Honor 200 Pro Review by MightyGadget Feature

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Last month, Honor announced the new Honor 200 series in China, and they have launched it globally at an event in Paris.

Two models have been launched: the standard Honor 200 and the Pro model. These share mostly the same hardware with 6.7-inch OLEDs (FHD+ 120Hz), 50MP primary and portrait cameras, and a 5,200mAh battery with 100W wired charging.

The Honor 200 Pro is equipped with a superior Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset and 66W wireless charging, while the vanilla 200 opts for the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip and lacks wireless charging. Honor 200 Pro also gets a dedicated Honor C1+ chip for improved wireless and cellular connectivity.

The Pro model uses a custom H9000 sensor – a 50MP 1/1.3″ shooter based on the Omnivision OV50H, which is essentially the same as the main camera on the Magic6 Pro. The Honor 200 uses the more common but excellent 1/1.56” Sony IMX906 main sensor with f/1.95 aperture and OIS.

I have had the Honor 200 Pro for the past week, so I haven’t had as much time as I would like to find any quirks and see how well it works long-term, but I have been very impressed with it.

These are both classed as mid-range phones, but the Honor 200 Pro can quite easily pass off as a flagship phone.

Related Reviews

Honor 200 Pro vs Honor Magic 6 Pro Specification

Honor 200 ProHonor 200Honor Magic6 Pro
Announced2024, May 272024, May 272024, January 11
Dimensions163.3 x 75.2 x 8.2 mm (6.43 x 2.96 x 0.32 in)161.5 x 74.6 x 7.7 mm (6.36 x 2.94 x 0.30 in)162.5 x 75.8 x 8.9 mm (6.40 x 2.98 x 0.35 in)
Weight199 g (7.02 oz)187 g (6.60 oz)225 g or 229 g (7.94 oz)
BuildGlass front (NanoCrystal Shield), glass back or silicone polymer back (eco leather)
SIMDual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)
Display TypeOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR, 4000 nits (peak)OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR, 4000 nits (peak)LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR, 1600 nits (HBM), 5000 nits (peak)
Display Size6.78 inches, 111.5 cm2 (~90.8% screen-to-body ratio)6.7 inches, 108.5 cm2 (~90.0% screen-to-body ratio)6.8 inches, 112.8 cm2 (~91.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Display Resolution1224 x 2700 pixels (~437 ppi density)1200 x 2664 pixels (~436 ppi density)1280 x 2800 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~453 ppi density)
OSAndroid 14, MagicOS 8Android 14, MagicOS 8Android 14, MagicOS 8
ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (4 nm)Android 14, MagicOS 8Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)
CPUOcta-core (1×3.0 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4×2.8 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A520)Octa-core (1×2.63 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A715 & 3×1.8 GHz Cortex-A510)Octa-core (1×3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3×3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2×3.0 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2×2.3 GHz Cortex-A520)
GPUAdreno 735Adreno 720Adreno 750
Card slotNoNoNo
RAM12GB RAM / 16GB RAM12GB RAM / 16GB RAM12GB RAM / 16GB RAM
Storage256GB / 512GB / 1TB256GB / 512GB / 1TB256GB / 512GB / 1TB
UFS 4.0
Rear Camera Modules50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.3″, 1.2µm, PDAF, OIS50 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS50 MP, f/1.4-2.0, 23mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 1.2µm, Laser AF, PDAF, OIS
50 MP, f/2.4, (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom50 MP, f/2.4, (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom180 MP, f/2.6, (periscope telephoto), 1/1.49″, 0.56µm, PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom
12 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), AF12 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), AF50 MP, f/2.0, 13mm, 122˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.88″, 0.61µm, AF
FeaturesLED flash, HDR, panoramaLED flash, HDR, panoramaLED flash, HDR, panorama
Video4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, OIS4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, OIS4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, gyro-EIS, OIS, HDR, 10-bit video
Selfie Camera50 MP, f/2.1, (wide)50 MP, f/2.1, (wide)50 MP, f/2.0, 22mm (wide), 1/2.93″, 0.6µm, AF
2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)TOF 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
FeaturesHDRHDR
Video4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
LoudspeakerYes, with stereo speakersYes, with stereo speakersYes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jackNoNoNo
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi DirectWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi DirectWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
PositioningGPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, QZSS, BDS (B1I+B1c)GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, QZSS, BDS (B1I+B1c)GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a)
NFCYesYesYes, HCE, NFC-SIM
Infrared portNoNoYes
RadioNoNoNo
USBUSB Type-C 2.0, OTGUSB Type-C 2.0, OTGUSB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG
SensorsFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass, ultrasound proximityFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass, ultrasound proximityFingerprint (under display, optical), Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum
Type5200 mAh, non-removable5200 mAh, non-removableSi/C 5600 mAh, non-removable
Charging100W wired, 60% in 15 min (advertised)100W wired, 57% in 15 min (advertised)80W wired
66W wireless, 64% in 30 min (advertised)5W reverse wired66W wireless
5W reverse wiredReverse wireless
Reverse wireless5W reverse wired
ColorsBlack, Silver, Green, PinkBlack, Silver, Blue, PinkBlack, Green, Blue, Purple, White
ModelsELP-AN00ELI-AN00BVL-AN16
PriceAbout 450 EURAbout 320 EUR£1100 RRP
Available for £849 via Honor

