The Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack is a power bank designed for charging Galaxy and other small devices.
It has quite a sleek design with an organic-looking finish, emphasized by the beige colorway of my unit, which is mottled for a pebble-like appearance. It also feels quite solid, although there is some flexing to the panels, so it isn’t the most rugged power bank around.
However, it’s pleasingly thin and light, and combined with the rounded edges at one end, this makes the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack relatively easy to carry around. However, it’s quite long, even for a wireless power bank, and many of the best power banks with similar power and capacity specs are smaller than this.
What also mars its seamless design is the hump of the wireless charging pad, although its soft material offers extra cushioning and grip for your device, and seems quite resistant to tears and scratches.
There’s no real interface to speak of on the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack. It features a single power button and five LED dots: one indicating charging activity and the other four representing battery life. These are placed at the end of the unit, next to the USB ports, and are large and bright enough to be seen clearly.
The wireless charging feature is capable of outputting 7.5W of power. It also features two USB-C ports, both of which serve as inputs and outputs. These offer Super Fast Charging, providing 25W of output power each when charging a single device.
Three-way charging is also supported when using both ports and the wireless pad, although the power output drops to 7.5W for all outputs in such cases. It’s also a shame that while charging, the battery life indicators don’t remain lit, so you can’t tell how much battery the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack has left without pressing the power button first, which is somewhat inconvenient.
It managed to wirelessly charge a Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, which has a 4,755mAh battery, from empty to full in about three and a half hours, which is quite a good performance. In the process, the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack lost all but one of its LED dots, indicating that it had between 5-20% left in reserve.
This is somewhat disappointing, since it means you’ll only get one full wireless charge out of it. What’s more, charging the bank itself from empty to full took over three hours, which isn’t particularly fast; other 10K power banks are faster at charging themselves than this.
The Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack is reasonably priced considering its wireless charging capability and the inclusion of two USB-C ports for additional charging. However, there are other wireless chargers out there with smaller form factors that perform just as well, such as the Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K), which even includes a handy flip stand for propping up your phone.
Should I buy the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack Battery Pack?
Buy it if…
You want to charge multiple devices at the same time Thanks to the two USB-C ports and three-way charging support, you can charge all your small devices at the same time.
You want to charge wirelessly The wireless charging capability is quite good, and the soft pad is durable and provides plenty of stability.
Don't buy it if…
You want multiple charges With its 10,000mAh capacity, the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack won’t be enough for charging your phone more than once.
You want the best value There are cheaper power banks out there with similar specs, and sometimes with extra features to boot.
Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack review: Also consider
Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K) If you’re looking for another power bank with wireless charging capabilities, then the MagGo Power Bank is a great choice, given its small dimensions and integrated stand. Although primarily designed for MagSafe iPhones (hence the name), it works with Android phones as well, although it won’t provide the same magnetic security. MagSafe cases are available for Android phones, but since these aren’t officially endorsed, there’s no guarantee they’ll work with MagSafe chargers. Read our full Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K) review.
The Anker 20K 87W power bank has a large capacity and power output, as well as an inbuilt USB-C cable for ease of use. It’s a sleek-looking brick, although it’s quite big. Thankfully, it’s not too thick or too heavy, both of which help to make it more portable than it otherwise would be.
It features a small screen that displays the battery life as a percentage, which is bright and clear, making it easy to glance at. There’s also a relatively large power button next to it, which is very accessible owing to its size.
True to many of Anker’s products, it feels solidly constructed, equal in durability to the best power banks. This extends to the inbuilt USB-C cable, which Anker claims has 11lbs of pulling resistance, and is rated for over 10,000 bends and 5,000 twists during its lifetime.
It folds away neatly, sitting flush with the side panel, and it also feels secure in this housing, so I wasn’t concerned it would come loose or expose the jack to damage. What’s more, the cable is still easy to unsheathe when needed.
However, it isn’t that long, which, given the overall size of the bank itself, can make it a little awkward to use. It also has to be twisted around when connecting to devices in a way that feels unnatural, since the cable is flat rather than cylindrical.
In addition to this integrated cable, the Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank also features a USB-C port, which is capable of input and output (as is the cable), and a USB-A port, which is output only.
The Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank provides 87W of power in total, with a maximum of 65W for single-port charging, which is more than enough to charge large devices, including many modern laptops. It managed to charge my Google Pixel 7a, which has a 4,385mAh battery, in about two hours, which is respectable.
In the process, it lost 30% of its battery life, which means you should be able to get at least three charges out of it, which is acceptable, although some other 20,000mAh banks I’ve tested previously appear to retain slightly more in the tank than this.
Still, the Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank is reasonably priced considering its high power output, build quality, and integrated cable. However, it might not represent great value unless you intend on charging very power-hunger devices; even many modern laptops don’t need 65W to charge quickly. But, if you do, the Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank is a very solid portable and convenient option.
(Image credit: Future)
Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank: price & specs
Price
$69.99 / £49.99 / AU$119.99
Capacity
20,000mAh
Total wattage
87W
Number of ports
3
USB-C
2 (1 x inbuilt cable)
USB-A
1
Wireless charging
No
Weight
15.5oz / 439g
Power-to-weight
46mAh/g
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank?
Buy it if…
You want plenty of power 87W is a lot of power, meaning you should be able to charge many laptops and other similarly sized devices comfortably.
You want a solid build The Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank certainly feels durable, and even the housing for the integrated cable seems to offer plenty of security.
Don't buy it if…
You want something small The Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank is a sizable unit, and although it’s admirably thin, there are smaller 20K power banks out there.
You don’t need all that power The 87W total power is probably too much for many, and even the 65W single-charging capability is overkill for many modern laptops.
Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank review: Also consider
INIU P51L-E1 If you’re looking for a bank with the same capacity as the Anker 20,000mAh 87W Power Bank but in a much smaller package, the INIU P51L-E1 could be the ideal solution. It too features a built-in USB-C cable, but also includes a flashlight for even better practicality. However, it has a lot less power (22.5W), so it’s really only suitable for devices no bigger than iPads and the like. Read our full INIU P51L-E1 review.
‘Flagship killer’ would perhaps be too strident a term to apply to the Honor 400 Pro. Rather, it seeks to subtly undermine the premium crowd with competitive specifications and a slightly lower asking price.
This is a well-built phone made of flagship-grade materials, with the kind of IP68/IP69 dust and water resistance rating that puts many a full-priced handset to shame. Its 6.67-inch OLED display, too, is about as bright, sharp, and accurate as you could reasonably expect.
While you won’t be getting the absolute best performance the smartphone market has to offer, you simply won’t notice that Honor has opted for last year’s top processor unless you take a glance at the spec sheet. The 400 Pro performs very smoothly indeed.
The headline feature here is an all-new 200MP main camera, which captures good photos in a range of lighting conditions. You also get a decent dedicated 3x telephoto camera, which can be further boosted through the use of AI.
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Another impressive AI camera trick is Image to video, though its ability to turn stills into brief videos is a party trick that probably won’t see much practical use beyond showcasing the latest artificial intelligence gimmick.
No matter – the Honor 400 Pro is a thoughtfully balanced phone built on solid specifications, which includes a larger-than-average 5,300mAh battery and speedy 100W wired charging support. You also get 50W wireless charging, though both speeds are reliant on you having the necessary charger to hand.
Honor’s Magic OS 9.0 continues the brand's slightly tiresome obsession with iOS, and it remains a somewhat busy UI. However, it’s also fast and flexible, and Honor’s new six-year update promise is one of the best in the business.
All in all, the Honor 400 Pro is part of a compelling group of in-betweener smartphones, offering less compromise than even the best mid-range smartphones while still costing much less money than your average flagship.
It’s not unique, nor is it without its flaws, but it’s a very accomplished option for those willing to leave the usual suspects behind in pursuit of a bargain.
Honor 400 Pro review: price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
Costs £699.99 in the UK
Released May 2025
No availability in the US or Australia
The Honor 400 Pro was launched globally, alongside its brother, the Honor 400, on May 22, 2025. It won’t be receiving a launch in the US, as is customary from the brand, and there are no plans for Australia at the time of writing.
Pricing for the sole Honor 400 Pro model stands at £699.99 (around $930 / AU$1,450), which isn’t a figure we see all that often. This pitches it well above the Google Pixel 9a and the Samsung Galaxy A56 (both £499), and just short of the Google Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S25 (both £799).
This isn’t quite a full-on flagship phone, then, but it’s also far too expensive to be classed as a mid-ranger. It’s one of those ‘affordable flagship’ phones like the OnePlus 13R, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, or the Nubia Z70 Ultra.
Incidentally, an even cheaper version of the Honor 400, the Honor 400 Lite, launched on April 22 at a cost of £249.99.
Value score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: specs
Honor 400 Pro specs
Dimensions:
160.8mm x 76.1mm x 8.1mm
Weight:
205g
Display:
6.7-inch 1.5K (2800 x 1280) up to 120Hz AMOLED
Chipset:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM:
12GB
Storage:
512GB
OS:
Android 15 with MagicOS 9.0
Primary camera:
200MP (f/1.9)
Ultra-wide camera:
12MP (f/2.2)
Telephoto camera:
50MP with 3x zoom (f/2.4)
Front camera:
16MP
Battery:
5,300mAh
Charging:
100W wired, 50W wireless
Colors:
Lunar Grey, Midnight Black
Honor 400 Pro review: design
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Silky matte glass back
Unusual curved-trapeze camera module
IP68 & IP69 dust and water resistance
With the Honor 400 Pro, Honor has dropped the distinctive Casa Milá-inspired camera module of the Honor 200 Pro in favor of a kind of rounded trapezium shape (a trapercle?). It’s a little wonky-looking, though I quite like the unorthodox camera configuration.
Otherwise, Honor has retained the basic look of its affordable flagship range – unlike the regular Honor 400, which has contracted a serious case of the iPhones.
This means that the Honor 400 Pro retains its gently rounded look, with 2.5D glass to the front and back – the latter in a pleasingly silky-to-the-touch finish. The aluminum frame, too, curves around gently, resulting in a phone that sits comfortably in the hand.
These curves also serve to disguise the fact that the Honor 400 is a fairly big phone, with a thickness of 8.1mm (the Honor 400 is 7.3mm) and a relatively heavy weight of 205g (vs 184g).
This time around, Honor has fitted its almost-flagship with both IP68 and IP69 certification. That’s quite an advance on the Honor 200 Pro, which only managed an IP65 rating.
The Honor 400 Pro is available in just two colors: Lunar Grey and Midnight Black. Not the most inspiring selection, it has to be said, but they do look nice and professional, which is kind of the name of the game here.
Design score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: display
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6.7-inch quad-curved 120Hz OLED display
3,840Hz PWM dimming
5,000 nits peak brightness
Honor has really knocked it out of the park with the displays in the Honor 400 range this year. In the Honor 400, you’re getting a 6.7-inch OLED with a just-so 2800 x 1280 resolution and a 120Hz peak refresh rate.
That’s fractionally smaller than last year’s 6.78-inch screen, but I defy anyone to portray this as meaningful. Not when the peak brightness has been boosted from an already-excellent 4,000 nits in the Honor 200 Pro to 5,000 nits here.
This top-end figure applies to limited HDR scenarios, of course. With autobrightness switched off, I recorded a maximum brightness of around 600 nits. That’s decent enough, though it’s about half what the Pixel 9 can manage.
