Just like a year ago, HONOR and vivo both step on the arena again for a head-on midrange camera showdown.
Although the HONOR 400 Pro exists, we clearly don’t have it. This just means we have to compare it to the next ideal candidate, the base HONOR 400.
This is up against vivo’s one and lonely V50. After all, the “vivo V50 Pro” simply doesn’t exist in vivo’s 2025 glossary.
HONOR thy vivo
The best reason to compare these two are none other than their similar 1x wide + UWA camera combo.
Samsung ISOCELL HP3
1/1.4” sensor
OmniVision OV50E
1/1.55” sensor
Both phones possess a main shooter with a wide aperture closing to f/1.9. But, numbers-wise, HONOR 400 offers four times the megapixel count offered by the vivo V50 (200MP vs 50MP).
The equipped Samsung sensor is also a tad bit larger compared to its OmniVision counterpart.
The opposite happens in their ultra-wide modules. The vivo V50 has the upper-hand with its wider and bigger 50MP f/1.9 unit. Meanwhile, the HONOR 400 has a 12MP f/2.2 shooter.
One thing they obviously met head-to-head is none other than their 50MP f/2.0 selfie cameras.
All Natural
Both the HONOR 400 and vivo V50 feature a trio of color profile options when shooting photos in the default camera mode: Natural, Vibrant, and Authentic for the HONOR 400.
On the other hand, ZEISS Natural, Vivid, and Textured for the vivo V50.
vivo V50 | 2025
For the second midrange camera shootout of the year, we’re going to stick with the “Natural” mode of both phones. They’re both set by default anyway.
HONOR 400 | 2025
Disclaimer: Photos were all taken using Auto Mode with AI scene detection turned on. These images were collaged, resized, and labeled for faster loading and better preview. No color correction, zoomed-in cropping, nor any other type of photo manipulation were applied.
Ultra-Wide (UWA)
How does a smaller or bigger megapixel count affect the overall quality of the phone’s UWA output?
U1
U2
U3
U4
U5
U6
Wide (1x)
Now onto the main filling: 200MP vs 50MP — does megapixel count really matter?
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
W7
W8
W9
W10
2x Lossless Zoom
Just because we don’t have a dedicated zoom unit, it doesn’t mean we cannot take photos past 1x.
LZ1
LZ2
LZ3
LZ4
LZ5
LZ6
LZ7
LZ8A
LZ8B
LZ9A
LZ9B
LZ10
Beyond Zoom
Going beyond the lossless zoom limits just to see how far can these two phones take the cake in digital zoom imagery.
BZ1
BZ2
BZ3
BZ4
BZ5
BZ6
BZ7
BZ8
Good Mood for Food
It won’t be a complete camera chow down without a food-dedicated section.
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5A
F5B
Right at Night
Night Mode algorithms make or break a phone’s camera performance.
In this case, which phone is the best when there’s already an absence of natural light?
N1A | 1x Wide
N1B | 2x Zoom
N2A | 1x Wide
N2B | 2z Zoom
N3A | 1x -Wide
N3B | 2x Zoom
N4
N5
N6
N7
BONUS: Portraits and Selfies
Harcourt or ZEISS?
Also, which is the selfie expert among these two midrangers?
P1
P2
S1
S2
S3
S4A | Regular Selfie
S4B | Ultra-Wide Selfie
S5A | Regular Selfie
S5B | Ultra-Wide Selfie
Results
It’s honestly hard to discern which is which, even if you’re familiar with how both phones process photos.
Nevertheless, here are the consistent results:
Truthful Thoughts
After spending a Taipei-filled photo session with these two, I can truthfully say no one is a solid final winner as the results were pretty much a mixed bag.
Sometimes, vivo is victorious over its HONOR counterpart — and vice versa.
Starting with their ultra-wide shooters. Sets U1 / U2 / U4 both showed how the V50’s output leans more into the cooler side. However, the opposite happens in its other shots. Honestly, this can be fixed in post if it’s not your cup of tea.
That said, the vivo V50 still has the overall upper-hand with its larger megapixel count and wider aperture. Such configuration creates UWA images that are clearer and less noisy when zoomed in.
Quite an Oddity
Now, when it comes to their main cameras, you’ll notice right away how the HONOR 400 always captures the tighter shot.
That’s due to the fact that it uses an odd focal length of 27mm versus the 23mm found on the V50 — and pretty much any normal smartphone camera would.
Again, something that’s user-preferential as others like it wider. While some like it tighter than ever 👀
Personally, I prefer the wider focal length for overall flexibility — whether preserving the negative space of a photograph or completely cropping it to fit in the perfect aspect ratio when posting on socials.
In the 1x wide category alone, the vivo V50 is my overall pick over the HONOR 400.
HDR and rightful exposure is just one. The color accuracy and consistency is for another.
HONOR 400’s lackluster shots in some parts just proves my unending point that having a larger megapixel count doesn’t necessarily equate to better-looking images.
While the HONOR 400 admittedly has an extra 0.15-inch in its sensor size, vivo still lives with its better color calibration and software algorithms. A true testament to their long-lasting partnership with ZEISS.
Speaking of, ZEISS Style Portraits are just way ahead of the game compared to HONOR’s Harcourt partnership meant for Portraits (P1 / P2).
Some confusion in the conclusion
The 200MP Samsung shooter of the HONOR 400 comes at an obvious advantage when it comes to taking photos in 2x zoom with its heavy reliance on in-sensor cropping.
If you’ll click in one of the shots above and zoom in, the details are clearer compared to what the V50 shows. The latter looks smudged in favor of a noise-free result.
Weirdly enough, the HONOR 400 tends to produce brighter shots when taking past 2x in most zoomed shots (LZ1 / LZ2 / LZ3 / LZ8A / LZ9A / LZ9B / BZ1 / BZ5 / BZ6). That’s despite having photos with lower exposure and highlights in the 1x category.
Now when it comes to food, the HONOR 400 delivered unexpected results with its muted colors that made food barely appetizing (F1 / F3 / F5A). Surprisingly, the contrary happened in Sets F4 and F5B as the HONOR 400 had the more scrumptious shots.
Once the sunlight goes out and moonlight fades in, each of the phones’ Night Mode algorithm both kick in.
Honestly, both took equally acceptable photos that are also quite alike in overall exposure, contrast, sharpness, and saturation. Then again, the HONOR 400 always had the tighter shot between shots in 1x and 2x (or beyond).
Last but definitely not the least, selfies.
While I’m never the selfie type of guy, my eyes are crystal clear and aren’t deceitful.
Even if the HONOR 400 brought the “natural-looking” selfies outdoors, it failed big time when used indoors (S1 / S2 / S3). Again, the color inaccuracy and inconcistency is ever-present in this category.
No one would simply use that as their profile photo (or even as their featured portrait in the matchmaking app of their choice).
Kudos though for bringing ultra-wide angle selfies that other flagships fail to bring.
Just A Little Bit Caught in the Middle 🎵🎶
Deciding which of these two midrangers is the true marvel when it comes to photo-taking is simply something you’d be stuck in the middle.
Both phones and their camera systems had some fair share of pros and cons that might make you pick one over another.
Other notable hardware specs such as display tech and size, overall battery capacity and charging standards, plus the familiarity, user-friendliness, and overall software experience are the factors that will make you stay or sway.
One thing’s for sure. both the HONOR 400 and vivo V50 run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC with the 512GB configuration being offered around the same price range: HONOR 400 at EUR 549 while less 39 Euros for the vivo V50 at around EUR 510
It’s just a matter of which phone you’re willing to spend on, which phone is closer to what your heart desires.