Honor 200 Review: A Mid-Range Phone With a Premium Camera Focus
Honor’s comeback in India has been swift and aggressive, with a string of new launches aimed at solidifying their presence in both the mid-range and premium segments. The Honor 200, positioned as a mid-range offering, is a particularly interesting contender, boasting a sleek design, a vibrant display, and a camera system co-engineered with renowned photography studio Studio Harcourt. But, does the Honor 200 stand up to the intense competition in the Indian smartphone market? Let’s delve into this comprehensive review to discover if it truly delivers on its promises.
Honor 200 Design: Sleek and Stylish, Yet a Bit Flawed
The Honor 200 exudes a premium aesthetic, setting itself apart in the design department. Available in Moonlight White and Black, the phone boasts a unique wave design pattern on the rear panel, accentuated by an oval-shaped camera module. This design choice, while visually appealing, does come with a practical drawback – the module makes the phone wobble precariously when placed on a flat surface.
The phone feels comfortable in hand, though the frame is disappointingly constructed of plastic. At a mere 7.7mm thick and weighing 187 grams the Honor 200 is remarkably slim and light, achieving parity with its competitors.
However, the sleek design comes with a significant drawback: lack of official protection. The Honor 200 lacks a Gorilla Glass coating, prompting a strong recommendation for a case to mitigate the risk of scratches and accidental drops.
Furthermore, the absence of an official IP rating is a considerable misstep at this price point, especially considering its competitors offer this critical feature.
Honor 200 Display: Crisp, Vibrant, and Content Consumption Delight
The Honor 200 features a captivating 6.7-inch 1.5K AMOLED curved display, with a 120Hz refresh rate for a fluid scrolling experience. It’s a sight to behold, delivering vibrant colours, and boasts a commendable 4,000nits of peak brightness, perfect for viewing content in even the brightest outdoor conditions. The quad-curved screen enhances the premium look while minimizing accidental touch issues.
Whether it’s streaming shows on Apple TV+ or immersing yourself in HDR content on Netflix, the Honor 200 delivers. The display supports HDR10+ and Widevine L1, ensuring stunning visuals and a rich viewing experience. You can choose from two display modes: Normal and Vivid, allowing you to customize the colour saturation to your preference.
The Always-On display offers a novel touch with options for both full-screen and partial-screen modes. The full-screen mode cleverly dims the lock screen, providing a visually appealing and unique Always-On experience. The in-display fingerprint sensor integrates seamlessly into the display and provides quick and reliable unlocking.
Honor 200 Software: A Feature-Rich but Bloatware-Infested Experience
Running MagicOS 8.0, based on Android 14, the Honor 200 delivers a user-friendly interface with an extensive suite of customizations. Honor has infused MagicOS with AI-powered features like Magic Capsule, Magic Portal, and Magic Ring, aiming to enhance user experience. While some of these features are undeniably useful, others feel gimmicky and lack a true impact.
Magic Portal shines as a standout feature, enabling seamless text, photo, and video sharing between apps. Simply long-press content to activate the blue hue, then drag it effortlessly to other apps like WhatsApp, Gmail, or Notes.
Magic Capsule, however, falls flat. Inspired by Apple’s Dynamic Island, it fails to replicate the diverse functionality. It only allows for music playback and timer display at present, leaving much to be desired.
While the user interface itself is customizable, the issue of bloatware remains a persistent problem. The phone is preloaded with double apps for various functions, including Email, Gallery, app market, calculator, and docs. Thankfully, these apps are relatively unobtrusive, avoiding incessant spammy notifications.
Honor 200 Performance: Decent for Everyday Use, But Lacks Punch in Gaming Benchmarks
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, the Honor 200 packs solid hardware for its price range. However, when compared to competitors like the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, OnePlus Nord CE4, and Vivo V30, the phone’s performance, particularly in gaming, falls slightly short.
