is available in 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB storage options. It features fast LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. There’s no memory card support, so those who take a lot of photos and videos might want to consider the 512GB option.

For connectivity, there’s 4G and 5G support, a dual nano-SIM slot, and even eSIM support. Wireless connectivity includes Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7. There’s also NFC and an IR port. The navigation module connects to current satellite systems. In short, the model’s connectivity is excellent.

The device runs Android 15 with the proprietary MagicOS 10.0 user interface, which is user-friendly and intuitive. The OS is packed with a variety of neural network-based features. You can remove unwanted objects from photos, enhance them by “drawing in” them, improve image resolution using AI, and even bring photos to life—the neural network handles these tasks quite well, creating a truly “street magic” experience.

AI can also help you work with text (translate, highlight text in images, convert speech to text, and write notes), suggest creative ideas, and detect deepfakes during video calls—the latter of which is more relevant than ever due to the rise in phone scams.

In other words, the neural network assistant in the HONOR 400 Pro can significantly simplify the user’s life and become not just a gimmick, but a truly effective everyday tool for a wide variety of tasks. 

Autonomy 

The HONOR 400 Pro’s 6000 mAh battery provides excellent battery life. The smartphone reliably lasts all day under full load, and if you don’t push it too hard, it’ll only need two days to reach for a power outlet.

A 100W power adapter is used for fast charging, fully charging the smartphone in 45 minutes. It also supports 50W wireless charging, reverse wired charging, and wireless charging, allowing you to charge other devices, such as headphones or a smartwatch, if they run low on battery.

Conclusion

The HONOR 400 Pro is an excellent sub-flagship with no obvious flaws. This is the kind of phone where, even if you’re a bit short of a flagship and opt for this model, you won’t be too disappointed: it might score slightly lower in benchmarks, but that’s all—in all other respects, the device is in no way inferior to top-end devices.

The model’s strengths include an attractive design, a 200MP AI camera with portrait mode, good performance, shock and water resistance, long battery life, wireless charging support, and tight integration of AI features. Its weaknesses are significantly fewer – the only notable ones being the plasticky edges of the case and the subpar night-time performance of the ultra-wide-angle camera, and that’s about it. The fact that the HONOR 400 Pro is now available for less than its launch price makes it an even more compelling proposition. However, the final decision is ultimately yours.