Honor 400 Review

The Honor 400 is a well-built device that balances performance, design, and accessibility. With Android 15 out of the box, 6 myears of Android upgrades and solid hardware, it offers a practical experience for everyday use, and more importantly, a surprisingly polished experience for blind and visually impaired users. It’s not flawless, but it gets most of the essentials right.

TalkBack Compatibility

The Honor 400 works seamlessly with TalkBack, as if they’ve been perfectly in sync from the start. From setup to advanced features, all parts of the system can be accessed with TalkBack without major issues. Menus, settings, and common system screens respond well to navigation.

Still, as with many Android phones, some elements are not fully optimized. For instance, the option under Home screen settings called “Show app cards” cannot be toggled off using TalkBack. Thankfully, Jieshuo’s “Direct Touch” feature offers a workaround in such cases.

Accessibility Shortcuts

The Honor 400 supports the default Android shortcut for launching accessibility services — holding down both volume buttons. However, there’s an important limitation to be aware of. Once you assign a different service (such as Jieshuo) to this shortcut, you cannot reassign TalkBack to it unless you reset the entire accessibility settings. After switching the shortcut to another service, TalkBack will no longer appear in the list of assignable options. If you rely on TalkBack, it’s crucial to set this shortcut carefully from the beginning.

Also worth noting, the on-screen accessibility shortcut button is visible, but doesn’t support most services. You can only assign the accessibility menu. Worse, if you add this button to the navigation bar, it disables the “Change input method” feature, making it harder to switch keyboards.

Processor and Performance

Powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, the Honor 400 handles multitasking smoothly. The phone doesn’t slow down even with multiple apps running in the background, and screen reader use feels fluid. It delivers dependable performance for daily tasks.

Sound Quality

The stereo speakers are loud and clean, offering enough clarity for regular use. However, users sensitive to detailed sound quality might find the sound a bit average. Still, for calls, media playback, and general use, it holds up well.

Screen and Touch Sensitivity

Touch response is fast and accurate. Both TalkBack and Jieshuo work well with gestures and navigation. There were no false touches or confusion during testing.

Battery and Charging

The standout feature is the 6000 mAh battery, which easily lasts two full days with standard use — and sometimes even a third. It supports 80W fast charging, with a full charge taking about 50–60 minutes.

Interestingly, the phone ships with a 100W charger in the box, though the device itself doesn’t use the full power. While overkill, it doesn’t cause any issues.

Note: The version sold in Europe comes with a 5300 mAh battery and supports 66W fast charging, while the version available in other regions features a 6000 mAh battery with 80W fast charging.

Braille Keyboard Support

The Honor 400 works flawlessly with the Advanced Braille Keyboard (ABK). There are no delays, character skips, or conflicts. For braille users, the typing experience is smooth and consistent — something not every device gets right.

Jieshuo Screen Reader Support

The overall experience with Jieshuo is decent, though not as stable as TalkBack. Occasionally, the screen refreshes unexpectedly or delays appear, but these are mostly caused by Jieshuo itself rather than the device.

There is one specific issue: in my banking app, the on-screen keyboard appears after tapping an input field, but Jieshuo fails to detect it. Switching to TalkBack solves the problem — but because accessibility shortcuts are limited, switching back and forth isn’t fast or practical.

Home Screen and Default Keyboard

The home screen resembles Xiaomi’s older layouts, which might feel unfamiliar. Moving apps or creating folders isn’t intuitive for beginners and doesn’t support accessibility actions. Once a folder is created, however, adding apps to it is easy.

For Jieshuo users, there’s an odd issue where the home screen flips between pages automatically when swiping, even without user intent. It happens inconsistently, but can be frustrating.

Another annoyance: the default keyboard is Microsoft’s SwiftKey. If you switch to another keyboard like Gboard, you may hear “…” (dot dot dot) in protected fields instead of the actual inputted characters when not using earphones. However, the character under your finger is still announced while sliding your finger across the keyboard.

Design and Build

From the first touch, the Honor 400 feels like a carefully made product. It doesn’t feel cheap, but also doesn’t scream luxury. It’s slim, elegant, and well-balanced in the hand. The device is easy to hold one-handed, though the large screen may require two hands for some interactions.

Back Panel

The back of the phone feels like glass with a matte texture underneath. It doesn’t slip easily, and fingerprints are minimal. It’s smooth but not slippery, matte but not dull.

Camera Island

On the upper-left of the back panel, you’ll feel a triangular camera island with two large lenses and a smaller third sensor, plus the LED flash. The bump is pronounced but not intrusive, and it helps with orientation — useful for blind users who navigate by touch.

Buttons and Ports

Right Side: Volume buttons on top, flat power button below (easy to identify).
Bottom Edge: USB-C port (center), speaker grille (right), SIM tray with pinhole (left).
Top Edge: Microphone and sensor openings, tactile dots for those who like detail.

All placements are easy to recognize by touch, and help in understanding device orientation.

Other Observations

• RamPlus cannot be disabled (or I couldn’t find the option).
• Occasional focus jumps occur in the notification shade, especially with Jieshuo.
• The 12 GB RAM model feels fast and capable. The 8 GB variant might struggle with heavier multitasking.
• The device works well with Gemini, even when “use accessibility volume” of Jieshuo Screen Reader is enabled.

Final Thoughts

After one week of use, Honor 400 proves to be a capable and accessible phone. It’s not perfect especially with accessibility shortcut limitations, but for those seeking an alternative to mainstream brands, it has a lot to offer.

The pricing feels slightly high for its segment, and at a price between 500 and 550 dollars, there are better options available. Still, this is a phone that proves Honor is listening — and that alone makes it worth considering.