The advent of AI technology has pushed smartphone manufacturers to incorporate unimaginable processing power in the palm of our hands. Throughout this evolution, Honor has been one step ahead of the game, and its latest Honor 200 Pro is a testament to that. It is remarkable that the device is durable with IP65 coverage, only 8.2mm thin and has the perfect nature-inspired design for one-handed use. Pair that with its gorgeous display and studio-quality optics and you have yourself a smartphone experience that is second to none.
Studio-quality AI Portrait Camera
There are three 50MP cameras on Honor 200 Pro, with one for your selfies on social media and the other two accompanying a third 12MP ultra-wide and macro camera to complete the rear AI-powered triple-camera setup. In our experience, the large 1/1.3-inch sensor on the 50MP main camera helps to take better portraits in low light, especially with Honor’s software upgrades as part of its AI Portrait Engine. Photos have a natural background blur to them and are comparable to even high-end DSLRs, which is impressive.
As part of the enhanced portrait experience, Honor 200 Pro also gives you access to Harcourt Portrait Modes, namely vibrant, colour and classic. For the layperson, these are inspired by a professional French photography studio renowned for its black and white portraits of film stars. Its mastery lies in giving 2D photographs a 3D look through lighting techniques. And it is remarkable that this level of fine-tuning is now available on a smartphone camera experience thanks to the power of AI.
Another neat feature of the camera is HDR Dual Style. You might have seen photos with silhouettes going viral of late where the foreground is dark whereas the background is bright, and now, this artistic style is made easy thanks to Honor 200 Pro. Side by side, the other 50MP telephoto camera sports an industry-first Sony IMX586 sensor and that helps with zooming into faraway objects given its 2.5x optical lens.
Portraits aside, it is nice to see the Honor 200 Pro handle other facets of photography in its stride. For example, its improved light sensitivity and optical image stabilization (OIS) help to capture accurate colours at night while a dedicated night mode helps with exposure and highlights, which means if you are taking photos of signage in the dark, there is no glare that ruins quality, something that even the highest-end flagship smartphone cameras from the competition struggle with today.
AI-empowered Magic Portral
Whether for communication, productivity or otherwise, Honor 200 Pro has a special feature that sets it apart from many others in the market. Called Magic Portal, this enables you to drag and drop content from one application to another via a side bar. Initially, we did not think much of this feature but having used it in the past couple days, it is a game changer. Instead of copy-pasting text from your email to your notes, you can simply pick it up and drop it seamlessly. And this works with images as well. The fact that the app switching and movement works so naturally is also commendable on Honor’s part, showing how much work has gone behind the scenes from a software optimisation perspective.
Of course, capable hardware also plays a role in the experience, and inside Honor 200 Pro, you find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen3 AI chipset. A lot of the smartphone’s AI heavy lifting is done via this processor, which is not only one of the most powerful in the market but also incredibly efficient. For example, one aspect where there is a noticeable improvement in performance is gaming. You can play some of your favourite titles on the device with specially curated AI enhancements from Honor, which make for a smoother and more responsive experience.
Beyond AI
Sometimes, it is easy for a smartphone maker to get carried away with AI, especially with the hype surrounding it. But thankfully, Honor’s vision with the 200 Pro is far beyond. Its 120Hz 6.78-inch AMOLED display is easy on the eyes and sports a peak brightness of 4,000nits, making it usable under the scorching Dubai sun. Another underrated feature that goes hand in hand with the weather is wet touch enhancement, which is great especially in humid conditions like we typically see during summer afternoons.
Finally, there is battery backup, which almost always defines a flagship smartphone user experience. For the first time, this series sports a silicon-carbon battery, which means it can store more power in a relatively small volume. The 5,200mAh battery is impressive given the 200 Pro’s sleek design, lasting us for one to two days of moderate usage on 5G. This can include sparse gaming sessions and extended video watching and at no point does the smartphone’s battery unexpectedly give up on you. Moreover, there is support for Honor’s wireless and wired SuperCharge, at 66W and 100W respectively. This means a simple 15-20 minute charging session can get you up and running for a full day.
Should you buy Honor 200 Pro?
The answer is a resounding yes. Rarely does a brand curate AI experience for a smartphone that are meaningful without a sacrifice in core features. And yet, Honor 200 Pro does both. You can subscribe now to get special access to pre-order the smartphone, which comes with its fair share of goodies from Honor’s official online website.
