Honor Play 20 Review, Pros and Cons – With some features in the low-budget segment, Honor Play 20 has disappointed many users. The brand has not launched many interesting and attractive phones this year. Here the Honor Play 20 smartphone released on May 1, 2021, this phone comes with fewer standard features that may not meet your criteria. Although the brand is in the market, it hasn’t provided shiny phones for the low-budget section.
You might notice a different chipset, older OS, less standard camera, but the battery comes with standard specs. Let’s see in the detailed review of the Honor Play 20 smartphone whether it’s suitable for you or not.
Table of Contents
Honor Play 20 Review
Highlights
- A decent view on the 6.52 inches screen with a standard resolution of 720p.
- You will face some bloatware issues or limitations due to the Android 10 operating system without Google Play service.
- On the other hand, the Unisoc T610 chipset is a basic chipset, so you may expect performance issues.
- There is a 13MP main camera including a 2MP depth sensor to capture some remarkable portrait photos.
- The presence of a Li-Po 5000mAh battery holds the charm of this phone.
Design and Display
While the brand certainly caught our eye by releasing some beautifully designed phones, there must be other essential features that could be added. As far as the overall design is concerned, you can be sure that you will definitely be attracted to its colors and structures. Comes in four colors, each color is a standard choice for any user. You can choose between Black, Blue, White, and Silver / Pink.
You will see the glowing rays set on the back which is quite common on some phones like Gionee M15. Dual cameras are placed correctly on the back panel. You will miss the fingerprint sensor on this phone. At the front, the 6.52 inches screen takes up all the space, offering decent movies. You will notice the refresh rate deficiency while watching or playing. As it has a resolution of 720p, you are expected to have some decent photos.
Also, the IPS LCD and the 20:9 aspect ratio will not cause too many problems. But you have to face some difficulties with the sunlight because you miss the standard nits. It features a slender 8.9 mm thick. You won’t feel much heavier carrying this phone due to its 198g weight. The plastic case on the back reflects light in the blazing sun. Here you didn’t get any gorilla glass protection or water/dust resistance.
Memory and Internal
We say that a phone is better because it delivers satisfying performance. Honor Play 20 does not offer a better quality service. You won’t be using the latest OS, instead of the Android 10 OS that comes with the Play 20 phone. The same bloatware and lag issues are just some of the issues you need to face. In addition, the brand maintained its exclusivity by not providing the Google Play Service. The good news is that you can create your own shortcuts due to the Magic UI 4.0 custom interface.
While the performance of a smartphone is highly dependent on the chipset, the Honor Play 20 phone will put you off with its Unisoc T610 chipset. This is a basic level, so you can be sure you will always stay behind the game. The processor doesn’t run faster than 1.8 GHz clock speed. Another shocking point is that there is no graphics unit. Whether you’re playing games or watching your favorite shows, you’ll definitely miss a decent viewing experience.
In terms of storage, you will have many options to choose from. The top variant you can buy is the 8GB RAM with a 128GB storage combination. Otherwise, you can have the lower variant, 6GB and 4GB with 128GB storage.
Camera
Although the budget is tight, the company could add some notable features. The phone also loses its appeal in the camera section. The Honor Play 20 smartphone has a 13MP main camera including a 2MP depth camera. Some portraits are noteworthy to capture, but if you want to capture some crystal clear photo in close up then you might have to change your mind before buying the phone. As we know, the 13 MP primary camera is just an unmentionable feature right now but in daylight can take some good photos. Due to the lack of optical stabilization, you must adjust to video recording. It is possible to make 1080 videos with the main camera.
On the other hand, there is a 5 MP selfie camera that today is not worth capturing some sharp images. The absence of a video recording feature can create frustration when video conferencing video calls. As the budget is low, you have to sacrifice some features, but that would be hard to compromise. You should go for other alternative smartphones if you are not limited budget.
Battery and Others
To power your smartphone for a long time, a powerful battery is essential. Honor doesn’t let you down here, it comes with a Li-Po 5000mAh battery which proves to be the champion with this phone. Except for other less standard features, the battery takes up a huge space in users’ minds. Watching constant videos for a whole day will be fulfilled now. Unfortunately, there is no fast charger, instead, you’ll get a regular 10W charger. You can have the phone for $130 (Rs 9,900) approx. The price is quite tolerable, but the features aren’t, except the battery.
Honor Play 20 Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Honor Play 20 smartphone.
| Specifications | Honor Play 20 |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G |
| Announced | April 2021 |
| SIM | Hybrid Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.46 x 2.98 x 0.35 inches |
| Weight | 198 g |
| Size | 6.52 inches |
| Display | IPS LCD 20:9 ratio ~269 ppi density |
| Protection | No |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels |
| OS | Android 10, Magic UI 4.0 no Google Play Services |
| Chipset | Unisoc T610 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×1.8 GHz Cortex-A75 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | No |
| Card slot | Yes (uses shared SIM slot) |
| RAM | 4GB, 6GB, 8GB |
| Internal | 128GB eMMC 5.1 |
| Camera | 13 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 5 MP (wide) Max – 720@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, BDS |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 5000 mAh Charging 10W |
| Colors | Black, White, Blue, Silver/Pink |
| Expected Price | $130 (Rs 9,900) approx. |
Honor Play 20 Pro and Cons
Down below you can see the list of pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the Honor Play 20 smartphone.
pros
- Tall IPS LCD screen.
- Support for Magic UI 4.0.
- Available in different storage and RAM options.
- Great battery life.
cons
- Android 10 instead of the latest OS.
- No Google Play support.
- Without any gorilla glass protection.
- Graphics card (GPU) missing.
- Low-performance speed.
- Shard SIM micro SD card slot.
- Average camera performance.
- Fast charging is not supported.
- No fingerprint scanner.
- Heat and delay problems may appear.
Conclusion
Lots of low-budget smartphones are there, with spectacular features. Here, the Honor Play 20 loses its charm. Whether it’s a monitor, processor, or camera the Play 20 smartphone doesn’t qualify. There is no standard refresh rate, fingerprint scanner, the latest operating system. For optimal performance, you certainly need a powerful chipset that is no provided here. As the graphics unit is not there so you can’t expect to play high-end games.
It would be a wise decision if you look for other alternatives in this budget. The Moto G10 smartphone would be a perfect buy for an almost similar price, with some extraordinary features and you will never regret buying this.
