I tried cheaper Samsung mobile rival that comes with four FREE gifts worth £289 including a Bluetooth speaker
Even the big names like Samsung and iPhone offer more budget-friendly options these days.
5
5
5
But there are a plethora of other lesser-known brands offering more bang for your buck too.
Among those is Honor who has recently launched a new mid-range handset.
It's by no means the cheapest around but fortunately there are some special deals to sweeten the deal, with gifts worth £289.
As The Sun's Assistant Technology and Science Editor - and main smartphone reviewer - I get hands on with loads of devices all the time with years of experience putting many you will (and won't) have heard of through their paces.
I've been using the Honor 400 Pro for the last week to see whether this latest Android effort is worth your attention and money.
Honor 400 Pro: Look and feel
First thing's first, the design of the Honor 400 Pro - and personally, I'm not overly keen.
It's the bizarre hard-to-ignore camera module that looks like the bottom of a rocket.
I realise making the camera lens blend in - or otherwise - is quite a tricky task but this approach just doesn't do it for me.
However, what I do like is the silk matte glass which feels delightful on my finger tips and palm. It's also far less fingerprint prone than most devices I handle.
First look at Google's new Android XR glasses with life-changing augmented reality
I'm testing the Lunar Grey option - there's also black - so pretty safe colours here.
The display itself is a 6.7-inch quad-curved 120Hz OLED display which is glossy, bursting with colour and detail, as well as being super bright, so no complaints on that front.
At 205g it's not weighty nor is it light, but the phone does feel pretty tough for any dreaded drops.
Honor 400 Pro: Performance and features
The Honor 400 Pro runs on the company's own Android 15 skin, Magic OS.
It's another visual element I'm not a mega fan of.
When it comes to Android, I prefer the purest versions for a clean and familiar experience.
But a real bugbear for me is bloatware apps, of which there are some on the Honor 400 Pro, such as Booking.com, Temu and ReelShort.
While the 400 Pro runs off of Android 15 currently, Honor has committed to upgrade it to Android 16 by the end of this year which is a positive sign.
And in terms of how long you can expect updates and security patches, the firm provides six years worth - you can see how that compares to other brands below.
Who offers free updates longest?
The longer you receive updates, the longer you can safely continue using your smartphone - with the latest features thrown in too for free.
Samsung
For the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung said it would provide at least seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security updates.
OnePlus
At the launch of the OnePlus 13, OnePlus committed to at least four years of Android updates and six years of security updates.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi offers four years off Android updates and five years security updates.
For the Pixel 9 series, Google said that devices would receive at least seven years of support.
Honor has gone big on AI tools on the 400 Pro and the one that really caught my attention is called Image To Video.
With just a single image, the tech will create a short video - and it's scarily accurate.
I tried it on a photo of my friend's dog and it showed her eerily moving around.
The clips are only five seconds long and it's more of a party trick than anything mega useful.
It's one of the many AI features made possible thanks to the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which is market-leading.
This tech also helps the phone run super smooth, so I can glide from one app to the next with a glitch, as well as handle games.
Honor 400 Pro: Battery
The battery is one area where the Honor 400 Pro excels with one of the biggest you'll find on a smartphone - and way above the likes of Samsung and iPhone.
With moderate usage of apps like WhatsApp, occasional web browsing, as well as a bit of Spotify and Netflix, I was able to squeeze two days out of the battery.
What's more, Honor goes all out on charging speed too with support for 100W.
The battery is perfect for anyone who has battery anxiety and fears running out of power
Alas, as is now the standard, such a charger isn't included in the box these days and I don't have one to test it myself.
Fortunately, you can claim a free one as part of the gifts on offer if you buy from Honor's website.
According to Honor, the Honor 400 Pro will go from zero to half full in just 15 minutes but we cannot verify this for the review.
Honor 400 Pro: Camera
Honor has ramped things up in the camera department with a 200-megapixel AI Main Camera.
And the results are pretty stunning, with shots that are super detailed, colourful and vibrant.
Just take a look at the photos I took of my friend's dog.
The night mode camera also works a treat too, showing detail in my garden I couldn't see with the naked eye at midnight.
5
Honor 400 Pro: Price
So, the Honor 400 Pro costs £699.99 with 512GB which I think is a bit steep.
However, at the moment, the firm is taking £150 off with an early bird discount code, bringing it down to a much more reasonable £549.99.
The code to enter at the checkout is A400PUK150 which can be used on honor.com.
But what makes it more worthwhile are the extra gifts being thrown in to the value of £289.
This includes Honor's Choice Portable Bluetooth Speaker Pro and HONOR SuperCharge Power Adapter GaN (Max 100W) so you can get those mega charging speeds.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Virgin Media is DOWN as customers complain of a 'total blackout'
It's one of the biggest broadband providers in the UK, but Virgin Media appears to be down today. According to DownDetector, problems started just after 10am BST on Monday and are affecting more than 800 users across the UK. Of those who reported issues, 59 per cent were with their landline internet, 26 per cent with email and 22 per cent experiencing a 'total blackout'. Affected customers headed to X (Twitter) to share their experiences, with one calling it an 'absolute joke'. Many complained that they're unable to access the Sky Sports app before England cricket's crucial match against India today.