Color accuracy is superb, at least when you drop the slightly over-the-top Vivid color mode and select Normal instead.
The Honor 400 Pro display also supports an elevated PWM dimming rate of 3840Hz, just like the Honor 200 Pro before it. This helps reduce eye strain by lowering flicker at lower brightness levels. That's something Samsung and Google continue to overlook.
The main differences between this screen and the Honor 400’s relate to small aesthetic choices. The Pro Display curves away at the edges, though this didn’t interfere with content in any way, nor did it lead to any unintended presses.
Slightly more bothersome is the longer display notch, which crams in depth-sensing capabilities at the expense of a little real estate. If you like to take your video content full screen, you’re more likely to be bothered by this, but it didn’t trouble me too much.
Display score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: cameras
(Image credit: Future)
200MP main (f/1.9)
50MP 3x telephoto (f/2.4)
12MP ultra-wide macro (f/2.2)
Honor has really ramped up its camera offering with the Honor 400 series this year. The headline event for the Honor 400 Pro is a new 200MP AI Main Camera, which packs a large 1/1.4-inch sensor, an f/1.9 aperture, and OIS.
We’ll get into the ‘AI’ part of that main camera soon enough, but at a basic level this camera takes sharp, contrasty shots in most situations. You can choose from three basic looks depending on whether you want your shots to look natural, punched up for social media, or to take on a certain artful film camera aesthetic.
Shots from this main sensor are slightly less impressive here on a £700 phone than they are on the £400 Honor 400, which shares the same component. There’s simply a lot more competition at this level. With that said, they’re still more than serviceable.
Unlike the Honor 400, this main sensor isn’t pulling double duty to provide all of your zoomed shots. There's major assistance on that front from a dedicated 50MP telephoto camera, utilizing a Sony IMX856 sensor and aided by OIS, which grabs nice, sharp shots at its natural 3x zoom length and usable shots at 6x or even 10x.
Beyond that, you’ll find too much noise for this to be a viable option, though Honor’s AI image enhancement technology is one of the most impressive around. Stray beyond 30x, and the phone should offer you the chance to activate AI assistance. Head back into the picture after shooting and, after a minute or so of processing time, you’ll be given a much clearer shot.
The results here can vary wildly in effectiveness, and it certainly does no favors to the human face, while it can really miss the target with some fine details, particularly at the 50x maximum range. However, there’s no denying that this can turn out much improved hybrid zoom shots given the right subject and shooting conditions.
What I will say is that this 3x telephoto camera does change the tone of the shots from the main sensor. Moving from 2x (which crops in on the main sensor) to 3x sees a slightly jarring shift from a more natural look to a more vivid, dare I say exaggerated one. It's not ruinous, but you don't get the seamless transition of the truly top-level flagship phone cameras here.
(Image credit: Future)
The 12MP ultra-wide is the weakest camera of the three, bringing with it a marked drop-off in detail and contrast. Still, it remains a viable camera.
Going back to the matter of AI, perhaps the most attention-grabbing – if not exactly useful – feature of the Honor 400 Pro’s camera is Image to video. The Honor 400 series is the first to utilize this Google AI-driven feature, which essentially turns any normal still photo (it doesn’t even need to have been taken on the phone) into a five-second mini-video.
As with so many AI-driven features these days, the results aren’t universally brilliant, but some prove to be alarmingly convincing.
Using one shot that was sent to me of a chicken and a cat facing off under a table, this AI tool caused the chicken to strut forward while the cat casually twitched its ears. Another chicken scuttled in from off camera, while a second cat was revealed to be lying down behind that original chicken. Neither of those last two creatures even existed in the original shot.
It’s undeniably impressive, and even a little scary. But I have to ask myself when I’d use this feature beyond showing off the power of AI to my friends and family. So far, I’ve got nothing.
The 50MP front camera takes decent selfie shots, aided by an additional depth sensor for better portraits with nicely blurred, clearly delineated backgrounds.
Video capture extends to 4K and 60fps, which is another way in which the Pro stands out from the Honor 400 (which only hits 4K/30fps).
Camera score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: camera samples
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Honor 400 Pro review: performance
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Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset
12GB RAM and 512GB storage
Performance has ostensibly taken an incremental bump over last year’s Honor 200 Pro. Out goes the stripped-back Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, in comes Qualcomm’s full-fat Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
However, that Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip turned out to be much less capable than its name initially suggested, dropping behind Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in graphical terms.
What we have here, then, is a phone that performs as well as the 2024 flagship crowd. That works out to be a pretty good level for a £700 phone, and indeed, this is the same component that runs the excellent OnePlus 13R. It also means that the Honor 400 Pro comfortably outperforms the entire Pixel 9 range.
Benchmark results are precisely what we’ve come to expect from this well-established chip, as is gaming performance. Genshin Impact will run fluidly on high settings, while demanding console racer GRID Legends speeds by at an appreciable lick.
The existence of the Nubia Z70 Ultra and the Poco F7 Ultra means that the Honor 400 Pro isn’t top of its weight class. Both of those rivals run on the superior Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and only charge £649 for the privilege. However, Honor's phone remains a very capable runner, backed by 12GB of RAM and a generous 512GB of internal storage.
Performance score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: software
(Image credit: Future)
Magic OS 9.0, based on Android 15
Six years of OS updates and security patches
The Honor 400 Pro runs Magic OS 9.0, which is the company’s bespoke Android 15 skin. It’s the same basic software provision as that of the Honor Magic 7 Pro.
I think I can speak for the extended TechRadar family when I say that Honor’s UI isn’t our favorite. Bloatware continues to blight it, with unwanted preinstallations of Booking.com, Temu, ReelShort, and much more besides. Honor itself gives you duplicate App Store and email apps, and a stack of its own tool apps.
While this is a take on Google’s Android, Honor seems to be far more inclined towards Apple’s iOS. Everything from the split notification pane to the Settings menu and the lack of a dedicated app tray (by default) speaks to a fondness for Apple’s mobile operating system. Even the icons and the Settings menu are designed in a way that will be familiar to anyone who’s used an iPhone recently.
(Image credit: Future)
You even get a version of Apple’s Dynamic Island, here called Magic Capsule, which offers little widget-like bubbles of information around the extended selfie notch. With that said, it’s an undeniably useful way of surfacing media controls, timers, and the like, and Honor is far from the only Android manufacturer to follow Apple’s lead in this way.
Indeed, Magic OS, for all its clutter and bloat, remains a very functional and extremely snappy UI. Magic Portal is a power user’s dream, providing an easy way to drag text and images between apps. The knuckle gesture shortcut for circling text in this way isn’t 100% reliable, but you can get used to it.
Topping off Honor's somewhat mixed software provision is a commendably strong commitment to six years of OS updates and security patches. Only Google and Samsung do this better with their respective seven-year promises.
What's more, Honor has committed to providing an Android 16 update before the end of 2025, which isn't something you see too often.
Software score: 3.5 / 5
Honor 400 Pro review: battery life
(Image credit: Future)
5,300mAh silicon-carbon battery
100W wired charging
50W wireless charging
Honor seems intent on pushing battery and charging technology in its phones. The Honor 400 Pro gets a meaty 5,300mAh battery, which falls comfortably north of the 5,000mAh average – if not quite as far north as the OnePlus 13R and the Nubia Z70 Ultra, both of which hit the giddy heights of 6,000mAh.
It’s sufficient to get the Honor through a full day of heavy use with remaining charge to spare. Indeed, a moderate day with around four hours of screen-on time left me with more than 60% left in the tank. Average use in a fairly consistent network environment will get you two days on a single charge, no problem.
Talking of charging, Honor goes harder than it probably needs to here. There’s 100W wired charging support that’s seemingly able to get you from empty to 51% in just 15 minutes.
I say ‘seemingly’ because Honor, like most modern manufacturers, no longer bundles in a charger. Without one of Honor’s SuperCharge chargers to hand, I was unable to put those claims to the test.
Ditto for the claim of 50W wireless charging support. It’s good to see, but you’ll need one of the brand’s own SuperCharge wireless chargers to hit that maximum speed.
Battery score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Honor 400 Pro?
Honor 400 Lite score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design
The Honor 400 Pro isn’t the prettiest phone on the market, but it’s more distinctive than the rest of the range and it’s very well built.
4 / 5
Display
Honor’s display is sharp, bright, and color-accurate, with an appreciable focus on eye health.
4.5 / 5
Performance
It’s not quite a top performer, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 continues to do a good job.
4 / 5
Camera
The 200MP main camera takes good shots in all conditions, while the dedicated 3x telephoto is a competent performer. Honor’s AI features are a little hit and miss, but can be very impressive.
4 / 5
Battery
With a large(ish) 5,300mAh battery supplying two days of use, and rapid 100W wired/50 wireless charging support, the Honor 400 is very well equipped.
4 / 5
Software
Honor’s Magic OS remains cluttered and a little too beholden to iOS, but it’s fast and functional, and Honor’s new six-year update promise is very competitive.
3.5 / 5
Value
You're getting a solid phone with some unique features at a low price.
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a more affordable flagship The Honor 400 Pro offers a strong approximation of what the Honor Magic 7 Pro can do, but for hundreds of pounds less.
You’re all onboard with AI working to enhance your photos With the ability to enhance your extreme zoomed shots and even generate brief videos from stills, the Honor 400 Pro’s camera goes further than most with AI.
You like Apple’s way of doing things Honor clearly likes Apple’s style even more than Google’s, with Magic OS 9.0 emulating iOS in a number of ways.
Don't buy it if...
You like Android to be Android With Honor’s iOS obsession, and its insistence on filling its phones out with bloatware, the Honor 400 Pro strays far from stock Android.
You demand the best performance possible for you money The Honor 400 Pro is a fast phone, but you can get faster for the money in the Poco F7 Ultra and the Nubia Z70 Ultra.
Honor 400 Pro review: also consider
The Honor 400 Pro isn't the only affordable flagship phone on the market. Here are some of the better alternatives to consider.
OnePlus 13R The OnePlus 13R is another almost-flagship running on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 power, but it packs a larger battery and cleaner software.
Nubia Z70 Ultra Nubia’s phone is even cheaper than the Honor 400 Pro, but it features superior performance and an even larger battery. It also features a deep 3.3x telephoto camera and a main camera with a novel variable aperture. We haven't tested it for ourselves yet, mind.
Poco F7 Ultra The Poco F7 Ultra outguns the Honor with its Snapdragon 8 Elite chip for £649, though it’s not as refined or well-rounded.
The INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank is a power bank with a large capacity and reasonable power output, capable of fast charging small and medium-sized devices. It cuts a rather inauspicious figure, although it’s sleek enough to stand out from the crowd – especially if you opt for one of the vibrant colorways. Meanwhile, its rounded edges improve ergonomics and portability.
The INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank features a screen for the battery percentage readout and nothing more, which is a shame since its large size would be able to contain more information besides, so it seems like a missed opportunity in this regard. The battery readout is also relatively small, although the digits are at least clear and bright, which makes them easy to read when glancing over from an angle.
It also feels reassuringly solid in the hand, with hardly any flex to the panels. The matte soft-touch material also feels quite premium, while the compact form factor places it alongside the best power banks for portability, given its aforementioned large capacity.
The INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank comes with some handy additional features: there’s a flashlight, which is easily toggled by double-tapping the power button, and an integrated USB-C cable that doubles as a carrying loop.
The latter feels quite durable, despite its thin size. However, the jack is prone to wobbling around while housed in its slot, which had me a little concerned that it might come loose, but it seemed to hold securely during my time with it.
This integrated cable can be used as an output or an input, as can the additional USB-C port. The USB-A port, however, is output only. The INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank has a maximum output of 22.5W, which is enough for fast-charging smartphones and other small devices, while three-way simultaneous charging is also possible.
When it comes to single charging, the INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank managed to charge my Google Pixel 7a, which has a 4,385mAh battery, from empty to full in just over 90 minutes, which is a credible performance. In the process, the battery dipped by 27%, meaning you should be able to get 3-4 charges out of it.
The INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank is a fair price considering its high capacity and additional features. It’s also very portable, which is a real boon for travelers. However, the equally capable Anker Zolo is about the same price, and also features an inbuilt cable – although it doesn’t have an integrated flashlight or a digital display.
It perhaps has the slight edge in terms of build quality, though, and offers slightly more power at 30W. But all things considered, the INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank is perhaps the more rounded choice in this sector.
(Image credit: Future)
INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank review: price & specs
Price
$36.99 / £32.99 / AU$58.99
Capacity
20,000mAh
Total wattage
22.5W
Number of ports
3
USB-C
2 (1 x inbuilt cable)
USB-A
1
Wireless charging
No
Weight
11.5oz / 326g
Power-to-weight
61mAh/g
(Image credit: Future)
Should I buy the INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank?
Buy it if…
You want a small form factor The INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank is impressively small considering its 20,000mAh capacity, and should slide into most pockets with ease.
You want handy features The built-in flashlight and USB-C cable are certainly useful – the latter even doubles as a carrying handle for added convenience.
Don't buy it if…
You want detailed information The integrated screen only displays the battery life, which seems like a missed opportunity given its real estate.
You have large devices The 22.5W power output won’t be enough if you plan on charging laptops and other large devices.
INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank review: Also consider
Anker Zolo 20,000mAh 30W The Anker Zolo 20,000mAh 30W is close to the INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank in many ways, with a similar price and the same capacity and port selection; it even has an inbuilt USB-C cable.It’s slightly more powerful, though, but misses out on a flashlight, which is a shame. It’s not quite as slender as the INIU P51L-E1 Power Bank either, which might be a dealbreaker for ultra-light travelers.Read our Anker Zolo 20,000mAh 30W review.
I really dig the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 – this phone delights in ways other flat slabs simply can't. Using it with the cover display like a tiny, competent smartphone? Love it. The sheer satisfaction of snapping the phone shut to end a call – or my doom-scrolling session? Chef's kiss. The Razr Ultra makes every other phone feel like a boring rectangle. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty great.
What’s your excuse for not owning a Motorola Razr? Cameras? Durability? Raw gaming power? Whatever your hesitation, the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 is here to gently overcome your doubts. This isn’t just the best Razr ever; it's a genuinely remarkable mobile device.
Let’s get the sticker shock out of the way early: the Razr Ultra 2025 is more expensive than any previous Razr (yes, even that golden Dolce & Gabbana Razr V3i from the 90s). Starting at $1,299 / £1,099.99, it’s a cool $600 pricier than the base Razr 2025. That's a leap.
However, more than any other phone in this lofty price bracket, the Motorola Razr Ultra earns every penny. Consider what you're getting:
Update July 2025: I've been using the Razr Ultra a lot more, especially as I tested and reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7. While I liked Samsung's Flip, the Galaxy made me appreciate Motorola's simpler software and effective gestures even more, so I have raised the Software score. Also, the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor has proven to be vastly superior to competitors in performance and efficiency, so I have raised the Performance score as well. The Moto Razr Ultra is now a 9/10 phone, and my favorite flip phone that you can buy.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
A glorious 7-inch main display. That’s one of the biggest screens you'll find on a non-tablet-style foldable. And it's not just big; our testing found that it's incredibly bright, and just as colorful as Moto claims.
But wait, there's more! The Razr Ultra's cover display isn't just for glancing at notifications. It’s a bona fide second screen that ran every app I threw at it. Plus, it's bright, sharp, and boasts a silky-smooth 165Hz refresh rate. Yes, the Razr Ultra's bonus screen is faster than any iPhone display.
This year's Razr Ultra 2025 also finally packs a flagship-level chipset: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, a processor that's been crushing it in every Android phone I've tested.
That powerful processor contributes to remarkable battery life. Despite its folding nature, the Razr Ultra packs enough juice to last all day, and even beat most competitors in our lab tests.
Even the cameras are good this year! During my cloudy New York City review period, I pitted it against the iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Razr Ultra 2025 held its own, with photos sometimes better, sometimes worse – the hallmark of a decent camera shootout.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Need more? The Razr Ultra boasts the most unique selection of materials and finishes around. My review unit is literally made of wood (responsibly sourced, no less).
My colleague at Tom's Guide has one in Alcantara, like a fancy sports car steering wheel. The Alcantara and faux suede devices are technically plastic, but they feel much more premium.
The best you'll get from Samsung and Apple? Glass or titanium. Oh, and speaking of titanium, this year's entire Razr family uses it to reinforce the hinge. Take that, boring slabs!
The Razr is catching on, and Motorola loves to talk about iPhone switchers. After a week with the Razr Ultra 2025, I'm surprised I'm not seeing more of these flip phones in the wild.
Durability is a common concern, and it’s a fair one. The Razr Ultra is the first foldable to use Gorilla Glass Ceramic on its cover display. And did I mention the titanium? It’s also IP48 rated, meaning it can handle an unexpected dip, but dust remains its nemesis.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
I’d love to say the Razr Ultra is bulletproof, but my first review sample had a screen hiccup within a day – it turned white intermittently, then fixed itself after a few days.
Moto replaced it, and the second unit has been flawless. I'll chalk it up to a fluke for now, but reliability is a hurdle for foldables. That said, the folding mechanism feels incredibly solid, closing with a deeply satisfying clap.
More than anything, using the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 reminds me how refreshing a unique design and capabilities can be. Also, I adore hanging up on… well, everything.
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Price and availability
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
$1,299 / £1,099 for 512GB storage and 16GB RAM
No Australian pricing or availability announced yet
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 is Motorola’s priciest Razr, starting at $1,299 / £1,099 / AU$TBC. A 1TB US model is an extra $200, but it's not available in the UK. We'll update this article with Australia pricing when we get it.
Yes, it's expensive – Galaxy S25 Ultra territory, and more than an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Only tablet-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 cost more.
I'd argue that you get more bang for your buck with the Razr Ultra. The Galaxy Ultra gives you a stylus. Do you really need a stylus? The iPhone 16 Pro Max gives you… well, more iPhone. Both have more cameras, but that’s about it.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Razr gives you a huge, foldable display that vanishes into your pocket like magic, and a 4-inch cover display larger than the original iPhone's screen. It’s genuinely two phones in one.
You also get a design with unmatched colors and materials. If natural titanium and moody blues are your jam, Apple and Samsung have you covered. For tactile wood and soft suede, Motorola is your dealer.
A word to the wise: the Motorola Razr Plus 2024 was frequently on sale. Discounts, bundles, you name it. Right now, US buyers get a free storage upgrade to 1TB at launch. If you want to save some money, patience might be rewarded with a future deal.
Value score: 5/5
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Specs
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Finally, a Razr that’s mostly flagship with few compromises. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is fast and efficient. The cameras are on a par with flat smartphones (though you only get two lenses). Even battery life is admirable.
I wouldn’t pay extra for 1TB of storage, and at launch, it's a free upgrade. My concern? Instead of price drops on the 512GB model, we might just see "special deals" offering the 1TB version at the 512GB price.
Dimensions:
Open: 73.99 x 171.48 x 7.29mm Closed: 73.99 x 88.12 x 15.69mm
Weight:
199g
Display:
Main: 7-inch AMOLED External: 4-inch pOLED
Resolution:
Main: 2992x1224 External: 1272x1080
Refresh rate:
Main: 120Hz (165Hz game mode)
Peak brightness:
Main: 3,000 nits
CPU:
Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM:
16GB
Storage:
512GB / 1TB
OS:
Android 15
Cameras:
Dual 50MP
Selfie Camera:
50MP
Battery:
4,700mAh
Charging:
68W TurboPower charing 30W wireless
Colors:
Alacantara, Wood, Leather-inspired
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Design
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Excellent material options, including actual wood and Alcantara
There’s a new button… for AI. You can mostly ignore it
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 looks almost identical to last year’s Razr Plus 2024, but it's available in new materials and new Pantone-inspired colors: Mountain Trail (real, responsibly sourced wood!), Rio Red, Cabaret, and Scarab (Alcantara suede).
No other phone feels like this. Motorola has refined the Razr design to a peak.
It’s not all sunshine and wood grain. There’s a new button on the left side of the Razr Ultra 2025, and I’ll give you one guess what… never mind. It’s AI. It’s a Moto AI button, and you can’t reprogram it to do anything but open Moto AI features (or just to do nothing at all).
To be fair, you can tie Motorola’s fascinating 'Pay Attention' feature to the button, and that intrigues me. I’ll talk more about the AI features in the Software section below, but it really bugs me that there's a whole new button and it’s just for AI.
The new Moto AI button on the side of the Razr Ultra 2025 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Why? Because Google’s Gemini AI already uses the power button on the other side! So, now there are two different AI buttons sitting on opposite sides of your Razr. Ugh.
If you’re concerned about the crease, don’t be. It never bothered me once. It’s hardly visible, and easy to ignore. It may look dramatic if you’ve never used a foldable phone, but it’s actually quite smooth. When you look at the unfolded screen head-on, you won’t see the crease at all.
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The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 in Pantone Rio Red
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The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 in Pantone Scarab
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The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 in Pantone Mountain Trail
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The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 in Pantone Cabaret
Design score: 3/5
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Display
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Incredibly large man display folds into a surprisingly small package
The large cover screen is also fantastic
Think of the Razr Ultra 2025 as a two-screen device, because the cover display is half the fun. Using it closed, interacting with just the 4-inch display, feels wonderfully clever and so convenient; I loved finding new ways to enjoy it. It became my Roku remote, my palm-sized hiking navigator via AllTrails, and my Slack monitor so I could keep my desktop less cluttered.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
That 4-inch cover display isn't just capable with software; it's advanced, refreshing up to 165Hz! Overkill? Maybe. Awesome? Definitely.
The inner display is remarkable as well. It’s a 7-inch, LTPO AMOLED panel that's Dolby Vision certified. The display is nearly the same size as the 6.9-inch screen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the Galaxy is also a millimeter thicker and 20 grams heavier than the Razr.
In our Future Labs tests the Razr Ultra 2025 displayed a wider color gamut than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and it was just as bright. Samsung still doesn’t support Dolby Vision, so if you’re a Netflix fan, that might give the Razr Ultra’s display a leg up over Samsung’s mightiest screen.
Display score: 4/5
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Software
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Useful gestures to open the camera and turn on the torch
AI image generator can be... problematic, producing stereotypical and offensive results
First, the good: Motorola’s interface gestures are great. Twist your wrist for the camera – it's the fastest camera shortcut out there. Chop thrice for the flashlight. I use these constantly; so does every Moto fan I've met.
