Honor, you make the task difficult. Indeed, year after year, your phones are excellent. This is still the case in 2025. I have tested many models from you. Each time, every one has been truly impressive. The Honor 400 is therefore no exception to this rule. Consequently, it stands out as a mid-range leader. I am here to tell you why.

Honor 400: First Impressions and Elegant Design

From the moment I unbox it, the Honor 400 makes its style known. Currently, it costs €500. Of course, this price is for the most robust version. We are talking about 512GB of storage here. It also adds 8GB of RAM. Overall, this is a solid configuration for its category.

This model comes in three distinct colors. Thus, you have the choice between Meteor Silver and Midnight Black. Emerald Green is also an option. In my case, I chose the Midnight Black color. Personally, I find this shade strikingly beautiful. I will let you judge with a very close-up shot. The phone features flat edges all around. Similarly, its corners are pleasantly rounded. Furthermore, its matte back does not retain fingerprints at all. This is a detail I greatly appreciate daily.

Next, I notice the camera module. It sits in the top left corner. Two sensors reside there. This module has a glossy finish. Here, however, fingerprints are a bit more visible. Regarding its dimensions, the phone measures 156.5 mm in height. Its width is 74.6 mm, while its thickness is only 7.3 mm. Finally, its weight is truly light: 184 grams. Indeed, it is so light it almost seems to float in my hand.

A Dazzling and Perfectly Readable Screen

On the front, I discover an AMOLED screen. Its diagonal is 6.55 inches. Moreover, it offers a resolution of 2736 by 1264 pixels. Its refresh rate reaches 120Hz. These features therefore ensure exemplary fluidity.

But this screen’s biggest asset is its brightness. Indeed, it can reach a peak of up to 5000 nits. This is just perfect for sunny days. Clearly, I can see the screen without any problem. Thus, I always know what I am doing on my phone. I did a little demonstration in direct sunlight. And effectively, the display remains perfectly readable.

However, brightness is not its only advantage. What I personally find important is its uniformity. The screen is consistent across its entire front surface. This means there are no wide bezels. For example, you do not find the thick chins of a Galaxy A600. Nor the monstrous bezels of the latest Pixel 9A for 2025. This screen is managed very well. It is therefore very bright and pleasant. In other words, it is a pleasure for watching videos or reading articles.

I really love this screen’s format. It is not too big, nor too small. Overall, it is a truly pleasant middle ground. Moreover, its size stands out from giant 6.9-inch screens. This format also differs from more compact 6.1-inch screens. Frankly, I think it is the right compromise. In short, it satisfies those who want a large screen and a compact phone. If you are looking for an ultra-vivid screen, this will not be the most vibrant on the market. However, it offers colors that are close to reality. They are truly very pleasant to look at. Additionally, eye protection options are integrated.

Ergonomics and Sound: Optimized User Comfort

Thanks to this rather compact format, the grip is almost perfect. The phone fits very well in the hand. Furthermore, it is comfortable to use. Above all, it does not slip at all. So, I have a compact phone with a very good and enjoyable screen.

For multimedia, it is very pleasant on this screen. What is more, we benefit from stereo sound. The sound thus comes from both sides of the phone. For a mid-range device, this is quite good. This consequently improves immersion when viewing content.

Photography: The Honor 400’s Major Strength

Let’s now move on to this phone’s major strength for me. The Honor 400 sets the bar very high in photography. Yes, you understood correctly, in photography. Effectively, it outshines some much more expensive phones. When I say more expensive, I mean phones costing €800. It must be said that Honor loves to combine photography and artificial intelligence. And I find this mix works very well on this mid-range model.

Let’s analyze this phone’s photographic setup. It has a 200-megapixel main sensor. Its aperture is f/1.9. Moreover, it integrates optical image stabilization. It also features PDAF, a phase detection autofocus. Added to this is a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. Its aperture is f/2.2. Notably, this sensor also serves as a macro sensor. At the front, the selfie sensor reaches 50 megapixels with an f/2.0 aperture.

