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HONOR 200 5G Review—Continuing the Legacy

Smartphone models under the HONOR N series are known for their elegant physique and impressive imaging capability, some characteristics previously seen in the HONOR 90 5G. Continuing the legacy of sophistication and cutting-edge technology, HONOR recently introduced the HONOR 200 series, the newest member of the HONOR N family of smartphones. The HONOR 200 series consists of two models, the HONOR 200 5G and the HONOR 200 Pro 5G. Let us take a closer look at the HONOR 200 5G.

The HONOR 200 5G comes in three color variants: Moonlight White, Emerald Green, and Black, which is the unit featured in this review. Clad in a matte black metallic shell with a frosted finish, the HONOR 200 5G feels smooth and does not attract fingerprints and smudges easily. Both the power button and the volume buttons are strategically located on the right side of the phone.

The dual-SIM slot and the USB-C port are located at the bottom side. There is no 3.5mm audio jack. Users may use wireless earphones or a USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack adapter for personal audio connection. Other connectivity options available in the HONOR 200 5G include Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax).

The HONOR 200 5G sports a 6.7-inch touchscreen AMOLED display with FHD+ 2664 × 1200p resolution. With a thin bezel, rounded corners, and slightly curved sides, the HONOR 200 5G provides a pleasing view for users with adequate brightness and brilliant color quality. A 50MP pinhole front camera with f/2.1 aperture sits in the middle at the top side of the display of the HONOR 200 5G. The front camera supports 4K (3840 × 2160p) video recording.

One of the hero features of the HONOR 200 5G is the main camera, which conspicuously sits on the rear of the phone. Inspired by Antoni Gaudi's Casa Mila, the main camera protrudes on the back like a dark, egg-shaped gemstone. The camera system consists of a 50MP wide camera (1/1.56-inch Sony IMX906 large sensor, f/1.95 aperture, OIS), 50MP telephoto camera (Sony IMX856 sensor, f/2.4 aperture, OIS), 12MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2 aperture), and a single LED flash. The triple rear camera system supports up to 50× digital zoom and, like the front camera, can record 4K (3840 × 2160p) videos.

Tagged as "The Portrait Master", the HONOR 200 5G incorporates other relevant features to maximize the capabilities of its cameras. The HONOR AI Portrait Engine utilizes artificial intelligence to learn facial features and differentiate portrait options, backgrounds, and light settings to produce balanced images. HONOR also co-engineered the HONOR 200 5G with Studio Harcourt Paris to replicate the signature post-production effects the studio is renowned for. Established in 1934, Studio Harcourt Paris is known for its black-and-white photographs of movie stars and celebrities. Portraits taken at Studio Harcourt Paris cost $2,000 or ₱120,000. With Harcourt filters (Harcourt Classic, Harcourt Colour, and Harcourt Vibrant) available in the HONOR 200 5G, users do not have to go to Paris or spend too much to have a Harcourt portrait.

Portraits captured with the HONOR 200 5G, whether with a Harcourt filter on or default camera settings, look remarkable. In photos wherein the light source is behind the subject, the ambient lighting is tricky, or the subject is fast-moving, the HONOR 200 5G uses AI to process the photos and achieve clearer and more impactful outputs. The super macro mode of the camera is also useful when capturing minute details of a subject. Videos are as smooth as butter as if the phone was mounted on a gimbal while recording. 

Under the hood, the HONOR 200 5G runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen octa-core mobile platform, which consists of 1 × Cortex-A715 at 2.63GHz (prime core), 3 × Cortex-A715 at 2.4GHz (performance cores), 4 × Cortex-A510 at 1.8GHz (efficiency cores), and Adreno 720 GPU. The mobile platform is supported by 12GB RAM and 512GB onboard memory to run HONOR MagicOS 8.0 (based on Android 14). A 5200mAh lithium polymer battery serves as a power source for the phone's hardware components. The battery supports HONOR 100W SuperCharge through the USB-C port.

The HONOR 200 5G scored 831767 in AnTuTu Benchmark. This score places the device among the top 100 Android smartphones in AnTuTu Benchmark's global performance ranking. Meanwhile, the more powerful HONOR 200 Pro 5G is among the top 50 Android smartphones in AnTuTu Benchmark's global performance ranking at the time of writing. Powerful benchmark performance indicates that the HONOR 200 series phones can handle a wide variety of applications, including intensive ones like content creation and mobile gaming.

Overall, the HONOR 200 5G stays faithful to what the HONOR N series has been known for—elegant design and impressive camera capabilities. In addition, the HONOR 200 5G does not stop there and it goes beyond by offering several other desirable features for different types of users. The phone's powerful hardware set can be useful for people who are into content creation and mobile gaming. Carrying a price tag of ₱24,999, the HONOR 200 5G is a reasonable and compelling proposition.