Now, the AI. Motorola has also partnered with Perplexity AI. Perplexity is known to have trained its AI engine by ignoring the robots.txt page on media sites, a serious violation of web ethics. This allowed Perplexity to steal content freely, even content that was behind a paywall. I’m not going to say more about Perplexity here, they don’t deserve my support. Let's move on.
Moto AI has some interesting tricks. ‘Pay Attention’ records and summarizes audio. It can record phone conversations, or it can just record you and your friends talking.
‘Catch Me Up’ summarizes notifications, though it was hit-or-miss in my testing, often ignoring texts or other key alerts.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Then there’s the AI image generator. Guardrails seem optional. You can generate images of copyrighted characters and realistic-looking humans. Ask for humans, and you will likely get offensive stereotypes.
If you ask for an image of a person of any nationality or ethnicity, and you'll get a picture of what a bigot might think that person looks like. Ask for a "successful person"? Expect white dudes in suits.
Software score: 3/5
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Cameras
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Better than expected, occasionally even outshining the competition
Great macro mode helps compensate for the lack of a dedicated zoom lens
Cameras were always the Razr's Achilles heel, but the Ultra 2025’s dual 50MP shooters are a huge step up. I was more impressed with its images than I have been with images from any previous flip phone.
AI processing clearly helps. Compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, the Razr Ultra showed less noise and better detail in distant signs, though close inspection reveals some artificial sharpening. The end result is still pleasant. These aren't the best cameras, but they're very good. You're no longer sacrificing photo quality for that cool flip.
In fact, the Razr Ultra sometimes outperformed top camera phones. Its macro mode is excellent, capturing sharper, more vibrant low-light macros than the Pixel 9 Pro. Motorola seems to have borrowed Samsung’s color tuning philosophy – photos are 'Pantone validated' to be vibrant, making my flower shots pop against dreary scenes. Photographers might prefer the iPhone's naturalism, but I liked the Razr's shareable, satisfying images.
Plenty of modes are available, including Pro and a cool camcorder mode. The Photo Booth feature, using the folded phone as a stand, is perfect. There's room for improvement, but this Razr no longer feels like a camera compromise, especially for selfies using the main 50MP camera and cover display.
Camera score: 3/5
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Camera samples
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Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Performance
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Excellent Snapdragon 8 Elite performance
Tons of RAM helps, but occasional lag during busy moments
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite continues its reign, with the Razr Ultra 2025 delivering impressive real-world performance and benchmark results.
It's great for gaming. Call of Duty Mobile ran maxed out with my Xbox controller connected, and Vampire Survivors was smooth with tons of enemies on screen.
You can game on the cover display. Vampire Survivors and Mighty Doom were playable, but CoD was illegible.
Benchmarks put the Razr Ultra 2025 on a par with the OnePlus 13 (another Snapdragon 8 Elite, 16GB RAM phone), and slightly below the Galaxy S25 (which gets a slightly overclocked Snapdragon). You won't notice the difference.
The only lag I saw was with cloud-dependent AI features or when downloading multiple apps, where button presses sometimes became unresponsive.
Performance score: 5/5
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Battery
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Excellent all-day battery life
Faster charging than most of the flagship competition
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 turned in impressive battery life. The phone had no trouble lasting all day in my weeklong review period, every day I used it.
The phone kept going whether I was using it for work, making video calls and using productivity apps, or using it for fun, taking photos and playing games on the train home. The Razr Ultra never quit before I went to bed.
In our Future Lab tests, the Razr Ultra is a top performer, lasting 18 hours and 30 minutes – just five minutes less than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which has a larger battery. Moto's power management is clearly on point.
It also charges at 68W, faster than many rivals at this price (the Galaxy S25 Ultra is 45W). With a compatible Motorola charger, you get nearly a full charge in 30 minutes, while the Galaxy Ultra hits around 70% in the same time.
Battery score: 5/5
Should you buy the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025?
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 score card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The most expensive Razr, but also the first that doesn’t compromise on flagship specs, from the processor to the cameras. The Razr Ultra gives you more than other phones this expensive.
4 / 5
Design
Excellent Razr design keeps getting better, with improved durability, more unique materials and color options, and a new titanium hinge. Not to mention the cover display. Forgive the AI button, there’s still plenty to love if you ignore it.
5 / 5
Display
If the Razr Ultra only had the excellent 7-inch internal screen it would be great, but the 4-inch cover puts this phone in a class of its own. It’s the only flip phone that is truly two phones in one.
5 / 5
Software
Motorola has a clean interface and useful software editions. I especially love the added gestures. Moto AI may have some promise and I like the ‘Pay Attention’ feature, but an offensive image generator spoils the party.
3 / 5
Camera
Much better cameras than you’d expect on a flip phone, and I even liked some of the Razr Ultra’s photos better than my iPhone’s pics. It also excels at macro, which almost makes up for the lack of telescopic zoom.
3 / 5
Performance
Excellent performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite inside. It’s not the fastest you can find, but it keeps up with all the best flagship phones and it plays my favorite games at their highest settings with no trouble at all.
5 / 5
Battery
Surprisingly good battery life, as good as the Galaxy Ultra even though the battery is smaller. Fast charging makes it worth splurging on a faster Moto charger – this is a phone that doesn’t want to miss the party, after all!
5 / 5
Buy it if...
You want a phone that is actually stylish Are you tired of raw metal and phone colors that aren’t colorful? Motorola is making phones stylish again, with faux suede and real wood.
You want two devices in one, a big phone and a compact Somehow the Moto Razr Ultra gives you one of the biggest displays on any smartphone along with one of the smallest, and both are quite capable.
You're really, really into AI and all the AI apps AI isn’t my thing, but if you love AI, the Moto Razr puts AI tools front and center – literally, on the cover display, so you can talk to the robot without opening your phone.
Don't buy it if...
You need serious zoom cameras If your kid plays a sport or you love bird watching, you might want that extra reach to get better photos from far away. The Razr Ultra doesn’t have it.
You want all the style but don’t need the performance You can get a stylish flip phone for much less if you don’t care about performance or great cameras. The Razr 2025 is just over half the price of the Ultra.
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 review: Also consider
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra The Razr Ultra 2025 might be great, but the king of smartphone heap is the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with the fastest performance, most versatile cameras, and so many features. Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review
Motorola Razr 2025 You don’t sacrifice any style by choosing the less expensive Razr 2025, just the faster processor and better cameras. You still get great colors and two amazing displays. We'll have a full review of the Razr 2025 on TechRadar soon.
I used the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 for one week. I tested the phone on AT&T’s network in the greater New York area, throughout the city and suburbs. I used the Razr Ultra as my primary work phone with all of my work accounts and apps, as well as using it as a personal phone for photos and gaming.
I tested the Razr Ultra with a Pixel Watch 3 and OnePlus Buds Pro 3. I connected the phone to my car and tested Android Auto. I connected an Xbox wireless controller for gaming.
I tested the Razr Ultra camera to the iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra. For macro photo comparisons, I compared to the Pixel 9 Pro.
Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone's performance on video editing tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.
For battery testing, we have proprietary rundown tests that are the same for every phone, which we use to determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is the phone for Samsung fans who like to complain. Does your Galaxy S25 Plus feel too thick for your tight jeans and small hands? Is the Galaxy S25 Ultra too heavy for your bag? The Galaxy S25 Edge is precisely the phone you want, nothing more and nothing less.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is the solution to a very simple formula. Take a Galaxy S25 Plus. Shave 1.5mm off the thickness by removing the zoom camera and shrinking the battery. Add a 200MP camera sensor. Wrap it in titanium. Voila: Galaxy S25 Edge!
Seriously, that’s it; that’s the whole phone. The Galaxy S25 Edge has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset inside, with the same 12GB of RAM as the Galaxy S25 Plus. There’s a bigger vapor chamber for improved cooling, but we’re talking about a minuscule space made slightly less so.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is only 5.8mm thin, the thinnest Galaxy S ever (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Even though it’s thin, this isn’t a phone you should experience on paper. You need to get your hands on a device to see just how thin and light it feels. I spent a couple of hours with Samsung to get hands-on time with the new Galaxy S25 Edge, so I can tell you what to expect: expect a little bit.
It feels a little bit thinner and a little bit lighter than other phones I’ve used. Just a little bit. It’s not the thinnest phone ever. Even Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 is thinner when it’s open; it’s just the thinnest ever Galaxy S phone.
It’s not even close to the thinnest flat smartphone ever. The Vivo X5 Max from 2014 was more than 1mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge at less than 4.75mm.
The Galaxy S25 Edge won’t spark a revolution. It won't make your current phone look fat. There will be other thin phones – Apple’s long-anticipated iPhone 17 Air is expected to launch later this year. But I don’t expect a Pixel Edge, or a OnePlus Edge.
Holding the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge immediately put me in mind of past Samsung phones. Foremost, the ancient Samsung SGH-U100 Ultra 5.9, an incredibly thin phone Samsung launched in 2007 at the sunset of feature phones. That was the last time I remember Samsung making a phone whose main feature was being thin.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is thin, but not shockingly thin (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
That phone shocked onlookers. Nobody could believe Samsung could make such a thin phone. You wondered how there was space for the buttons to move; it felt so thin.
That’s not true of the Galaxy S25 Edge. It’s very thin, but nobody is going to be shocked. I expect the reaction will be more like ‘huh, that’s pretty thin,’ and not ‘WOW, what a THIN PHONE!’
That’s ok, because the Galaxy S25 Edge is priced right for a subdued reaction. The phone is a bit more expensive than the Galaxy S25 Plus. You lose some battery and some zoom, but you gain a much better camera. Plus, you have the thinnest Galaxy S!
What’s the benefit? Samsung says the Galaxy S25 Edge is easier to hold than the Galaxy S25 Plus. I had an iPhone 16 Pro Max in my pocket to compare, and the Edge was definitely much thinner and lighter than the biggest iPhone. Easier to hold? Maybe a little, but I keep my phone in a case anyway.
All eyes now turn to Apple to see if it can deliver an even thinner iPhone 17 Air to beat the Galaxy S25 Edge. With a 5.1mm iPad Pro on the market, it seems likely that Apple will launch an even thinner phone, but if it packs cheaper cameras or lacks flagship features, it won’t match the thin new Galaxy.
The iPad Pro is only 5.1mm, will the iPhone 17 Air be just as thin? (Image credit: Future)
Which brings me to some big concerns about the Galaxy S25 Edge – everybody is going to put this phone in a case. Samsung is offering its own thin cases, but any case will add bulk. The phone is durable, but it’s not military standard rugged.
With a benefit of only a millimeter or so, you’re already paying more for less battery life and fewer cameras. If you slap a case on it, can you still feel how thin it is? Not as much.
My second concern is that this is the slimmest Galaxy S phone… today. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is thinner, so we know that even thinner phones are possible. Will tomorrow's Galaxy S26 be just as thin as today’s Galaxy S25 Edge? Is a 5.8mm phone impressively thin in the long run? If you’re going to keep this phone through years of updates, I doubt it’s going to feel as thin as it does today in two years.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
With that in mind, the Galaxy S25 Edge doesn’t stand out. It’s thin, but it isn’t going to blow anybody away. It’s the thinnest Galaxy S today, but not the thinnest phone ever, and not even the thinnest phone Samsung makes right now.
