Almost a year after the last HONOR sub-flagship graced Philippine shores, the HONOR 200 Pro arrives with a focus on portrait photography. Like its vanilla sibling, the Pro variant boasts collaboration with Parisian powerhouse Studio Harcourt.
This partnership isn’t merely slapping a brand name on the camera app. Studio Harcourt Paris’ timeless black-and-white aesthetic finds its way into co-engineered portrait modes, promising users — from casual users to aspiring photographers — stunning, professional-looking portraits with a tap.
But can this unique feature elevate the HONOR 200 Pro to a compelling flagship experience, or is it a case of style over substance? We take a deep dive in this review to find out.
Our HONOR 200 pro review video
Curved appeal, premium feel
We really like the design of the HONOR 200 Pro. It strikes a confident pose in the looks department. Our Ocean Cyan unit shimmers with a classy dual-finish back, and even the glossy section is subtly textured — a welcome touch that minimizes fingerprint as well as smudges. The phone also offers an IP65 rating for dust and splash resistance, meaning it can handle light rain but not complete submersion in water.
HONOR has opted for a sleek plastic frame, sandwiched between what’s claimed to be reinforced curved glass on both sides. This makes them more durable for everyday use. The back is dominated by a rather large, oval camera island with a metallic accent. It’s even more prominent than the one on the HONOR 90.
Be prepared for some wobbling when placed on a flat surface due to this hefty camera bump. Thankfully, HONOR includes a clear silicone case in the box to mitigate this issue and offer extra protection — in case the bulge proves bothersome. This device is a bit on the heavy side, but that also contributes to the solid in-hand feel it gives.
Like its predecessors, the HONOR 200 Pro embraces the curved-display trend. However, it’s a choice that might not resonate with everyone, particularly those who find curved screens to be prone to accidental touches and some image distortion. We, on the other hand, prefer the curvier 200 Pro over the regular model, which packs a quad-curved screen. Nestled within the HONOR 200 Pro’s display is a small pill-shaped cutout, housing the 50-megapixel selfie camera and 2-megapixel depth sensor.
The under-display fingerprint scanner is fast, but its placement is undeniably low — a common gripe these days. Face unlock uses the front-camera cutout. It’s fast and accurate, but unlike the HONOR Magic6 Pro, it lacks a 3D depth sensor. This translates to a less secure and reliable experience, so you may want to skip it in favor of the fingerprint reader embedded in the screen.
For a touch of retro charm, the HONOR 200 Pro includes an IR blaster on the top, letting you control nearby home appliances and devices with ease. The audio department boasts a stereo speaker setup, with a dedicated speaker at the bottom and the earpiece doubling as a second one, cleverly utilizing two outlets. The built-in speakers deliver balanced and loud sound.
Compared to the HONOR 200, connectivity receives a boost on the Pro variant. HONOR throws in their C1+ RF enhancement chip, claiming a 17% increase in antenna transmission and reception. In normal speak, this translates to better 4G and 5G performance. Wi-Fi also sees a significant improvement, with a purported 200% faster rate and 35% stronger reception. Mobile gamers will appreciate the chip’s ability to reduce Wi-Fi latency by up to 90%.
Near-flagship OLED display
The HONOR 200 Pro boasts a vibrant 6.78-inch 1.5K curved OLED display, which should mean sharp visuals, rich colors, and deep blacks — a nice recipe for immersive viewing and movie marathons. Meanwhile, the 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and animations, especially beneficial for gamers who can crank up the frame rates in titles like PUBG Mobile, which can run at up to 90 fps on our unit.
Don’t worry about brightness either — the HONOR 200 Pro revs up to a whopping 4,000 nits for HDR content, making it easily viewable outdoors. Out of the box, colors appear neutral, but you can always fine-tune them to your preference in the settings. HONOR even throws in a 3,840Hz high-frequency PWM Dimming to eliminate screen flickering, a thoughtful touch for those sensitive to device screens.
The smartphone offers three refresh rate modes: Dynamic, High, and Standard. The Dynamic mode intelligently adjusts between 60Hz and 120Hz depending on the app, saving battery life when displaying static content or videos. High mode prioritizes smoothness by forcing 120Hz where possible, ideal for gaming. Standard mode sticks to 60Hz for maximum battery life.
