Honor 200: A Stylish Mid-Range Imperative with Camera Excellence

Honor is making strides in India with a series of product launches. The company has recently unveiled the Honor 200 series in the country, aiming to enhance its offerings in the mid-range and premium markets. While the Honor 200 Pro is aimed at the high-end segment, it’s the Honor 200 that will truly contend in the competitive Indian smartphone market. The new handset is priced at Rs 34,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant and Rs 39,999 for the 12GB + 512GB version.

The Honor 200 boasts attractive features and a high-quality design. This time, the emphasis is placed on the camera system, co-developed with Studio Harcourt, a studio renowned for its portrait photography. But does this make it compelling enough to draw users away from competitors? Let’s explore in this review.

Honor 200 Design: Sleek and Attractive

• Dimensions — 161.5 x 74.6 x 7.7mm
• Weight — 187g
• Colours — Moonlight White and Black

Honor has consistently prioritized design aesthetics, even during its previous operations in India prior to the ban. Today, this design ethos is evident in the Honor 200. This smartphone stands out in terms of style within its pricing tier. I received the Moonlight White variant for review, and it exudes elegance—a rarity in this price range.

The Honor 200 is available in two colors: Moonlight White and Black.

 

The attractive wave pattern on the back panel coupled with the oval camera module enhances its aesthetics. However, this camera module can cause the phone to wobble on flat surfaces. The device feels comfortable in hand, yet the plastic frame is somewhat disappointing.

With a thickness of 7.7mm and a weight of 187 grams, the phone aligns well with its rivals. A notable drawback of its design is its slippery surface, so a case is advisable as there is no official Gorilla Glass protection. Additionally, the absence of an official IP rating may be a deal breaker for some at this price point.

Honor 200 Display: Clear and Vivid

• Display — 6.7-inch 1.5K AMOLED curved display
• Refresh Rate — 120Hz
• Other Features — 3840Hz PWM Dimming, 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut, 4,000nits peak brightness

The Honor 200 features a quad-curved display that delivers sharp and vibrant visuals. Additionally, with a peak brightness of 4,000nits, the screen performs well in bright outdoor conditions.

The Honor 200’s AMOLED display provides vivid color output.

 

The phone’s 120Hz refresh rate contributes to a smooth scrolling experience. The quad-curved screen design not only appears premium but also reduces the chances of accidental touches. For content consumption, this device excels. While viewing ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ on Apple TV+, I noticed the color saturation was impressive, and it handled darker scenes well.

It also supports Widevine L1 and HDR10+, allowing for enjoyable HDR content streaming on Netflix. You can choose between Normal and Vivid modes based on your preferences, though I recommend sticking to Vivid mode for optimal output.

The device offers multiple options to personalize display settings.

A notable feature is the Always-On display; there are two modes: Full screen and Partial screen. The full-screen mode provides a dimmed version of the lock screen for a more immersive Always-On experience.

The phone is equipped with an in-display fingerprint sensor that generally functions well, although its placement is slightly lower than I would prefer. However, you can choose from various animations, which adds an element of fun.

Honor 200 Software: Heavy on Bloatware

• Software — MagicOS 8.0
• Version — Android 14
• Updates Promised — 3 Years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches

The Honor 200 runs on MagicOS 8.0, built on Android 14. The user interface is intuitive and offers a commendable range of customization and features. The company has introduced various AI-driven functionalities, including Magic Capsule, Magic Portal, and Magic Ring, among others. While some of these features prove useful, others seem somewhat gimmicky.

One beneficial feature is Magic Portal, which permits users to drag and drop texts, images, and videos between apps effortlessly. For instance, you can copy text from Instagram and drag it to apps like Notes or Gmail with ease. Additionally, a Favorites Space helps manage your screenshots and videos conveniently.

Conversely, Magic Capsule feels more like a novelty. While it takes cues from Apple’s Dynamic Island, it lacks the comprehensive functionality of its counterpart. It may show music playback or a timer, but more features are necessary for it to be genuinely useful.

Overall, the user interface allows considerable customization; however, the persistent issue of bloatware remains. You’ll encounter duplicate apps for Email, Gallery, App Market, calculator, and others. Thankfully, these apps don’t bombard you with notifications, which is a minor relief.