Daily Record
37 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Best pre-order deals on the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7
For those wanting to get their hands on Samsung's newest flip phone, here are some of the cheapest pre-order deals. Samsung fans will be over the moon to hear that the latest range of Samsung's foldable phones are now available for pre-order. With the last smartphones in this range released on July 10 last year - Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 - fans have been waiting in anticipation for the newest release. Featuring significant improvements to the older models, the new editions to the Z Fold and Z Flip series were first showcased at Unpacked event in New York last Wednesday, July 9, wherethe Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic were also unveiled. The biggest difference fans noticed was to the Fold 7, which has been designed to be more pocket-friendly despite the size it can expand to, reports the Mirror. Additionally, the device now boasts an enhanced triple-lens camera with a primary 200MP lens. On the flip side, the Flip 7 will be equipped with superior screens, upgraded cameras and speedier processors. Both phones are expected to go on general sale on July 25, according to the Radio Times. For those potentially wanting to make the switch to a more unique smartphone, or are looking for an upgrade, we have comprised some of the best current pre-order deals on the market so you can find the plan that works best for you. If shoppers are looking to spread the cost, Three Mobile has a few monthly contract deals available. For those interested in the Fold 7, shoppers can pay £45.50 a month in a 36-month contract, along with an upfront cost of £60. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 £45.50 per month Three Buy Now Product Description In terms of the Flip 7, Samsung fans can enter a 36-month contract for £25.25 per month and an upfront cost of £40. Both of these deals come with double the storage - 512GB - and a variety of trade-in deals to help save more money. However, it should be noted that both of these contracts don't include your data allowance, so shoppers will need to consider this when they calculate their overall monthly cost. Sky is also offering a fast selling deal on the Fold 7, which sees shoppers get double storage and a free Watch8 Classic worth £449 for free. With a 36-month contract, shoppers will need to pay £58 per month and an upfront cost of £36. Alternatively, the Flip 7 is available for pre-order for £35 per month for 36 months, with a £12 upfront cost. This device comes with the Watch8, which is worth £319, for free and is available in blue shadow, coral red and jet black. A similar deal can be found on EE for the devices. However, shoppers are able to choose how much they want to pay upfront, which could lessen the amount they need to pay every month. The upfront cost starts at £30 and goes up to a whopping £1724 for the Fold 7. Additionally, the Carphone Warehouse has variety of deals that may be worth exploring, which includes your data package in overall price. This website is also helpful as it warns shoppers of yearly data price increases. For those able to pay for the newest Z series phones upfront, shoppers can pre-order the Z Fold 7 for £1,799 from Amazon, while the Z Flip 7 is priced at £1,049. Both of these are £100 off the full retail price. Additionally, Amazon is giving Prime Student members an extra £100 off at the checkout on both of these devices. For those wanting a slightly older model, Amazon is also selling the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 for £999 with 512GB of storage available. Alternatively, for those who favour Apple, Argos has slightly dropped the price of the iPhone 16e down from £599 down to £549. With 128GB of storage, this budget Apple flagship phone is available in white or black. Back to the Z series, Samsung itself is offering the best deal for those willing to pay the full fee. With an up to £935 trade-in value and a £100 discount for shoppers who pay using PayPal, shoppers will be able to see significant reductions in price on both the Fold 7 and the Flip 7. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Finextra
39 minutes ago
- Finextra
The Compliance Burden of the Great Wealth Transfer: Why Financial Institutions Must Prepare Now: By Srbuhi Avetisyan
The financial industry is bracing for the 'Great Wealth Transfer'—an unprecedented $84 trillion in assets expected to pass from Baby Boomers to their Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z heirs over the next two decades. But this transfer isn't just bigger, it's fundamentally different. According to Penguin Analytics, a global study of 13,500 capital owners and heirs, this generation of inheritance is more fragmented, less documented, and globally entangled than anything the financial sector has faced before. Unlike prior transitions where legal preparation and institutional trust were the norm, today's wealth is scattered across jurisdictions, stored in spreadsheets, and tied to asset classes that demand structured data, not paper-based will This shift demands a fundamentally new approach from institutions and professionals, particularly wealth managers, compliance officers, and fintech architects. The regulatory burden no longer begins when the assets arrive—it starts with how families document, disclose, and digitize their wealth long before a transfer occurs. Encouragingly, many institutions have begun modernizing their frameworks, recognizing the need for structured digital asset records, cross-border KYC compliance, and event-triggered inheritance logic. Yet the core challenge persists: most families remain underprepared. According to the same analytics: Only 6% of families have a formal inheritance strategy 92% of founders undervalue the importance of Source of Wealth documentation (SoWE) 97.3% still use non-secure or manual record-keeping methods, leaving their estates fragmented and difficult to verify As a result, institutions are inheriting not just assets, but also the compliance and operational chaos that comes with them. Notably, families