Honor 400

Superb value thanks to a mesmerising display, decent performance and an affordable 512GB option

- THOMAS DEEHAN

It's clear where the Honor 400 draws its inspiration from: the flat edges and vertically aligned cameras give off more than a whiff of iPhone.

But that's no bad thing when the Honor 400 costs less than half the price of Apple's handset.

Very much unlike an iPhone, Honor opts for a plastic chassis here, yet it still feels premium. And it looks good whether you opt for black, silver or gold finishes, while an IP65 rating means you won't have to worry about a spot of rain. It's a compelling design, especially for the price.

The display keeps up that impression. The 6.5in AMOLED screen is gorgeous, with a crisp 1,264 x 2,736 resolution and vibrant colours. A peak brightness of 5,000cd/m² means it's easy to use even under the harshest sun, while its adaptive refresh rate goes up to a smooth 120Hz. This has long been a feature of premium Android phones, so it's great to see it's now available at such a low price.

The main camera has a 200MP sensor with optical image stabilisation, and is partnered with a 12MP ultrawide that also serves as a macro lens. It's a shame you don't get a dedicated telephoto lens, but the huge resolution of the main lens lets you zoom in digitally in without wrecking the quality. I snapped fantastic shots of Surrey's Box Hill, and when I cropped in for social media I was happy with the results. For the maximum reach, Honor's 30x AI Superzoom feature generates an upscaled version of the picture you've just taken; results can be smeary, but it doesn't hurt to have the option.