Design & Display

Honor 200 Pro Review

The Honor 200 Pro features a sleek and modern design with a 6.78-inch Quad Curved Floating Display. The display offers a resolution of 1.5K and supports a 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth visuals whether you’re scrolling through social media or playing games. The peak HDR brightness of 4000 nits guarantees excellent visibility in all lighting conditions, making it a versatile choice for various environments.

The phone’s design draws inspiration from natural aesthetics, with three colour options: Moonlight White, Ocean Cyan, and Black. Each colour is crafted to reflect different elements of nature, providing a unique and stylish look. The symmetrical rear camera design is supposedly influenced by the architectural beauty of Casa Milà, merging organic geometric outlines with modern technology.

I personally feel indifferent to the way most phones look. I always put them in a case, the thicker the better, so phones always end up looking the same.

The only minor gripe I can think of is that the phone has very visible CE marks and other text, whereas the Magic 6 Pro has very little branding or text on the rear of the phone.

Biometrics

The Honor 200 Pro includes both facial recognition and an in-display fingerprint sensor for secure and convenient unlocking. Facial recognition is fast and reliable, even in low-light conditions, thanks to AI enhancements. The fingerprint sensor is equally efficient, providing an added layer of security without compromising on speed.

Camera

Primary Camera

The Honor 200 Pro is equipped with a 50MP Portrait Main Camera featuring the Super Dynamic H9000 sensor, which is based on the OmniVision OV50H and is the same sensor as the Magic 6 Pro.

This 1/1.3-inch sensor enhances light sensitivity by 31% compared to its competitors, resulting in better brightness and detail in various lighting conditions. The dual stabilisation (OIS + EIS) ensures that photos and videos remain clear and stable, even during rapid movement or low-light scenarios.

The overall performance is superb, the pictures are consistently good, and it handles bright and low light scenarios well.

Telephoto Camera

For portrait enthusiasts, the 50MP Telephoto Camera with a customised Sony IMX 856 sensor offers 2.5X optical zoom.

While the sensor is not as good as the one on the Magic 6 Pro it still excels at capturing distant subjects with clarity, making it ideal for zoomed-in portrait shots. The telephoto lens’s OIS further minimises blurring, ensuring sharp images.

Selfie Camera

The 50MP Portrait Selfie Camera is another highlight, featuring the HONOR RAW Domain Algorithm for precise and balanced selfies. It includes automatic FOV switching between 1X and 0.8X, perfect for group selfies or capturing detailed backgrounds.

I rarely use selfie cameras, but the overall performance is excellent, and you have various options to tweak the photo, including adding a bokeh effect or various filters such as smoothing.

Ultra-wide and Macro Camera

The 12MP Ultra-wide & Macro camera provides versatility with a 112° field of view and a minimum focusing distance of 2.5cm. This dual-purpose camera is good for wide-angle shots and close-up photography, allowing users to capture a broad range of scenes and details.

Although the overall performance is lacking compared to the Magic 6 Pro, it is still decent enough for most scenarios. I’d recommend sticking to the main camera where possible but I have still been happy with the results of this camera.

AI-enhanced Portrait Photography

The collaboration with Studio Harcourt brings studio-level portrait photography to the Honor 200 Pro. The AI Portrait Engine replicates the iconic lighting and shadow effects of Studio Harcourt, making it possible to capture professional-quality portraits with ease. Features like AI Light and Shadow Enhancement and AI Optical Effect Enhancement ensure that every portrait is detailed, well-lit, and artistically styled.

