Latest news with #Honor400Pro
WIRED
3 days ago
- Business
- WIRED
I Converted My Photos Into Short Videos With AI on Honor's Latest Phones. It's Weird
The photo gallery app in Honor's latest midrange phones has an image-to-video generative AI feature powered by Google. It'll probably come to your phone soon. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. As midrange phones designed to plug the gap between flagships, the Honor 400 and 400 Pro might not ordinarily attract much attention. But these devices—unavailable in the US—are among the first to feature Google's image-to-video AI generator, based on its Veo 2 model (now available to Gemini subscribers). Built into Honor's Gallery app, you can select a still photo from your camera roll to bring it to life as a five-second video. After much experimentation with different photos, from landscapes to family and pets, I'm impressed and weirded out. Like any AI tool, it has the potential to be good or bad, depending on how you wield it, and the results veer from flawless to freaky. It's a neat trick, and it's coming to the phone in your hand soon. Fake Photography Faking photography is nothing new—the medium is always evolving. Artificial intelligence has been smoothing wrinkles and enhancing skies for years. None of your photos are real, especially those you shot with your phone and edited to post on social media. But we're pushing beyond creating a fake bokeh background blur or dialing up colors of the sunset. Creating entirely fake videos from still images feels like a new high and a new low. The process is easy. Open the Gallery app on the Honor 400 or 400 Pro, choose the Create tab, tap Image to video, and select one of your photos. Choose a 9:16 or 16:9 aspect ratio for portrait or landscape, then hit start. You need to be connected to the internet. Each five-second video took around 30 seconds to create, but a pop-up message warns me they can take up to two minutes. There's no room to enter a prompt, so you are left at the mercy of whatever the AI decides to do. I began with photos of my wife and kids. The first few videos have a major uncanny valley feel. In one photo, my wife is covering her mouth, and the AI animates her moving her hand and talking, but the mouth it pastes in is entirely wrong. Much to her horror, it gives my daughter a series of facial tics. The video of my selfie comes out well and would surely fool anyone who doesn't know me, but my wife says she can tell it's not me because I never make facial expressions like that. We tried the cats next, and despite some odd expressions (my eldest cat, Bodhi, never looks as deferential as this), the results were pretty solid. Photos of landscapes, such as a boat on the waves or trees in a forest, are brought to life with believable rippling effects. Things got weirder with inanimate objects. With a pair of Star Wars Funko Pops, Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber glowed to life, but Darth Maul on a speeder weirdly rotated on the spot. For a few photos of ornaments, it did a disappointing pan or zoom. As the debate about AI-generated art rages on, I can't help but wonder at the implications of uploading personal photos to be analyzed and animated by ever more powerful AI. Social media is already awash with carefully edited photos and videos, but AI processing is improving fast, generating more believable results with every passing day, and it's quickly becoming accessible to everyone. Camera Cold War Photography is the battleground for phone manufacturers trying to outdo one another. While most phone makers focused on hardware, Google dived deeper into computational photography, doing more with less. Google pioneered and popularized AI features in its Pixel phones. Options like AI Eraser to remove unwanted items or people from photos and AI-enhanced zoom to create more detailed zoomed shots from afar with underpowered hardware are fast becoming ubiquitous, and both work well on Honor's latest phones. Google has already moved on with Pixel 9 features like Best Take, enabling you to pick smiling faces where everyone has their eyes open from different shots, and Add Me, allowing you to take group photos and then add yourself to them. Securing buy-in for this brave new world of AI photography is clearly important, as Google aims to pull big Android phone manufacturers aboard, carefully balancing exclusive Pixel features with debuts for companies like Honor. Honor is creeping closer to marrying hardware and software in the 400 Pro. It has a triple-lens main camera comprising a 200-megapixel main shooter with a large 1/1.4-inch sensor, a 50-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide, not to mention a 50-MP selfie camera. Honor has also bet big on AI in recent years, pushing more AI into its phones, working closely with Google, and showing off its own new AI features. The Chinese phone maker has come a long way from beauty filters that smooth out your wrinkles, though those are still available. The generate button has a label that says 'Limited-time free trial.' Honor 400 buyers get two free months and can generate up to 10 videos a day. Presumably, this will eventually be a paid feature of Google's Gemini Pro subscription and will roll out on many more phones (there's no firm timeline or pricing yet). It's a win-win for Google when it owns the underlying AI, enticing you to subscribe down the line. It's fun to play with—we exhausted our daily allowance fast—but seriously creepy.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Phone Brought My Dad Back to Life and I Don't Know How to Feel
