Review of smartphones Honor Play4 Pro and Honor Play4 with pros and cons

Summer 2020 began with great news - the release of two new products from Honor at once! Each time, among hundreds of models, it becomes more and more difficult to choose the best of the best, and it seems that very soon Chinese brands will forever erase the line between the ordinary version and the mysterious Pro.

The Honor Play 4 Pro and Honor Play 4 smartphones included in this review are in no way inferior to each other in terms of characteristics and beauty of design. How to choose the perfect option and not be disappointed in the purchase? Let's find out!

Appearance and dimensions

The new Honor Play 4 Pro and Honor Play 4 have taken a strong position in the middle price category and attract attention at first sight.

This is where the Honor Play 4 takes the lead, overtaking the Pro version in terms of dimensions – 170 x 78.5 x 8.9 mm and 162.7 x 75.8 x 8.9 mm. At the same time, the weight of the models is identical - 213 g.It is worth noting that in small hands, both phones, without exception, will look huge and uncomfortable. Also, slippery and fairly easily soiled coating will add complexity. The case and display are covered with tempered glass, and the side faces are made of aluminum.

Note: The Honor Play 4 is IP5X protected (industrial dust and sand resistant).

The design of both new products is quite extraordinary. The back of the Honor Play 4 gives off vertical highlights and has a silver brand logo. In the Honor Play 4 Pro version, the developers added geometry that is somewhat reminiscent of the Transformers franchise props, as well as an additional inscription “Kirin 990” framed by an iridescent sphere.

Phones are spared from budget "chins" with touch buttons and "bangs" with a long speaker. The unlock button, volume rocker and an additional fingerprint cutout are located on the right side, the speaker is on the bottom.

Important note! The Honor Play 4 Pro does not have a headphone jack.

In both novelties, a block of the main cameras is placed in the upper left corner of the case. The Honor Play 4 boasts 4 sensors at once, while the Play 4 Pro has (so rare in 2020) 2 sensors with LED flash. There are differences in the front cameras. In an ordinary model, the selfie camera is represented by a spherical cutout in the upper left corner and is almost invisible when used. In the improved model, the camera is shaped like a capsule and has 2 sensors, which means more possibilities.

Equipment

In addition to the smartphone itself, users will receive a standard set of gadgets. Unfortunately, the generosity attraction with silicone cases, and some brands even put headphones in the box, ended as quickly as it began. Inside:

• Coupon with a guarantee, certificates;
• Clip to the SIM card slot;
• USB cord;
• Adapter for charging.

There are three colors available: black, blue and blue. A good decision, because neutral shades never get out of the image and are always relevant.

Characteristics

Display

No definition fits the display of the Honor Play 4 smartphone better than “powerful”.Just imagine, the screen diagonal was 6.8 inches! Such large dimensions allow users to fully enjoy a good movie or game. The Play 4 Pro isn't far behind either, with a 6.5-inch clear bezel-less display. In addition, both gadgets are based on a productive IPS matrix. The picture is quite bright, the colors are saturated. When tilting the smartphone, however, the image fades a little.

Foreign users were skeptical about this idea. Although the LCD screen has a number of advantages, when it comes to saving energy, then with such a huge screen, the marathon of TV shows will drag on for a while.

The maximum screen resolution for phones is 1080 x 2400, respectively, Full HD quality. The pixel density in Honor Play 4 Pro is an order of magnitude higher than in the basic version - 401 vs 386 ppi.

Operating system and Google

Smartphones Honor Play 4 Pro and Honor Play received the final version of Android 10. This means that users will have an amazing arsenal of various functions at their disposal. For example:

• Gesture system. For large screens in new Honor products, the “mini display” function will be especially relevant, because one hand cannot do it here.
• Focusing attention. Android has provided the ability to temporarily block applications that distract from work.
• Parental control. An important innovation that allows you to monitor the pastime of the child on the Internet.

But, unfortunately, after a large-scale conflict between China and America, Honor lost support for Google services. Therefore, users will not be able to authorize a Google account, work with mail and cloud storage. The app store will also be unavailable, but it is easy to find an alternative among Chinese platforms.

The updated Magic UI 3.1 shell supplemented the firmware. Along with it, the photo and video editor is improved, the Celia voice assistant also appears, as well as quick connection to laptops, projectors and other gadgets.