For video, you have shooting options up to 4K @ 60 fps.

Photography Samples

Zoom Samples

Performance and Benchmarks

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
CPU1x Cortex-X4 prime core – 3.4 GHz1x Cortex-X4 prime core – 3 GHz
3x Cortex-A720 performance cores – 3.2 GHz4x Cortex-A720 performance cores – 2.8 GHz
2x Cortex-A720 performance cores – 3.0 GHz3x Cortex-A520 efficiency cores – 2 GHz
2x Cortex-A520 efficiency cores – 2.3 GHz
GPUAdreno 750Adreno 735
GamingHardware ray tracing and Unreal Engine 5 support
8K upscaling

The Honor 200 Pro uses the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, whereas the non-pro model uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3.

This is a bit of a different tactic for Qualcomm as the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is a slightly lower spec than the SD8 Gen3. In the past, they launched the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which was an upgrade vs the SD8 Gen1, which was possible with the changing fabrication from Samsung to TSMC.

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is positioned behind the SD8 Gen3 and SD8 Gen2, especially with the GPU, but it is ahead of all the 7-series chips.

I feel like they could have named it a bit better to make it less confusing about where the chipset is positioned, but it is still a superb chipset.

In day-to-day use, I noticed no difference compared to the Magic 6 Pro. Even for gaming, it was hard to perceive much difference as a non-hardcore gamer. Benchmark scores confirm the 8s Gen 3 trails the 8 Gen 3 used in competitors like the Magic 6 Pro and iQOO 12, but it’s a very capable chip.

The Honor 200 Pro is also equipped with a large vapour chamber for efficient cooling. In an hour of demanding gaming, the phone delivered a superb experience without overheating.

Related: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Benchmarks vs SD8 Gen 2 vs Google Tensor G3 on Pixel 8 Pro

Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Benchmarks

Honor 200 Pro vs Honor Magic 6 Pro Antutu Benchmark
  • Antutu (Total / CPU / GPU / Memory / UX)
    • Honor 200 Pro: 1131832 / 274520 / 435213 / 209805 / 212294
    • Honor Magic6 Pro: 1874472 / 342053 /897742 / 378460 256217
    • IQOO 12: 2084308 / 446149 / 906269 / 400131 / 331759
    • Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 1945797 / 445818 / 817997 / 373210 / 308772
    • Pixel 8 Pro: 1144447 / 355374 / 381544 / 177818 / 229711
  • Geekbench
    • Honor 200 Pro: 1926 / 4932
    • Honor Magic6 Pro: 2220 / 6897
    • IQOO 12: 2250/6909
    • Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 2103/6640
    • Pixel 8 Pro: 1763/4409
  • 3Dmark
    • Honor 200 Pro: 11855 high, 8442 low,71.2% stability, 572mAh/11%pts
    • Honor Magic6 Pro: 18160 high, 11867 low, 65.4% stability, 672mAh/12%pts
    • IQOO 12: 18346 high, 12144 low, 66.2% stability, 700mAh/14%pts
    • Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 17580 high, 9828 low, 55.9% stability, 650mAh/13%pts
    • Pixel 8 Pro: 8434 high, 5599 low, 66.4% stability, 555mAh/11%pts
  • AI Benchmark
    • Honor 200 Pro: 109
    • Honor Magic6 Pro: 2989
    • IQOO 12: 3196
    • Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 3168
    • Pixel 8 Pro: 718

WiFi

Most people won’t notice or care, but Honor seems to be dragging their feet with WiFi on their phones. The Honor Magic6 Pro has WiFi 7, but as far as I can tell, it lacks the 6GHz band.

The Honor 200 Pro uses the older WiFi 6, and because it also lacks the 6GHz band, it isn’t even WiFi 6E.  

Battery

The Honor 200 phones both have impressively large 5200 mAh batteries. There are not many phones on the market with larger batteries. The one exception is the Magic6 Pro, which has a 5600mAh battery thanks to the new Silicon Carbon battery technology it implemented.

The 200 series phones have lower-powered chipsets, so I expect real-world battery performance will be similar, and from my testing, the Honor 200 Pro would comfortably get through a full day of moderate to heavy usage with ease. On a normal day, I’d go to bed with the battery just over 50%. 

