Smartphone Honor Play 4/64GB – advantages and disadvantages

This year, phone manufacturers have thought about releasing special devices that are sharpened for active games with heavy graphics and protection of the virtual reality mode. If you think about it, these devices should have a large display in a small package, excellent autonomy, a nimble processor and a video adapter that supports acceleration like that installed in a powerful gaming PC. One of the first gadgets in this segment was the Honor Play 4/64GB smartphone, the advantages and disadvantages of which are discussed in this article.

Honor Play 4/64GB

This is a productive device for games with good stuffing, as well as artificial intelligence technology. The gadget received a GPU Turbo option and a dual camera. The presentation of the novelty took place in June this year.

Complete set and dimensions

The set of delivery of the phone is typical for all devices from the best manufacturer of mobile devices Huawei.The box is made in a minimalist design: made of durable white cardboard, the name of an already popular model is gracefully displayed on the front side.

In addition to the phone, the set includes a long cord with a USB-USB Type C connector, an adapter for an electrical network with fast charging protection, a specialized clip for working with dual sim, a silicone case, a user manual and a warranty. The headset is missing.

Despite the large dimensions, and they are here - 157.91x74.27x7.48 mm, and a weight of 176 grams, the smartphone does not look too large. This is due to the fact that almost 90 percent of the front part is occupied by a touch screen with a diagonal of 6.3 inches.
It is worth noting that the screen is stretched in length (the aspect ratio is 19.5:9). Small stripes immediately catch your eye: at the top, on the left and right sides - about 2 mm, at the bottom - about 7 mm. Thanks to this move, there is really a lot of useful space on the front side of the unit.

It is also worth highlighting the fact that the model feels comfortable in the hand: it is tenacious. This is probably due to the aspect ratio. In the pocket of clothes, the gadget is felt, but this does not promise inconvenience. The smartphone is implemented in three shades:

1. Black;
2. Red ruby;
3. Violet.

Design and ergonomics

The design of the "gaming phone" is fashionable. Components of the appearance moved from the devices of the P20 series. In particular, this is noticeable from the back of the shell: the horizontal direction of the camera unit, the location of the fingerprint scanner, as well as the horizontal engraving. The back cover itself is made of aluminum materials and painted.

Plastic inserts are visible at the top and bottom of the shell. These parts house antennas and cellular communication units, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS / Glonass.

The front part of the phone is almost completely given over to the display with the smallest bezels along the edges, brought out to almost imperceptible top and bottom. To this end, the creators used a cutout at the top of the iPhone X type, where the speaker, LED, scanners, and the front camera are located.

The protective glass is equipped with an oleophobic surface. Functioning well. Traces of use are formed gradually, but are cleaned with ease. In the hand, the model feels like a fairly reliable and expensive device. Assembly at the maximum level, the shell itself is monolithic.

Control components are typical for all new phones. The power button and unlock the display are located in the usual place - on the right side. There are also volume control buttons. They are quite thin, but they perform their own functions well. Hands feel great, they respond quickly to pressure.

On the left side there is a slot for two SIM cards of nano parameters. The slot opens thanks to a specialized clip from the set. By the way, some users write in reviews that they use ordinary paper clips.

It is worth noting that one of the sockets is connected to the microSD memory slot. This means that the owner of the device needs to choose: use Dual SIM or install flash memory.

There is no possibility of synchronous operation.

On the lower end, on the right side, there are holes for the earpiece and multimedia speaker, as well as a microphone. In the middle you can see the USB Type C slot. It is used for recharging and connecting to a PC. On the left side is a typical 3.5mm headset jack. An auxiliary microphone is placed at the top (used for noise suppression).

At the back is the rear camera module.It is made of two components 16 MP (color) and 2 MP (BW). Cameras shoot with autofocus, there is a flash made of LEDs. Both blocks stand out by 2 mm compared to the shell coating. Below you can see a flash of LEDs.

In the center of the back side of the phone is an ordinary round-type fingerprint scanner. Thanks to him, unlocking is carried out, as well as specific actions are assigned. The responsiveness of the sensor is excellent, identification is accurate.

Display

The model is equipped with a 6.3-inch display, which takes up more than 80 percent of the space in the front. The resolution of the installed matrix of the IPS type is 2340x1080 px. It is worth highlighting the unique aspect ratio of 19.5 by 9. With this, it is convenient to control the main characters in games. This format, and the device in general, is an ideal solution for watching videos and browsing the Internet. From the top side it is protected by specialized glass. The developer paid due attention to vibration, which is felt much better in the process of tapping on the screen.

The color palette can be easily changed using the configuration. Image quality is high. Users will enjoy not just the chic detail of the picture, but also instant responsiveness, as well as the most saturated colors. Viewing angles are close to the limit numbers.

Iron

The model is equipped with trendy hardware, which is used in the advanced devices of the Huawei brand this year. This is an octa-core Kirin 970 processor with a dedicated NPU and a Mali-G72 MP12 coprocessor. The addition to this duet was 4 GB of RAM. To save files, there is a built-in memory, which is 64 GB. If this is not enough, then the creator allows the installation of a flash drive with a capacity of up to 256 GB.

The highlight of the Honor Play is considered to be GPU Turbo technology, which accelerates the Mali-G72 MP12 video adapter. It guarantees a 60 percent increase in image output and a 30 percent reduction in power consumption.

In addition, the creators highlight the specialized focus of the model for heavy games. I mean 4D technology. In fact, the device is able to display a huge number of scenes in applications, for example, explosions, earthquakes, and so on. In addition, vibration is provided to heighten the effect. In addition, Honor Play supports 3D effects, as well as Histen 7.1, which accurately indicates the angle of fire.