with a net worth between $3 million and $99 million account for 74.6% of all capital-loss incidents, making them the most exposed demographic in this transition. From Relationship Management to Record Accountability Today, intergenerational wealth transfer is more than just the identification of the heir and their relationship with the owner. The regulators' narrative and goal is not only to confirm the client identity but also to trace asset origin. For instance, in global fixed-income markets, FINRA's TRACE framework now mandates near real-time reporting, not just of transactions, but of underlying asset origin and context to enhance market transparency. Institutions are now being asked, 'Do you know where this came from, and can you prove it?' and SoWE (Source of Wealth Essay), structured asset logs, and multijurisdictional record-keeping are becoming compliance essentials, not luxuries. In anti-money laundering (AML) and customer due diligence regimes, Source-of-Wealth (SoW) traceability is now a discrete requirement. Banks and asset managers are expected not only to know who the client is, but also where their capital actually came from, and to provide auditable proof. Beyond Wills: The Infrastructure Gap The information asymmetry is at the heart of the wealth transfer. It's important to note that the information asymmetry between the heirs and founders isn't a legal challenge, but rather an infrastructure and coordination failure. Despite new regulations confirming that spreadsheets, dusty paper documents in drawers, and local wills are way too outdated, the traditional method of information transfer still remains as the leading one. Without structured digital histories, wealth transfer becomes a liability (for banks, wealth platforms, and insurers). The legal mechanisms are powerless if the wealth transfer plan is crippled by fragmented, unstructured, and non-tracable data. Case studies support the critical failure of information transfer between high-net-worth individuals and their family members as well. In a recent real-world review from the Penguin Analytics case data, a UHNW family held over 40% of their assets across four jurisdictions. The family maintained records across multiple mediums—some in PDF form, others in lawyer's notes, some never digitized at all. When the primary founder became incapacitated unexpectedly, neither the bank nor the family office could retrieve more than 60% of the asset documentation in a verifiable form within the first 3 months. The issue wasn't access. It was invisibility: siloed records, undocumented ownership structures, uncoordinated custody channels. What Financial Institutions Should Monitor Next The intergenerational wealth shift is not only a behavioral phenomenon—it is a compliance and infrastructure tipping point. Financial institutions must prepare for four key developments: Rising Demand for Digital-Native Estate Planning Integrations Trend: Wealth platforms and private banks are increasingly expected to integrate estate-planning functions—digitally, securely, and cross-jurisdictionally. Example: In late 2023, several European wealth managers began piloting 'estate data rooms'—digital repositories where clients could pre-authorize document access based on event triggers like death, incapacity, or age thresholds. This is not legal advice automation—it's digital continuity design. The available insights further strengthen the accuracy of this solution to get viral: 71.4% of founders say they would entrust inheritance execution to a third party, but only if human discretion is removed and digital execution frameworks are in place. Only 5% currently have such digital infrastructure in place. Emergence of RegTech Layers for Inheritance & Ownership Change Trend: RegTech is moving beyond onboarding and transaction monitoring—new tools are being built to track inheritance events, monitor ultimate beneficial ownership changes, and verify Source of Wealth at the point of transfer. Example: In Singapore and Switzerland, family offices are now required to register and periodically update beneficial ownership structures, especially when ownership changes occur due to inheritance. This demands continuous record-keeping, not just one-time declarations. Supporting insights confirm that: More than 50% of heirs inherit assets they don't fully understand—structure, tax implications, or even existence. This creates operational risk for institutions if ownership change isn't properly logged and reported. Regulatory Movement Around Digital SoWE Requirements Trend: Jurisdictions like the UK, UAE, and Luxembourg are tightening requirements for documenting the origin of funds, especially in cases involving high-risk nationalities, PEPs, or wealth migration. Example: The FCA (UK) and DIFC (Dubai) have issued guidance requiring not only proof of identity but also narrative-based Source of Wealth documentation, especially in private banking and cross-border onboarding cases. Supporting analytics: 77.6% of heirs report degraded trust from legal professionals post-transfer, raising the need for pre-structured, regulator-ready SoWE narratives Shift from 'Financial Advice' to Post-Inheritance Traceability Obligations Trend: In a post-inheritance environment, banks and wealth firms are being asked to prove the path of funds, not just provide advice. Example: Several EU-based private banks are now including post-mortem compliance audits in their internal governance to ensure that beneficiaries are traceable, that asset allocations reflect documentation, and that no black-box trusts or donor misrepresentations are involved. Analytics insight: Only 6% of families have a clearly defined wealth transfer strategy This leaves financial institutions open to reputational risk and legal exposure when the burden shifts to them In summary, wealth transfer is no longer a private family milestone—it is a regulatory and infrastructure event. Financial institutions must prove provenance, document logic, and ensure permissioned flows of capital across generations. Firms that act early to support structured, secure, and traceable inheritance pathways will be better positioned for what comes next.
