Honor 400 Pro camera review: Passing the test with full honors
Android Central Labs
Android Central Labs is a weekly column dedicated to deep dives, experiments, and a centered look into the tech you utilize. It covers telephones, tablets, and all the pieces in between.
Honor is again with one other incredible mid-range flaship cellphone that appears and feels way more spectacular than the worth lets on. With IP68 and IP69 water and mud resistance, a 200MP major digicam, DC-dimmed show able to 3840Hz PWM dimming at low brightness, and 6 years of software program updates coming, there are many causes to be impressed with the Honor 400 Professional.
Whereas there are lots of elements of a cellphone you may care about, a cellphone’s show and digicam system are crucial issues to me. However Honor has steep competitors at this worth. From the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, the Google Pixel 9a, and even the iPhone 16e, there isn’t any scarcity of choices to select from.
I am looking at how the Honor 400 Professional compares with the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE digicam, specifically, as it is the cellphone most individuals would probably select if given a lineup of similarly-priced gadgets. Honor additionally has the usual Honor 400, and that goes up towards the Galaxy A56.
Honor 400 Professional digicam overview: specs and modes
|
Predominant digicam |
200MP, f/1.9, 1/1.4-inch dimension, OIS |
|
Telephoto digicam |
50MP, f/2.0, 1/2-inch dimension, OIS, Sony IMX856 |
|
Ultrawide digicam |
12MP, f/2.2, 112-degree FoV, autofocus |
|
Entrance digicam |
50MP, mounted focus |
The digicam {hardware} on the Honor 400 Professional appears much more like a flagship cellphone than a mid-range one. Not solely does it have three rear cameras — one thing that provides it a direct benefit over the Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e — however Honor’s digicam software program is principally unmatched in its high quality, too.
Final 12 months, I used to be blown away by what Honor was in a position to do with AI. Whereas it wasn’t fairly the all-encompassing buzzword it’s right this moment, Honor has absolutely leaned into the AI area and describes practically each mode and have with the time period. It is overused, for certain, but it surely would not make the outcomes any much less spectacular. Here is an inventory of all the principle modes and enhancing choices you may get with the Honor 400 Professional:
Honor picture engine
- AI Tremendous Zoom
- AI Portrait Snap
- AI Enhanced Portrait
- Al Focal Lengths Portrait
- HD Transferring Photograph
- Movie Simulation Mode
- Harcourt Portrait Mode
- AI Movement Sensing Seize
AI enhancing
- AI Picture to Video
- AI Eraser
- AI Erase Passers-by
- AI Take away Reflection
- Transferring Photograph Collage
- AI Outpainting
- AI Upscale
- AI Cutout
- AI Face Tune
Honor 400 Professional digicam overview: Predominant digicam
The Honor 400 Professional’s 200MP major digicam is spectacular on paper and in motion. When in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, there is a clear stylistic distinction between the 2 cameras. Samsung pushes for max dynamic vary, which regularly leads to very shiny shadow areas and typically washed out colours.
In each daylight examples beneath, the sky is the flawed shade of blue and the inexperienced hue of the vegetation is just a little too shiny on Samsung’s photographs. Honor opts for a a lot richer, deeper colour palette and it finally ends up trying much more reasonable due to the choice.
Picture 1 of 2
As we transfer indoors and into darker environments, we see the identical state of affairs play out. Samsung’s objective is seemingly to make the brightest picture doable, usually on the detriment of colour accuracy. Neither picture appears unhealthy by any means, however Honor’s processing finally ends up trying higher and sporting extra reasonable colours as a result of the corporate pushes for a extra contrast-heavy look, one thing Pixels have been famend for traditionally.
One of many largest variations between the photographs is the dealing with of bight gentle sources in darkish rooms the place the Honor 400 Professional takes a critical lead. The home windows are completely blown out within the Galaxy S24 FE’s shot. In the meantime, they are not solely properly balanced within the Honor 400 Professional’s shot however you may truly make out particulars.
Picture 1 of 3
Honor 400 Professional digicam overview: Movement seize and portraits
For the reason that Magic 6 Professional, Honor’s movement seize capabilities have develop into second to none. The corporate makes use of a highly-trained AI algorithm to assist perceive what the digicam sees and seize shifting objects based mostly on that algorithm. The result’s that you simply virtually all the time get a crisp topic even when the individual, pet, or factor is shifting your complete time.
I examined this out on a number of topics, however these two examples illustrate the principle variations between the Galaxy S24 FE and the Honor 400 Professional’s movement seize capabilities. Even in broad daylight, the Galaxy S24 FE struggles to seize an object in movement, one thing that ought to come as no shock to anybody who has ever used a Samsung cellphone.
Honor identified that the Honor 400 Professional can seize shifting topics even when utilizing portrait mode this time, and I discovered the outcomes to be very spectacular, so I put it to the take a look at indoors the place the sunshine is not so shiny. The Honor 400 Professional did a incredible job capturing me swinging a sword round in VR, even getting the colours and little particulars on the headset crisp. The Galaxy S24 FE’s colours should not solely flawed, however I am very blurry due to the motion.
Picture 1 of 2
Samsung telephones have produced among the finest portrait mode photographs for years, however final 12 months’s Honor 200 Professional gave Honor the sting it wanted. Honor remains to be utilizing the Harcourt portrait-style processing that provides you three major colour choices, along with a brand new AI portrait mode that may be enabled for higher readability, particularly whereas utilizing 6x zoom.