Honor 200 Performance: Adequate for Everyday Use

• Processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
• Memory — Up to 12GB (LPDDR5)
• Storage — Up to 512GB (UFS 2.2)

The Honor 200 packs solid hardware for its price category, featuring the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor that is found in devices like the Vivo V30, OnePlus Nord CE4, and Motorola Edge 50 Pro, among others. However, compared to competitors in this price range, the phone’s performance is somewhat lacking, as demonstrated in the synthetic benchmark comparisons:

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

In daily usage, you will not encounter any significant issues or lag. Even during demanding tasks, the phone maintains performance without considerable throttling, which is a plus.

As for gaming, this device handles regular gameplay competently. I found that playing Call of Duty: Mobile at default settings in High and Very High graphics modes provided a seamless experience. I didn’t observe any frame drops, even at Very High Quality and maximum frame rate. The device did warm up slightly around the camera area, although not worryingly so.

Honor 200 Cameras: Almost Exceptional

• Rear — 50-megapixel Sony IMX906 sensor with f/1.95 aperture + 12-megapixel Ultra-Wide Camera + 50-megapixel Sony IMX856 2.5x portrait sensor
• Front — 50-megapixel Sony IMX906 sensor with f/2.1 aperture

The cameras are arguably the standout feature. The Honor 200 is equipped with a versatile camera setup that delivers what you expect in a good camera-focused smartphone.

Honor 200 samples: 2x daylight (top), ultra-wide (middle), and standard (bottom) photos. (Tap to Expand)

 

In bright conditions, the device captures impressive images with notable dynamic range and vivid colors. While the photos are sharp and detailed, colors can occasionally appear oversaturated. The ultra-wide camera, however, falls short in quality, exhibiting noticeable detail loss at the corners in daytime images.

Honor 200 portrait sample shot using Harcourt Colour (bottom), Harcourt Vibrant (Middle), and Harcourt Classic (Top). (Tap to expand image)

 

Nevertheless, the true highlight lies with the portrait sensor. The device employs a Sony IMX856 2.5x portrait sensor that excels in capturing stunning images under various conditions. Skin tones are rendered naturally, and the bokeh effect is impressive. Additionally, you have access to three unique Harcourt portrait modes: Harcourt Vibrant, Harcourt Colour, and Harcourt Classic, with Classic mode being my favorite for producing excellent results across different lighting situations.

Honor 200 low-light camera samples. (Tap image to expand)

 

In low-light situations, the primary sensor performs admirably, minimizing noise and maintaining color fidelity even when the light is limited. However, the ultra-wide camera again fails to deliver, producing images that lack detail and are quite noisy.

Honor 200 Battery: Remarkable Battery Life

• Battery Capacity — 5,200mAh (Silicon-carbon)
• Wired Charging — 100W SuperCharge
• Charger — 100W (Not Included)

The Honor 200 stands out with its silicon-carbon battery, one of the few smartphones to feature this technology. Such batteries possess higher energy density and occupy less space compared to traditional lithium-ion counterparts. This allows for a slimmer design without compromising battery life, a point where this device excels.

The Honor 200 is equipped with a 5,200mAh battery and supports 100W fast charging.

 

Under typical usage conditions, the phone can effortlessly last an entire day with an average screen-on time of 6 hours. During our battery loop test, it clocked an impressive 28 hours and 27 minutes. It also features 100W fast charging support, though you’ll need to purchase the charger separately. We tested it with a 68W charger, managing to charge to 37 percent in 15 minutes, 70 percent in 30 minutes, and reaching full charge in 49 minutes.

Honor 200 Conclusion

The Honor 200 represents a solid choice for those seeking a premium camera smartphone at a mid-range price. It offers a sleek, lightweight design that stands out from the crowd. The display is sharp and ideal for multimedia consumption. Notably, the cameras are a highlight, yielding impressive results, particularly with the primary and portrait sensors, although the ultra-wide sensor leaves something to be desired. Performance is reliable, ensuring smooth operation during everyday tasks.

However, the device encounters stiff competition from options like Realme GT 6T (Review), Motorola Edge 50 Pro (Review), OnePlus Nord 4 (Review), Oppo Reno 12 Pro (Review), and others. Therefore, if you are in the market for a camera-oriented smartphone that offers consistent performance, the Honor 200 merits consideration.