Honor 400 Lite Review: Does It Stand a Chance Against Rivals?

The new entry-level smartphone from Honor, the Honor 400 Lite, succeeds the Honor 200 Lite released in 2024. It seems Honor has a preference for even numbers as it jumps straight to the 400 series, starting with the most affordable model in the lineup, the Honor 400 Lite.

It’s worth noting that both the Honor 200 and 400 series are less sophisticated than the Honor Magic series smartphones, such as the Honor Magic 7 Lite we tested earlier this year. Consequently, they are also more affordable.

Beyond its price, let’s explore what makes the Honor 400 Lite appealing to potential buyers on a budget. Can this smartphone stand out in an increasingly competitive price range? Let’s delve into the details.

Technical Specifications

Design: A Matte Finish that Attracts Fingerprints!

The first thing you notice when you pick up the Honor 400 Lite is its surprising lightness, weighing just 171 grams. Additionally, it measures 16.1 x 7.45 cm with a slim thickness of only 7.2 mm.

The model we received features a black matte back that feels pleasant to the touch, although it unfortunately tends to retain fingerprints.

Two other models are available: white/gray and turquoise blue. However, the latter color may not be available in our market.

On a positive note, the Honor 400 Lite is supposed to offer the same level of durability as the Honor 200. Thus, it should withstand drops (up to 1.5 meters), which is always an advantage if you’re somewhat clumsy.

Moreover, it features very thin screen edges. The manufacturer claims that the screen occupies no less than 93.7% of the front of the smartphone. This is despite the large opening that houses the front camera lens and its flash.

However, the Honor 400 Lite is not waterproof. Indeed, it is only certified IP64, which means it is only resistant to splashes. Using it in the rain should not pose any problem.

Apart from its rounded corners, the smartphone features only flat surfaces. Well, almost! The triangular optical block on the back, placed within a square (!), is quite large and protrudes from the casing by a good two millimeters.

And although it is placed in the corner of the smartphone, it is large enough to ensure fairly good stability if you wish to use the smartphone with one hand when it is placed on a table.

Finally, below the volume adjustment key and the one for starting/turning off the smartphone, there is a third large button. This is the AI button, which provides quick access to the camera module (single press) or to Gemini (long press).

It is also touch-sensitive. Thus, after pressing it to enter the photo interface, simply slide your index finger over it to bring up the zoom panel, then slide it again to adjust the zoom level. Some users might find this method of zooming quite intuitive. However, in practice, the precision with which the zoom strength is adjusted is not excellent, and this button might thus appear quite quickly as a gadget that can be easily dispensed with, similar to the Camera Control of the iPhone 16.

Moreover, once in the photo interface, the button also acts as a shutter release. And, if you perform a long press, video recording starts immediately instead of taking a photo.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to assign another function to this button, unlike the one available on the Redmagic 10 Air, for example, which can be used to launch the application of your choice.

Let’s finish this tour of the casing by mentioning that the fingerprint reader is placed under the screen. There is also facial recognition, but not 3D, which is reserved for Honor’s higher-end models.

A Top-tier Display

On paper, the screen of the Honor 400 Lite is quite conventional. It has a 6.7-inch OLED panel and displays images with a resolution of 2412 x 1080 pixels.

Its maximum refresh rate is 120 Hz (it is worth remembering that the Honor 200 Lite was limited to 90 Hz last year). Of course, you can set the frequency to 60 Hz or 120 Hz, or let the system choose the frequency itself, depending on the application in use (Dynamic mode, also sometimes called Adaptive).

However, it is the performance of this screen that sets it apart. For example, the manufacturer announces a base brightness of 800 nits, which can reach 1200 nits by activating the Adaptive Brightness mode. The brightness could even climb to 3500 nits in HDR peak.

And it must be said that the measurements we have made with our Calibrite Display Pro HL probe and the CalMAN Ultimate software from Portrait Displays show that these values are quite realistic. Indeed, we have recorded a base brightness of 747 nits, with a maximum of 1125 nits with adaptive brightness. In both cases, readability in very bright environments is thus ensured.

To top it off, the other measurements made are also very good. Thus, with the display profile called Vivid Colors, the average Delta E was measured at only 2.23. This value being less than 3, we are guaranteed that the colors displayed are extremely close to the ideal theoretical hues.

In this mode, the average color temperature is 7430K, which translates into a colorimetry that is a bit too cold. However, if you ask to correct this by using warmer colors, the average temperature is brought back to 6770 K, which is quite close to a perfectly neutral colorimetry (6500 K).

The icing on the cake, the color coverage of the screen is excellent. Indeed, it is capable of reproducing 161% of the BT 709 gamut, 108% of the DCI-Pc, and 73% of the BT 2020.

Software: Updates Until Android 21

The Honor 400 Lite runs on Android 15, with the MagicOS 9.0 overlay. A good point, the manufacturer ensures that updates to the operating system and security functions are assured for the next six years (until 2031, therefore!).

Moreover, we find the original functions that we had already encountered on the Honor Magic 7 Lite, such as Magic Capsule, Parallel Space, or Magic Portal.