However, it scratches an itch. If you were considering the Galaxy S25 Plus, you can spend a bit more and get a thinner, arguably cooler phone. But coolness, like being thin, doesn’t last forever.
I wish there was something unique to this phone to make it stand out from the rest of the Galaxy lineup, but I’m not sure what that should be. Even a new theme or some Edge-related widgets would have been a nice addition. It just feels like otherwise this phone launch is all about giving us the perfect compromise, with no new benefits.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Price and availability
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 for 256GB and 12GB of RAM
That’s $100 / £100 / AU$100 more than the Galaxy S25 Plus
The Galaxy S25 Edge is available for pre-order now, and it should be in hands by May 30, assuming the current global economic climate causes no delays. That was a question I heard Samsung folks discussing, but they don’t anticipate any problems.
The phone will come in three colors: black, blue, and silver. You can get it with 256GB or 512GB of storage, and Samsung will have a deal at launch to double the storage for free. Both models include 12GB of RAM inside.
The Galaxy S25 Edge slots in nicely between the Galaxy S25 Plus and the Galaxy S25 Ultra on Samsung’s price ladder. It also costs more than an iPhone 16 Pro, but less than an iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Storage
US Price
UK Price
AU Price
256GB
$1,099
£1,099
AU$ 1,849
512GB
$1,219
£1,199
AU$ 2,049
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Specifications
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy S25 Edge has most of the same specs as the Galaxy S25 Plus, with some Ultra inspiration thrown in. It has the important Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor that made the Galaxy S25 Ultra such a winner.
The camera is a 200MP sensor, but Samsung said it is not the exact same sensor found on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Megapixels don’t mean anything, it’s the sensor size that really matters, so I’m assuming there is a smaller sensor in this phone than its bigger Samsung brethren.
The Galaxy S25 Edge has a 3,900mAh battery, which is much smaller than the 4,900mAh cell in the Galaxy S25 Plus. Samsung says we should expect better battery life than the Galaxy S24, but not as much longevity as the Galaxy S25 provides.
For charging, the Galaxy S25 Edge tops out at 25W, slower than the 45W charging that the rest of the Galaxy S25 family can use. There is wireless charging, at least, along with reverse wireless power sharing.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
Dimensions
75.6 X 158.2 X 5.8mm
Weight
163g
OS
OneUI 7, Android 15. 7 major Android upgrades promised.
Display
6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
RAM
12GB
Storage
256GB / 512GB
Battery
3,900mAh
Rear cameras
200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide with macro
Front camera
12MP
Charging
25W wired, 15W wireless
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Design
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Thinnest Galaxy S ever, thinner than any iPhone
More Galaxy Ultra than Galaxy Plus
Samsung might be selling the Galaxy S25 Edge short by comparing it freely to the Galaxy S25 Plus. In fact, with its titanium frame and muted color options, it feels more like a waifish Galaxy S25 Ultra. In any case, the phone is clearly a current-generation Samsung device, while veering just a bit from the formula.
The camera bump looks, frankly, more like the leaked design of the iPhone 17 than the current Galaxy S25 family. It’s not small portholes, it’s an entire bar that seems to be attached to the back of the phone.
The look is decidedly less polished and clean than the similar round bar that holds the Google Pixel 9 cameras. Google’s phone seems to be a single block of metal, while the Galaxy S25 Edge looks like pieces stuck together.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is not symmetrical, and the pieces don't seem to fit perfectly (Image credit: Future)
The phone is not very symmetrical, and it doesn’t seem to have the same fit and finish as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. On the bottom, USB-C port is centered, but the speaker port and the SIM card slot are both haphazardly aligned. The SIM card holder doesn’t even seem to fit perfectly flush with the phone on some of the units I saw, as you can see in my photo below.
I worry about this phone. I worry that it will bend easily, even with a titanium frame. I worry that the protruding camera will make the lens glass more vulnerable in a fall. I worry the gap between the camera bump and the back of the phone will gather unsightly dust and grime.
I’ll feel better if our review unit proves solid, so check back soon once we’ve had an opportunity to run this phone through a thorough battery of tests.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Software
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
All of the Galaxy software you know...
Nothing special to the Edge, but plenty of Galaxy AI
Samsung’s OneUI 7 is looking good on the Galaxy S25 Edge, running on top of Android 15. All of Samsung’s software tricks are here, including the Edge panels, which now sport some AI selection tools. You can even hook this phone up to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and use the Samsung DeX desktop environment.
I’m a big fan of DeX, so I was thrilled to see it wasn’t left off. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 inexplicably lacks DeX, so I was worried it would be sacrificed for thinness. Nope, DeX is here, along with all of Samsung’s software features. The endless layers of Settings menus. The massive flotilla of bloatware.
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That latter is probably just a regional choice, because not every Galaxy S25 Edge I saw had the same software preloaded, but some of the devices were jam-packed with junk. There were tons of garbage games, along with carrier software, additions from Microsoft and Google, and then the Samsung folder of apps.
There was a brief time when it seemed like Samsung was pulling back its software bloat, but those days have been washed away with the tide.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Cameras
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200MP main camera, but not the same as the Ultra
12MP wide lens with macro capabilities
The camera on the Galaxy S25 Edge is just what I was hoping to see… I hope. We knew that Samsung would be reducing its camera load from the triple-lens system on pretty much every other Galaxy phone besides the Galaxy Z Flip series. I was hoping for one big main camera with a big sensor, and that could be what we got with the 200MP sensor on the Edge.
I don’t expect quality on par with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and its 200MP main camera. Samsung says the sensor is not the same, and it would not tell us what sensor it's using or the size of the sensor.
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A tiny sensor cut into 200 million pieces will not produce high-quality images. Megapixels don’t matter, what really matters is the size of the sensor, and it’s likely the Edge sacrifices some sensor size compared to the Ultra.
The marketing might say this phone has 2X 'optical quality zoom,' but in fact Samsung is using the 200MP sensor to simulate a variety of zoom lengths, and then enhancing the results with AI.
I kind of wish more phones would use this technique, paired with a larger sensor, because I think we’d get better photos than we do from today’s 5X zoom lenses mated to teeny-tiny sensors.
We’ll see if Samsung can pull off a satisfying camera with only two lenses instead of three. It can’t be too good, of course, or else you won’t want to buy the Galaxy S25 Ultra, still the most expensive in the Galaxy S family.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Battery
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3,9000mAh battery is smaller than even the Galaxy S25
Battery life won’t be great, and charging will be slower
The Galaxy S25 Edge packs a 3,900mAh battery inside. That’s much smaller than the 4,900mAh cell in the Galaxy S25 Plus – it’s closer to the smaller Galaxy S25, which uses a 4,000mAh battery inside.
In fact, Samsung says battery life will fall somewhere between the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25, and you'll be able to get a full day of normal use out of this phone. So, it won’t be great for a phone this big, but it will be acceptable. That’s an expected trade-off for a much thinner phone.
What I didn’t expect was slower charging. I was hoping for a charging miracle, maybe even faster charging speeds than the Galaxy S25 to make up for the smaller battery.
If I could charge this phone to full in 30 minutes, I wouldn’t mind that it can’t last all day on a single charge. But with only 25W charging, Samsung says 30 minutes will get me just over halfway, to 55% charged.
We’ll know just how long the phone can last after we’ve tested it in Future Labs and given it a full review. For now, don’t buy this phone expecting great battery life. Buy it for the style.
With the CMF Phone 2 Pro, Nothing has delivered a truly remarkable bargain phone, treating you, the user with endearing respect, rather than sticking you with a watered-down version of the device you really want.
This phone has one of the most distinct and recognizable designs I’ve seen, but that design is also practical and extensible. I can’t imagine buying a CMF Phone 2 Pro without thinking of all the accessories I might make for it.
For less than $300 / £300 / AU$525 you can have a phone that isn’t just good, but special. The modular design, though a bit less adaptable than the first-generation CMF Phone, means you can make this phone your own in ways that Samsung Galaxy and iPhone owners can only dream of doing.
Even if you don’t want to create your own cases or accessories, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is still one of the best smartphones you can buy at this price. Its performance is solid – better than other bargain competitors, at least – and battery life is excellent.
It may not be quite as durable as a Samsung Galaxy A26 or Motorola Moto G Power 2025, but it’s more resilient than I expected. It has an IP54 rating against rain and splashing water, and Nothing also says the phone will survive in 25cm of water for 20 minutes, so you don't have to panic if it gets wet.
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The CMF Phone 2 Pro certainly gives you one of the most distinctive versions of Android that you’ll find on a phone today, using the NothingOS interface as found on the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro. NothingOS is all about a minimalist, almost monochromatic aesthetic, so you get black-and-white icons on the home screen with no labels, and a set of matching widgets to complete the look.
Of course there are some AI features as well, and I honestly ignored them because they revolve around taking screenshots. I’m just not a screenshot type of user, but Nothing isn’t alone in this – the latest Google Pixel 9 also relies on screenshot-based AI tools. You can also use Google Gemini, but don’t expect the robust set of AI features that you might find on more expensive Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones.
With such a low price tag there are bound to be compromises. The cameras are not good, even compared to those on the cheapest Pixel, the Pixel 9a, although that phone costs almost twice as much as the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Performance also lags, and I experienced stuttering in the interface, and occasional delays as the system worked to catch up with whatever task I wanted to perform.
I used the CMF Phone 2 Pro as my primary phone for work, and I really enjoyed it. I like the style of NothingOS; it’s refreshing, with fewer distractions than my Galaxy phone. I committed to using the bright orange lanyard screwed into the back of the phone for my entire review period, and I now understand the appeal of being able to sling the phone over my shoulder and having it readily at hand.
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The worst thing about the CMF Phone 2 Pro is how hard it might be to buy one – and then to buy all the accessories you want. In the US, you can only get the model with 256GB of storage as part of Nothing’s so-called 'Beta' program. I used the Phone 2 Pro on AT&T near New York City, and after an initial warning message from AT&T that my phone wouldn’t work properly, it worked just fine.
The phone is easier to buy in the UK, Australia, and the rest of the world, with an even cheaper 128GB version available. Still, comparable phones from Samsung and Motorola are available at your local carrier store, and you can surely get one for free if you sign a contract. The CMF Phone 2 Pro may be cheap, but you probably won’t find one for free.
Only a few accessories will be available for US buyers, and those won’t include the back cover that lets you use attachable macro and fisheye camera lenses, or the magnetic wallet stand. I’m not a fan of snap-on lenses for smartphones, so that’s no big loss, but I wish more of the unique accessories were available here. Since they’re not, I’ll just have to head to my library’s 3D printer and make my own.
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Price and availability
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$279 / £249 / AU$509 for 256GB and 8GB of RAM
£219 / AU$449 for a 128GB model, not available in the US
The CMF Phone 2 Pro by Nothing is available directly from Nothing in two storage options: 128GB and 256GB. The smaller-capacity model is not being sold in the US, however, and neither is the light green color – the color of my review sample – but you can still get the phone in white, black, or a very bright orange.
The Light Green is available in the UK, but not Australia, and all the other colors are available globally. That’s too bad, I like this light green very much, and it looks cool with the bright orange lanyard attached.
