Honor takes a swipe at Samsung in teaser for its upcoming Galaxy A56 rival

• Honor has referenced Samsung in a new promotional image for the Honor 400 series
• The Honor 400 Pro is expected to rival the Samsung Galaxy A56
• The Honor 400 series will be announced on May 22

It’s always fun to see smartphone manufacturers taking playful jabs at one another, and the latest put-down from Honor targets its longtime rival Samsung.

In a promotional image announcing the May 22 release date for the Honor 400 series, Honor has included a suite of clues to excite fans about the phones’ most exciting features. Among these hidden pointers is a message reading “Not the same,” with ‘sam’ appearing in bold blue letters – clearly a reference to Honor’s competitor.

This is the same typeface Honor used to poke fun at Samsung for the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s supposed lack of innovation back in January, so the brand clearly has a bee in its bonnet with Samsung, specifically. The Honor 400 is expected to rival the midrange Samsung Galaxy A56, so “not the same” could be a reference to the uniqueness of Honor’s phone, or indeed an outright jab at the perceived recent sameness of Samsung’s affordable smartphone lineup.

Sure, that’s big talk for a company of Honor’s size, but the brand’s confidence in its own product could be well-founded. In a separate teaser image (below), Honor has confirmed that both the Honor 400 and Honor 400 Pro will boast a 200MP “ultra-clear AI camera”, which sounds like more than a match for the 50MP main camera on the Galaxy A56.

The Honor 400 Pro could also have a dedicated telephoto lens, with rumors hinting at a 50MP sensor paired with the zoom – the Galaxy A56, meanwhile, has a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP macro lens.

We haven’t heard much else about Honor’s next mid-rangers, but the aforementioned teaser image does strongly suggest that one or both phones will feature some unique AI software and impressive water resistance.

The May 22 release date for the Honor 400 and Honor 400 Pro will come a month after the Honor 400 Lite hit shelves. We described that budget-friendly model as a “solid handset with some appealing features” in our Honor 400 Lite review, but Honor’s upcoming phones will have their work cut out if they hope to compete with Galaxy A56, which we praised for being an “impressive jack-of-all-trades” and one of the best cheap phones around.

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Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.  Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.