My dad died just after my fourth birthday in 1992. Being so young, I have few memories of him and my family has only a small handful of home movie clips, filmed in the brief window before he died. But I do have a selection of still pictures and in my testing of a new phone, I found I was able to bring him to life using AI. Honestly? I really don't know how to feel about it. The phone is the new Honor 400 Pro and while it's broadly a decent handset, it packs a tool that uses AI (powered by Google's VEO-2 model) to turn any image into a 5-second video. I was skeptical when I read the press release about it (as I usually am), but I found it genuinely fascinating to use. Here's how it works. You open the tool within the gallery app, choose your source image from any picture you have in your camera roll and hit go. It takes about a minute to analyze the image but then that picture suddenly springs to life, like a magical picture from the world of Harry Potter. Don't like the result? Simply tell it to generate again and you'll get a slightly different outcome. I've tried it on various images with mixed results. Sometimes it's pretty low-key (an image of someone reading a book simply resulted in them turning a page), while other times it goes weirdly hard. I loaded in a picture of a family of sheep on a Scottish island that I shot on Kodak Gold film (seen just below). In the moving AI version, there was suddenly a flood of sheep pouring through the frame before the camera angle cuts to an aerial view of a whole flock running across a meadow. I think that's what the kids call "extra." Ditto when I ran it on a picture of my cat and it threw in bizarre-looking titles for some baffling reason (seen further down). But then I went another way. I've had my dad's photo on my shelf for decades. It shows him onstage playing bass in his band. It's an image I love for many reasons, but chiefly because I'm a musician myself and I've always liked that we've had that in common. But that one picture is all I've seen of him performing. I certainly never went to a show and I don't believe any video footage of him playing exists. Until now, that is. I fed the image into the app and with a certain sense of trepidation hit go. I waited for it to process and then suddenly there he was: My dad, moving around, jamming on his bass, visibly getting into the spirit of the performance. It transformed this small black and white picture I've treasured for so long into something more. Something alive. It actually made me quite emotional. But then another part of my brain spoke up. This isn't my dad. It's not him moving and vibing with the music. Not really. It's what Google's algorithm imagines he'd do. In many ways it's like he's a marionette being grotesquely controlled by some invisible puppeteer, trying to give the impression of lifelike movement. I ran it a few more times to see what options it would give but each one was basically a minor variation on him swaying and bopping while playing the bass. To be fair, the AI did a great job here. It looks realistic, with the shadows moving just right, the microphone staying in place and his hands actually looking like they're specifically playing a bass guitar. It's also still in black and white, with the film grain and various signs of aging to the image still present. I think that made all the difference to me as it really did give me the impression of what he might have looked like on stage. I didn't have to squint to ignore any strange errors or random other elements the AI could have thrown in. Every time it produced a gentle clip of my dad playing his music. So I remain split in how I feel. On the one hand it's kind of gross in how it puppets a deceased loved one like this, based solely on Google's "best guess" of what would happen. I showed it to my brother who seemed to have much the same stance as me: "I'm not sure I like it, but I also don't think I dislike it. It's kind of spooky." On the other hand it's injected life into a picture that I've treasured for decades and given me a glimpse into what my dad might have been like onstage. And I liked seeing that, even if it's not exactly real. It's definitely not a perfect solution for me, and if I want to really remember him I'd rather turn to our actual home movies than AI-created imagery. But maybe AI tools like these will eventually bring real comfort to the many people in this world with passed loved ones, who right now only have a handful of static images to hold on to. And I'd like to think that, for all AI's faults, maybe this is one way it can do some good.