Don’t get too attached to the lanyard if you're in the US, though, because the accessories are only available in the UK and Europe, and Nothing says quantities may be limited.
The 128GB model has an incredibly low price for a phone this good, and if you use cloud storage services there isn’t a pressing need to buy the larger capacity.
Even so, the 256GB model is also an incredible bargain. For around the same price – $300 / £299 / AU$499 – you'll get a Samsung Galaxy A26 or Motorola Moto G Power with 128GB of storage. Both of those phones are a bit more durable, though, with true IP67 and IP68 ratings for water resistance, respectively. Otherwise, there are no significant benefits in terms of specs and hardware, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a slight edge in performance.
Value score: 5/5
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Specs
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The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a MediaTek 7300 Pro 5G chipset inside, which is a bit faster than the Exynos 1380 you’ll find in a Galaxy A26 or the MediaTek 6300 in the Moto G Power 2025. The phone ships with 8GB of RAM, which is adequate for a bargain phone, and there's a microSD card slot behind the SIM tray if you need more storage space.
The camera specs are impressive for a phone in this price range, even if, as mentioned, the images aren’t noteworthy. The main camera uses a 0.63-inch sensor, which is much larger than the sensors you’ll find in competing Samsung and Motorola phones. There's a real 2x optical zoom, in addition to a third lens for ultra-wide shots and macro photos.
As with most phones at this price there’s no wireless charging, but you do get slightly faster charging speeds if you buy a 33W charger.
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Design
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Exposed screws and removable bits
More durable than before, even water resistant
The CMF Phone 2 Pro design is a whole choice. Like its big-sibling Nothing Phones, the CMF Phone stands out; it looks, er, nothing like other phones you’ve seen. The back of the phone is punctuated by exposed screws, a removable circular plate, and cameras that look like internal components laid bare.
I like it. It doesn’t feel haphazard – it’s clear that there's thought and design behind the asymmetry. You can't remove the whole back cover of the CMF Phone 2 Pro, as you could with the original CMF Phone, but there is still the small circular screw that you can remove to screw in accessories like the lanyard (or just the lanyard holder, which can also be a loop for dangling charms).
The CMF Phone 2 Pro only comes with an IP54 rating, which means it's protected against dust, but when it comes to water it can only handle rain or splashing, not a full dunk.
However, Nothing has tested the phone itself, and claims it can be submerged in 25cm of water for 20 minutes – so I wouldn’t wash this phone in the sink, but I also wouldn’t worry if you drop it into the toilet by accident.
That’s a huge improvement over last year’s CMF Phone, likely thanks to that new back panel that doesn’t come off as easily. Still, the Samsung Galaxy A26 is IP67 rated for longer dips underwater, and the Moto G Power 2025 is fully military MIL-STD 810H rated, so it can take a serious beating.
My phone came in a lovely light green color that is becoming popular this year – the Galaxy S25 Ultra is available in the same hue as a Samsung online-exclusive color. Unfortunately, you can’t buy this color in the US; you can only get the black, white, or orange versions. I haven’t seen the orange in person, but if it’s as bright as the matching lanyard I got, be aware that it could stop traffic.
Design score: 4/5
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Display
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Brighter than competitors at this price
Colorful and durable with Panda Glass
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a very nice display for a phone at this price. It was brighter and more colorful in our labs tests than the Samsung Galaxy A26, a solid win for Nothing since Samsung is usually known for its superlative displays.
Does it get to 3,000 nits at peak brightness? Not that we could see, but it was bright enough in my review time for me to take photos in outdoor light, and to use the phone in a variety of lighting conditions. My content always looked great on the display, whether I was watching movies or perusing my photo albums.
This is one area where spending more will get you better technology, however. The Pixel 9a costs a bit more, but it has a much brighter display that's easier to see in bright, outdoor light. Even paying just a bit more for the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro will get you brighter displays than what you'll see on the CMF Phone.
If I were going to pay to upgrade any feature, it would be this, because more expensive phones have displays that are brighter and easier to use in bright sunlight. I’d also like a stronger glass panel, though the CMF Phone 2 Pro is no slouch here.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a screen that's durable and should stand up to mild abuse. The phone uses Panda Glass from Chinese glass maker Tengshu, and it offers many of the same physical qualities as Corning’s Gorilla Glass. I didn’t see any scuffs or scratches after an intense week using the phone as my primary device.
Display score: 3/5
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Software
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NothingOS on top of Android 15 for a signature style
For folks who want fewer distractions, not more features
If you want a smartphone with helpful display-edge software panels, tons of features, and customizations galore, buy a Samsung with One UI. If you want to minimize distractions with a signature look and feel that's different from any other smartphone, you should check out NothingOS on the CMF Phone 2 Pro (and other Nothing phones).
That doesn’t mean Nothing gives you nothing on top of Android 15. In fact, Nothing offers a plethora of cool widgets to enhance your home screen, all in Nothing’s signature monochromatic style.
At startup, you can choose between a Nothing interface and a standard Android home screen. Go with Nothing and you’ll see fewer colors, fewer labels on app icons and settings, and presumably fewer distractions. I actually like the NothingOS design, especially with its home screen widgets and monochromatic wallpapers, so I stuck with it for my review period.
There is some AI on board, but frankly I never used it. Just like with the latest Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro, you get a so-called Essentials key, which is a glorified screenshot button. Press the button to take a screenshot that saves to Nothing’s Essential Space. Hold the button to take a screenshot and add a voice memo.
Essential Space is an AI tool that scans whatever you save so it can offer answers later. Unfortunately, I don’t screenshot very much. I don’t save every bit of useful information as a screenshot. I don’t screenshot my emails, text messages, or calendar invitations, since those already live in their own app.
So I didn’t get much value out of Essential Space. If you screenshot everything, or if you’re willing to change your behavior, you may find this more useful. I, on the other hand, did not feel the CMF Phone 2 Pro was missing anything when I skipped these AI features.
Software score: 3/5
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Cameras
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Lots of megapixels and big sensors don’t equal great photos
If photos matter, you’ll need to spend more (or get a camera)
The CMF Phone 2 Pro's cameras offer plentiful examples of pretty much every way smartphone cameras can go wrong. There’s a lack of detail in most shots, and evidence of strong digital sharpening that makes photos look more like still frames from a low-quality video camera. Backgrounds are frequently over-sharpened, leaving dark edges around objects. In even my most simple shots it can be so hard to tell what I was photographing.
Don’t take photos of anything red, because the cheap sensors on this phone can’t handle the hue, and flowers become a garbled mess, even in bright, outdoor light that should have made for the best results. I was equally unimpressed with the zoom lens, which took photos of birds that were so muddy I couldn’t tell if the water fowl were covered in feathers or plastic.
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The wide-angle lens produces a lot of barrel distortion, so buildings will look rounded and weird. I saw plenty of chromatic aberration along high-contrast edges, and the camera falls apart when asked to shoot in low-light near darkness.
It’s hard to find a good camera on a phone this cheap, but the Samsung Galaxy A26 will certainly produce better results in most situations. If photos truly matter, though, you’ll need to step up at least to a Pixel 9a, or perhaps look for a cheap digital camera to carry alongside your phone. I carried an older point-and-shoot camera during my review time, and I barely thought about the CMF Phone 2 Pro for my photography needs.
Camera score: 2/5
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Camera samples
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CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Performance
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Budget-level performance means delays
Still very usable, and lags weren't noticeable in lighter usage
The CMF Phone 2 Pro uses a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro 5G chipset, which is a slight step up from the Dimensity 7300 5G in last year’s CMF Phone. In Future Labs tests, the CMF Phone 2 Pro edged out the competition, including Samsung Exynos 1380-equipped Galaxy A26 and Motorola’s Dimensity 6300-driven Moto G Power 2025. In pure benchmark terms, this phone performs about as well as the Galaxy A36, a more expensive phone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 inside.
In the real world, performance could be very laggy as I navigated the interface and performed advanced tasks. If I tried to select more than a dozen or so apps to download all at once, the phone came to a halt and stopped registering my taps. When I tried to add six-dozen photos to a single photo album, the phone flatly refused to move so many images at once. I got an error message that I could never defeat.
For most of my daily tasks, however, I didn’t notice any slowdown. Network speeds were fine on AT&T’s network near New York City, and web pages loaded slowly but steadily. All of my messages came through, and I was able to hold video chat meetings.
This isn’t a powerhouse phone, but it gets the job done, even for professional work. The phone handled TechRadar's AirTable content management system with no trouble, and it loaded up the over-complicated AirTable app to show me behind-the-scenes planning.
Any step up in price will get you a phone with more power, but I would pay more for better cameras and a better display before I worried about much faster CPU performance. As long as you’re not a hardcore gamer you might just need a little more patience, so maybe just stare at the cool design while you wait for your phone to catch up.
Performance score: 2/5
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Battery
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Excellent battery life, among top performers overall
Charging could be faster; no charger included
The CMF Phone 2 Pro delivered excellent battery life, both in the real world and in our Future Labs testing. During my review time the phone always lasted through a full day of use, although it probably helped that I didn’t play many games and didn’t use the cameras very much. In any case, I could forget to charge this phone overnight and still have enough juice to get me through to lunchtime the next day.
In our Future Labs battery rundown test the CMF Phone 2 Pro was a top performer, managing to last just over 16 hours. In the same test, the Samsung Galaxy A26 lated around 10 hours, and the Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e (the cheapest iPhone right now) both lasted just over 12 hours.
Much of this longevity is down to how you’ll use the phone. With a slower processor on board, you’ll use less battery power; the Moto G Power 2025 is even slower, and that phone lasted slightly longer in our lab tests. You also won’t use the cameras on the CMF Phone 2 Pro as often as you might with one of the best camera phones.
That said, bargain phones offer great battery life, just like cheaper cars usually get better gas mileage. It’s a benefit of saving money, and I’m happy to take it.
For juicing up, the CMF Phone 2 Pro can charge up to 33W, but there’s no charger in the box (except in India). There's also no wireless charging, but that feature is a rarity at this price point.
Battery score: 3/5
Should you buy the CMF Phone 2 Pro?
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Buy it if...
You have a 3D printer and want to make phone accessories The CMF Phone 2 Pro offers creative types unique options to make accessories that enhance the phone’s capabilities more than any other device.
You want more than just a cheap version of another phone The CMF Phone 2 Pro is unique. It doesn’t try to look like a more expensive model, and it stands out with its own design that’s like nothing else.
You want a distinctive look that minimizes distractions With NothingOS you can dial down the colors and distractions from all the apps on your phone that suck you in like candy.
Don't buy it if...
You need great cameras, or even very good cameras It’s got megapixels, but that doesn’t equate to great photos, and the pics I got from the CMF Phone 2 Pro were disappointing in every way.
You want to play a lot of games with serious graphics This phone performs better than most other phones you’ll find at this price, but you’ll notice lag on normal apps, and intense games are out of the question.
You plan on beating this phone up The CMF Phone 2 Pro is more durable than the last CMF phone, but if you’re going to beat up on a phone, get something more durable.
CMF Phone 2 Pro review: Also consider
Samsung Galaxy A26 The Samsung Galaxy A26 has Samsung’s OneUI software with more AI features, as well as a water-resistant build that can take a serious dunk.
