The HONOR 200 Pro has just been unveiled in Paris, France, promising studio-level portrait photography experience since it was co-created with Studio Harcourt.

While I admire HONOR’s pursuit of excellence in that department, I never fawned over a smartphone’s portrait capability. Let’s face it: I don’t take portraits. I have no use for it since I capture sights, sceneries, and moments that evoke certain feelings, especially when traveling.

That said, we still know that the HONOR 200 Pro features a 50-megapixel Portrait Main Camera coupled with a Super Dynamic H9000 sensor. It also comes with a 50-megapixel Portrait Telephoto camera with a Sony sensor.

With that in mind, we used the HONOR 200 Pro to spectacularly capture our trip in Taiwan.

I get mystified by how this city screams your name

The HONOR 200 Pro takes vibrant shots. That was the first thing I said upon seeing the photos on my laptop. It looks even more colorful at its 1.5K quad-curved floating OLED display.

It was also able to give off dramatic shots, once you found a perspective that uses natural light. Whether on auto or ultra-wide angle, the HONOR 200 Pro knows how to set the mood even with a vivid profile.

The city looked and felt alive, even when enveloped by a gloomy sky. Colors continuously pop, giving justice to the Pride-themed pedestrian walkway in Ximending.

Alleys, streets, and even the platforms inside the train stations looked lively. Normally, you’d use a smartphone’s Pro Mode to capture a subject with moving background.

The HONOR 200 Pro captured the moving vehicles — both cars and train — while focused on a subject splendidly, even on an ultra wide angle mode.

I’m not one to complicate the process of taking photographs, especially when traveling. My number one rule is if it looks good in its default/auto setting, it’s a fantastic camera for the average consumers.

Let’s be frank here: People like to do point-and-shoot when traveling. Complicating the process means taking away the beauty of the present. A smartphone must have capable cameras to snap on the go, and make every sight worth capturing when passing by.

The HONOR 200 Pro, somehow, delivers. Especially in helping me relive my memories vividly in Da’an and Nangang District.

A food to remember

Taiwan is home to clean, good food. I swear, my gut has always been feeling great every time I visit the country. That said, one of the highlights of any trip will always be the food you order and eat. It’s a showcase of what the place offers.

Even with rich-colored photos, I had trouble with the sharpness for all the food shots we took. They come off soft, with less contrast, albeit still mouthwatering to look at. I have to believe it’s because the smartphone’s cameras were built for taking portraits.

This is why the cup of coffee from Logos looked like it was taken out of a mirrorless camera. The f/1.9 aperture gave a beautiful depth of field that was usually present in flagship smartphones.

Take note: We didn’t even use Portrait mode for it. The bokeh is just so good.

I picked the petals, he loves me not~

Interestingly, since the HONOR 200 Pro is equipped with the HONOR AI Portrait Engine, it’s excellent in isolating its background to provide a rich depth and blur, without compromising the picture quality.

Even on places with busy backgrounds such as trains and platforms, it produces a balanced photo that manages exposure in bright areas, while preserving details in the darker parts.

Houtong Cat Village

On a rainy day, I took the train going to Houtong Cat Village, a mountainside village located in Ruifang District in New Taipei City. The place is known for, well, cats.

Every cat cafe comes with their own cats that you can play around as you dine and caffeinate. That said, most cafes are dimly lit.

The HONOR 200 Pro managed to take somewhat sharp yet vividly bright photos. When the photos were posted on Instagram Stories, it still piqued curiosity for folks planning their visit in Taiwan.

The Old Street

When in Houtong, find your way to Jiufen Old Street which is roughly 20 minutes away from the Cat Village via Train and Bus.

We didn’t halt our visit even when it was raining hard. Instead, the atmosphere gave off dramatic vibes captured vividly using the HONOR 200 Pro.

Most alleys were empty, since people hate getting soaked in the rain and getting their shoes wet. We took the opportunity to capture the lively streets and establishments.

The popular spot known for the Spirited Away vibe still looked fantastic even when fog was enveloping the place. It was the only challenge when shooting during a foggy and rainy atmosphere since the exposure gets tricky. Nevertheless, the HONOR 200 Pro still managed to give a picturesque shot.

Eventually, we sought solace at SIIDCHA Teahouse, a modern-esque teahouse with rooftop view of Jiufen. Since there were no overlooking views to watch, we sat around and dried ourselves after being drenched in the rain.

We enjoyed a good cup of coffee and a slice of cupcake, since we’re coffee-holics.

Leaving Jiufen, we were able to catch a glimpse of the fog enveloping the street. We were hauntingly stunned by the scene unraveling before us.

The night is still young

Going back to Taipei, the city is most alive at night. The lights give life and love to the mesmerizing streets filled with stories of people frolicking and passing through.

So long, Taiwan. I’m glad that your beauty and the experience was captured fondly using the HONOR 200 Pro. Even for a Portrait-focused smartphone, the HONOR 200 Pro proved to be a worthy travel companion.

HONOR 200 Pro

That said, the HONOR 200 Pro was able to give us a spectacular performance while out on a trip. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor, supported by a 12GB RAM with 512GB of storage.

Not once did it lag, and we got to capture our favorite moments through photos and videos. It also lasted a while, thanks to its 5200mAh Silicon-carbon battery.

The HONOR 200 Pro comes in Ocean Cyan, Moonlight White, and Black. It retails for £ 699.99 via HONOR.com/uk.