Both models hold worthy positions in the ranking of budget camera phones of 2026, and for good reason. The realme 16 Pro+ and HONOR 400 Pro compete for the title of best budget camera phone, offering 200-megapixel main cameras and telephoto lenses with optical zoom. I held both in my hands, shot with both, and compared them side by side. Here’s what came out of it and which smartphone suits specific needs.

HONOR 400 Pro — on the left, and realme 16 Pro+ — on the right

Price of realme 16 Pro+ and HONOR 400 Pro

Let’s start with the main selection criterion. The price of realme 16 Pro+ starts at 31,500 rubles for the base 8/256 GB configuration. The price of HONOR 400 Pro starts at 40,000 rubles, but already for 12/512 GB. The question that immediately arises: what exactly does the HONOR premium get you? The answer will unfold throughout the text, and it’s ambiguous — I’ll say that right away.

The difference of 8,500 rubles seems significant at first glance, but the review compared both in the same 12/512 GB configuration.

Design and Screens of the Smartphones

The HONOR 400 Pro smartphone feels more expensive than its price in hand. The screen is uniformly curved on all four sides, with minimal and symmetrical bezels. The linear vibration motor with pleasant tactile feedback is a detail you notice when typing: every press is crisp and pleasant. Plus wireless charging — a feature you want to have at the 40,000 ruble price point.

HONOR feels more expensive than its price, realme — cheaper. You feel it immediately.

The realme 16 Pro+ smartphone objectively falls behind in feel. The glossy finish adds a cheap look. The screen curves are accentuated at the edges and close to the “waterfall” format (a design choice that’s an acquired taste). The vibration motor buzzes: typing is uncomfortable, and there are few haptic effects in the system. There’s no wireless charging.

The realme 16 Pro+ screen (right) is larger and more curved at the edges

Screens: 6.8 inches for realme versus 6.7 inches for HONOR. The diagonal difference is minimal, but the realme physically feels larger. Both smartphones are made of plastic (standard at this price class).

Performance of HONOR 400 Pro and realme 16 Pro+

Here’s an interesting paradox. The HONOR 400 Pro phone uses the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — a 2023 chip scoring around 2.2 million points in AnTuTu. The realme 16 Pro+ phone runs on the fresh mid-range Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 with a score of around 1.5 million points.

HONOR 400 Pro is more powerful than realme 16 Pro+

But HONOR 400 Pro (right) also throttles more

Sounds like a win for HONOR, but in real-world use, things aren’t so clear-cut:

  • in everyday tasks (social media, messengers, browser) both smartphones perform at the same speed;
  • under load, HONOR heats up noticeably and actively reduces performance for cooling;
  • realme behaves more stably under the same load: the newer chip is better optimized for the device’s thermal envelope.

Winner by numbers — HONOR. Winner in real-world scenarios — closer to a draw with a slight advantage for realme 16 Pro+ in stability.

Camera Comparison: realme 16 Pro+ vs HONOR 400 Pro

This is the main section. This is what both smartphones are chosen for. Both models use a 200 MP camera in the main module, but the approaches to photography are radically different. Of course, they’re both far from the level shown in early reviews of flagship camera phones, but for their price, both shoot really well.

realme shoots brighter, HONOR is more honest. Both strategies have their fans.

Main camera. The HONOR 400 Pro has a larger sensor: 1/1.4″ versus 1/1.56″ on the realme 16 Pro+. Physically, this means more light per pixel and potentially better quality. But realme processes images more aggressively through AI: brightening shadows, boosting colors. As a result, photos from the realme 16 Pro+ look richer and more pleasing at first glance. Photos from the HONOR 400 Pro are more neutral and true to life. If you prefer “beautiful” shots straight out of the box — realme. If color accuracy matters more — HONOR.

realme brightens the image more in evening shots

Ultra-wide camera. Here HONOR wins convincingly: 12 MP with macro support versus 8 MP on realme without macro. Detail on the ultra-wide from HONOR is noticeably higher, especially at the edges of the frame. It doesn’t reach flagship level, but it clearly looks better compared to realme.