The HONOR 200 Pro is a great choice for movie and show binging thanks to HDR10 support and Google’s Widevine L1 certification. This ensures compatibility with popular streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube for high-quality HDR playback. Additionally, the display has the advantage of being able to be used with wet hands, which is useful in the kitchen or after a swim.
A portrait powerhouse — and more
The HONOR 200 Pro isn’t just a looker; it packs a serious punch in the camera department as well. The brand has equipped the handset with a triple-lens rear system, headlined by a 50-megapixel camera with a large 1/1.3-inch sensor. This sensor size translates to excellent low-light performance and beautiful detail in well-lit environments.
Joining the primary camera is a 50-megapixel telemacro shooter offering 2.5x optical zoom and up to 50x digital zoom, making it ideal for capturing distant subjects without sacrificing image quality. In good lighting, we found that the 200 Pro delivers exceptional macro results with vibrant colors and a shallow depth of field around the subject.
Rounding out the trio is a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, ideal for group shots and expansive landscapes. While not as impressive as the other two sensors, the ultrawide unit can definitely hold its own when the lights are bright. Up front, the HONOR 200 Pro boasts a 50-megapixel front-facing camera with an autofocusing wide lens, letting you capture more of the background if you want.
But the biggest, most noteworthy camera feature here is certainly HONOR’s software-optimized Portrait mode. As mentioned earlier, HONOR has partnered with Parisian art photography studio Studio Harcourt Paris to elevate the 200 Pro’s portrait capabilities. This allows for stunning portrait shots, even offering a Harcourt Portrait mode alongside a selection of presets, including monochrome and color options that use a 5:4 aspect ratio — inspired by Studio Harcourt’s signature portrait style — in the native camera app. This mode is exclusive to the rear camera system.
Shot on the HONOR 200 Pro
More samples taken in Harcourt Portrait mode
HONOR’s AI Portrait Engine also deserves a mention here. This built-in software helps users manipulate light and shadow to achieve their desired artistic flair in portrait shots. In practice, Portrait mode on the 200 Pro is a joy to use, delivering studio-worthy results with convincing background blur, even in complex scenes.
The HONOR 200 Pro’s main camera shines in all lighting conditions. Expect sharp details, wide dynamic range, and pleasing color balance in bright daylight. Moving to the telemacro option, images retain impressive detail with good dynamic range and likable color reproduction. This is where you’ll want to capture your portraits — the focal length offers a flattering perspective, and you leverage the quality of the high-resolution sensor for more accurate colors and lifelike skin tones.
Other sample shots taken with the rear camera
Sample selfies
The HONOR 200 Pro can record video up to 4K resolution at up to 60 frames per second with both the main and zoom (at 3x) cameras. This allows for smooth, high-detail recordings, perfect for capturing fast-paced action or adding cinematic slow-motion effects.
The ultrawide and selfie cameras max out at 4K/30fps, still offering good quality for everyday videography. Notably, the front-facing option can also shoot 1080p footage at a silky smooth 60 fps, which is good news for vloggers.
An impressive feat is the inclusion of always-on electronic stabilization across all four cameras. HONOR even claims their optical image stabilization or OIS system works in tandem with EIS on the primary camera, and the results seem to support this. Videos we captured on the HONOR 200 Pro boast surprisingly good stabilization, minimizing unwanted shakes and jitters.
Overall, the HONOR 200 Pro’s camera system is a versatile and powerful setup, particularly adept at portrait photography. Each lens delivers quality images suited to its strengths, making this phone a particularly great choice for those who are into mobile photography and videography.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 delivers (as expected)
The HONOR 200 Pro doesn’t just boast a pretty face and impressive portrait chops; it packs a lot of firepower under the hood, too. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, the same processor inside the recently launched realme GT 6.
This cutting-edge 5G chip ses a power-efficient 4nm manufacturing process and features a unique 1+4+3 core configuration with a powerful Cortex-X4 core leading the charge. Qualcomm has advertised significant performance improvements over the previous generation, claiming a 20% CPU and 15% GPU jump.
Synthetic benchmarks back up these claims. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in our unit can reach a staggering 1.2 million points in Antutu, placing it among the best performers in its price point.
