Honor 400 Lite 5G Review

The Honor 400 Lite 5G is a budget-friendly smartphone that aims to deliver premium features at an affordable price point of £250.

Specification

Design

The Honor 400 has an attractive design that belies its budget status. Available in three colours – Mars Green, Velvet Grey, and Velvet Black – the device features a minimalist aesthetic with a geometric camera lens arrangement on the rear.

Weighing just 171g and measuring 7.29mm thick, the Honor 400 Lite is remarkably lightweight and slim for a device in its class. This makes it comfortable to hold and easy to slip into a pocket or bag. The phone’s build quality is solid, with Honor claiming SGS Five-Star Drop Resistance Certification for durability against accidental drops.

One notable feature is the IP64 wet-hand touch technology, which allows for smooth operation even in damp conditions. This is a welcome addition for a budget device, offering some peace of mind against minor water exposure.

The plastic frame betrays its budget roots somewhat, but the metallic-style matte finish helps maintain a quality feel.

Display

The phone has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2412 x 1080 pixels. This results in a crisp 394 PPI pixel density, ensuring sharp and clear visuals. The screen supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which provides smooth scrolling and fluid animations in supported content.

One impressive feature of this display is its brightness. Honor claims a peak brightness of 3,500 nits, which is exceptionally high for a budget device. In practice, this means excellent outdoor visibility, even in bright sunlight. The screen also supports 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, offering vibrant and accurate colour reproduction.

The display incorporates several eye care technologies to reduce eye strain during prolonged use. These include:

• 3840Hz PWM Dimming: This high-frequency dimming helps reduce screen flicker, particularly at low brightness levels.
• Hardware Low Blue Light Technology: Reduces exposure to potentially harmful blue light.
• Dynamic Dimming: Adjusts brightness to mimic natural sunlight, potentially reducing eye fatigue.
• Circadian Night: Shifts to warmer colour tones in the evening to support better sleep patterns.
• Automatic Brightness Adjustment: Adapts screen brightness to ambient lighting conditions.
• E-Book Mode: Provides a paper-like display for more comfortable reading.
• Dark Mode: Offers a more comfortable viewing experience in low-light environments.

These features combine to create a display that’s not only visually impressive but also considerate of user comfort and eye health.

The screen-to-body ratio of 93.7% results in slim bezels, contributing to the phone’s modern appearance. An under-display fingerprint sensor provides quick and convenient unlocking, though its reliability and speed compared to higher-end devices remain to be seen in long-term use.

Camera

108MP Main Camera and 5MP Wide & Depth Camera

The primary 108MP sensor is the highlight here. In good lighting, images are vibrant with a high level of detail. There’s a noticeable tilt towards colour saturation, particularly in bright scenes, which lends photos a punchy aesthetic. For those looking for more accurate colour reproduction, this could be a drawback. Low-light shots hold up reasonably well due to the f/1.75 aperture, although some detail is lost, and occasional noise is present.

The cameras lack optical image stabilisation, and it is noticeable. Zooming in is handled digitally, and up to 3x can retain decent clarity thanks to the high megapixel count. But, the lack of OIS makes it difficult to get clear shots without some form of physical stabilisation.

Beyond the 3x zoom, image degradation is noticeable.

The ultra-wide sensor is less compelling, producing images that are softer and lacking the same dynamic range. For the price, the compromise is expected, but it does limit flexibility for landscape photography.

Portrait shots benefit from three distinct modes, allowing you to select focal lengths tailored to different types of compositions. The background separation is decent, and facial details are preserved well, especially under natural lighting.

16MP Front Camera

Selfies are taken with a 16MP front camera supported by AI processing. It manages to balance lighting in trickier conditions, although detail drops in dim environments. The inclusion of a dedicated selfie flash adds some utility, especially in night-time scenarios, though the effect can feel artificial. Video capture from both front and rear cameras is capped at 1080p at 30fps, which limits its appeal for content creators looking for sharper footage.

AI Camera Tools

One of the standout features of the camera system is the dedicated AI Camera Button. This physical button allows quick access to the camera app and can be used to capture photos or start video recording. It can also be used to access Google Lens for visual searches or translations.

The camera app includes several AI-enhanced features:

• AI Motion Sensing Capture: This feature uses AI to detect motion and automatically switch to a high-speed shutter mode, helping to freeze action and capture clear shots of moving subjects.
• Moving Photo: This captures short, 3-second video clips along with still images, similar to Apple’s Live Photos feature.
• AI Portrait Magic Retouching: This includes tools like AI Eraser for removing unwanted elements from photos, and AI OutPainting for extending the boundaries of images.

These AI features aim to enhance the photography experience and provide more creative options for users. However, their effectiveness in real-world use remains to be seen and will likely vary depending on the scenario.

In terms of video capabilities, the Honor 400 Lite is limited to 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second for both the rear and front cameras. While this is adequate for casual video recording, it falls short of the 4K capabilities offered by some competitors in this price range.

Performance and Benchmarks

The Honor 400 Lite runs on MediaTek’s Dimensity 7025 Ultra chipset paired with 8GB of RAM. This processor is on the lower middle end of the market.

