Honor 400 Pro Review: A Premium Mid-Ranger with AI Flair
Introduction
The Honor 400 Pro is the latest upper-midrange smartphone from Honor, offering flagship-like specs at a more affordable price (£699). With design cues reminiscent of Huawei’s Pura series and performance close to the Honor Magic 7 Pro, it aims to compete with devices like the OnePlus 13.
After a week of testing, here’s our full breakdown—from design and display to performance, battery life, and AI-powered camera tricks.
Design & Build Quality
Premium Looks with a Familiar Flair:
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Huawei Pura-inspired camera bump (a standout design feature).
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Minimalist aesthetic—available in black or gray only.
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Frosted glass back resists fingerprints and smudges.
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Curved edges for a comfortable grip (no sharp iPhone-like corners).
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Plastic frame (a slight letdown at this price).
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IP68 & IP69 certified—survives submersion and heavy water jets.
Display & Ergonomics
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6.7-inch OLED (2800×1280 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate).
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Thin bezels and a barely noticeable punch-hole (unlike Apple’s "elephant turd" notch).
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Bright and vibrant—great outdoor visibility.
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3840Hz PWM dimming (reduces eye strain for OLED-sensitive users).
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Motion Sickness Mode (blue dots that help reduce nausea in moving vehicles—weird but effective).
Performance & Software
Hardware:
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Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (last year’s flagship chip, not the newer 8 Elite).
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12GB RAM + 512GB storage (plenty for apps, games, and media).
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No throttling even after extended gaming sessions.
Magic OS 9 (Android 15):
✅ Clean, customizable UI (close to stock Android).
✅ Magic Capsule (quick-access bar for Spotify, calls, maps).
✅ Gaming Mode (performance tweaks on the fly).
❌ Bloatware galore (expect to spend time uninstalling junk apps).
❌ Honor’s AI overload (some features feel gimmicky).
AI Features (Good & Bad):
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Magic Portal (knuckle-drag to save/search content—clunky but useful).
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AI Subtitles & Translation (works well, but struggles with strong accents).
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Deepfake Detection (ironic, since the phone also creates deepfakes—more on that later).
Battery & Charging
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5,300mAh battery—easily lasts 7–8 hours of screen time with mixed use.
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100W wired charging (quick top-ups).
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50W wireless charging (faster than most rivals).
Cameras: Solid but Not Flagship-Level
Triple-Lens Setup:
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200MP Main Sensor (1.4-inch, oversaturated in bright light, noisy in low light).
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50MP Telephoto (3x optical zoom)—more natural colors, great for portraits.
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12MP Ultra-Wide (also does macro)—decent, but struggles in dim lighting.
Video & AI Editing:
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4K/60fps HDR video (soft in low light but well-stabilized).
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AI Eraser (removes photobombers effectively).
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AI Image-to-Video (creepily realistic 5-second clips from still photos—hands still look weird though).
Verdict: Should You Buy It?
Pros:
✅ Premium design & build (IP68/69, great ergonomics).
✅ Excellent battery life & fast charging.
✅ Strong performance for gaming.
✅ Unique AI features (if you’re into that).
Cons:
❌ Plastic frame feels cheap at this price.
❌ Cameras lag behind rivals (OnePlus 13, Magic 7 Pro).
❌ AI tools are hit-or-miss (some useful, others gimmicky).
❌ Bloatware (why, Honor, why?).
Final Rating: 7.5/10
The Honor 400 Pro is a great upper-midrange phone with near-flagship specs, but it doesn’t quite dethrone the best. If you want better cameras, consider the OnePlus 13 or Honor Magic 7 Pro. But if you love AI gimmicks and long battery life, this is a solid pick.
Alternatives
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Honor 400 Lite (cheaper, but less powerful).
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OnePlus 13 (better cameras, cleaner software).
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Honor Magic 7 Pro (true flagship experience).
What do you think? Would you buy the Honor 400 Pro? Let us know in the comments!