This is complemented by a few AI-boosted productivity functions, such as AI subtitles, AI translation, or two photo retouching tools: the magic eraser and image extension. Good point, these two tools are often particularly effective.

Finally, let’s mention the presence of some bloatware, which can be quickly uninstalled.

Modest Performance Level, But Often Sufficient

The Mediatek Dimensity 7025 Ultra processor, integrated into the Honor 400 Lite, replaces the Dimensity 6080 model that was present in the Honor 200 Lite. It is a chip with 8 cores, two of which operate at 2.5 GHz, while the other six are clocked at 2.0 GHz.

In practice, while the processor is more than sufficient for all office and multimedia applications, it is not designed to offer hyper-fluid animations in sophisticated 3D games. However, it does allow you to play under quite satisfactory conditions.

This is visible, for example, if you launch the game Fortnite. Indeed, the game offers – at best – animations comprising 30 frames per second, with medium graphic quality (which is already not bad for a smartphone at this price).

The same goes for Genshin Impact as long as one is not too demanding on graphic quality and is not chasing 60 fps.

It is impossible to separate the performance of this smartphone from the global market. Two stabs are taken at it: the first with Samsung’s Galaxy A26, which is more powerful for an extra 20 euros, accompanied by the aura of the Korean manufacturer. The second is Nothing, which deals it with the freshly released CMF Phone 2 Pro from Nothing, which beats the Honor 400 hands down with its Dimensity 7300 Pro.

Finally, the Mediatek Dimensity 7025 Ultra of the Honor 400 is also less fast than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 of the Honor Magic 7 Lite, which is now available at the same price…

Photography: A 108 Megapixel Wide-Angle Sensor That Delivers

For photography, the Honor 400 lite relies on equipment similar to that of its predecessor, with one (insignificant) difference: the macro sensor of the Honor 200 Lite is no longer current.

Another small change, the sensor associated with the front lens now has a definition of 16 megapixels (compared to 50 megapixels for the Honor 200 Lite). But, ultimately, it’s rather an advantage, because the shots are captured in 16 megapixels, compared to 12 megapixels for the 2024 model.

We thus find a main wide-angle lens, associated with a 108-megapixel sensor (aperture of f/1.75). By default, it generates images in 12 megapixels. And, as can be seen in the various examples below, the Honor 400 Lite has no problem offering beautiful image quality when lighting conditions are good.

Note that no stabilization device is present. Too bad for video.

In photography, all the shots taken in “normal” conditions (at a standstill) proved to be sharp.

Optical stabilization also facilitates shooting when using a very high level of zoom (the micro-vibrations of the hand are so amplified that it becomes difficult to precisely target one’s subject). In this case, even with the maximum 10x zoom (which we do not recommend using, as we will see below), aiming is done without any problem.

At night, the photos we took in Night Shot mode, with the wide-angle lens, are mostly of good quality. Only light sources often exhibit lens effects (not too pronounced, however).

The second lens, the ultra wide-angle, is associated with a 5-megapixel sensor (aperture of f/2.2). It should be noted that its definition is lower than average (8 megapixels generally). The consequence is inevitable: the precision of the photos is significantly lower. However, as often, if one is content to look at them on the small screen of a smartphone, they are deceiving.

And, as the manufacturer must consider that the performance of the ultra wide-angle lens and sensor is rarely satisfactory at night, this shooting mode is not even offered when selecting the Night Shot mode.

One must therefore — if one really needs to take a night photo in ultra wide-angle — use the same mode as during the day. And, in this case, the results are variable: from passable to very average, depending on the proximity of the subject and the surrounding light sources.

Moreover, as the Honor 400 Lite does not have a telephoto lens (which is almost always the case with smartphones sold at this price), the photo module interface therefore offers the possibility of activating a digital zoom, with a magnification factor that can go up to 10x maximum.

If one is content to use a 2x zoom, the photos taken are satisfactory, most of the time. Again, one should not look at them too closely, under penalty of noting a slight loss of precision.

And the phenomenon is accentuated on photos taken with the 3x digital zoom. Their quality remains correct, however.

When using the 5x digital zoom, the quality drop is even greater and is more or less visible depending on the complexity of the scene photographed. However, overall, the photos we took on various occasions are still usable.

Finally, with the 10x zoom, the photos generated tend to resemble images from a comic book or impressionist paintings.

Similar Posts

• Samsung’s Galaxy S26 to Feature Revolutionary Camera Tech: Expect Major Upgrades!
• iPhone 17 Pro Max Leak: 48MP 8x Telephoto Lens Revealed!
• Samsung Unveils Galaxy Z Fold 7: Sleeker, More Powerful, But Pricier!
• Xiaomi 15T Review: High-End Smartphone Overshadowed by Poco Contender
• iPhone 17 Pro Leak: Exciting New Camera Features Rumored!

Maya Singh

Maya Singh is a senior editor covering tablets and hybrid devices. Her work explores how these tools reshape digital productivity and learning. She also contributes to feature editorials on emerging tech.