In day-to-day use, the phone handles routine tasks with acceptable speed. Apps open reasonably quickly, though occasionally, there’s a noticeable delay when waking the device or launching more demanding applications. Multi-tasking is smooth enough for typical use cases thanks to the 8GB of RAM, but the limitations of the chipset become apparent when pushing the device harder.

Gaming performance is not great and this appears to be due to PowerVR IMG GPU that is used on the chipset which is reflected in the benchmarks below.

The 256GB of internal storage is quite generous at this price point, offering ample space for apps, photos, and media.

Benchmarks

The benchmarks are not particularly favourable, but they don’t necessarily correspond with real-world performance.

One of the issues with the benchmarks appears to be the PowerVR IMG BXM-8-256, which lacks support for the Vulcan drivers. This meant I was unable to run 3DMark Wildlife or many of the other 3DMark benchmarks. It also heavily impacts the Antutu benchmark with a very low GPU score.

• Antutu
  • Total: 465227
  • CPU: 148771
  • GPU: 49472
  • MEM: 137567
  • UX: 129417
• GeekBench
  • Single-Core: 953
  • Multi-Core: 2289
• 3Dmark Slingshot
  • Overall: 3251
  • Graphics Score: 3215
  • Physics Score: 3383

I think the main takeaway from the benchmarks is that this is not a phone you’d want to use for gaming, but it is perfectly fine for day to day use, which is what most people want.

Battery Life and Charging

The Honor 400 Lite is equipped with a 5,230 mAh battery, which is a generous capacity for a device in this class. This large battery should provide all-day battery life for most users, even with moderate to heavy usage.

Charging is handled by Honor’s 35W SuperCharge technology.

It is worth highlighting that the specification I list above indicates that this includes a 35W SuperCharger, but this is not the case.  The only thing included with my review sample was a USB cable. No charger or case, which has become the norm for many phones nowadays.

Using a power delivery charge and a USB power meter, the phone showed a 20W charge. It is possible that other chargers would charge faster, depending on the specifications of that charger.

While not the fastest charging solution on the market, it’s respectable for a budget device. Honor claims that this can charge the phone from 0% to 100% in about 75 minutes, which is reasonably quick for a battery of this size.

The combination of a large battery and efficient charging should mean that most users won’t have to worry about running out of power during a typical day. However, the lack of wireless charging (unsurprising at this price point) means you’ll need to rely on wired charging.

Android 15 and MagicOS 9

The Honor 400 Lite runs on MagicOS 9.0, which is based on Android 15. This provides a modern software experience with access to the latest Android features and security updates. However, Honor has not specified how many years of OS updates and security patches users can expect, which is an important consideration for long-term use.

MagicOS includes several features aimed at enhancing user experience:

• Magic Portal: This AI-driven feature aims to understand user intentions and direct them to appropriate system apps based on context. For example, circling an image of a product might bring up relevant e-commerce apps.
• Magic Capsule: This feature provides quick access to app functions and information directly from notifications, without needing to open the full app.
• AI Translation: The phone offers real-time translation support for multiple languages, with different modes for various conversation scenarios.

These features showcase Honor’s focus on AI-enhanced user experiences. While they sound useful in theory, their practical utility will depend on how well they’re implemented and how seamlessly they integrate into daily use.

The software also includes customisation options for themes, icons, and animations, allowing users to personalise their device. However, some users might find the default font and animations less appealing, necessitating adjustments.

There is quite a bit of bloatware on the phone, but it is not as bad as other budget phones, such as Redmi and Poco.

Price and Alternative Options

The HONOR 400 Lite 5G will be available in the UK from 29nd April 2025 through honor.com/uk, priced from £249.99 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage.

It will also be available from major retailers and carriers including EE, O2, Three, Vodafone, Argos, Currys, Amazon and Very later in Spring 2025.

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Honor 400 Lite 8 + 256GB Marrs Green	No ratings yet	Buy on Amazon

The Honor Magic7 Lite has an RRP of £399, but at the time of writing, it is available for £299 and includes 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This then has a superior chipset, a bigger battery, and faster charging. It has a slightly lower IP rating, but it is one of the most durable phones on the market.

I’d also strongly recommend looking at the Honor 200. It is a year old now, so you should consider the long-term updates, but it is available for £280 from Amazon. This has a substantially better camera system with a 50MP 1/1.56″ sensor, 50MP telephoto and 12MP ultrawide lens. It has a superior chipset

The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G has an RRP of £349 but is available for £270. This has a better chipset, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a better camera specification. It has a slightly smaller battery but slightly faster charging. On paper, this is a better buy, but I generally prefer MagicOS over HyperOS. MagicOS has less bloatware and is less glitchy.

It is worth noting that the Redmi Note 14 4G launched with an RRP of £229, so it is technically closer in price than the other options. This is not as good as the Honor, which uses a much lower spec 4G chipset. It is currently available for £169, so comparing discounted phones to the RRP of a phone that is just launched is a bit misleading.

I would hope/expect that the HONOR 400 Lite will be discounted within a few months.

Overall

The Honor 400 Lite is a good, affordable phone that struggles to stand out from the crowd at its recommended retail price.

If £250 is your maximum budget, then I’d say this is a good buy, but if you can stretch your budget further, then I think the Honor Magic7 Lite would be a better buy overall.

Honor 400 Lite vs Honor Magic7 Lite

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.

Last update on 2025-05-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API