TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Rummage Through): The HONOR 400 is a shockingly good midrange phone that punches up with a flagship-grade camera, AI features that feel like they’re from the year 2030, and a screen that could blind a bat at midnight. If you’re looking for a sleek, high-performance phone without mortgaging your soul to afford it, this might just be the one.
Specs at a Glance
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.55″ OLED, 1.5K (2736×1264), 120Hz, 5000 nits |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 |
| RAM/Storage | 12GB + 256GB/512GB |
| Rear Camera | 200MP (main) + 12MP (ultrawide) |
| Front Camera | 50MP |
| Battery | 6000mAh with 80W fast charging |
| OS | MagicOS 9 based on Android 15 |
| Water Resistance | IP66 |
Design & Build: Understated Chic or Midrange Minimalist?
Holding the HONOR 400 for the first time, I couldn’t help but feel like this was a phone trying hard not to scream, “I’m a budget device!” It rocks flat edges with a matte metal frame, slightly iPhone-esque in silhouette but with that classic HONOR twist. The rear camera array has presence—two large circular modules that instantly grab your attention, not just for their symmetry but for the high-performance optics they house. The device feels sturdy and well-balanced in hand, with a matte back that resists fingerprints better than most phones I’ve tested this year.
What’s more impressive is the attention to detail in the way the buttons are tactile, the haptics provide clean, subtle feedback, and the overall balance in hand makes one-handed usage manageable despite the sizable display. HONOR’s design team clearly took cues from premium flagships, incorporating subtle curvature on the back for comfort and a solid, almost industrial aesthetic that feels reliable and refined. It’s also rated IP65 for dust and water resistance, which means it can handle accidental splashes and dusty desert days, though it probably won’t survive a pool dive. There’s no headphone jack, and no sign of official Gorilla Glass protection either, which might turn off purists, but otherwise the phone looks and feels like a device twice its price.
Display: Blindingly Beautiful
Let’s talk about the screen. The HONOR 400 boasts a 6.55-inch OLED panel with a crisp 1.5K resolution and buttery smooth 120Hz refresh rate. What makes this display stand out isn’t just its sharpness or fluidity, but its insane peak brightness of 5,000 nits. That’s not a typo. Even under the brutal midday sun of a UAE summer, the screen remains perfectly legible and vibrant. The display is also HDR10+ certified, which means content on Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube simply looks better—more detail in dark scenes, more intensity in the highlights, and a punch of realism you don’t expect from a midrange phone.
Whether you’re binge-watching YouTube, flipping through HDR photos, or doomscrolling social media, it handles it all with finesse. The colors are rich but not oversaturated, blacks are inky deep, and the overall experience is on par with flagship-tier displays. Viewing angles are excellent too, maintaining clarity and brightness from sharp tilts. While some users may lament the lack of an adaptive refresh rate or curved glass edges, the flat panel design improves usability and avoids accidental touches, which is often a concern with curved displays. This is the kind of screen that makes you want to keep using your phone just for the joy of looking at it.
Performance: Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 — Cool, Quiet, Capable
Under the hood, the HONOR 400 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset. It’s not quite the fire-breathing dragon that the 8 Gen series is, but it’s an absolute champ in the midrange world. This processor is built on a 4nm architecture, giving it excellent power efficiency and reliable thermals. Paired with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, the phone performs exceptionally well during everyday use. From multitasking with multiple apps to casual gaming, the performance remains consistently fluid. I played Genshin Impact at medium settings and still enjoyed a remarkably smooth frame rate. Call of Duty: Mobile ran comfortably at high settings, with no frame drops even during frantic firefights.
Apps open quickly, animations are snappy, and even heavy web browsing doesn’t slow things down. HONOR’s MagicOS does a good job of managing RAM and keeping background apps from being overly aggressive with battery drain or reloading. Thermals are well-controlled, with the phone never getting uncomfortably warm even under load. The absence of expandable storage might be a limitation for some, especially photographers or heavy media consumers, but with 512GB available, it’s a compromise many can live with. For a phone priced under AED 1399, it handles itself like a flagship sidekick.
Cameras: 200MP of “Wait… This Was Shot on a Midrange?”
The HONOR 400’s camera system is its biggest flex. The primary 200MP sensor delivers stunning photos in good lighting, with incredible detail and dynamic range that frankly embarrassed some flagship phones I compared it with. Images retain texture and depth even when zoomed in, and HONOR’s computational photography algorithms work overtime to ensure that skin tones remain natural and highlights aren’t blown out. The color science is mature and consistent across lenses, which is rare at this price point. HONOR’s AI scene optimization has improved tremendously, accurately balancing highlights and shadows in complex scenes. The 12MP ultrawide lens does its job decently but isn’t a standout—edges can get soft, and details are often lost in low light. That said, it’s perfectly usable for group shots and travel photography.
