HONOR’s latest sub-flagship phone is here, and yes, it’s packed with AI features. Skipping the HONOR 300, the HONOR 400 5G has arrived in markets like the Philippines, sporting not just AI but several substantial upgrades from its predecessor.
With HONOR opting not to release (at least not yet) the Pro model in the Philippines, is the HONOR 400 enough to satisfy the local market? We’ll be testing all its components and features in our full review to see if it’s the right one for you. Let’s start.
HONOR 400 5G Specs
- Android 15, MagicOS 9
- Dual SIM, Dual Standby
- 6.55-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, 2736 x 1264 pixel resolution, ~460ppi
- 120Hz refresh rate
- 5000-nit peak brightness, HDR
- 3840Hz PWM Dimming, AI Defocus Eyecare
- 2.63GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 octa-core processor
- Adreno 720 GPU
- 12GB RAM
- 512GB internal storage, non-expandable
- 50-megapixel front camera
- 200-megapixel (f/1.9, PDAF, OIS) + 12-megapixel (ultra-wide/macro) rear cameras, LED flash
- IP66 dust and water resistant, SGS 5-Star Drop Resistant
- Under-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.4
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, GLONASS, QZSS, BDS
- NFC, IR blaster
- USB-C
- Dimensions: 156.5 x 74.6 x 7.3mm
- Weight: 184g
- Colors: Desert Gold, Midnight Black
- 6,000mAh non-removable battery, 80W wired charging
Design and Build Quality
The last predecessor of the HONOR 400 we got is the HONOR 200, not the HONOR 300, so we’ll be comparing it mostly to that device from two generations ago.
As you can see, the HONOR 400 5G is smaller now. It has a 6.55-inch screen (from 6.7-inch), 7.3mm thin (from 7.7mm), 156.5mm tall (from 161.5mm), and now weighs 184g (from 187g).
In fact, it’s one of the thinnest and most compact smartphones in its segment. It feels incredibly comfortable to hold, even with just one hand, and very refreshing considering how big and bulky most phones are getting these days.
It has a flat frame that improves grip, albeit it made the sides a little sharp, which would’ve made the device too uncomfortable if not for the smooth corners. It kind of reminds us of the iPhone’s frame, which I personally would consider as a positive.
For durability, the HONOR 400 model we’re getting has an IP66 dust and water resistance. That should be enough to survive accidental water exposure in normal day-to-day usage. HONOR has also pre-applied a screen protector and has included a free clear case that protects the display and camera island well.
The HONOR 400 5G has a distinctive camera island, which doesn’t look too groundbreaking, but is enough to separate itself from the crowd.
It’s available in three colorways. Our unit here is the Desert Gold, which looks elegant but slightly boring. It’s also available in Midnight Black and Tidal Blue color options.
Taking a tour, we have a 6.55-inch AMOLED screen on the front with very thin bezels and a clean punch-hole for the 50-megapixel selfie camera.
Left side is clean, while the right has the volume controls and the lock/power button. The physical buttons are tactile and clicky, which compliments its sturdy build quality.
The top has the stereo speaker, noise-isolating microphone, and the IR blaster.
At the bottom, we have a SIM slot that can house two nano SIM cards, the primary microphone, a USB-C port, and a loudspeaker.
It may not be the most well-designed smartphone on the market, but the HONOR 400 5G is dressed well enough and durable enough to justify its price tag.
Display and Audio
The HONOR 400 5G has a 6.55-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, with a resolution of 2736 x 1264 pixels, ~460ppi, 10-bit color, high 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, Netflix and Amazon HDR support with 5,000-nit peak brightness, and 3840Hz PWM Dimming and AI Defocus Eyecare for eye safety.
The display is really colorful, contrasty, and sharp. The compact size is definitely limiting for those who want a more immersive experience, but you should already know what you’re getting by looking at the specs sheet (or when you purchase it in stores).
Screen brightness is more than enough for outdoor use, the dynamic refresh rate is responsive, and the HDR really did work on streaming platforms. Having Dolby Atmos would be nice, though.
The stereo speakers were excellent. The treble is crisp, and the bass is powerful enough to provide good sound for both music and movies. The sharpness in the vocals is particularly impressive. Stereo separation is nice as well.
Volume gets really loud, too, thanks to the 200% volume booster that barely clips and distorts the audio quality.
