Technologies

I Tested the Honor 400 Pro Phone and This Feature Blew My Mind

Review: The phone is packed with great tech but it’s the AI skills that really surprised me

The Honor 400 Pro phone stood out to me for one big reason during my testing time. It has an AI-powered tool that turns still images into moving video clips. The AI created videos felt at times like magic and took me on an emotional journey that I didn’t expect. But this phone has plenty going for it beyond its AI skills.

Its screen is bright and vibrant, it’s packed with power and at £700 in the UK, it’s relatively affordable and offers some serious competition to both Samsung’s $650 Galaxy S24 FE and arguably even Google’s $1,000 Pixel 9 Pro. The downside for many of you is that the Honor 400 Pro won’t be officially on sale in the US. And that’s a pity because at a time when nearly every phone release comes with AI features (most of which feel like gimmicks), Honor proves that it’s possible for phone AI to really capture your attention. The 400 Pro’s £700 price converts to $938.

There’s also the base Honor 400, which uses a lower-end processor, has a smaller display but still packs the same AI skills. It’ll cost only £400 in the UK, or $537, converted.

I’ve been testing the phone for the past week so here’s what’s good — and not so good — about the Honor 400 Pro.

A vibrant screen, plenty of power

The 400 Pro has a 6.7-inch screen that offers tons of room to do your favorite mobile games or YouTube videos justice. It’s bright enough to counter midday sun and its colors are vibrant. It’s got a maximum 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling around look nice and smooth.

The phone runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor that was a mainstay on most 2024 flagship Android phones and which put in some decent scores on our benchmark tests, considering the price. Its scores are in line with last year’s Galaxy S24 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which is no surprise as all three phones use the same chip. It’s got more than enough power to handle all of your everyday needs while tackling demanding games like Genshin Impact and PUBG at max settings without breaking a sweat.

Navigating around the Android 15 interface is a breeze. Honor’s skin of the UI is pretty standard, though I’m irked by the number of preinstalled apps the phone comes with. Temu, TikTok, LinkedIn, Booking.com, Amazon and something called ReelShort are all on the phone — along with various others — as soon as you turn it on making it feel quite cluttered from the off. I get that Honor probably makes a healthy bit of cash from these companies by forcing their apps on customers by default, but I’d like to see the phone be even cheaper given that it’s essentially ad-supported. You can uninstall these apps and I advise you to have an immediate clear-out once you get it out of the box.

Honor says the phone will receive six years of software and security support, which is quite good, though it’s a year behind the seven years of security support offered by both Samsung and Google. I’d like to see Honor (and other mobile companies) continue to battle to see who can support their phones for longer — it’s better for your wallet and it’s better for the planet.

AI. Lots of AI

No phone worth its salt in 2025 would launch without some form of AI, and the Honor 400 Pro is no exception. You’ll find a variety of the usual AI tools that range from a speech-to-text tool that transcribes dialogue in real time and a real-time language translation tool to a function that can rephrase, expand or summarise blocks of text.

Most of these are things you’ll find on most AI-enabled phones these days. They work about as well as the ones I’ve tried elsewhere. Google’s Gemini Advanced is also built in, another standard part of the Android experience.

The one feature that took me by surprise though was the image to video tool which creates a 5-second video out of a photo you provide. It’s simple: Open the Image to Video tool in the gallery, choose your source image from your camera roll and hit go. It takes around a minute but then you’ll be presented with an animated version of your still photo.

It uses Google’s VEO-2 AI model, and it seems essentially random in how it decides to bring your image to life as there are no options to provide prompts in what you want to see. Some results are quite bland while others have a lot more going on. The results can be hit and miss in their quality but it’s fun to play around with, though it’s arguably pointless beyond the sheer novelty of it. That said, I was conflicted when I fed it an image of my dad who died when I was a young child.

Right now the tool is available as part of a «free trial» although Honor has yet to confirm how long this trial lasts or how much it will eventually cost. AI is clearly a big part of the phone and while you can use it without using any of the AI tools, it feels like you’d be missing out on a big part of the equation if you chose to.

Hit and miss cameras, middling battery

On the back is a triple camera setup consisting of a 200-megapixel main camera (yes, I did mean to put two zeroes there), a 50-megapixel telephoto camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. Shots from all three cameras can look solid, with decent overall exposure (if sometimes a little on the bright side for my taste) and plenty of detail. I say «can» as while I have taken plenty of good images with the phone, I’ve also taken various ones that have disappointed me.

The 6x telephoto camera seems to struggle with exposure at times, with blown-out highlights visible in multiple test images I took. It doesn’t happen all the time though and there have been various occasions in my testing when its results look great. I can best describe it as «hit and miss.»

The cameras certainly aren’t the best around — you’ll need to splash more cash for the S25 Ultra or the iPhone 16 Pro if you want that — but they’re good enough for those of you looking for quick snaps on your travels to share with family and friends over WhatsApp or Instagram.

Inside the phone is a 5,300-mAh battery which should see you through most of a day of mixed use. It didn’t do great on our demanding battery drain test, but I’ve certainly seen worse. It does support 100W wired charging though so getting the juice back in is a speedy business.

Honor 400 Pro: Is it worth buying?

The phone’s vibrant display, powerful processor and solid camera setup make it a decent overall option if you’re looking for a phone that’s more affordable than today’s flagships. The AI skills are the cherry on the top, especially the image to video tool which I found genuinely fascinating to use. Will the novelty wear off? Yes, absolutely, but it’s certainly fun to play with for a while.

Technologies

Amazon’s Alexa Plus Confounds Chris Hemsworth in Super Bowl Ad as the AI Tool Launches

Alexa Plus is aiming higher with a new superhero Super Bowl spot and a US-wide launch, including a free version for any app user.