The 50MP front-facing camera is a pleasant surprise. Selfies are crisp and vibrant, with great skin tone accuracy and minimal distortion, though it lacks autofocus, which becomes noticeable in dim lighting. The AI Super Zoom feature digitally punches in up to 30x, with surprisingly usable results up to about 10x. More impressive than the hardware are the AI-powered camera tools like Motion Capture, Portrait Light Separation, and real-time video filters, which let you shoot creative, stylized footage on the fly. The camera app itself is intuitive, responsive, and packed with modes—night, pro, document scanner, dual view—you name it. It won’t replace your DSLR, but for a phone in this price range, the camera package is jaw-dropping.
Photo Samples
Battery Life: 6000mAh = Marathon Runner Mode
Battery life is one of the HONOR 400’s silent strengths. With a 6000mAh cell under the hood, the phone easily powers through a full day of heavy usage with room to spare. I ran it through a day of streaming, social media, navigation, photography, and even a few hours of mobile gaming, and ended the day with around 25% still in the tank. HONOR’s optimization with MagicOS clearly plays a role here, stretching efficiency out of every milliampere.
Charging is fast and efficient with the included 66W charger, juicing the battery from 0 to around 80% in just 30 minutes. While the absence of wireless charging might irk some users in 2025, it’s not a dealbreaker given the fast wired speeds. Whether you’re a power user or someone who forgets to charge overnight, the HONOR 400 has your back.
Software & AI Features: MagicOS 9 Is, Well… Kinda Magic
MagicOS 9, HONOR’s latest iteration of its custom Android skin, represents a significant leap forward in integrating artificial intelligence into the smartphone experience. Built atop Android 15, this OS doesn’t just offer a fresh coat of paint; it reimagines how users interact with their devices by embedding AI deeply into its core functionalities.
Gemini: Your Personalized AI Assistant
At the heart of MagicOS 9 lies the integration of Gemini AI, HONOR’s cutting-edge digital assistant designed to learn, adapt, and anticipate user needs. Far beyond the limitations of standard voice helpers, Gemini AI leverages a sophisticated Large Action Model (LAM) to perform multi-step tasks with just a single command. It can remember your go-to coffee order, auto-schedule it based on your morning routine, or scour e-commerce sites in real-time to find you the best price on those noise-canceling earbuds you’ve been eyeing. By blending contextual awareness with predictive intelligence, Gemini AI transforms the HONOR 400 into a true digital concierge—one that’s always a step ahead.
Magic Portal: Seamless Cross-App Navigation
Magic Portal is another standout feature, enhancing multitasking by allowing users to drag and drop content across different apps effortlessly. Whether you’re moving text from a message to a note or sharing images between social platforms, Magic Portal simplifies the process, reducing the need for cumbersome copy-paste actions .
AI-Powered Productivity Tools
MagicOS 9 introduces a suite of AI-driven tools aimed at boosting productivity:
- AI Notes: Automatically transcribes meetings, distinguishing between different speakers, and summarizes key points for quick reference.
- AI Document: Assists in document creation by offering features like Q&A, mind mapping, and AI-assisted writing, streamlining the drafting process.
- AI Translation: Facilitates real-time language translation, supporting multiple languages and dialects, which is invaluable for international communication .
Enhanced Security: Deepfake Detection
In an era where digital manipulation is increasingly sophisticated, MagicOS 9 incorporates AI-based deepfake detection. This feature analyzes video calls in real-time to identify and alert users to potential face-swapping or AI-generated impersonations, adding an extra layer of security to virtual interactions .
Smart Capsule: Real-Time Notifications
Drawing inspiration from Apple’s Dynamic Island, HONOR’s Smart Capsule provides users with real-time alerts for events like weather changes, medical appointments, or security notifications. This feature ensures that critical information is delivered promptly without disrupting the user’s current activity .
Magic Photo Editor: Creative Image Enhancements
For photography enthusiasts, the Magic Photo Editor / Magic Retouch offers AI-powered tools to enhance images. Users can remove unwanted objects, restore old photos, or apply creative filters to expand and enrich their pictures. This feature democratizes photo editing, making advanced enhancements accessible to all users .
User Experience and Interface
Beyond AI features, MagicOS 9 brings a refreshed user interface with customizable lock screens, new animation engines for smoother transitions, and improved control centers with larger icons for better accessibility. These enhancements contribute to a more intuitive and visually appealing user experience .
In summary, MagicOS 9 transforms the HONOR 400 into more than just a smartphone; it becomes a smart companion that anticipates needs, enhances productivity, and ensures security, all while providing a seamless and engaging user experience.
Final Verdict: HONOR’s Midrange Flex
The HONOR 400 hits all the sweet spots: elegant design, flagship-worthy display, solid performance, impressive camera chops, and future-forward AI features. It manages to bring a premium smartphone experience to a segment that’s too often defined by compromise. Sure, there are some missing luxuries like wireless charging, OIS, and a periscope lens, but these are omissions you’ll rarely notice in daily use. Starting at AED 1399, it’s a spectacular value proposition. HONOR has crafted a device that doesn’t just compete in the midrange space—it dominates it. If you’re in the market for a new phone that feels smarter, faster, and cooler than its price tag suggests, the HONOR 400 deserves a spot at the top of your shortlist.