But benchmarks only tell part of the story. Real-world experience is paramount, and the HONOR 200 Pro delivers. Thanks to the combination of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and HONOR’s MagicOS 8 custom interface on top of Android 14, this model offers a buttery-smooth user experience. Apps launch instantaneously, and even the most demanding games run flawlessly at max settings without succumbing to consistent frame-rate drops, even during extended gaming sessions. In addition, the ample 12GB of RAM ensures smooth multitasking for even the most power users.
To put this to the test, we ran the HONOR 200 Pro through the gauntlet with some of the most demanding games available on the Google Play Store. Honkai: Star Rail, known for pushing devices to their limits, performed admirably. Over a 40-minute session, the phone averaged a steady 55 frames per second, with occasional bursts to a full 60 fps.
Zenless Zone Zero, another graphics hog, offered similar results, averaging 53 fps over a 74-minute session with all graphics settings maxed out. These results translate to a visually stunning and responsive gaming experience, making the HONOR 200 Pro a fantastic choice for mobile gamers.
MagicOS 8, the company’s custom user interface built on Android 14, offers a familiar yet refined user experience. The software includes a few unique features, like the iOS-like Magic Capsule notification system that utilizes the pill-shaped cutout around the front camera. This capsule offers a convenient way to view timers, control background music playback, or keep an eye on videos without needing a full-screen display. It should work with many of the apps you have installed on your phone, though not every app will be compatible.
Another familiar software feature is the air-gesture control system using the front camera. Smart sensing, a carryover from previous models, keeps the display illuminated as long as you’re looking at it.
HONOR has committed to three years of software updates and an additional year of security patches for the HONOR 200 Pro, putting it in line with current industry standards.
Powered by silicon-battery tech
The HONOR 200 Pro is powered by a large 5,200mAh battery. This should comfortably power you through a full day of even heavy usage, so you can go about your day without scrambling for a charger. In PCMark’s battery-rundown test, our unit lasted 10 hours and 23 minutes.
Impressively, like the Magic6 Pro, the 200 Pro boasts a silicon-carbon battery, a technology pioneered by HONOR. This innovative composition utilizes silicon and carbon to deliver a significant capacity advantage over traditional lithium-ion batteries.
Beyond impressive capacity, silicon-carbon batteries offer environmental benefits. Silicon is a more abundant resource, and the technology boasts a smaller environmental footprint. Additionally, these batteries are said to be safer than lithium-ion due to a reduced risk of overheating.
The HONOR 200 Pro supports 100-watt fast wired charging, allowing you to top up your battery at impressive speeds. The bundled charger can replenish a dead battery to around 75% in 30 minutes, and a full charge in just 42 minutes. For those who prefer to go wireless, the smartphone supports 66-watt fast wireless charging as well.
Final thoughts
The HONOR 200 Pro lands with a splash in the Philippines, offering a feature set that belies its attractive price tag of P29,999, or roughly $515 with taxes. This serious sub-flagshop contender crams a lot to love into a package that undercuts the competition while offering comparable or even better performance, a beautiful curved OLED display, a more versatile camera system, and a silicon-carbon battery coupled with super-fast wired (and wireless!) charging.
This is as close as HONOR has gotten to offering a true flagship killer on the local market. Here’s hoping the company continues its hot streak, because the HONOR 200 Pro is definitely one to watch, offering a compelling alternative for budget-conscious buyers who don’t want to sacrifice performance or features.
Our verdict: highly recommended — even without the free JBL Soundgear Frames freebie for early adopters! Related article: HONOR 200, HONOR 200 Pro official in PH with P24,999 starting price
HONOR 200 Pro specs
- 6.7-inch OLED display, 1.5K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 4,000 nits peak brightness
- 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 5G chipset
- Adreno 735 GPU
- 12GB RAM
- 512GB storage
- Triple 50-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultrawide/macro, 50-megapixel telephoto rear cameras
- Dual 50-megapixel front camera, 3D depth front cameras
- In-display fingerprint reader
- 5,200mAh battery with 100-watt fast wired charging, 66-watt wireless charging
- MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14
- Colors: Sky Blue, Coral Pink, Moon Shadow White, Velvet Black
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