I tried cheaper Samsung mobile rival that comes with four FREE gifts worth £289 including a Bluetooth speaker

Scottish Sun

18 hours ago

All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
Take a look at some of the photos we took with the phone below
GOOD CALL I tried cheaper Samsung mobile rival that comes with four FREE gifts worth £289 including a Bluetooth speaker
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
GETTING a decent smartphone doesn't have to mean breaking the bank.
Even the big names like Samsung and iPhone offer more budget-friendly options these days.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
5
I've been trying the Honor 400 Pro for the past week
Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun
5
Jamie Harris is The Sun's main smartphone reviewer
Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun
5
The new device has a strange camera body on the back
Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun
Honor 400 Pro - buy for £549.99 with discount code A400PUK150
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.
Google
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
The camera doesn't struggle to capture all that furry detail
Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun
5
Shots with very little light capture more than my eyes can see
Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun
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.
Honor 400 Pro: Verdict
Despite the fact I'm not keen on that camera bulge on the back nor the insistence on bloatware apps, there's plenty to love about the Honor 400 Pro.
The camera - despite being physically meh - takes undeniable great photos.
Even the AI is pretty decent, if a little gimmicky.
And the battery is perfect for anyone who has battery anxiety and fears running out of power.
If you can get it sooner with those free extra gifts thrown in it sweetens the deal.
Rating: 3 / 5
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.