The Alexa Plus AI has been in early access for over a year, but this week all that changes, starting with a Thursday preview at Amazon’s upcoming Super Bowl ad featuring Chris Hemsworth. Let’s look at how our phones and smart speakers are getting this smart voice assistant upgrade.

I’ve been reviewing beta Alexa Plus over the past year and found the AI upgrade to be highly conversational and more capable than the old Alexa, bringing new ties to third-party apps like Uber and Ticketmaster. Starting on Tuesday, Amazon has completed its rollout and made Alexa Plus available to anyone who wants to try it in the US.

It’s no wonder Hemsworth got worried at just how responsive the voice assistant could be. The rogue AI scenarios in the Super Bowl ad playfully acknowledge people’s fears over inviting generative artificial intelligence into their private lives as the Australian actor gets hacked by a garage door, drowned in his pool and mauled by an Alexa-ordered bear.

Amazon makes it clear that no damage was ultimately done.

«By casting Chris Hemsworth, the last guy on the planet you’d expect to be scared of anything, we were able to lean into the conversation and put people at ease through humor,» said Jo Shoesmith, Amazon’s global chief creative officer.

Alexa Plus arrives with a free version and more

So, what does this new Alexa Plus expansion — available now — include? The most interesting part is several tiers of the AI’s service, starting with a free version that anyone can use as long as they have the Alexa app downloaded or visit the web portal Alexa.com (which we’ve also tried).

You won’t get any advanced Amazon Echo capabilities that way, but you will be able to test out Alexa’s conversational AI and see how similar it is to talking to a human. Alexa Plus errs on the side of chatty, but its ability to summarize answers, stop in mid-conversation and answer follow-up questions is welcome. As I’ve said before, it feels like what voice assistants were always supposed to be like.

«Alexa Plus is built to make customers’ lives meaningfully easier — and that starts with conversation. Because Alexa Plus lives in the middle of everyday life, it has to be natural and trustworthy,» Panos Panay, senior vice president at Amazon Devices & Services, tells CNET. «The Super Bowl is the perfect moment to introduce this evolution at scale.»

Two other Alexa AI tiers exist. The first comes when you subscribe to Amazon Prime for $15 per month. That unlocks not only Prime’s own content but also all Alexa Plus capabilities across all compatible devices. This includes Echo smart speakers and AI video summaries for Ring security cameras, among other tricks. You can try telling your Echo device to «Upgrade to Alexa Plus» to get started.

The final option is paying $20 per month to unlock all Alexa Plus capabilities across all devices, independent of an Amazon Prime subscription. Alexa won’t be able to interact with Prime content like videos or Amazon Music, but it can connect with everything else the AI upgrade offers. Since you need an Amazon account either way, this tier is for specific people who want to avoid Prime content.

Is the new Alexa AI worth your time?

If you’re wondering whether Alexa Plus is worth it compared to alternatives like Gemini for Home or whatever Apple is cooking up with Siri, I found my experience with the voice assistant to be the most positive I’ve had overall. Sometimes a little too positive — as we’ve seen with chatbots, Alexa Plus can be very willing to agree with you and promise to do anything, even if it can’t.

Also, if you use an Echo, it will send your voice recordings to Amazon for automatic analysis; there’s no getting around that privacy concession if you want Alexa on a smart device.

Those issues aside, Alexa Plus as part of Amazon Prime for $15 is an excellent deal, especially if you already use Prime for ordering, catching up on Fallout, etc. If you’re not sure how talking to the new and vivacious Alexa feels like, all you need is an Amazon account to try it out online.

Technologies

Snag a Rare Discount on the Amazing Beats Powerbeats Fit Earbuds With This Limited-Time Deal

Get yourself these amazing earbuds while they’re back down to their lowest-ever price.

The 2025 Beats Powerbeats Fit is on our list of the best workout earbuds and headphones, and right now you can get yourself these powerful Beats Powerbeats Fit earbuds for $180. That’s a $20 discount and brings them back down to their all-time low price. They’re worth it at full price, so if you want them, now’s a fantastic chance to pick them up for less. The only issue is that Amazon’s limited-time deals don’t last long, so you’ll need to be quick if you want to secure them at this price.

The upgrades on the Powerbeats Fit are mostly cosmetic and concern ear fit, so they’re a better fit for people who don’t currently own another pair of Beats in the Powerbeats family. In his review, CNET’s audio expert David Carnoy said, «The design upgrades to the wingtips and case do improve the buds, which remain quite appealing for those looking for secure-fitting earbuds for workouts and everyday use.»

The Powerbeats Fit includes ear tips in four sizes, including extra small, so that everyone can find a secure fit. They can last up to 30 hours when carrying around their charging case, and they offer active noise cancellation that comes in handy when you’re getting your reps in. Both the earbuds and the case are IPX4 water and sweatproof, which means your workout won’t get in the way of your music or audiobooks.

Need more ideas for your next pair of earbuds upgrade? We’ve got a list of the best wireless earbuds you can check out so you can make the most of your holiday cash gifts.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (Black):

$248 (save $152)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$170 (save $181)
Sony WH-1000XM6 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones:

$398 (save $62)
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Twilight Blue):

$179 (save $170)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$200 (save $250)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Like other audio gear from Beats, the Powerbeats Fit earbuds offer excellent sound, a comfortable fit and decent noise cancellation. However, they usually command a price of $200. This modest Amazon discount of $20 brings them down to $180 for a limited time, their best price to date across several colors.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 5, #970

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 5 #970.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Star-spangled signs.

Green group hint: Smash into.

Blue group hint: Not green or red.

Purple group hint: Same surname.