HONOR 400 Lite review

Style and design

The Honor 400 Lite makes a strong first impression with its remarkably slim profile. At just 7.29mm thick, it feels premium in the hand, with a lightweight build reminiscent of the latest iPhones. The phone’s triangular camera island on the back adds a distinctive touch, especially in the eye-catching “Mars Green” colorway with its dual-tone finish.

However, several design elements seem heavily inspired by Apple’s recent offerings. Most notably, the notification area on the display bears a striking resemblance to the Dynamic Island found on newer iPhones. Honor’s version uses up less screen space than Apple’s does, though I would have preferred something more original. The appeal to many consumers, particularly younger users, might be seeing this as a premium feature.

Impressive hardware… for the price

The Honor 400 Lite packs a MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra chipset paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This configuration delivers surprisingly snappy performance for day-to-day tasks, feeling comparable to the Exynos 1580 found in Samsung’s Galaxy A56 5G, though Samsung might have a slight edge in graphics-intensive applications.

The 6.7-inch AMOLED display is genuinely impressive for this category. With Full HD+ resolution and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, scrolling feels fluid and responsive. The standout feature is the peak brightness of 3,500 nits — exceptional for this price point. This exceptional brightness proved invaluable during outdoor use, eliminating the need to squint even in direct sunlight.

The 5,230mAh battery easily delivers all-day power with capacity to spare. The 35W charging is perfectly adequate, taking the phone from empty to about 50% in half an hour.

Real-world test

I brought the Honor 400 Lite as a backup device during a professional photo shoot with models. The phone handled photography beautifully, capturing shots suitable for immediate social media sharing. Throughout extended professional use, the battery held up well, and the exceptional screen brightness made outdoor viewing seamless. The dedicated “AI camera button” proved more intuitive than similar implementations.

AI

Running on Magic OS 9.0 (based on Android 15), the software experience is a highlight. The “Magic Portal” function offers practical benefits — tap and hold text or images, and the system recognizes intent, making it easy to translate, copy, or share content between apps. Shipping with Android 15 suggests reasonable expectation for three to four years of software support.

Camera capabilities

The camera system features a 108MP main sensor, 5MP wide/depth lens, and 16MP selfie camera, delivering results exceeding expectations for this price bracket. AI enhancements prove useful:

• AI Motion Capture automatically boosts frame rates when capturing moving subjects
• AI Outpainting cleverly extends photos beyond their original frame
• AI Eraser removes unwanted elements without telltale artifacts

Media consumption and gaming

The excellent display makes the Honor 400 Lite ideal for content consumption. Videos look vibrant with good contrast, and the 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling. Audio performance from stereo speakers is decent though not exceptional. For gaming, the phone handles casual and moderately demanding titles like Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG without issue. Genshin Impact runs but may require settings adjustments. Thermal management impresses during extended gaming.

Verdict

Currently retailing for under £300 in the UK, the Honor 400 Lite delivers exceptional value with a premium-feeling device, outstanding display, solid battery life, capable cameras, and thoughtful software features.