Honor has announced its latest mid-range smartphone in the form of the new Honor 400.
Considering Google recently launched the Pixel 9a, the mid-range counterpart to its flagship Pixel 9 series, we’re keen to see how the two mid-rangers compare.
If you’re debating between the two mid-range Android smartphones, we’re here to help. We’ve compared the specs of the Honor 400 to the Google Pixel 9a and highlighted five of the biggest differences to help you decide which smartphone might suit you better.
Make sure you also visit our best Android phone and best mid-range smartphone guides too, to see how they measure up.
Price and availability
Alongside the 400 Pro, the Honor 400 is available now, with a starting RRP of £399.99 for the 256GB model and £449 for the larger 512GB alternative.
Launched in April 2025, the Pixel 9a is available globally and is slightly more expensive than the Honor 400. For the 128GB model, the Pixel 9a will set you back £449/$449 while the 256GB handset retails at £549/$549.
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 vs Google Tensor G4
Although some mid-range phones sport flagship processors from 2024, such as Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus, Honor has opted for Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 to power the 400 instead.
We’ve tested the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor in other phones, like the Motorola Edge 50 Pro and, although we found that the chipset offers a solid everyday experience, it’s not quite up to flagship level. Gaming was a bit of a slog too, so if that’s important to you, we’d recommend checking out our selection of the best gaming phones instead.
On the other hand, despite being the cheapest of the Pixel 9 line-up, the Pixel 9a runs on the same processor as its siblings: Google Tensor G4.
In true Google fashion, the Tensor G4 chip prioritises AI prowess over sheer power, which means it tends to score low in our benchmarking tests. Even so, we found the Pixel 9a “absolutely flies” across both casual use and even more processing-heavy tasks too.
We also never experienced any stutter or lag when gaming too, although we did notice the phone became warm after prolonged use.
The Honor 400 has a 200MP main camera
Both handsets have three cameras: one selfie snapper and two rear lenses. The Honor 400’s rear lenses include a 200MP main, which is the same resolution as the premium Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and a 12MP ultrawide too.
Honor promises the 400’s main lens “ensures exceptional clarity, even in low-light conditions” while the complementary 12MP ultrawide “captures expansive scenes”. In fact, Honor claims the 400 is the “industry’s first smartphone to achieve 20x telephoto shooting capability with the primary camera.”
Supporting the cameras is Honor Image Engine, which introduces “cutting-edge AI innovations that elevate mobile photography”. This includes tools such as AI Super Zoom – tech first seen on the top-end Honor Magic 7 Pro, AI Eraser which removes unwanted objects from photos and AI Outpainting. The latter expands images beyond their original edges, which is ideal for enhancing photos.
Although the Pixel 9a’s camera set-up sounds low in comparison, with a 48MP main and a slightly larger 13MP ultrawide camera, we found it to deliver “exceptionally accurate results, particularly in terms of colours and skin tones”. While the ultrawide isn’t quite as capable in low-light environments, it’s still a “respectable snapper that can capture vibrant shots”.
Plus, like the rest of the Pixel 9 series, the Pixel 9a is fitted with Google’s AI editing tools, including Magic Eraser, Best Take, and the clever Add Me tool.
The Honor 400 has a higher screen resolution
The Honor 400 is slightly larger than Pixel 9a, with a 6.55-inch display compared to a 6.3-inch panel from the Big G.
It also promises to be a lot brighter with 5000 nits peak brightness, while the Pixel 9a offers up to 1800 nits for HDR content and a peak of up to 2700 nits. Not only that, but the Honor 400 has an Eye Comfort Display which offers low blue light filtering, PWM dimming and even motion sickness relief too.
Comparatively, the Pixel 9a’s display is easily “the weakest element of the experience overall”. Our biggest qualm with the display is the seriously thick bezels, which significantly ages the handset and makes it look more like a cheap phone. We also struggled with the 60-120Hz refresh rate as, although it sounds generous, we found it to be jittery in everyday use.
Honor 400 has 66W fast charging
Much like the Honor Magic 7 Lite, the Honor 400 supports up to 66W fast charging, which Honor claims can fully recharge the 5300mAh cell in 46 minutes – though we’ll have to confirm these claims in testing.
The Pixel 9a, on the other hand, supports just 23W charging, which we found results in a full charge from 1-100% taking a whopping 108 minutes. Even so, it’s worth noting that the battery life of the Pixel 9a was seriously impressive, and surpassed even the mighty Pixel 9 Pro XL too.
Pixel 9a has an IP68 rating
Some mid-range phones and even some of the best cheap phones sport an IP68 rating, which means the handset is dust-tight and is protected against the effects of continuous immersion in water. While the Pixel 9a boasts this rating, the Honor 400 offers just an IP65 rating, which means the phone is protected against water jets.
Otherwise, the Pixel 9a sports a Gorilla Glass 3 front for durability, while the Honor 400 has SGS-certified durability certifications, which means the phone is verified to meet performance and safety requirements.
Early Verdict
Both the Honor 400 and Pixel 9a are solid mid-range Android options for 2025. While both sport AI tools, the Honor 400 boasts faster charging and promises a better display compared to the Pixel 9a.
However, the Pixel 9a offers a brilliant camera set-up, the established Google AI toolkit and a longer battery life than its more expensive counterparts.
That said, we’ll save our final thoughts for once we’ve spent more time with the Honor 400, so check back soon.
