The Honor 200 Pro aims to redefine smartphone portraiture. In collaboration with Studio Harcourt Paris, renowned for their cinematic lighting and black-and-white photography, the device boasts a 50MP, 1/1.3-inch sensor capable of capturing DSLR-quality images, according to the company. In our Honor 200 Pro review, we explore its interesting camera capabilities in a phone almost half the price on other flagships.
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Equipped with exclusive Studio Harcourt filters, the Honor 200 Pro offers a unique and artistic approach to photography. Beyond its photographic prowess, the Honor 200 Pro features a bright 6.78-inch AMOLED display, 100W fast charging, and the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor.
Design & Build
The Honor 200 Pro distinguishes itself with an elongated, circular camera module that’s quite striking. Inspired by the design of Barcelona’s Casa Milá, it also resembles an airplane window. While this design choice may not appeal to everyone, it certainly makes the phone stand out in a market crowded with similar-looking devices.
Initially, I found the camera notch somewhat off-putting, but it has grown on me. It adds a unique touch, setting this model apart from the usual circular or square camera bumps. The silver bezel around the camera glass also adds a premium feel.
In terms of overall design, the phone features more traditional elements. Its curved edges, both front and back, make it feel slim and comfortable to hold, while a high-gloss metal frame surrounds the sides, enhancing its sleek appearance.
The glass back has a matte, velvety texture, similar to vivo’s recent flagships like the X100 Pro. It’s pleasant to the touch and resists fingerprints but is slippery, so using the included transparent TPU case is advisable for protection.
The Honor 200 Pro comes in three colours: Moonlight White, Black, and Ocean Cyan. I’m testing the cyan version, which is the boldest, featuring a dual-textured rear with a sweeping S-shaped design. The white version has a marble-like pattern reminiscent of a luxury countertop. The black version offers a more professional, understated look.
Display
The Honor 200 Pro features a bright and vivid display with curves on all sides, offering an adaptive refresh rate that adjusts between 60Hz and 120Hz depending on the content you’re viewing. While it doesn’t match the sophistication of LTPO panels, which can dip down to 1Hz, this setup still helps extend battery life while maintaining smooth scrolling and high-refresh-rate gaming.
Although I generally prefer flat screens, the Honor 200 Pro takes a more design-focused approach with its curved display. Some users will appreciate the sleek feel it gives in hand and pocket, though it can be more susceptible to accidental touches.
Aside from that, there’s little to criticize. The panel is sharp, with high resolution, excellent colour reproduction, and ample brightness to stand up to bright outdoor conditions. The device also includes several eye health features for added comfort.
The display’s standout feature is its impressive PWM dimming rate of 3840Hz, surpassing even top-tier flagships like the Samsung S24 Ultra, which supports only 480Hz. This high PWM dimming ensures minimal flicker at all brightness levels, reducing eye strain for sensitive users.
Software
The Honor 200 Pro operates on Magic OS 8.0, a heavily customized interface layered over Android 14. It offers a distinctly different experience from stock Android, which some may enjoy but I found it more difficult than needed to do certain things you’ve become accustomed to in Android.
Magic OS – let’s say, draws inspiration – from Apple’s design elements. The notification shade and quick settings are separated, the app drawer is disabled by default, and there’s a Dynamic Island-like feature called Magic Capsule.
If you’re accustomed to traditional Android, the layout may feel unfamiliar at first. However, those coming from an iPhone might find the transition easier. This might be the strategy behind the design choices – they may be trying to pull people over from the Apple bubble. As a regular Android user, I initially found the interface a bit disorienting, but it has grown on me. One standout feature is the Magic Capsule, which offers quick access to media controls and timers, no matter what app is open in the foreground.
Another useful feature is Honor’s Magic Portal, which lets you drag text or images to the side of the display. A selection of recommended apps then appears, allowing you to quickly share or search within the relevant app. For instance, dragging an address into Google Maps for instant directions or using it for fast reverse image searches is incredibly convenient.
However, the software isn’t without its quirks. As always with Chinese phones, there is some bloatware to clear up during setup, mostly Honor’s own apps. The Magic Capsule also had a few glitches, occasionally failing to respond to media controls, though it started working again randomly.
Performance
The Honor 200 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, designed to offer some of the flagship Gen 3 experience at a more affordable price. In everyday use, the phone delivers on this promise, feeling responsive and quick, with apps opening smoothly and no noticeable stuttering or lag.
However, benchmarks tell a slightly different story. The Honor 200 Pro lags behind last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered flagships from Samsung, vivo and others in terms of graphical performance, though it occasionally surpasses them in computational tasks. While it may not be the absolute top-tier performer, it still outshines devices like the Exynos-powered Galaxy S24 when it comes to gaming.
In real-world usage, I had no trouble running graphically intensive games such as Wuthering Waves on maximum settings, demonstrating that the 8s Gen 3 offers ample power for most users. While the phone does heat up under heavy workloads, it never became uncomfortable to hold. This is thanks to Honor’s new, oversized vapor chamber, which seems to be doing its job effectively in managing heat during demanding tasks.
Camera(s)
The Honor 200 Pro’s camera setup is impressive. Featuring a 50MP main camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor, a 50MP 2.5x telephoto, and a 12MP ultra-wide, the device offers versatility and high-quality image capture. The front-facing 50MP selfie camera is also capable.
The main camera excels, especially in low light. The 2.5x telephoto provides good zoom capabilities, though a longer focal length would be desirable. The ultra-wide camera, while not as wide as some competitors, offers autofocus and macro capabilities.
The Honor 200 Pro’s standout feature is its collaboration with Studio Harcourt Paris. The Harcourt Classic and Harcourt Colour modes, which recreate the studio’s signature black-and-white and colour aesthetics, are particularly impressive.
While the Harcourt Vibrant mode is less distinctive, the overall portrait capabilities are exceptional. Unfortunately, these effects are currently limited to the rear cameras.
The Honor 200 Pro supports 4K 60fps video recording on the main and telephoto cameras, with 4K 30fps on the ultra-wide and selfie cameras. The videos feature excellent stabilization and a range of software features.
Battery
The Honor 200 Pro features the same advanced battery technology as the Honor Magic 6 Pro, packing a 5,200mAh battery into a sleek design. This ensures excellent battery life: it can easily last through a full day of heavy use, handle a day and a half without trouble, and potentially stretch to two days with lighter use.
Charging is impressively fast thanks to the included 100W wall adapter. In my experience, it took just 50 minutes to go from 0% to fully charged. A quick 30-minute charge will give you around 70%, making it convenient for those in a hurry.
Additionally, the Honor 200 Pro supports 66W wireless charging, the same as the more expensive Magic 6 Pro. To get the full charging speed, you’ll need Honor’s SuperCharge stand. It’s remarkably fast – fully charging the phone in about an hour. It’s a worthwhile investment for the convenience of simply placing your phone on the stand and having it quickly topped up without any cables.
Conclusion
The Honor 200 Pro will certainly sell well in South Africa. We found it enjoyable to use overall, with impressive cameras, a really impressive display, and a premium design. However, the software might be a step too far for most people in its obvious goal of looking and feeling like iOS.
If your primary concern is camera performance, the Honor 200 Pro remains a strong contender, offering excellent camera quality at its price point. Unlike its sister companies Huawei and Nova, Honor has full Google services support, which might make it one of the most attractive Android options from China. At just over R17,000 for a flagship level device, the value proposition is too good to ignore.