The phone then also benefits from 100W wired charging, which can charge the phone from 0% to 60% in just 15 minutes, and 66W wireless charging, which can do 64% in 30 mins.

While I rarely need to use ultra-fast charging, I am a big fan of it as it gives the flexibility to quickly top up your battery on hectic days. In particular, when I travel, I take that many photos and hammer Google Maps, I always need a top-up at some point or have to carry a battery pack with me.

Android 14 & MagicOS 8

The Honor 200 Pro comes with MagicOS 8 out of the box, which is based on Android 14. As I have used Honor products a lot in the past few years, I am quite familiar with the UI, and I am as happy using it as I am with Samsung’s One UI or other popular alternatives.

The overall experience is exactly the same as the Magic6 Pro, which also includes:

  • Magic Capsule provides additional interaction through the notification bar, much like iPhones Dynamic Island.
  • Magic Portal analyses messages and user behaviour before guiding users to the next relevant app for them to follow up on.
  • Magic Text allows you to extract text from images and drag and drop it into related services.

There is some bloatware, including Aliexpress, Amazon Music, Booking.com, Trip.com, and TikTok.

Honor also has various apps of its own, including App Market and Honor Docs.

Price and Alternative Options

Honor hasn’t announced UK or EU pricing at the time of writing. For context, the Magic 6 Pro launched at £1100 but is frequently discounted to under £1000. At £850, which is the current price on Honor’s site, it’s a great value for a top-tier flagship.

In China, the Honor 200 starts at CNY 2,699 (£293 / $372) for the 12/256GB model. While the Honor 200 Pro starts at CNY 3,499 (£380 / $483) for the 12/256GB configuration. I’d expect UK pricing to be much higher.

The OnePlus 12R looks like a good alternative. It is priced at £650 and uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is slightly better than the SD8s Gen 3 on this phone. Its main camera is the 50MP Sony IMX890 1/1.56″ sensor, but it lacks a zoom camera and has a lower-spec 8MP ultra-wide.

The Nothing 2 has the older but excellent Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the 50MP Sony IMX890 for the main sensor, and a 50 MP Samsung JN1 sensor for the ultrawide. Pricing starts at £500 for 8GB/128GB but is £600 for the same 12GB and 512GB spec the Honor has.  

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is priced at £799 for 8GB / 128GB and I would guess this is a similar price point to the Honor. The Samsung has a better chipset with the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, then USB Type-C 3.2, and it has an IP68 rating, but it is inferior in most other hardware specs. It has a smaller display with lower resolution and brightness, a basic 10MP 3x zoom lens, a 12MP selfie and then it has a much smaller 4000 mAh battery and quite slow 25W charging.

Overall

The Honor Magic 6 Pro has been one of my favourite phones this year. While not quite surpassing the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, it comes very close for significantly less money when discounted.

The Honor 200 Pro is essentially the same excellent phone with a few strategic downgrades to lower the price. The core experience – display quality, camera performance, battery life, software – is virtually indistinguishable.

The main differences are:

  • Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is less powerful, especially with the GPU, but it can still run all the latest games perfectly well.
  • 50 MP 2.5x telephoto lens vs 180MP
  • Lower-spec WiFi 6
  • Slower USB-C 2.0
  • 5200 mAh vs 5600 mAh battery (but faster charging)
  • IP55 vs IP68 ingress protection

Unless you demand the absolute best GPU performance for gaming or a fully waterproof design, the Honor 200 Pro looks to be a fantastic option in the “premium midrange” category. It retains the key highlights of the Magic 6 Pro while undercutting its price.

I’ll need to spend more time with the device to uncover any potential flaws. But, based on my first week, the Honor 200 Pro is a highly compelling alternative to pricier flagships, continuing Honor’s streak of delivering excellent smartphones at competitive prices.

This review was originally posted on Mighty Gadget.

Honor 200 Pro Review vs Honor Magic 6 Pro

Summary

The Honor 200 Pro is a superb alternative to pricier flagships with very little noticeable difference in performance.

Overall
90%
90%
  • Overall - 90%
    90%

Pros

  • Super camera performance that is almost as good as the flagship Magic 6 Pro
  • Chipset is excellent, much better than the 7 series chips from Qualcomm

Cons

  • 12 MP ultra-wide is not the best
  • Not IP68

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