HONOR 400 and 400 Pro launch in South Africa: A new era of smartphone photography

The HONOR 400 and HONOR 400 Pro have officially launched in South Africa, extending the brand’s AI-first approach to photography and creative tools.

Unveiled at Kyalami Racecourse on Thursday night, the launch offered early access to HONOR’s most advanced imaging experience yet, including features usually expected from flagship releases.

Among the first to test the devices were creators, developers, and the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, reflecting the growing intersection of AI, mobile tech, and digital policy.

HONOR is now ranked No. 2 in market share locally, with an ambitious goal to reach No. 1 by 2028.

What sets this release apart is not just what’s included but what’s arriving first. The HONOR 400 and 400 Pro debut Google Cloud’s Veo 2-powered Image-to-Video tool, giving users an exciting way to transform stills into cinematic video clips in seconds.

That old picture of a young gogo in the 70s can now move. It also introduces an industry-first 50× telephoto zoom via the main camera, using AI to sharpen distant details without a bulky lens.

The series includes tools such as:

• AI Erase Passers-by, using AI to automatically identify pedestrians in photos and remove them.
• AI Deepfake Detection, a first at this tier which can detect whether the   participant in a video call is using deepfake technology.
• A 6.7-inch OLED display with 5000nits Peak Brightness and 6000mAh silicon-carbon battery with a big storage 12+512G

Available now from R12,999 for the HONOR 400 and R17,999 for the HONOR 400 Pro, both devices are stocked at Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, and Cell C. Each purchase includes R8,000 worth of added value: the HONOR Watch 2i, HONOR Choice Earbuds X7 Lite, and an HONOR Choice Powerbank 10000mAh, until July 31, 2025.

For those looking for the edge without the excess, this is one of the most compelling smartphone launches of the year.

The Star