After the Lite version, made official at the beginning of May, here is the "standard" version of the Honor 400. Already available in all good retailers, the smartphone takes up the positioning of its predecessor while strengthening its photographic offering and integrating even more artificial intelligence. Honor has even revised the price of the phone downwards, returning it to under 500 euros.
On May 6, we reported in our columns on the commercial launch of the Honor 400 Lite, the first model in the "400" series, which replaces the famous "200" series that inaugurated the partnership between Honor and Harcourt Studios. We have of course tested this Honor 400 Lite. And it's clear that the phone offers a very satisfying experience for a price that remains moderate: 329 euros. Enough to worry Xiaomi, Realme, and other Samsung phones that also operate in this segment.
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Three weeks later, Honor continues to roll out its "400" range with a second model: the Honor 400. It obviously replaces the Honor 200 released in 2024, a smartphone known for having inaugurated the partnership between the Chinese brand and the French studio Harcourt. Thanks to this alliance, Honor's premium smartphones have a "Harcourt" mode that we tested with the Honor 200 Pro and the Magic7 Pro. Of course, the Honor 400 also benefits from this, unlike the Honor 400 Lite.
The Honor 400 multiplies the arguments for photographers
But this is not the only argument of the Honor 400 on photography. It benefits from a new 200 megapixel photo sensor, compared to only 50 megapixels for the Honor 200 and 200 Pro. This sensor is rather large, since it measures 1/1.4 inch. A size that will compensate for the somewhat dark nature of its lens which opens at f/1.9. Phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization are still present.
The objective of this new component is to compensate for the unfortunate elimination of the optical zoom of its predecessor. This 200 megapixel sensor is therefore capable of offering a deeper lossless digital zoom than its predecessor. A zoom that is also optimized by artificial intelligence, as for the Magic7 Pro. AI is also omnipresent in photography in the Honor 400: instant portrait, night portrait, reflection removal, animation of a static photo, generative filling, etc. It's almost too much, there are so many.
In addition, there is a single secondary module directly taken from the Honor 200. It combines ultra-wide-angle and macro. The sensor is a 12-megapixel model. The aperture is set at f/2.0. And the viewing angle is 112°. The selfie sensor is also taken from the Honor 200. It is associated with a lens with an aperture of f/2.0 and a fixed focal length. This configuration is therefore, on paper, less rich than that of the Honor 200. But there's a good reason: the Honor 400 is also cheaper than its predecessor: starting at 499.90 euros, compared to 649 euros. That's a big difference.
What concessions are made to lower the price of the Honor 400?
Photography isn't the only area where Honor has to make some concessions to ensure financial balance. We're also seeing savings in other areas of the spec sheet. Fast charging is slower, with the maximum accepted power dropping from 100 watts to 66 watts. The SoC isn't evolving. RAM is up to 8 GB and storage to 256 GB. You can get 512 GB of storage, but the bill increases by 80 euros in this case. It's a bit expensive for the upgrade. Here are the important details from the technical sheet:
- 6.55-inch 1.5K 120Hz AMOLED display, 5000 nits (peak) brightness
- Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor
- 8GB RAM, 256 or 512GB storage
- 5300mAh Silicon-Carbon battery with 66-watt fast charging support
- 200MP primary camera with PDAF and OIS
- 12MP wide-angle and macro secondary camera with AF
- 16MP selfie camera
- Android 15 and MagicOS 9.0
- 6 years of Android updates and security patches
- IP65 dust and water resistant certification water
Despite the concessions, the phone's specs remain consistent because the price drop is quite significant. It remains to be seen whether, in everyday use, the Honor 400 can compare with its predecessor. We answer this question in our full review. Finally, note that the smartphone is available in two colors in France: gold and black (the white version that you might see at some peers is only available internationally). The phone's design is fairly consistent with the Honor 400 Lite, with its "almost" triangular camera module. The phone is available today from many French retailers. The associated launch offer is interesting, since it allows you to buy the 512 GB version of the Honor 400 at the price of the 256 GB version.
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