Despite it having launched a little while ago in China, Honor officially launched the Honor Play handset in Europe earlier today at an event held in Berlin during IFA 2018, giving details on pricing and availability. The Honor Play sports a big 6.3-inch FHD+ display, the powerful Kirin 970 processor, GPU Turbo, dual rear cameras, a hefty 3,750mAh battery, and a price tag of just £279/€329.
That's right; you can buy the Honor Play for £279/€329. It's a tempting price when you consider that it has similar hardware to the Honor 10 which sells for £399. The only real differences are the less capable, but still perfectly fine, dual rear sensors, a metal unibody design, bigger display, a larger battery, and having to make do with fast charging instead of SuperCharge. Just take a look at the figure below:
| Announced | August 2018 |
|---|---|
| Software | EMUI 8.2, Android Oreo 8.1 |
| Display | 6.3-Inch LCD display, 2340 x 1080 resolution (FHD+), 19:5:9 aspect ratio, |
| Processor | HiSilicon Kirin 970 Octa-core (4 x Cortex A73 @2.73GHz + 4 x Cortex A53 @1.8GHz) |
| Memory | 4/6GB (depending on region) |
| Gaming Features | GPU Turbo, 4D gaming experience with Smart Shock, 3D surround sound |
| Storage | 64GB, MicroSD card support |
| Primary rear camera | 16MP sensor, AI, F/2.2 aperture, 3D Portrait lighting, Scene recognition, Night Mode, |
| Secondary rear camera | 2MP, Depth of Field, F/2.4 aprture |
| Front Camera | 16MP, F/2.0, AI Portrait Mode, 3D Portrait Lighting, 3D Facial Recognition |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz), 802.11 a/n/ac (5GHz), USB 2.0, GPS/AGPS/Glonass |
| Audio Jack | Yes |
| Network Bands | 4G LTE TDD: B38/B40/B41 4G LTE FDD: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20 3G WCDMA: B1/B2/B5/B8 2G GSM: B2/B3/B5/B8 |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (rear), Digital Compass, Ambient light sensor, Gyroscope, Gravity sensor |
| Battery | 3,750mAh (non-removable), USB Type-C, Fast Charging |
| Dimensions | 157.9 x 74.3 x 7.5mm |
| Weight | 176g |
| Colors | Ultra Violet, Navy Blue, Midnight Black, Player Edition Red/Black |
In our Honor Play review, we felt that it was a smartphone that would suit gamers and non-gamers alike:
“The Honor Play is a welcome example of how a good phone with excellent battery life, built-in AI, quality cameras, and a vibrant display doesn’t have to result in mortgaging the house. Considering its likely price of around £300, and as a mid-range handset punching well above its weight, the Honor Play is the gamer’s smartphone for everyone.”
With a £279/€329 price tag, the Honor Play could well be the new budget champion of 2018. What do you think of Honor's new phone?
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