Processor and Memory

The performance of the Honor Play 4 Pro has surpassed the regular version of the Honor Play 4 in many ways and fully justifies the “gaming” name. The phone is powered by the nimble Kirin 990 engine. The chipset is developed using a 7nm process technology and has eight active cores. They are divided into three clusters, the highest clock speed reaches 2.86 GHz (in Cortex-A76 cores), the middle link is 2.09 GHz and the last one is 1.86 GHz (Cortex-A55). With such figures, the Play 4 Pro smartphone can easily launch even the heaviest games at maximum graphics settings and almost does not heat up.

The built-in MediaTek Dimensity 800 5G, although inferior to Kirin in capabilities, also withstands overheating and more than 6 running applications without failure. It is equipped with the big.LITTLE function to save energy by balancing heavy and light processes. The maximum clock frequency reaches 2 GHz. As you can see, this smartphone, although it will launch demanding games, is more likely intended for everyday activities, rather than gaming.

The main and most noticeable difference between processors has to do with memory. The internal memory in both smartphones is 8 GB (some computers can only dream of such RAM), and the external memory is 128 GB. What is the difference? Honor Play 4 Pro has a unique "memory error recovery code" function, thanks to which files damaged for various reasons can be restored.

autonomy

Energy consumption is a nightmare for Chinese brands, because, it would seem, good smartphones without exception do not hold a charge even for a day.

The new Honor batteries are standard, 4200-4300 mAh. At the same time, users complained about the Honor Play 4 version, because with a screen of almost 7 inches, the battery capacity must be at least 5500 mAh, which is why the model cannot withstand a day without recharging. In this case, the developers have provided both phones with the ability to quickly charge. Based on tests, they charge up to 70% in 30 minutes. The Pro model comes with a rare luxury reverse charge feature.

Camera and photo quality

The main camera of the Honor Play 4, as expected, received good performance and a maximum set of 4 lenses.

• The first is at 64 MP, with an f / 1.8 aperture, and a wide 26 mm lens. Photos come out rich and clear. The zoom is not pixelated, and a high-quality aperture allows you to realize any photo idea even at dusk.
• The second is 8 MP, f/2.2 aperture (weak), as well as a super wide angle. Added for shooting widescreen videos. Maximum 4K quality at 30 frames per second.
• The third and fourth lenses are specifically for macro photography and framing - 2 MP, with f / 2.4 aperture.

Front camera - 16 MP.

In the Honor Play 4 Pro model, the camera is not a priority. Although the 2-module selfie camera is definitely a nice bonus. The first lens is 32 MP, the secondary lens is 8 MP. The image is clear, no dead pixels. A good option for blogging or workers who often use video calls.

As for the main camera, the values ​​are an order of magnitude lower than in the base model.

• The first lens is 40 MP, f/1.8 aperture and 27mm zoom. The photo is of the same quality both in the daytime and at night. The zoom does not ripple. You can correct the image with an eraser or apply an interesting effect in the built-in editor. There's also a new "live photo" feature.
• The second lens is 8 MP, f/2.4 aperture, 80mm (telephoto) and 3x zoom. Also suitable for shooting 9:16 video. The quality of shooting in Pro has reached 4K.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Large, bright screen;
• Universal colors;
• Powerful processors;
• Good photo and video quality;
• Lots of features + latest Android 10 OS;
• Durable materials;
• fast charging;
• Shooting in 4K.

• Weak battery (lasts no more than a day);
• No NFC
• The Honor Play 4 version does not have a headphone jack;
• Marky and slippery case;
• The Honor Play 4 Pro version does not have an additional memory card slot;
• No support for Google Services.

Outcome

Real user feedback on new Honor:

“If these phones had the support of Google, they would certainly become strong competitors for the SE 2. Just think! A flagship chip inside a budget phone, plus 4K at 30 FPS. They have excellent hardware, a large battery, and powerful hardware. In fact, if not for Google, they could easily be compared to some flagships! Unfortunately, this is not the case, so in the European part, smartphones may not sell out at all.

Bitter truth! No matter how Honor tries to recreate interesting models at a price of 250-310 euros (within 20-25 thousand rubles), moreover, they satisfy all the needs of whimsical youth and avid gamers, and the conflict of states significantly affects sales.

These smartphones are universal and will adapt well to the rhythm of people of various professions and ages. At the same time, high-quality equipment promises a long faithful service!