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Geeky Gadgets
7 days ago
- Geeky Gadgets
Honor 400 & 400 Pro: Every Feature Revealed]
The Honor 400 and 400 Pro have made a notable entry into the mid-range smartphone market, offering a compelling combination of performance, features, and affordability. These devices are designed for users who seek value without compromising on essential functionality. In a highly competitive segment, the Honor 400 series aims to deliver a balanced experience that appeals to a wide range of consumers. The video below from The Tech chap gives us more details on the two new handsets. Watch this video on YouTube. Performance: Power Meets Efficiency The Honor 400 series is engineered to handle everyday tasks with ease, providing a level of performance that rivals more expensive alternatives. Both models are equipped with efficient processors and optimized software, making sure smooth multitasking and reliable operation. Whether you're streaming videos, browsing the web, or managing multiple apps simultaneously, these devices are built to keep up with your daily demands. For users with more intensive needs, such as gaming or running resource-heavy applications, the Honor 400 Pro offers enhanced processing power. This makes it an excellent choice for those who prioritize speed and responsiveness in their smartphones. The Pro model ensures that even demanding tasks are handled seamlessly, delivering a performance edge that sets it apart in the mid-range category. Features That Enhance Everyday Use The Honor 400 and 400 Pro are packed with features designed to cater to diverse user preferences, making sure a well-rounded experience. Key highlights include: High-Resolution Displays : Both models feature vibrant and immersive screens, enhancing your viewing experience whether you're watching videos, playing games, or scrolling through photos. : Both models feature vibrant and immersive screens, enhancing your viewing experience whether you're watching videos, playing games, or scrolling through photos. Advanced Camera Systems : Capture sharp, detailed images with cameras optimized for various lighting conditions, making them suitable for casual photography and social media sharing. : Capture sharp, detailed images with cameras optimized for various lighting conditions, making them suitable for casual photography and social media sharing. Long-Lasting Battery Life : Stay connected throughout the day with batteries designed to minimize the need for frequent recharging, making sure reliability during busy schedules. : Stay connected throughout the day with batteries designed to minimize the need for frequent recharging, making sure reliability during busy schedules. Fast-Charging Technology: Reduce downtime with quick charging capabilities that allow you to regain power swiftly and get back to your activities. The Honor 400 Pro takes these features a step further with premium upgrades, including improved camera sensors for superior image quality and expanded storage options to accommodate more apps, photos, and videos. These enhancements make the Pro model an appealing choice for users who want a more robust and versatile smartphone experience. Affordability Without Sacrificing Quality One of the standout aspects of the Honor 400 series is its affordability. These smartphones are positioned as budget-friendly options that deliver a premium-like experience at a fraction of the cost. By focusing on essential features and avoiding unnecessary extras, Honor has created devices that offer exceptional value for money. This approach makes the Honor 400 and 400 Pro accessible to a broad audience, including students, young professionals, and anyone seeking a reliable smartphone without exceeding their budget. The balance between cost and quality ensures that these devices meet the needs of users who prioritize practicality and performance. Standing Out in a Crowded Market In a competitive mid-range smartphone market, the Honor 400 series distinguishes itself by focusing on core user needs: performance, reliability, and affordability. While some manufacturers emphasize niche features or brand prestige, Honor takes a more practical approach, delivering devices that excel in everyday functionality. The Honor 400 and 400 Pro are designed to meet the demands of modern users, offering a seamless blend of technology and usability. By prioritizing features that matter most, such as display quality, camera performance, and battery life, these smartphones provide a well-rounded experience that resonates with a wide range of consumers. In a market filled with options, the Honor 400 series stands out as a dependable and value-oriented choice. Whether you're upgrading your current phone or purchasing your first smartphone, these devices offer a compelling package that delivers on all fronts. Dive deeper into Honor 400 with other articles and guides we have written below. Huawei Ascend Mate 2 Lands In The U.S. Source & Image Credit: The Tech Chap Filed Under: Android News, Mobile Phone News, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
News18
25-05-2025
- Business
- News18
Honor 400 Series With 200MP Camera And 100W Charging Unveiled: All Details