Benchmark comparisons further highlight this disparity:
| Benchmark | Honor 200 | Motorola Edge 50 Pro | Oppo Reno 12 Pro | Realme GT 6T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 1145 | 1142 | 1013 | 1843 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 3304 | 3124 | 2938 | 4756 |
| AnTuTu v10 | 821,670 | 818,387 | 619,149 | 1,462,980 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 12,723 | 13,730 | 12,806 | 19,517 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | 5180 | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Slingshot | Maxed Out | 8393 | 6606 | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life | 5917 | 5394 | 3170 | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 6043 | 5457 | 3162 | 11481 |
| GFXBench T-Rex | 60 | 116 | 59 | 60 |
| GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 | 59 | 61 | 49 | 60 |
| GFXBench Car Chase | 38 | 32 | 29 | 60 |
Despite the benchmark scores, the Honor 200 performs commendably for everyday tasks. You’ll encounter little to no lag or performance issues during routine use, and even demanding applications and tasks don’t lead to significant throttling.
In the realm of gaming, the Honor 200 is more than capable for casual gameplay. Playing Call of Duty: Mobile at High graphics and Very High frame rates, the phone delivers smooth gameplay with minimal frame drops. Even with Very High Quality and maximum frame rate settings, the game performs well, although the phone experiences slight warming around the camera module.
Honor 200 Cameras: A Near-Top-Tier Experience
The cameras are undeniably the crown jewel of the Honor 200. With its comprehensive camera setup, it checks all the boxes of a capable camera-centric phone.
Rear Cameras:
- 50-megapixel Sony IMX906 sensor with f/1.95 aperture
- 12-megapixel Ultra-Wide Camera
- 50-megapixel Sony IMX856 2.5x portrait sensor
- Front Camera:
- 50-megapixel Sony IMX906 sensor with f/2.1 aperture
In daylight conditions, the Honor 200 captures exceptional photos. Images exhibit striking dynamic range with vibrant colours, delivering crisp detail and a pleasing overall aesthetic. While colours may appear slightly oversaturated in some instances, the clarity and detail make up for it. The ultra-wide angle lens, however, falls short in comparison, showing noticeable loss of detail in the corners, even under daylight conditions.
The 2.5x portrait sensor steals the show. This Sony IMX856 sensor excels in capturing stunning portraits, producing natural skin tones and effectively blurring backgrounds for a professional bokeh effect. The phone also offers three Harcourt portrait modes – Harcourt Vibrant, Harcourt Colour, and Harcourt Classic – allowing for personalized creative expressions. Among the three, the Harcourt Classic mode stands out, delivering consistently impressive results across various lighting situations.
In low-light scenarios, the Honor 200 continues to impress. The primary sensor effectively minimizes noise while retaining natural colour representation. The ultra-wide lens, sadly, suffers from low-light performance, producing softer images with noticeable noise.
Honor 200 Battery: Powerhouse Performance With Long Lifespan and Rapid Charging
Equipped with a silicon-carbon battery, the Honor 200 differentiates itself from other smartphones in the market. This technology offers higher energy density while requiring less space compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, enabling a slimmer phone design without sacrificing battery life.
The Honor 200 delivers outstanding battery life. With an average screen time of 6 hours under normal usage, it effortlessly lasts a full day. In our battery loop test, the phone achieved an impressive 28 hours and 27 minutes, demonstrating its exceptional stamina.
Furthermore, the Honor 200 supports 100W fast charging. While the charger must be purchased separately, we tested charging speeds with a 68W fast charger. The phone reached 37 percent charge in 15 minutes, 70 percent in 30 minutes, and fully charged in a speedy 49 minutes.
Honor 200 Verdict: A Solid Contender With Strengths and Shortcomings
The Honor 200 clearly emerges as a compelling option for those seeking a premium camera phone at a mid-range price point. Its sleek design and lightweight build make it a pleasure to hold, and the vibrant display is a delight for content consumption. The primary camera and portrait sensor deliver impressive results, capturing stunning images in various lighting conditions, solidifying its appeal for those prioritizing photography.
However, the lack of official protection (Gorilla Glass) and an IP rating raise concerns. The ultra-wide angle lens also lags behind, failing to match the quality of the main camera. While the performance is adequate for everyday use, it falls short compared to competitors in gaming benchmarks and lacks the punch expected in this price range.
Ultimately, the Honor 200 faces fierce competition from strong contenders like the Realme GT 6T, Motorola Edge 50 Pro, OnePlus Nord 4, and Oppo Reno 12 Pro. If you prioritize a camera-centric phone with consistent performance, the Honor 200 is definitely worth considering. However, for those seeking absolute cutting-edge performance and features, exploring available alternatives might be a wiser choice.