Motorola Moto G Power 2025 The Moto G Power 2025 isn’t the most powerful (ironic), but it is the most durable phone you’ll find at this price, and it comes in some great Pantone-approved colors
How I tested the CMF Phone 2 Pro
I used the CMF Phone 2 Pro for almost two weeks. I tested the phone on AT&T’s network in the greater New York area, throughout the city and suburbs. I used the CMF Phone 2 Pro as my primary work phone with all of my work accounts and apps, and as my personal phone for photos and gaming.
I tested the CMF Phone 2 Pro with a Pixel Watch 3 and CMF Buds Plus. I connected the phone to my car and tested Android Auto. I connected an Xbox wireless controller for gaming, and connected to a Bluetooth speaker for audio.
I tested the CMF Phone 2 Pro camera against the Nothing Phone 3a, among numerous other phones, in Future Labs.
Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone's performance on tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.
For battery testing, we have proprietary rundown tests that are the same for every phone, and which measure how long it takes for the battery to run down.
The Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack is a power bank perfectly designed for charging smartphones, tablets, and other small devices, thanks to its multiple ports, 45W of power, and a large 20,000mAh capacity.
It certainly looks stylish for a power bank, with its pebble-like finish adding an element of organic chic. The rather prominent seam between the two panels is a little jarring, though, and detracts from the overall smoothness of the Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack.
It’s also quite large, even for a power bank with this kind of capacity. Some of the best power banks with similar or even higher capacities are smaller than this. Build quality is good – there’s some flexing to the panels, but not to the extent that I’d be concerned.
The Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack has three charging ports, all of which are USB-C, which is somewhat unusual for a power bank, as many incorporate other connector types. This may deter users who’d want more versatility and concessions made for older devices in the form of a USB-A port or two, for instance.
However, given the increasing ubiquity of USB-C, I’m quite happy with this configuration. All ports are positioned on one end, which may be a little restrictive for some; a more even distribution around the entire unit may have improved flexibility, but this isn’t a major issue.
Despite its large size, the Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack has no digital display: all you get are four LED dots to indicate the battery life of the bank itself. These are quite small and placed next to the ports, which obscures them from view somewhat.
What’s more, the LEDs don’t activate at all when charging devices, either to indicate charging or remaining battery life (you’ll have to press the power button every time to reveal the latter). This lack of interface is particularly disappointing on a premium power bank such as the Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack.
At least it has super fast charging, and can charge three devices simultaneously. It managed to charge my Google Pixel 7a, which has a 4,385mAh battery, from empty to full in about two hours, which is a decent performance.
After charging, all four of the bank’s LEDs remained lit, indicating that at the very least, the battery didn’t deplete by more than 30%, which is impressive and means you should get about 3-4 charges out of it.
The Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack is one of the more expensive power banks with this spec, although we have seen it on sale for considerably less. The JUOVI J2621, for instance, is cheaper, but has the same power and capacity, and even has four ports instead of three, two of which are USB-A. It’s similarly hefty, though, which might deter ultra-light travelers.
Ultimately, if you want plenty of USB-C ports in a stylish package, the Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack is a solid choice – but perhaps wait for a sale to maximize its value.
Should I buy the Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack?
Buy it if…
You want something stylish The smooth texture and mottled design is quite attractive, and the beige colorway makes it less austere than other power banks.
You mainly have USB-C cables With three USB-C ports, the Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack is great if all your devices come with USB-C-to-C cables, as they increasingly do.
Don't buy it if…
You want a slim power bank The Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack is still quite big relative to other similarly capacious power banks and not ideal for pocket carry.
You have older devices If you’ve got older devices with USB-A cables or other aging connector types, you’ll need USB-C cables or adapters to get them connected (the Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack comes with a USB-C-to-C cable).
Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack review: Also consider
JUOVI J2621 20000mAh 45W Power Bank If you’re after a power bank with the same power and capacity, then the JUOVI J2621 is another viable option. This has similar dimensions to the Samsung 45W 20000mAh Battery Pack, but it has four ports instead of three, two of which are USB-A, which offers more versatility. What’s more, it’s cheaper, too. Read our full JUOVI J2621 20000mAh 45W Power Bank review.
The Cuktech 20 Power Bank has a high power output and large capacity, designed for charging laptops and similar devices while traveling. As you would expect from a battery of this ilk, it’s quite a handful. It’s thick across its depth, although thankfully it’s not as wide, nor is it as heavy as I was expecting.
This makes the Cuktech 20 Power Bank reasonably portable all things considered, although it’s slightly more cumbersome than some rivals with similar specs.
Thankfully, the Cuktech 20 Power Bank is still airline safe despite its size, since it falls below the TSA’s 100Wh limit. It’s also useful that this is clearly labelled on the side, so if an agent is ever doubtful, you can at least show them.
Cuktech has tried to inject some interest into its appearance as well, with its two-tone design and translucent front panel, and I did appreciate the linear texture on the sides, which aids grip and feels premium to the touch. However, this is still a rather austere looking brick, albeit one that’s perhaps a bit more sleek than some of the best power banks.
One of the standout features of the Cuktech 20 Power Bank is the screen, which displays various information, such as the battery life and estimated charging time, as well as the wattage, voltage, and amperage for each port in real time. There’s also a handy indicator to tell you whether a port is delivering or receiving power.
Although this information is certainly useful, it’s a shame the display area is quite small. It’s also a shame that given its size, the Cuktech 20 Power Bank only has three ports, as other power banks of this ilk can squeeze in one or two more. Still, at least two of them are USB-C, and both are input and output capable.
The first USB-C port has an output of 140W, whereas the second tops out at 60W. The USB-A port, meanwhile, has a maximum power output of 30W. Despite this, the maximum output doesn’t quite add up to 230W, but 210W – which is still plenty of power for a brick this size.
Charging via all three ports simultaneously is also supported, while an additional trickle charging mode is available for charging low current devices, such as earbuds and smartwatches, which can be activated by double pressing the power button.
It took just under two hours for the Cuktech 20 Power Bank to charge an HP Chromebook Plus, which has a 58Wh battery, from empty to full via the most powerful USB-C port, which is a solid performance. The estimated time given by the bank was accurate for the most part too, closely matching that of the Chromebook’s, although figures went awry at the tail-end of the charge.
The Cuktech 20 Power Bank lost 82% of its charge in the process, which unfortunately means you’ll likely only get one laptop charge out of it, but this is expected given the capacity – and if it did have more juice in the tank, it would likely exceed flight limits. Charging the bank itself took two hours from empty to full in, which is another impressive performance.
When charging the bank itself, it’s a shame that the screen goes off, although fortunately this can be changed in the settings. Also, there’s a handy LED strip running vertically below it that repeatedly fills up to indicate charging, which also looks stylish – for what that’s worth.
I should mention, however, that my first attempt to charge the Cuktech 20 Power Bank failed. After 30 minutes or so, I noticed it wasn’t receiving any charge, despite my cable being attached correctly. I’m not sure if this was because the bank was expecting to deliver an output rather than receive an input, but a simple re-plug fixed the issue. I can also report that I only experienced this once during my testing, so I can only presume this was a one-time glitch.
If you’re looking for another large yet flight-ready power bank, the Anker Laptop Power Bank is a great alternative. It’s slightly cheaper than the Cuktech 20 Power Bank, but it has more convenient features, such as two built-in USB-C cables, one of which can be looped to create a carrying handle. It has less total power than the Cuktech 20 Power Bank (165W), but this is still plenty for many people’s needs.
But if you do need over 200W of total power, in a reasonably portable and flight-ready package, the Cuktech 20 Power Bank is a solid pick for charging laptops and the like on the go.
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Cuktech 20 Power Bank review: price & specs
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Should I buy the Cuktech 20 Power Bank?
Buy it if…
You want plenty of power With 210W of total power, the Cuktech 20 should be enough for all kinds of devices.
You still want to fly with it Despite its power and size, the Cuktech 20 is still airline safe, which is helpfully labelled on one side.
Don't buy it if…
You want something small The Cuktech 20 does a good job of keeping things compact, but it's undeniably thick, which can be inconvenient.
You want something cheap With all that power comes a high price, and there are some equally capable but slightly cheaper alternatives out there.
Cuktech 20 Power Bank review: Also consider
Anker Laptop Power Bank Not only does it have the same capacity as the Cuktech 20 Power Bank, the Anker Laptop Power Bank has features two integrated USB-C cables, one of which doubles as a handy carrying loop. It’s about the same size and weight as the Cuktech 20 Power Bank, and is similarly flight-ready, but costs slightly less. At 165W, it’s less powerful – but still not exactly what you’d call weak. Read our Anker Laptop Power Bank review.
Squint, and you could mistake the Honor 400 Lite for an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Honor is clearly enamored with Apple's whole approach to smartphones, or more likely the enduring popularity of the very best iPhones, and it's evidently not afraid to wear that admiration on its sleeve.
The prospect of a £250 phone with a Dynamic Island (or 'Magic Capsule') and Camera Control (or 'AI Camera Button') is an undeniably enticing one. Honor has executed those two elements well, delivering a budget Android phone that feels slightly different from its rivals. That's hard to achieve in a staid smartphone market.
However, in the process of seeking to offer an iPhone-style experience on the cheap, Honor appears to have taken its eye off the ball in some fundamental areas. The Honor 400 Lite doesn't perform as well as many of its peers, while its camera system feels undercooked.
Meanwhile, Honor's MagicOS feels as cluttered and unappealing as ever, emulating the basic look of iOS without achieving the same level of refinement. It's good to see a six-year update promise, though, which is among the very best in its class.
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Solid battery life and a good 6.7-inch OLED display also help the Honor 400 Lite's cause, though its 35W charging speeds are nothing to write home about, and that sizeable notch probably won't appeal to those who watch a lot of movies and TV shows on the go.
Ultimately, the Honor 400 Lite is a budget phone designed to appeal to those who equate 'iPhone' with 'smartphone', but who lack either the resources or inclination to spend upwards of £600 on their next handset.
It'll serve such people reasonably well, but those same people should know that they won't be getting the most from their money. There are faster, more robust, and just plain better phones in the sub-£300 bracket.
Honor 400 Lite review: price and availability
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Released on April 22, 2024
On sale in the UK and Europe for £249.99 / €269
Only one variant (8GB RAM / 256GB storage)
No US or Australia availability
The Honor 400 Lite was announced in April 2025 and is due to go on sale in the UK and Europe on May 22. Honor smartphones aren't sold in the US, while an Australian launch for the Honor 400 Lite is also off the cards at the time of writing.
It'll be available in just one variant in these territories: 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. This sole model will cost £249.99 / €269 (about $330 / AU$520).
At this price, the Honor 400 Lite is competing with a whole host of affordable phones, including the Samsung Galaxy A26, the Poco X7, and the Motorola Moto G75 5G. All of these rivals have superior water resistance, while the Moto G75 5G also has MIL-STD-810H durability.
Samsung's phone has wider availability and that familiar One UI software, while the Poco X7 has a clear performance edge.
Value score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Lite review: specs
Honor 400 Lite review: design
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Clearly iPhone-influenced design
Magic Capsule notch supplies widgets and selfie light
Skinny, lightweight all-plastic build
Dedicated camera shutter button
Honor wouldn't be the first company to take a page out of Apple design playbook, but the Honor 400 Lite takes it to the next level. It looks more like an iPhone (specifically the iPhone 16 Pro Max) than pretty much any other phone I've seen.