As you may in all probability count on at this level within the overview, the Honor 400 Professional does an outstanding job of capturing a greater picture than the Galaxy S24 FE. Honors portraits are brighter, extra vibrant, have higher element, and do a greater job of prioritizing lighting on the topic slightly than the background. I additionally discovered the colours to be much more correct on the Honor 400 Professional, particularly with black and brown colours as you may see on my shirt and certainly one of my chickens.
Picture 1 of 2
Honor 400 Professional digicam overview: Telephoto and zoom
Each the Honor 400 Professional and Samsung Galaxy S24 FE characteristic a 3x telephoto digicam on the again, one thing you will not discover on the Google Pixel 9a or an Apple iPhone 16e, regardless of being in the identical worth vary. However the Honor 400 Professional includes a 50MP sensor behind that lens, whereas the Galaxy S24 FE has simply an 8MP sensor.
Megapixels aren’t all the pieces, however there is a very clear distinction within the outcomes. Let’s begin with 2x photographs, that are only a crop of the principle sensor on each telephones. Within the two darker indoor photographs, the Honor 400 Professional nailed the colour of the wooden and did an outstanding job with the lighting. The distinction on the Honor 400 Professional’s photographs are glorious, whereas the Galaxy S24 FE is just too shiny in each photographs, notably within the library with the sunshine leakage from the home windows.
Even through the day, there’s an apparent totally different in colour accuracy, readability, and general particulars on the Honor 400 Professional versus the Galaxy S24 FE.
Picture 1 of 3
Zooming in 3x or higher makes use of the telephoto sensor on each telephones, and it is as soon as once more clear which of them does it higher the second you take a look at any picture. Particulars, colour accuracy, and distinction are all higher on the Honor 400 Professional it doesn’t matter what zoom degree is used, leading to a greater picture each time.
Zooming in past 10x is a combined bag on each telephones, however the Honor 400 Professional has a higher probability of manufacturing one thing usable than what I’ve discovered from the Galaxy S24 FE. Honor has a built-in AI enhancement mode that may be toggled when zooming in at 15x or additional, however I’ve discovered this to be much less helpful than I might hoped. The 18x zoom of the scarab beetle, as an illustration, seemed precisely the identical with AI mode toggled on or off.
Picture 1 of 5
Honor 400 Professional digicam overview: Ultrawide, macro, and selfie
On paper, there’s not a lot of a distinction between the Honor 400 Professional and the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE’s ultrawide cameras. Each are a 12MP sensor, however the Honor 400 Professional’s is able to autofocus, serving to it to double as a macro digicam. To get the identical kinds of macro photographs on the Galaxy S24 FE, you may have to make use of the 2x zoom button to make use of the principle sensor slightly than getting up near the topic. The result’s a considerably higher picture from the Honor 400 Professional, with crisper particulars and higher distinction.
In any other case, ultrawide digicam efficiency is basically equivalent between the 2 telephones. As a rule of thumb, it looks as if the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE’s ultrawide digicam captures marginally higher high quality element, whereas I favor the colours and distinction of the Honor 400 Professional’s ultrawide digicam.
Picture 1 of 3
The front-facing cameras could not be extra totally different on paper. The Honor 400 Professional makes use of a brand new 50MP front-facing digicam sensor, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE makes use of a 10MP one. Each are mounted focus sensors with no actual depth to them, so utilizing portrait mode is necessary if you’d like that traditional picture really feel.
I count on good portrait outcomes from each firms and neither cellphone disappoints there. Each characteristic clear cutouts of me and my pet hen, however the Honor 400 Professional’s background blurring is extra refined than the Galaxy S24 FE’s. As has been the case on this whole overview, the Honor 400 Professional’s colours and distinction are higher, giving it a greater general look.
Darker environments showcase much less of a distinction between the 2, however these variations stay the identical. The Honor 400 Professional has higher distinction and colours, even when it is to a a lot smaller diploma than we have seen elsewhere within the overview.
Picture 1 of 2
Honor 400 Professional digicam overview: The brand new mid-range digicam champion
The Honor 400 Professional received this take a look at palms down, and it wasn’t even shut within the overwhelming majority of the classes. Honor’s processing is simply plain higher than Samsung’s, with higher distinction, extra correct colours, extra right emphasis on prioritizing topics over backgrounds, considerably higher movement seize high quality, and higher zoom element general.
It is truly exhausting to discover a weak level with the Honor 400 Professional’s digicam, because it does all the pieces exceedingly properly and would not appear to battle it doesn’t matter what mode is chosen. The worst factor I can say about it’s that its ultrawide digicam is not higher than the Galaxy S24 FE’s when taking wide-angle photographs, however that adjustments when getting in shut because the Honor 400 Professional’s ultrawide digicam can use autofocus, permitting it for use as a 50MP macro digicam.
When you’re available in the market for a great new mid-range cellphone, there isn’t any more sensible choice than the Honor 400 Professional. It is obtained a fantastic eye-friendly show which is considerably higher than the Pixel 9a or Galaxy S24 FE’s display screen, six years of software program updates to come back, a stronger construct and design than most telephones (not simply mid-range ones), plus what’s clearly one of the best mid-range digicam you may discover anyplace.
The Honor 400 Professional is the mid-range cellphone with a flagship digicam, IP68 and IP69 water and mud safety rankings, six years of software program updates to come back, and all of the AI methods you ever wished.