There is also network optimization for uninterrupted switching of Wi-Fi and mobile Internet without a pause in the game.

The filling of the model copes by 10 points out of 10 possible with the goals pursued by the developers. The EMUI custom shell is perfectly fitted with no bugs or glitches found. In the process of loading (heavy games, an activated camera, a browser and a couple of open tabs), the phone case heats up a little.

The values ​​in the benchmarks are not as "killer" as in phones based on the Snapdragon 845, but in fact the performance is enough. In AnTuTu testing, the model reaches 205,350 points. Similar values ​​for One Plus 5T, Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 and Huawei P20.

Playable videos from YouTube, surfing the net and instant messengers for the phone - just spit. But serious games at the limit parameters still function with some limits. From the phone, which is presented as "gaming", users expect "even more". Light games fly on models without lags, but this does not give the smartphone the opportunity to get into the rating of high-quality gaming machines.This is too serious a statement.

The phone is equipped with two methods of biometric scanning: fingerprint and facial features of the owner. The first sensor is as fast as possible and clearly identifies the first time. The second one is just as good. If there is normal light in the room, then unlocking occurs instantly, in a dark room - a second (plus or minus).

Communication and sound

Due to 3D Histen technology, the “gaming” device sounds rich and clear. The multimedia type speaker has a good volume. Listening to audio in the headset is pleasant. The speaker for conversations is of excellent quality, since the interlocutor is heard clearly. It is worth noting that the voice of the caller goes without much interference. There is a proprietary FM radio, Bluetooth 4.2 version, an LTE model and a combined nano-type Dual SIM slot.

autonomy

The model is supplied with a battery, the capacity of which is 3750 mAh. The following tests were carried out. 30 minutes of calls per day, surfing the net for about an hour and a half using 4G, listening to audio through headphones for about two and a half hours, as well as screen brightness at medium settings. In such conditions, Honor worked for 30 hours.

If you watch a video in Full HD format, then the device will work for 7 and a half hours, if you use it as a navigator - 4.5 hours. As a result, the device must be charged once every 1.5-2 days. If you use the phone in a less active mode, then it will function for two days, or even more.

In terms of battery life, the smartphone is quite good. In the "Battery" category in the parameters there is a complete set of functionality: energy-saving mode, display resolution selection, background program activity limit, detailed information about battery usage, as well as an optimization utility.

From the adapter supplied in the kit, a 100% charge is carried out in about an hour. There is a "Quick Charge" mode (the adapter included in the package supports this option): 25 min. - 50 percent charge, 80 minutes - 100%.

Software and interface

The model is made under Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.1 user interface. The shell consists of many options. For example, it is possible to customize the navigation keys - it's comfortable. There is a one-handed control option, support for movements and voice control, planned ON / OFF, blocking the phone in your pocket and using gloves.

Functionality with gestures is supported, there is an auxiliary virtual control key that opens on the display into the district menu. The navigation panel has been changed in appearance, divided into tabs, the first of which is responsible for the time grid of events. On the other tab, a quick access menu to the most important parameters. If you swipe down, another menu opens, which houses a flashlight, a voice recorder and other interesting options and configurations.

In addition, the owner is given the opportunity to choose the effect during unlocking or switching between desktops, set the style of icons, and even answer the call in the process of raising the smartphone to your ear. There is an option to switch to silent mode if you turn the display down, and if you tilt your smartphone, the widgets will be sorted. In general, a lot of different features that emotional users are likely to like.

There are also several "native" appearance themes with the possibility of free and paid downloads of new ones, as well as attractive images for the Lock Screen display.This is one of the few cases when, when buying a budget phone, there is no need to change native backgrounds and styles to others. There is an auto background change mode, when images are built in a random sequence. For this purpose, the phone must be shaken.

Out of the box, there are programs typical for a developer: free Yandex services, Clean Master, Sberbank, Facebook and others. Fans of a healthy lifestyle are given the opportunity to experience the "Health" program, which includes monitoring of human activity, physical activity, diet, and so on.

Camera

The main camera of this model is double. The modules here are 16 MP and 2 MP. The aperture of the first is 2.2 with phase focusing, the second is 2.4. The cameras in the smartphone are not equipped with optical adjustment and the same zoom.

In fact, the camera system functions quite smartly. How does he take pictures during the day? In the sun? - perfect! Quality, accuracy, color reproduction and sharpness at a decent level. Only the bokeh effect is somewhat unstable and blurs the object that is in the foreground. Most users to the question: “how does he take pictures at night?” - they answer "so-so". The fact is that in poor lighting noise is formed and a decrease in accuracy is felt. In general, examples of photos can be found in Yandex or Google.

The model is capable of recording videos with the maximum resolution of 4K in Full HD, FPS - 30, the sound is stereo, the quality is normal.

Front module resolution - 16 MP, aperture - 2.0. The final pictures are quite acceptable. In the parameters there are auto filters and artificial intelligence algorithms that process selfies in the best way.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Performance;
• Combined double camera;
• Trendy and fashionable appearance;
• Beautiful display with a minimum number of frames;
• Smart multimedia system and vibration.

• The coprocessor could have been faster;
• There is no NFC block in some modifications;
• The camera takes relatively poor pictures in the dark.

The average price is 23,000 rubles.

Characteristics

Results

The popularity of the model is justified, because the smartphone turned out to be an unusual premium gadget. The phone is equipped with a number of interesting options that contribute to convenient use. It is worth noting that the device has a serious performance, excellent screen and smart sound system. It is really comfortable to hold in your hand thanks to the elongated body.