It's not a big deal to say that AI features on mobile phones are overwhelmed for most part. The Samsung Galaxy S24 launched the era of AI phones last year, with Apple tracking it to Apple Intelligence.
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Whichever phone you purchase in 2025, you may get similar AI features, such as image object erasing devices, AI summaries such as text, audio, and translation. None of these are game-changing for me, but I might have finally found something to stick to. Enter Honor 400the world's first mobile phone using Google's VEO 2 image-to-video generator. This is a big deal.
How VEO 2 works on phones
First of all, the Honor 400 is not a flagship full of $1,000 features, even the flashiest mobile phone on the market. In fact, it costs half that amount, and comes with a two-year-old Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. However, this Midranger is the first phone with Google Cloud's VEO 2 features, and the AI tools work incredible.
You can turn any photo into a 5-second video with just a few taps. And it's crazy! It even says it's scary to convert static images into videos and create the perfect tool for content creators and those who want to deepen their photos. Whether it's a screenshot, a photo that's been snapped on your phone, or an image from the internet, the Honor 400 can turn it into a video. I tried it out with pictures of humans, scenery, pets and lamplights. And then we generated all of those videos.
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Followers across the social media network were surprised by the video generation feature as they couldn't know if things were realistic or generated by Ai. In one of the photos, the feature added a hand so that it appears to be waving at the camera. In another group photo, it introduced an AI-generating person coming from outside the frame to interact with me and my friends.
In another example where 75% of my face is visible, the Honor 400 produced a video where I turn around and embrace the winds of the hills. It was even right in my winter coat style – this was originally invisible as I had my back towards the camera.
Duality of inter-image generators
Play photo and converted to video with Honor 400
Prakhar Khanna/Zdnet
Honor 400 can ultimately help people like me generate video content and build followers on social media. This is essential for many experts these days. It could also benefit people who don't know how to edit videos or take more photos than videos.
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You may want to create an Instagram reel from your vacation, but you may not have filmed enough video to make it. I rely on live photos and still turn the photos into short videos for reels. However, these are unlike the Honor 400 generation, which is truly good looking, despite being 720p, with lower frame rates and resolution. This can be useful for marketers, freelancers, single business, and more.
That said, I'm afraid of how good these tools are. Because unlike live photos, they produce things that never happened in real life. I never waved to the camera. No one came into the frame to say hello in our group shot. None of them are real. Our memory lines continue to be blurred by such AI tools.
On the flip side, they also give great joy, as they could slam the video into a picture of their father like a baby. The honorary phone generated enough sequences to hold the emotion and not take it away. The idea of bringing precious old photos to life is quite a bit of a stretch.
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We look forward to seeing Google's VEO 3 engine get even better and are expected to add realism to these videos via audio tracks. I'm not looking forward to a future where anyone can generate videos of people saying and doing things I've never said or done. Honor offers AI Deepfake detection, but the issue has been extended to other users (old) users as well.
What else should I know about the Honor 400?
In other words, Honor 400 What I'm testing is 499 euros (about $565), which unfortunately doesn't sell in the US. Still, I found it to be a better handset in at least three ways than the likes of the Samsung Galaxy A56 or Google Pixel 9a.
First, the Honor 400 lasts a long time with just one bill. I didn't have any concerns about the battery when I used this phone. Thanks to a 5,300mAh battery paired with 66W fast charging. Because it is a silicon carbon battery, the capacity is within a smaller form factor than its competitors. The non-EU variant packs a 6,000mAh battery and supports 80W fast charging. I used the EU model and it fits perfectly with the battery life.
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Secondly, the Honor 400 features my favorite Harcourt Portrait mode for photography. It adds a dramatic effect to the photos, but I absolutely love it. Although there is no dedicated telephoto camera, the 200MP primary sensor can capture very good looking photos with 2X and 4X digital zoom.
Third, the Honor 400 screen is on par with some of the best Samsung phones I've tested. It features a 6.55-inch OLED panel that supports a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2736 x 1264 pixels, providing just 1.5 knit brightness at night. For those who are sensitive to screens, the Honor 400 features 3840 PWM to reduce eye strain. It is a sharp, bright and lively display.
That said, Honor has not upgraded its processors to two generations. It still features the same Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset found in Honor 200. While this may seem unimpressive, Honor promises a six-year Android OS update for its new phone, so we can expect it to be supported until 2030.
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