Image Quality and Zoom: Surprising Results

One might think a telephoto lens is missing. Well, it is quite surprising. Despite the absence of a dedicated telephoto lens, this phone is more than versatile. Especially for a mid-range device. Indeed, when I look at the final photo rendering, I wonder if there is not a hidden telephoto lens. Up to 4x zoom, frankly, there is no noticeable loss. It is when I go to 10x zoom that it becomes interesting. Yes, 10x zoom on a mid-range phone! Clearly, the photo renderings allow for extraordinary results. Admittedly, the AI work behind it is monstrous. But the result is just exceptional. I am truly amazed by this quality. For mid-range phones, at 10x zoom, this might be the best.

In daylight, the main sensor produces detailed shots. The colors are natural, and the rendering is consistent. At night, it is still okay. However, it does require fairly prominent street lighting. This is crucial if you want good night photos. The ultra-wide, for its part, performs very well in daylight. Finally, the quality of portrait and selfie photos is really very good. The AI does an amazing job here again. Regarding videos, I conducted tests with the selfie sensor and the rear sensors. The result is quite decent, even very good. I was able to film in 4K at 30 frames per second, even facing the sun, and the rendering is appreciable.

Honor 400 Performance and Battery Life: A Solid Alliance

In terms of power, what do we find? This phone houses a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. It is supported by 8GB of RAM. Additionally, a game engine is integrated, the GPU Turbo X. This enhances gaming performance. Basically, it optimizes your phone for gaming as best as possible.

What about gaming in practice? For classic games like Dokkan Battle or Clash Royale, no problem. Even Brawl Stars runs perfectly. You might wonder about more demanding games. For example, Call of Duty Mobile. Well, you can still run these games at 60 frames per second. Frankly, that is not bad. What is also commendable is its thermal management. Even with quite long gaming sessions, the phone does not overheat excessively. In other words, you can play without the phone burning your hands. Some other phones have this issue.

Regarding the battery, it has a capacity of 5300 mAh. It also supports 66W Honor SuperCharge fast charging. Specifically, you can charge your phone to 44% in just 15 minutes. Honestly, that is very efficient. Its battery life allows you to easily last the day. Of course, this always depends on each individual’s personal usage.

MagicOS: An Intelligent and Complete Interface

This phone’s second major strength is MagicOS. On this model, we are of course on a version based on Android 15. And what can I say? I still love MagicOS just as much. It is really very good. Moreover, I appreciate it more and more with each new version.

Apart from the MagicOS interface itself, which is just good, very pleasant, and always fluid, there are some hyper-interesting features. These are functions that can be found on the brand’s other ranges. You have, of course, the Gemini features for search and other assistance. These are basic things now on Android. Then, you benefit from deepfake detection for security. Instant translation in 15 languages is also present. More precisely, it is an interpreter feature that works live. It functions with a person in front of you. I had discovered this feature at IFA with the Honor Magic V3. People at the booth spoke German and I spoke French. And yet, we understood each other perfectly, without any problem. This feature, by the way, works better than Samsung’s.

Besides that, a voice recorder can convert audio to text. And it does so in several languages. In short, it is a kind of mini version of specialized products. After that, you have all the other photo processing features. For example, image extension or object removal. Cropping, transforming an image into a short video, and enhancing old photos are also available. Ultimately, these are AI features found in a €500 phone. I repeat, that is really not bad. I will not go into more detail about the MagicOS interface here. However, I plan to prepare dedicated content on its tips and tricks soon.

The Little Extras and My Final Verdict

Finally, this phone is IP65 certified. Basically, it is water-resistant, like against rain. Be careful, it is not submersible underwater. The phone is, of course, 5G compatible. Similarly, it offers the option to insert a second SIM card. The update duration on this model is 6 years. This is an excellent point for longevity.

So, we reach the end of this Honor 400 presentation. Frankly, in my opinion, it is one of the most enjoyable phones. It is also one of the best performing in the mid-range segment currently. You know my fondness for the Realme 14 Pro Plus. Well, I put this Honor 400 on the same level. Better yet, I even place it ahead of the Pixel 9A and the Galaxy A600. That shows how much it convinced me.