Hardware and Performance
The HONOR 400 5G is powered by a 4nm 2.63GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, with Adreno 720 GPU, generous 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of non-expandable storage.
HONOR 400 5G Benchmark Scores
HONOR’s choice of processor is quite disappointing for the price. Still, its day-to-day performance was able to satisfy us. Switching between apps was quick enough, scrolling through social media feeds was smooth, as well as taking pictures, editing them, writing documents, and more.
HONOR didn’t detail the cooling system of the HONOR 400, but it does boast HONOR’s GPU Turbo X Game engine, which is apparently a “graphics processing technology” that smoothens the gaming experience.
Genshin Impact ran smoothly under Medium resolution at 60fps. Overheating was not a problem, either.
PUBG Mobile performed really well on Balanced graphics with Extreme frame rates. In addition, Call of Duty Mobile was capable of running on Very High graphics and Max frames settings. The same can be said for Farlight84 under HD graphics and Very High frames.
Mobile Legends was seamless with the highest available settings, as well as Asphalt Legends Unite.
The HONOR 400 may not have the best chipset in its segment, but it was still able to exceed our expectations in terms of gaming. Of course, this is not the one if performance is your top priority, but it performs well enough for casual gamers.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Very High • Frame Rate: Max |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: HD • Frame Rate: Very High |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Balanced • Frame Rate: Extreme |
| Genshin Impact | • Render Resolution: Medium • Visual Effects: High • FPS: 60 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Graphics Quality: Ultra • Frame Rate: Ultra • HD Mode: On |
| Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: High Quality • Frame Rate: 60 |
Software and User Interface
The HONOR 400 5G comes with an Android 15-based MagicOS 9.0 user interface. HONOR said it will receive 6 years of software updates, which we appreciate very much, but it’s not clear if they are referring to major Android upgrades or just minor patches. In any case, we expect it to be at least 3 Android versions, which is good enough for its price point.
MagicOS is nice and clean. Not the most minimalist, but definitely functional, which is honestly more important. Oh, and if you like using an app drawer, you have to enable it under the Home Screen Style section in the settings.
HONOR’s Magic Portal feature is now more powerful. You can use your knuckle to tap and circle photos or texts on pretty much any app. The photos and texts can be easily transferred to any app.
It’s useful for extracting addresses for Google Maps or mobile numbers on social media captions so you can dial them right away. Many of the AI features are present in the photography section, so more on that later.
Other AI features are also here. The AI Writer can be easily accessed while writing emails, writing captions, comments, and more. We also have AI Subtitles, AI Translate, and AI Deepfake Detection.
Customization settings are quite plentiful, from the AOD wallpapers, icon styles, layouts, transition effects, and more.
For security, the optical in-display fingerprint scanner was responsive and reliable, and the face unlock, too.
The Game Manager is a window you can access while in-game. It lets you switch to Performance mode, disable notifications, see real-time CPU and RAM usage, an FPS counter, and more.
There’s a built-in cleanup storage app that analyzes the system and lets you quickly remove junk files, unused apps, or duplicate files. It’s also worth noting that there is very little bloatware here, and it can be uninstalled easily.
HONOR’s RAM Turbo feature can add up to 12GB of memory from the storage for an extra boost. But unlike on other phones, it can not be adjusted, nor enabled/disabled. That shouldn’t be an issue since features like these barely work anyway.
Cameras
The HONOR 400 5G sports a 200-megapixel 1/1.4-inch ISOCELL HP3 main sensor from Samsung, with PDAF, and optical image stabilization. It is joined by a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 50-megapixel shooter for selfies.
You can record videos with the main and selfie cameras in 16:9 and 21:9 aspect ratios under 720p and 1080p at 30fps or 60fps and 4K at 30fps.
The portrait mode has HONOR’s Harcourt Vibrant, Harcourt Colour, and Harcourt Classic presets. Pro mode is also here, slow-mo recording at 1080p@120fps and 720p@240fps, Super Macro, High-Res mode, Story preset, and more.
Daylight shots from the 200-megapixel main camera are great. We got natural colors, clean dynamic range, nice details with no oversharpening, and smooth and natural depth of field.
The main camera remained impressive as we head into the night. Low-light shots still got an impressive amount of details, the dynamic range is still clean, and the shutter remains relatively quick.
