HONOR 400 Pro 5G Review

HONOR has been on a steady rise. With the successful launch of the HONOR 400 5G, HONOR is now bringing the Pro version to the Philippines today.

And now, with the arrival of the HONOR 400 Pro 5G, can it play in the competition? For its kind, the HONOR 400 Pro 5G brings a flagship feel, powerful internals, serious camera hardware, and some clever AI tricks. But is it really the flagship killer it wants to be?

Design & Build

First impressions matter, and the HONOR 400 Pro 5G makes a strong one. It boasts a frosted-glass back, polished aluminum-like edges, and a trapezoidal camera bump that doesn’t feel intrusive, carrying a triple rear setup.

The phone is hefty at around 205 grams, but the weight distribution is balanced, making it feel sturdy rather than bulky.

The back panel has a matte finish that protects fingerprint smudges while still catching light in subtle, classy ways. As I said earlier about looking at it for the first time, the HONOR 400 Pro feels premium, exuding an appealing profile, something you’d expect from phones at this price range.

Durability-wise, it’s also rated IP68/69, meaning it can survive accidental water spills or brief dips. The HONOR 400 Pro 5G has a 5-star SGS certification, which makes it resistant to drops and crashes.

That’s a flagship right there in a midrange disguise. The phone is available in Midnight Black, Tidal Blue, and Lunar Gray, understated, sophisticated colors that appeal to pros and creatives alike.

For I/Os, the HONOR 400 Pro 5G places the power button and volume rocker on the right side, while the other side is clean. The USB Type-C Port, Speaker Grill, and SIM Tray slot are situated at the bottom part, and on the upper part is the other speaker grill and IR Blaster.

Display and Multimedia

Flip it over, and the HONOR 400 Pro 5G features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2800 x 1280 and support for a 120Hz refresh rate. It was an enjoyable experience for me to glide smoothly and slide through different windows without the hassle of stuttering.

And what stands out, though, is its max brightness, peaking at an eye-popping 5,000 nits in HDR content. Whether you’re watching Netflix, streaming music videos, watching vlogs outdoors, or scrolling through Instagram on a sunny day, visibility is not a problem.

Colors are punchy and contrast is deep, though some users might find the reds slightly oversaturated, but it’s completely fine. We also loved how the thin bezels complemented the viewing experience, as it made it more immersive for users to enjoy the display and its color accuracy.

Regarding the audio, if the HONOR 400 model was kind of lacking a punch and sound, this Pro version gave me a nice experience. The dual stereo speakers did serve justice to the overall multimedia quality experience.

There’s eye-care tech built-in, like a blue light filter and dynamic color temperature adjustments. Scrolling and animations feel smooth, and the touch response is buttery thanks to the high refresh rate.

Performance

The Honor 400 Pro 5G is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, 12GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of fast UFS 4.0 storage.

In real-world use, this phone blazes through anything you throw at it. App launches are instant, multitasking is seamless, and even heavy games like Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves, and Zenless Zone Zero run on high settings without hiccups.

The cooling system helps to control thermals as well. The phone was warm but never uncomfortable after 30 minutes of gaming. It’s still manageable and nothing to be concerned about.

Benchmark scores back it up, it scores close to 1.8 million on AnTuTu and have maxed out 3DMark’s Wild Life test. This thing is a beast.

Software

Running MagicOS 9.0 on top of Android 15, the software experience is a mixed bag. On one hand, you get tons of features, customizations, and AI-assisted tools like Magic Portal and Image-to-Video conversion tools like what we’ve experience on the HONOR 400.

 On the other, it’s not exactly bloat-free. Pre-installed apps abound some useful and some not.

AI Features you can enjoy on the HONOR 400 Pro are the AI Magic Portal, Live Translation, AI Writing Tool, and AI DeepFake Detection. This feature really amazes me, especially right now, a lot of users are very susceptible to online scams and frauds. With the HONOR 400 Pro, it protects us from potential traps from these cyber-criminals.

Still, Honor promises 4 years of major Android updates and 6 years of security patches, which is great long-term support for a device in this price range.

Camera

This is where the HONOR 400 Pro 5G flexes hard. The camera system includes a 200MP main sensor (f/1.9, OIS), 50MP telephoto lens (3x optical, OIS), 12MP ultra-wide with autofocus, and a 50MP front camera with dedicated depth sensor.

Daylight shots from the 200MP sensor are excellent—super crisp, high dynamic range, and natural-looking colors. The AI scene detection helps with tuning, but doesn’t go overboard with saturation. Low-light shots also impress, especially when Night Mode kicks in.

