New Android phone beats the Pixel 9a on camera and battery for half the price

has , and we were left very impressed in our . But if you want the biggest bang for your buck, you can spend less on a rival smartphone that, on paper, has superior specs.

Enter the new Honor 400 Lite, the latest Honor handset to launch in the UK. The phone, which comes in black, grey or a lovely green, boasts a big, bright 6.7-inch OLED screen with smooth 120Hz refresh rate that's larger than the Pixel's, a 108MP main camera as part of a dual lens set up, a larger 5,230mAh battery with zippier 35W charging speeds, as well as a dedicated camera button similar to what you'll find on the latest or 16 Pro that costs hundred more.

Honor is also leaning hard into its artificial intelligence (AI) smarts with this phone, with tools such as AI Eraser for removing unwanted objects from photos, and the 'AI Camera Button' on the side can be used to launch Google Lens, the app that can take in the scene and provide information from a Google search about what you're looking at.

"Identify plants, animals, and artwork with ease, or translate foreign text from menus and signs in real-time across over 100 languages," Honor said "Solve academic questions or shop by scanning products-Google Lens opens up a world of possibilities right from your camera."

It's impressive to see that camera with 108MP resolution. Megapixels aren't the be all end all, but it does trump the Pixel 9a's 48MP shooter. We haven't tested the Honor so can't speak to its prowess, but it'd have to be pretty special to beat the Pixel's cameras. Google is renowned for its excellent image processing software, and we've found recent Pixel phones tend to outperform many competitors.

Just like the Pixel, the Honor 400 Lite ships with Android 15, the latest version of the mobile software, but runs Honor's own Magic OS 9 skin over the top. It's all viewed through a screen that has several eye care tools "to help reduce eye strain and improve viewing comfort," according to Honor

"Its 3840Hz PWM Dimming minimises screen flicker, while the Hardware Low Blue Light Technology lowers exposure to harmful blue light. Dynamic Dimming adjusts brightness to mimic natural sunlight, reducing eye fatigue, and the Circadian Night feature shifts to warmer tones in the evening to support better sleep by boosting melatonin levels."

This sounds impressive, but also seems to point out we should probably all stop staring at our phones all day long. We do like that the 400 Lite has a dedicated E-Book mode for reading on that Kindle or Kobo app, though these features are never as good as having an e-reader with an E Ink display. Or, you know, a book. Remember those?

This cheap Android phone is also quite slim at 7.3mm and is IP64 dust and water resistant with "wet-hand touch technology" that claims to allow the screen to function properly even when it's been splashed with rain.

Whether or not the Honor 400 Lite appeals could come back to that price. At £249.99 it's half the price of the £499 Google Pixel 9a, has a camera button, a large battery, big screen and hopefully enough oomph for mobile gaming with the MediaTek Dimensity 7025-Ultra chipset.

The Honor 400 Lite will be available to buy in the UK from Honor, as well as EE, O2, Three, Vodafone, Argos, Currys, Amazon and Very.