The HONOR 400 5G is finally here after much hype. It is a direct upgrade from last year’s entry and it is being touted as an “AI Phone” thanks to its new suite of features. But does it have more than just AI features?
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 |
| Screen | 6.55-inch AMOLED, 2736 x 1264, 120Hz |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB |
| OS | Android 15, MagicOS 9, 6 Years of OS Upgrades |
| Rear Camera | 200MP f/1.9 Main, 12MP f/2.2 Ultrawide |
| Front Camera | 50MP f/2.0 |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 5G |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, USB-C, Infrared |
| Battery | 6,000mAh, HONOR 80W SuperCharge, 5W Reverse Wired |
| Others | In-Display Fingerprint Scanner, IP65/IP66 Dust and Water Resistance |
| Dimensions | 156.5 x 74.6 x 7.3mm |
| Weight | 184g |
| Colors | Desert Gold, Tidal Blue, Midnight Black |
The HONOR 400 5G doesn’t stray away from the brand’s traditional packaging. It comes in a white box with its branding embossed at the front. Inside the box is the smartphone itself, a silicone case, SIM ejector pin, a white USB-C to USB-A cable, and an HONOR SuperCharge 100W adapter.
The HONOR 400 5G’s looks has been redesigned from its predecessor to be more distinctive. Instead of an oval camera bump, it now has a trapezoid-shaped island similar to that of last year’s Huawei Pura 70. The rear itself is matte so there’s no worries about fingerprints nor dust, while its sides are flat for a comfortable holding experience.
Its chassis is rated for IP66 dust and water resistance and comes with a 5-Star Rating from SGS for drop resistance. It does miss out on IP68/IP69 weather resistance that some of its contemporaries have.
All of its buttons are located at the right-hand side and are slightly biased towards the middle portion. While placing all the buttons at the same side does help with one-handed use, their centered position might become awkward for those with bigger hands.
At the bottom of the device are its SIM tray for 2 SIM cards, USB-C port, and grilles for its bottom-firing speakers. As is with the trend, there’s no microSD card support for storage expansion nor a 3.5mm audio jack for wired audio.
HONOR packs the 400 5G with a 6.55-inch 2736 x 1264 120Hz AMOLED display. While it’s smaller than 6.7-inch smartphones in the market, we actually prefer the screen as the device is more compact than others. There are also minimal bezels at all sides, allowing the screen to take the whole front real estate.
The screen itself is vibrant, produces good colors, and the 120Hz refresh rate improves fluidity while being used. Blacks are deep as expected with an AMOLED screen while brightness is plenty enough to brute force through strong glare or outdoor sunlight.
The HONOR 400 5G is equipped with dual stereo speakers with the earpiece complementing the bottom-firing speaker. Audio quality is pretty good with decent vocals and mids. Everything remains clear even at max volume with no hint of becoming tinny. Bass could be better, but thin devices historically don’t have the best performance in this area.
The HONOR 400 5G runs on MagicOS 9. It is Android 15 at its core, with all of its amenities, fluffed up by a couple of additions. The UI feels smooth and the large folders help with organizing apps without opening a separate folder.
The brand is going heavy on AI this generation. Though they are using Google’s Gemini for an assistant, they have other AI implementations such as AI Deepfake Detection, Magic Portal to circle and identify objects on display, AI Translation, AI Subtitles, and AI Writing Tools.
One of the gimmicks they have on the 400 5G is Image-To-Video. Using generative AI from the cloud, you are able to convert image to video all within the built-in gallery app. Quality can be hit or miss, but it is rather entertaining. The result is randomized as there is no prompt to tell the AI what to do – perhaps to avoid illicit content being created.
You are limited to 30 tries per day, it is still unclear if HONOR will make this a subscription model in the future.
HONOR is promising 6 Android OS updates along with 6 years of security patches. While not the longest in the industry, it’s still a good step towards long-term support.
HONOR equips the 400 5G with a 200MP f/1.9 main camera and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide shooter at the back, and a 50MP f/2.0 front-facing lens. Though we would have liked a telephoto lens, it’s reserved to the Pro model and we’re not sure yet if it will launch in the Philippines.
Its video mode supports 4K30fps or 1080p60fps for both the rear and front cameras. There’s no support for 4K60fps. Slow motion supports 720p240fps and 1080p240fps.
Its 200MP f/1.9 main camera is powered by a 1/1.4-inch sensor. It takes 12.5MP photos by default, and its full 200MP resolution can be used by choosing the high-res option in the camera app.
The main camera delivers solid performance with good color reproduction and dynamic highlights with plenty of detail. Photos do come out a bit too sharp to our liking, but that’s just nitpicking at this point.
Low-light photos have the same characteristics with good colors, highlights, and detail. There is some noise, however, they are not noticeable enough to have any kind of effect to most photos.
Its 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide takes a back seat in terms of performance compared to the main camera. Though it is lower in pixel count, it can still deliver good photos with a steady hand but don’t count on the same quality in low-light conditions.
Under the hood of the HONOR 400 5G is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip paired complemented by 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage – the same as its predecessor. While it is still a capable chipset, it is nearly 2 years old and its age might show at times.
During regular use, the HONOR 400 5G feels smooth and responsive. Running heavy applications side-by-side – like multiple games – will start to chug the device a bit. Most games will run smoothly especially mainstream titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Call of Duty Mobile, but you might need to turn down some settings to get a steady high framerate on more demanding titles like Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail.
Powering the whole device is a 6,000mAh Silicon-Carbon battery – 800mAh more compared to the last generation. It might not sound a lot, but this enables the 400 5G to be used comfortably throughout the day with enough left for the next day.
As for charging, the device supports 80W HONOR SuperCharge charging despite being bundled with a 100W charger. It takes around an hour to fill up the battery from empty, but it will only take 15 minutes to take the device to 40% if you need a quick charge.
The HONOR 400 5G is a solid choice for a midranger. While its cameras are its main highlight with vibrant and detailed photos, there’s still plenty to look forward to like smooth performance, a compact form factor, a long battery life, and swift charging.
Some of its AI suite is still a bit of a gimmick as there are tools on the Internet that basically do the same, and you Image-To-Video is limited per day. Its chipset, while smooth in general usage, might not age as well as it is almost 2 years old at the time the smartphone hit retail shelves.
Overall, the HONOR 400 5G is a decent upgrade from their previous entry in terms of cameras. Those who want great cameras paired with good battery life will have plenty of fun with this.
The HONOR 400 5G is priced at PhP 22,999 in the Philippines. It is now available through HONOR’s official Shopee, TikTok, and Lazada stores, as well as authorized retailers and concept stores nationwide.
HONOR is running a pre-order promo from June 18 – 27, 2025 where the device will be bundled with an HONOR Choice Earbuds Clip (PhP 4,999), JBL Go Speakers 4 (PhP 2,599), and JisuLife Fan Pro1 (PhP 1,799). Additionally, they are giving you a chance to win a Rolex GMT Master II Green Arrow worth PhP 600,000 and Hermés Lindy Mindi worth PhP 420,000 if you pre-order.
