Honor 400 Pro tested to see can it replace high-end phone costing twice as much
I placed my SIM in the gorgeous looking handset and used it as my primary Android device, for everything from calls and messaging apps to web browsing, video streaming and a bit of casual gaming.
The 400 Pro highlights what an important international player the firm is on the Android landscape as it introduced a fun new Gemini AI tool, Image to Video (based on Google's Veo 3 software), before both Google and Samsung.
READ MORE: Honor 400 Lite review: premium iPhone styling and excellent battery life for less than €300
Honor has been growing steadily in popularity in the Irish market in recent years, and its smartphones can now be snapped up at all the main network operator stores as well as SIM-free outlets such as Harvey Norman.
The firm now has an authorised Irish repair centre at Fonfix, giving consumers peace of mind that they are able to get the same after-sales service as customers of more established brands such as Apple and Samsung. Honor 400 Pro smartphone (Image: Mark Kavanagh)
This may do a lot to persuade potential customers to take a chance on a top-notch flagship such as Honor Magic 7 Pro that was released earlier this year.
Or it could instill confidence to be tempted by a foldable such as the Magic V3 over better known rivals such as Pixel 9 Pro Fold or Galaxy Z Fold 6.
But despite this, Honor's biggest impact in the Irish market so far has been in the mid-range and budget sectors and that's no surprise given the quality of the products it has been releasing in those segments.
Honor 400 Pro costs less than €800 if you buy it outright - at Harvey Norman and elsewhere you can do this by spreading the cost out over the year without tying yourself to a lengthy network operator contract.
The phone, incidentally, is available from free on Tesco BillPay and Tesco Mobile if you prefer to buy your handsets that way. Honor 400 Pro in everyday use
For the average consumer, Honor's mid-range marvel will take care of all of their everyday needs with flagship style finesse. I can say this with conviction because the 400 Pro was enough for a heavy productivity hound such as me throughout my period of intensive testing. Honor 400 Pro smartphone camera system (Image: Mark Kavanagh)
The camera system is especially pleasing. You get a 200MP primary camera with a large 1/1.4in sensor and f/1.9 aperture flanked by a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with autofocus and a 50MP 68mm telephoto camera with optical image stabilisation and 3x optical zoom. The 400 Pro also introduces a fun new AI feature Image to Video that can animate stills with occasionally dramatic effect. It's a great talking point and all my friends and family had strong opinions on it, both positive and negative.
You get the same excellent Studio Harcourt portrait effects that debuted with the Honor 200 series and look as stunning as ever.
Honor 400 Pro can capture video at up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second (fps) on the main and telephoto cameras, while the ultrawide and 50MP f/2.0 selfie cameras are capped at 4K 30 fps.
The camera module sports a refreshing new design, sitting off-centre with a polished frame that ramps up around the triple lens array which are positioned in a triangular layout.
The unit is powered by the 2024 top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and 12GB RAM, which is more than enough power for multitasking and running the latest graphically intensive games. In everyday use you get smooth and responsive performance even when multitasking or working across two apps on split-screen. Gaming is well catered for too. Honor 400 Pro will run any AAA title you wish on the highest graphics settings with relative ease. Honor 400 Pro smartphone runs MagicOS 9 (Image: Mark Kavanagh)
Honor 400 Pro runs the firm's imperfect but improving MagicOS 9 software atop Android 15 and it comes with lots of AI tricks and tools such as the ground-breaking Gemini Image To Video feature which was released globally first on this phone. Choose any image in your gallery and Gemini AI will transform it into a five-second video.
On top of all this is a dazzling 6.7in AMOLED display with 2800x1280 FHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 5000 nits when viewing HDR content. The screen also boasts the firm's renowned eye care features. Colours appear accurate, along and you will marvel at the exceptional contrast from the AMOLED panel.
I love the design and build and the phone sits comfortably in the hand and screams premium just like a flagship. It reminds me a little of Huawei's flagship Pura 70 Pro. The 400 Pro has a quad-curved design on the front and glass back, with gently curved plastic rails on the sides. Despite the plastic frame, it still looks premium and it feels robustly made. Durability is not an issue and you get both IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. The relatively light 205g weight is a plus point. My review unit was Midnight Black but it's also available in Lunar Grey. Other Honor 400 Pro features (Image: Mark Kavanagh)
Honor 400 Pro sports pleasing stereo speakers. In Ireland, it comes with 512GB of storage as standard.
The 5300mAh silicon-carbon battery will last for two days for most users. And if you do run out sooner, fear not as the device supports insane 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
Another big plus is the firm now promises six years of major OS upgrades and six years of security patches.
On the downside, the Magic OS Android software does not feel as smooth and slick as the operating systems on Google, Oppo and Samsung but I suspect only a tech reviewer such as me is likely to notice its minor shortcomings. Honor 400 Pro verdict
Honor's great run continues on a solid smartphone performer with an impressive feature-set. Honor 400 Pro can do all the essentials for a reasonable price. You get a speedy chip, stylish design, pleasing camera hardware, flagship-grade AI tools, excellent battery and superfast charging.
It's a direct competitor to similarly priced phones such as Oppo's Reno 13 Pro (which uses a MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chip) and Apple's iPhone 16e (which only has one camera).
It's easy after testing to see why Honor 400 Pro has become the firm's fastest selling smartphone in Ireland (and elsewhere). Honor 400 Pro pricing and availability
Honor 400 Pro costs €799 from Harvey Norman. It's also available from Three and Tesco Mobile.
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