Last year’s HONOR 200 Series was really popular due to the focus on its portrait photo capabilities. I considered the HONOR 200 Pro to be the best HONOR phone I’ve tried. Honestly speaking, it would take another HONOR phone with a Pro in its name for that to change. Can the HONOR 400 5G change that for me with all its AI capabilities? Find out in my HONOR 400 5G review.
Disclaimer: HONOR Philippines sent me the HONOR 400 5G review unit in Desert Gold on June 17, 2025. I unboxed it on June 18 and I used it as my main Android phone for a month.
Inside the Box
Design
The HONOR 400 5G has a simpler design compared to its predecessor with flat sides and a new look for its camera module. While most phones remain large, this phone impressed me with its more compact form factor. Weighing in at 184 g and being 7.3 mm thin, the HONOR 400 gave me 5-years-ago iPhone vibes when holding it in the hand. This phone comes in this elegant Desert Gold color, as well as in Tidal Blue and Midnight Black.
It’s a good thing that HONOR gave this phone a brushed metal feel for its flat sides. They contribute to how comfortable it is to hold compared to bigger phones. The buttons are clicky enough and the ports look clean. It’s also nice that HONOR brought IP66 dust and water resistance, continuing its durability story with its midrange N series lineup. Other than that, the simplicity of the HONOR 400 means that there isn’t much else to talk about. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though.
Display and Speakers
The HONOR 400 5G rocks a 6.55-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2736 x 1264. It supports 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, up to 5000 nits of peak brightness, and the suite of HONOR Eye Comfort technologies (including 3840Hz PWM dimming). This phone’s display is even responsive with wet hands thanks to Super Rainproof Touch.
All of this means that this phone has a top-tier display. It looks good overall, feels smooth, and the colors are reproduced very well. I also like how thin the bezels are on this phone since it adds to how immersive content is on this phone’s display.
The HONOR 400 has dual stereo speakers. Besides how loud they can get, there’s not much to talk about here.
Performance and Software
One thing that slightly worried me for the HONOR 400 5G review is its performance. This phone still uses the same Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 as its predecessor, coupled with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Running on this phone is MagicOS 9: HONOR’s Android skin. This enables support for HONOR RAM Turbo, which adds 12GB of virtual RAM for better multitasking capability.
If you’re someone who values benchmark results, here are the various benchmark results I got:
While it may seem odd that HONOR didn’t upgrade the processor,
The standout feature of the HONOR 400 is its AI capabilities. I don’t think HONOR would heavily promote this phone as “Your AI Phone” if it wasn’t confident enough in them. The standout AI feature is definitely AI Image to Video. Powered by Google’s Veo 2 AI video generator, this feature lets you generate 5-second videos from the photos you have on your phone. I actually find it useful when you need a creative way to share photos with family and friends. One thing I noticed is that the AI Image to Video feature works better with old photos that were taken on film. Unfortunately, the AI Image to Video costs money to use after the free trial went away.
If I have to pinpoint HONOR’s current weakness, it would have to be MagicOS. The user interface seems outdated and mostly carried over from its past. While MagicOS 9 improved on the smoothness front, it just looks old compared to other Android skins on the market. Here’s hoping that the upcoming MagicOS 10 update brings a fresher look to HONOR’s Android skin.
Battery Experience
The HONOR 400 5G rocks a 6000 mAh silicon-carbon battery with support for 80W wired HONOR SuperCharge fast charging. It’s even nice that HONOR includes a 100W HONOR SuperCharge power adapter inside the box to take advantage of the faster charging.
It’s honestly surprising that a compact phone can last around 13-14 hours in a PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test. While I regularly use two phones, it was difficult to kill the HONOR 400 in a typical day of use. That mostly consists of 1-2 hours of social media, an hour of YouTube watching, and some casual gaming and photo taking on the side.
Charging this phone takes around 45 minutes from 0 to 100% which is pretty typical considering the large battery and fast charging.
Cameras
Last year’s HONOR 200 Series brought a lot of focus to its Harcourt Portrait Mode and other camera-related features. While all of that is still in the HONOR 400 Series, HONOR ditched the telephoto camera that was on the HONOR 200 for a larger 200MP main camera on the HONOR 400. Is the change worth it? Let’s find out as we check out some photos!
Click on the photos for full-resolution versions!
One thing that impresses me is the quality of the 200MP main camera, especially when zooming in. While I don’t think it can beat higher-end phones with dedicated telephoto cameras, the quality of the photos I got even at 4x is still good for most scenarios. (I personally wouldn’t count on digital zoom for low-light scenarios.) While the 12MP ultrawide camera still has a slight color shift compared to the main camera, the quality of the photos is good enough for me.
Another thing that surprised me with the main camera is how it handles faces well, even when using 4x zoom. Granted, the lighting here is good but the fact that I can use this photo beyond social media impressed me.
What really surprised me more is the low-light photos coming out of the 200MP main camera. I don’t really need to use night mode unless it’s super dark outside. While the ultrawide camera does need that help, it isn’t immediately obvious.
Portrait Photos
As mentioned up top, HONOR kept the Harcourt Portrait modes on the HONOR 400 and they still look so good. They do work better with the better sensors on the rear cameras.
Front Camera
Ever since the HONOR 90 5G, I already expect HONOR’s N Series phones to have high-megapixel front cameras. The HONOR 400 is no different, and I can count on it to take good selfies even in low-light.
Faces are generally really clear when taken with the front camera. I even tend to pull this phone over my iPhone as far as group selfies are concerned.
Should You Buy the HONOR 400 5G?
The HONOR 400 is the first midrange HONOR smartphone that gave me an impression of an “it just works” kind of phone. While each spec isn’t the absolute best in the market, the whole package is definitely better than the sum of its parts. While the AI stuff can still be gimmicky and the highlight AI Image to Video feature isn’t free anymore, I enjoy using the phone for what it is: a no-frills phone that can hang with my everyday life. If you’re someone who just wants an all-around phone that works without tinkering much, then the HONOR 400 is a great pick.
Pros
- Compact and durable design
- A bright and very capable OLED display
- Loud stereo speaker setup
- Good performance and user experience thanks to Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 + 12GB of RAM
- AI Image to Video is impressive
- Great battery experience thanks to 6000 mAh battery + 80W fast charging
- A good 200MP main camera and 50MP front camera
- Decent 12MP ultrawide camera
Cons
- Brushed metal frame can be slippery
- MagicOS still looks outdated compared to its competition
- Some of the other AI features are just gimmicks
- AI Image to Video isn’t free anymore
- No rear telephoto camera and digital zoom cannot make up for it
- Quality of ultrawide camera can be hit or miss
The HONOR 400 5G retails for P22,999 with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It is available in three colors: Desert Gold, Tidal Blue, and Midnight Black.
You can get one at your nearest HONOR Experience Store or authorized retailer nationwide. It is also available at HONOR’s official online stores on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop! You can also get the HONOR 400 via the Smart Signature Plan Plus 1499 from Smart.