The main camera takes decent 2x photos, making up for the lack of a dedicated telephoto camera. Shots under 2x zoom have a 54mm equivalent, which is great for portraits.
Image quality looks surprisingly good and clean, even in low light. The 2x shots almost never felt like they were taken from a digitally cropped sensor.
In fact, you can zoom 4x (108mm) up to 30x (810mm) with this sharp sensor. The ultra-cropped photos are aided with HONOR’s AI Super Zoom feature, which does a decent job at sharpening them. Quality drops as you zoom in further, but that’s to be expected.
Harcourt photo filters are available in the Portrait Mode. The filters were co-created by Studio Harcourt, a photography studio based in Paris. There are three filters to choose from: Vibrant, Colour, and Classic, all provide a distinct and vintage look to the photos, which we really like.
Let’s then proceed to the 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Image quality is mediocre, but still usable if you really have to cram large (or many) subjects in a single frame.
Details and sharpness are decent, but with noticeable over sharpening. Colors and dynamic range are passable, even in low light.
The 50-megapixel selfie camera takes sharp photos, no surprises there. Skin tones are captured really well, and dynamic range is on point. Even in low-light or indoors, the image quality held up pretty well.
Another notable feature of the HONOR 400 is the AI Image to Video showcased in viral videos on social media. It’s easily accessible in the Gallery. It converts static photos into animated 5-second videos. Depending on how complex the subject is, the effect can look really believable. It’s also best to remove watermarks first, as it can ruin the video generation.
Beware of the “Limited Time Free Trial” notice when generating videos, though. Buyers will get two free months of the service, with credits to generate 10 videos per day. You may have to pay after the free trial, as it uses Google’s Veo 2 AI model. No concrete information about it yet, but we expect that there will still be free credits for users.
AI Eraser is also here, which gains a new feature that intelligently detects passers-by in the photos and removes them cleanly.
Remove Reflection, AI Upscale, and AI Cutout from the HONOR Magic7 Pro are also here. AI Outpainting is handy for converting landscape photos into portraits (and vice-versa) before posting them as a Story or Grid photo on platforms like Instagram.
Overall, we’re impressed with the photography prowess of the HONOR 400 5G, thanks to great combination of both the hardware and software.
Battery and Charging
The HONOR 400 5G boasts a beefy 6,000mAh battery paired with flagship-grade 80W charging. While it did provide good scores, it lags behind most of the competition that has the same battery capacity.
In our PCMark Synthetic Battery Test, it lasted for 14 hours and 4 minutes, versus the average of 16 hours and 35 minutes that other phones got. It also lagged behind in our 1080p YouTube Video Loop Test by scoring 12 hours and 36 minutes, versus the average of 15 hours and 55 minutes.
You should still get an entire day of light to moderate use on this device, maybe more if HONOR releases updates that improve efficiency in the future.
The HONOR 400 has 80W charging support but ships with a 100W HONOR SuperCharge adapter. Speeds are quite good. You can get a 0-30% charge in just 15-minutes, which is perfect if you need to get back up and running again quickly. See our full charging test results below:
- 15mins: 0-30%
- 30mins: 54%
- 45mins: 76%
- 1hr: 97%
- 1hr 3mins: FULL
Verdict
The HONOR 400 managed to exceed our expectations so well that we were okay with the Pro model not making it to the country. It has all the right components that make for a reliable daily driver in this day and age.
It has a compact design and durable build that’s comfortable to use day and night, a solid display paired with excellent speakers for all your entertainment needs, and a reliable performance for both basic tasks and gaming.
HONOR’s latest also offers a rich photography experience, fast charging, and a promise of long software support.
Still, we’re very bummed with the chipset they chose to go with, and it desperately needs a software update that tackles battery efficiency.
All in all, the HONOR 400 5G offers a great value for the price, especially for those who want a flagship-like experience for under Php23,000.
HONOR 400 5G pricing and availability
The HONOR 400 5G has an official SRP of Php22,999 in the Philippines. You can get it at HONOR stores, kiosks, and retailers nationwide. It’s also available on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.
Pros
- Compact design, durable build
- Loud and crisp stereo speakers
- Reliable day-to-day, gaming performance
- Good cameras
- Extensive software support
- 80W fast charging
Cons
- Underwhelming chipset choice for the price
- Battery performance could be better