Last Updated: Honor 400 series has launched globally with 200MP main camera, IP68 rating and a fast-charging battery on both the models. Honor 400 series has been unveiled this week which includes the regular Honor 400 and the 400 Pro models. Both these phones get a 200MP primary camera along with other sensors and are powered by Snapdragon chipsets in different ranges. Honor is also offering the devices with Silicon-carbon battery tech which means you get a higher capacity unit packed into a sleek device. The Pro model obviously carries more features but AI is common to both the 400 series models. Honor 400 Series Price The Honor 400 is priced at EUR 499 (Rs 48,000 approx) for the base 8GB + 256GB variant, while the 512GB model costs EUR 549 (Rs 53,000 approx). The Honor 400 Pro has launched at EUR 799 (Rs 77,000 approx) and you get only one 12GB + 512GB variant of this device. Honor 400 series is coming to Europe and the UK from this week onwards and we expect more updates around the Honor 400 availability and price in India. Honor 400 And 400 Pro Features Honor 400 Pro is the premium variant and it gets a 6.7-inch quad-curved OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. It runs on the Android 15-based MagicOS 9.0 version and Honor will offer 6 OS upgrades for these devices. The 400 Pro features a triple camera system that comes with a 200MP primary sensor, along with a 50MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens. You get the device with IP68/69 rating like most of the recent phones in this range, and comes packed with a 5,300mAh battery that supports 100W wired and 50W wireless fast charging speeds. The Honor 400 carries a smaller 6.55-inch display, powered by Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, 8GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. It gets the same 200MP primary sensor and the 12MP ultra-wide lens but misses out on the telephoto lens. The battery size is also the same but with 66W charging supported. Honor has already dismissed the rumours about shutting down in India, and even claims that new phones will be launching soon. So we do expect to see the brand fulfill that promise and bring products like the Honor 400 series to the country. First Published: May 23, 2025, 16:10 IST
India Today
23-05-2025
- India Today
Honor 400 and Honor 400 Pro launched, 200MP camera inside
The Honor 400 and Honor 400 Pro smartphones have officially launched in the global markets (not in India yet), bringing back the spotlight on high-resolution photography in its number series. Both phones feature a massive 200-megapixel primary rear camera, and while they share many core features, the Pro model packs in a few extras like a dedicated telephoto lens, more powerful hardware, and faster charging. The company is also focusing heavily on AI this time around, with a bunch of new tools designed to make life 400 and Honor 400 Pro: Price and availabilityThe Honor 400 is priced at Euro 499 (roughly Rs 48,400) and Euro 549 (roughly Rs 53,200), for the 256GB and 512GB storage options. RAM is standard at 8GB on both variants. Meanwhile, the Honor 400 Pro comes in a single 12GB RAM + 512GB storage option, priced at Euro 799 (roughly Rs 77,500). Both phones go on sale starting May 22 across Europe, including the UK, via Honor's website and select retailers. The Honor 400 is available in four colours: Desert Gold, Lunar Grey, and Midnight Black. The Honor 400 Pro, on the other hand, comes in Lunar Grey and Midnight Black colourways. As of now, there's no update on the Indian availability of both 400 and Honor 400 Pro: Key specs and featuresThe Honor 400 Pro is the more premium device in the series. It's powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset — same as its predecessor, the Honor 300 Pro — and comes with 12GB RAM and 512GB of storage. The highlight is its camera setup: a 200-megapixel primary sensor (f/1.9, OIS), a 50-megapixel telephoto lens (Sony IMX856, 3x optical zoom), and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with macro support. On the front, you get a 50-megapixel selfie shooter with support for 4K video Honor 400 Pro also includes a quad-curved 6.7-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 5,000 nits peak brightness, and 3,840Hz PWM dimming for eye comfort. The device is IP68/IP69 rated for dust and water resistance and packs a 5,300mAh silicon-carbon battery. You get 100W wired and 50W wireless charging. Honor claims the battery can retain 80 per cent health even after 1,200 charge cycles or roughly four years of regular regular Honor 400 cuts a few corners to hit a lower price. It's powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip and comes with 8GB RAM as standard. While it features the same 200-megapixel primary rear sensor and a 50-megapixel front camera, it skips the telephoto lens — meaning the main camera handles zoom digitally. There's also a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens with macro Honor 400's display is slightly smaller at 6.55 inches and flat rather than quad-curved. It still offers 120Hz refresh, the same 5,000 nits brightness, and 3,840Hz PWM dimming. It shares the 5,300mAh silicon-carbon battery too, but fast wired charging is capped at 66W. This model is IP65 rated for dust and water the software front, both phones run MagicOS 9.0 based on Android 15 and are promised six years of Android updates and security patches. Honor has packed in a range of AI features like image-to-video generation (coming soon via update), AI Subtitles, AI Summary, and even Deepfake Detection to flag suspicious video calls.