The 3x telephoto performs solidly even in medium lighting, and digital zoom up to 15x remains surprisingly usable. The ultra-wide is decent but suffers slightly in dynamic range, especially in dim environments.

You can shoot up to 4K at 60fps with all lenses, though some users may miss the option for 60fps ultra-wide and selfie video, it can only shoot at 30fps max. Stabilization is decent thanks to OIS and EIS, and the audio pickup is clean even in noisy environments. Colors are consistent across lenses, but exposure tends to shift slightly when switching between them.

In general, video performance is solid.  If you’re into vlogging or cinematic content, it can really deliver great output. 

If you’re wondering about the capability of the its lenses, you can check them out here:

Battery Life and Connectivity

The HONOR 400 Pro 5G packs a 6000mAh battery, and it’s one of the best-performing batteries we’ve tested this year. Even with heavy usage—socials, gaming, camera use, and streaming—it lasts more than a full day. Moderate use stretches to almost two days.

Charging is equally impressive, 100W wired charging gets you from 0 to 50% in just over 20 -30 minutes, and 50W wireless charging is supported too. This is flagship-class charging, and HONOR includes the charger in the box, unlike from other brands such as Apple and Samsung. 

After experiencing the HONOR 400 Pro 5G for two weeks, I was personally satisfied with its battery life coz it really lasted me. We had the HONOR 400 Pro tested in PC Mark for battery test and it was able to pump 17hours and 45mins results. This is surely a nice number for a phone like this.

Verdict

The HONOR 400 Pro 5G is the kind of phone that doesn’t try too hard to impress, because it doesn’t need to. It quietly flexes all the right muscles: a stunning display, powerful internals, reliable cameras, and battery life. For PHP 32,999, it feels like you’re getting flagship-grade performance without signing your wallet away.

First off, performance is top-tier. The device handles day-to-day tasks with ease and barely breaks a sweat under pressure. Whether you’re gaming, multitasking, or jumping between apps, the HONOR 400 Pro keeps everything smooth and snappy. It’s a device built for power users, but even casual users will appreciate how effortlessly it operates.

Then there’s the display, a real head-turner. HONOR equipped the 400 Pro with a vibrant AMOLED screen that’s sharp, bright, and a joy to use whether you’re watching YouTube, scrolling through TikTok, or editing photos.

Camera-wise, it’s more than capable. You get great detail, solid dynamic range, and true-to-life colors in most conditions. Low-light performance is surprisingly good too. Battery life is another major win. The HONOR 400 Pro 5G delivers a full day of use without drama, and the fast charging gets you back in action quickly.

Now let’s talk about the software. It’s functional, fast, and packed with features, but not entirely free from bloat. There’s some room for improvement in UI polish and user experience, but nothing that seriously detracts from the phone’s overall appeal.

At the PHP 32,999 price tag, the HONOR 400 Pro 5G is a must have. It doesn’t just blur the lines between midrange and flagship, it erases them. If you want flagship power at a fraction of the cost, this phone delivers in spades.

The HONOR 400 Pro 5G isn’t just a great phone for the money, it’s one of the best deals of the year.

What we liked about it:

• Excellent display with high brightness
• 200MP camera is versatile and powerful
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 delivers flagship-grade performance
• Long battery life with super-fast charging
• Premium design and IP69 rating
• AI camera features are genuinely useful

Cons:

• MagicOS is a bit bloated
• No ultra-wide and selfie 60fps video

HONOR 400 Pro specs:
6.7-inch AMOLED display (2800 x 1280 (1.5K) resolution, ~460 ppi)
120Hz refresh rate, 5,000 nits (peak)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (3.0GHz)
Adreno 750 GPU
12GB RAM
256GB, 512GB storage
200MP main camera (1/1.4-inch sensor, f/1.9, OIS)
50MP telephoto (3x, f/2.4, OIS)
12MP ultrawide
LED flash
50MP front (f/2.0)
2MP depth
Stereo speakers
Dual SIM
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band)
Bluetooth 5.4
GPS
NFC
IR Blaster
USB Type-C
MagicOS 9 (Android 15)
3D face unlock
Fingerprint sensor (in-display)
6,000mAh battery, 100W wired, 50W wireless (fast charging)
5W reverse wired, reverse wireless charging support
IP68/69 rating
160.8 x 76.1 x 8.1mm (dimensions)
205 grams (weight)
Tidal Blue, Luna Grey, Midnight Black (colors)