Yes, you have the flat-edged look with the curved corners, just like the Google Pixel 9a and Samsung Galaxy S25. But the similarity runs to the smaller details, too. The camera module looks extremely similar to that of the iPhone 16 Pro, with only a triangular motif marking it out.
Flip the Honor 400 Lite onto its front, and there's an extended floating notch that looks a lot like Apple's Dynamic Island. Honor calls it the 'Magic Capsule', but it serves a similar function.
Honor's psychedelic-sounding notch facilitates tiny heads-up widgets when doing things like playing music or running a timer. Tap one of those widgets, and it'll expand slightly to a larger, width-spanning version.
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One thing the Honor 400 Lite's Magic Capsule doesn't copy from Apple is a truly secure Face ID system, with no 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor to capture the required depth information. That's doubtless a cost issue, as the flagship Honor Magic 7 Pro does include such a feature.
Instead, the Honor 400 Lite's extended notch gives you a dedicated selfie light, though it has fairly limited utility. It'll technically allow you to record videos and take video calls in very low lighting, provided you really want to convey that mid-noughties webcam vibe.
A more consequential addition is the AI Camera Button, situated a little way below the volume and power buttons on the right-hand edge. It's another direct lift from Apple, with a similar look and somewhat unsatisfactory positioning to the iPhone 16's Camera Control.
It too serves as a dedicated camera shutter button, complete with two-stage operation for locking focus and a swipe-to-zoom facility that might actually be better than Apple's. It also serves as a two-tap camera shortcut, while a long press will bring up Google Lens, much as it brings up Visual Intelligence on an iPhone.
Hold the Honor 400 Lite in your hand, and all the iPhone comparisons flake away. This is an all-plastic affair, despite the metal-effect frame. It's well-built, with no creaks and a subtle pearlescent finish to the rear.
It's also very light, given its large 161 x 74.6mm footprint, at just 171g, while it's only 7.3mm thick.
You'll also notice the uneven bezel, which gets thicker at the corners and across the chin. That's a sure sign that we're shopping in the £250 category here, though a 93.7% screen-to-body ratio is still pretty decent for a budget phone.
Design score: 3.5 / 5
Honor 400 Lite review: display
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Solid 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED
Gets nice and bright
Only a mono speaker
Honor has equipped the 400 Lite with an accomplished 6.7-inch OLED display, with an FHD+ (1080 x 2412) resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.
These are all specifications that we've come to expect in the £250 category, and they see the Honor 400 Lite matching the likes of the Poco X7 and the Samsung Galaxy A26.
Not many budget phones can boast a 3500-nit peak brightness, however. PWM dimming of 3840Hz, meanwhile, cuts perceptible flickering and potential eye strain.
In general use, I found this to be a really pleasant display to use, at least once I'd switched away from the ramped-up 'Vivid' color mode to the more muted and natural 'Normal'. It's big, sharp, color-accurate, and responsive, while its brightness scales evenly from very dark (great for low-light viewing) to quite bright.
It's a shame the Always On Display function doesn't meet the description, however, requiring a screen tap to activate.
Also a shame is Honor's enduring insistence on packing its affordable phone with a single downward-firing speaker. It doesn't feel like too much to ask for a solid set of stereo speakers, even at this price.
Display score: 4 / 5
Honor 400 Lite review: cameras
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108MP main camera struggles with HDR and night shots
Poor 5MP ultra-wide
Only 1080p/30fps video
Honor has simplified the camera setup from last year's Honor 200 Lite, with the pointless 2MP macro camera dropping out altogether.
This leaves you with what appears to be the same pair of cameras, specifically a 108MP 1/1.67" f/1.8 main sensor and a 5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide.
The main camera is a competent shooter under ideal conditions, capturing plenty of detail. It's even good enough to produce fairly convincing 2x and 3x crops in the absence of a dedicated telephoto.
There are issues with this main camera, however. It seems to struggle with HDR scenarios, either failing to lift very dark shady areas or otherwise blowing out background highlights.
I also noticed some odd processing effects, including a strange halo effect around distant birds in front of a blue sky.
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Night shots, too, aren't very good, with poor detail and bags of noise. The lack of OIS here is quite evident.
The ultra-wide, meanwhile, is of a pretty substandard quality, lacking in detail and failing to match the tone of the main sensor.
The selfie camera has also changed since the Honor 200 Lite, dropping from a 50MP f/2.1 unit to a 16MP f/2.5. It captures adequate shots with reasonably rich colors, but again struggles with blown-out highlights.
The provision of an LED light is an interesting one. It definitely improved the clarity of my low-light selfie shots and videos when I activated it manually, but is it strictly necessary when most phones simply use a white screen for the job? I'm not so sure.
Talking of video, the main camera maxes out at a weedy 1080p at 30fps. That's a pretty poor effort when rivals such as the Galaxy A26, Moto G75 5G, and Poco X7 can all record at 4K.
Camera score: 3 / 5
Honor 400 Lite review: camera samples
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Honor 400 Lite review: performance
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MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra is merely adequate
Solid 8GB of RAM
256GB of storage
The Honor 400 Lite is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra chipset, which isn't a very strong performer even within the budget phone category.
I've used a phone with this chip before in the Redmi Note 14 5G (which didn't ship in the UK), and I was left pretty unimpressed. Suffice it to say, the Honor 400 Lite did nothing to change my mind on this component.
Across CPU and GPU benchmark tests, it's outgunned by the Moto G75 5G, the Samsung Galaxy A26, and the Poco X7.
I'd like to say that this doesn't matter in practical terms, but that's not the case. There's a generally wallowy feel to everything from unlocking the phone to app startup and even basic animations.
It would be unfair to call this performance halting or stuttery, but everything seems to take a beat longer than it should. I'd be tempted to let it off the hook given the price, but the Poco X7 (to use one example) feels nice and snappy by comparison.
Indeed, while the Poco X7 is capable of running Genshin Impact quite well on Medium settings, the Honor 400 Lite needs to run it at Low or even Lowest if you're to maintain a decent frame rate.
The solitary model available in the UK gives you a solid 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is most welcome.
Performance score: 3 / 5
Honor 400 Lite review: software
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Android 15 with MagicOS 9
Six years of OS updates and security patches
With the Honor 400 Lite, you're getting Android 15 fresh out of the box, coated in Honor's latest MagicOS 9 UI. It's not my favorite Android skin by any stretch of the imagination.
Honor evidently doesn't think much of the flowing, vibrant UI design that Google baked into the latest version of Android, preferring instead the square icons and split notification menu of Apple's iOS.
The two UIs really look uncannily alike in places, right down to the look of the Settings menu and the lock screen. The aforementioned Magic Capsule drives this familiar sensation home with its Dynamic Island-style mini-widgets.
Sadly, such an admiration for Apple's work doesn't extend to the company's no-nonsense approach to bloatware. You'll find Facebook, Booking.com, TikTok, Amazon Shopping, ReelShort, LinkedIn, and the Temu shopping app all sitting on the second home screen straight from first boot-up.
There's also a Top Apps folder with four more third-party apps. It's a little excessive, if far from unusual, on Android.
Elsewhere, there's a whopping great themed 'Essentials' folder on the main home screen containing nine of the company's own apps, and another large folder filled with AI-suggested apps that I never found remotely useful.
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Honor also provides its own App Market, which feels completely pointless with the Google Play Store present and accounted for (Honor is no longer part of Huawei, so it isn't hampered by the same sanctions).
There's a smattering of AI features here, including some Google-affiliated ones such as Smart Vision (essentially Google Lens), Google Gemini, and Circle to Search.
Honor has implemented a feature called Magic Portal that somewhat overlaps the latter Google provision, permitting you to draw around text and images before opening up a shortcut menu for sharing the resulting snippets to other apps. It's nowhere near as smart as Circle to Search, but it can actually be quite useful in this more localized on-device application. Or it would be, if the knuckle-based input system wasn't so flaky.
Favourite Space is a folder to quickly stash these hastily scrawled-out snippets. However, given the large number of superfluous preinstalled apps, I'm not sure why there isn't a standard Favourite Space app. I encountered numerous references to it and saved several snippets before it offered to create a shortcut (in the shape of an app icon) on the home screen.
When it comes to image editing, Honor offers a reasonably effective AI Eraser for deleting unwanted objects and people. AI Outpainting is a bizarre but technically impressive feature that essentially turns your regular shots into ultra-wides, using AI to infer what might be just out of frame. It kind of works in terms of creating convincing (though not accurate) images, but I'm not sure why you'd ever want to make use of such fakery beyond a tech demo.
Perhaps the most positive aspect of Honor's software provision on the 400 Lite is the promise of six years of OS and security updates. That's right up there with the Samsung Galaxy A26 in this budget class.
Software score: 3 / 5
Honor 400 Lite review: battery life
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5,230mAh battery
35W wired charging
No charger in the box
Honor has supplied a larger-than-average 5,230mAh battery with the 400 Lite, which is significantly larger than the 4,500mAh battery of the Honor 200 Lite.
It results in predictably strong stamina. I found that I was able to go through a day of moderate to heavy usage, with 4 hours 40 minutes of screen on time, and be left with 58%.
You could conceivably go through a full two days here, though more intensive applications and mixed network use will, of course, drain that battery much faster.
In an increasingly common move, there's no charger supplied in the box. Honor claims that if you buy the dedicated 35W Honor Wired SuperCharge charger, the phone can power up to 100% in 75 minutes.
In my experience, you don't necessarily need to go out of your way to secure the official brick. While a Xiaomi 120W Hypercharge brick trickled along at a glacial pace, a Samsung 65W Super Fast charger got the job done in just 72 minutes.
As charging rates go, that's not especially quick. The Poco X7, with its 45W charging support, can get its similarly sized battery up to 100% in 50 minutes. The Moto G75 5G only supports 30W charging, but that budget rival also includes wireless charging, which the Honor 400 Lite does not.
Battery score: 4 / 5
Should I buy the Honor 400 Lite?
Buy it if...
You'd really like a super cheap iPhone Honor's design and software decisions reflect an admiration for Apple's iPhone and iOS, but the package on offer here is a fraction of the price.
You want manual camera control The Honor 400 Lite's AI Camera Button offers a handy two-stage camera shutter button, as well as a camera shortcut.
You want a big phone, but not a heavy one The Honor 400 Lite gives you a big 6.7-inch display, but the phone itself only weighs 171g.
Don't buy it if...
You want to play lots of games The Honor 400 Lite runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra processor, which is far from the fastest in this class.
You want a crisp UI Honor's MagicOS is pretty cluttered and charmless, and a world away from stock Android.
You take a lot of night shots In the absence of OIS, the Honor 400 Lite is far from the best low-light shooter.
Honor 400 Lite review: also consider
The Honor 400 Lite isn't the only classy affordable phone on the market. Here are some of the better alternatives to consider.
Motorola Moto G75 5G Motorola's tough little phone is unusually robust, performs better, and has wireless charging, though its LCD screen is inferior.
Poco X7 The Poco X7 leaves the Honor 400 Lite in the dust on performance, has a better camera setup, and gives you stereo sound. We haven't yet reviewed it fully, mind.
How I tested the Honor 400 Lite
Review test period = 1 week
Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, Samsung 65W power adapter
