Honor Play 50 Plus Smartphone Review – Honor has introduced their new Play series smartphone known as the Play 50 Plus in the budget-friendly 5G segment where you can attain tons of interesting things at a pretty decent price. Besides this, there are tons of exciting updates taking place in this phone as compared to its predecessor Honor Play 40 Plus. Unlike last year’s model, the phone gives an appealing vibe and grants necessary features.
On the other hand, the users can also enjoy an FHD display, amazing battery life, robust hardware configuration, stable software support, and many more things. At first impression, the device does have an appealing design layout. But we can’t judge a book by its cover. So, let’s know more details about this smartphone from the following section.
Table of Contents
Honor Play 50 Plus Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The phone arrives with a standard 6.8-inch TFT LCD panel with 90Hz refresh rate support.
- Speaking of which, the device comes with the Android 13-based MagicOS 7.2 OS that will grant subtle features.
- As for the hardware section, the device equips the Dimensity 6020 chipset with decent processing power.
- The camera section brings a 50MP dual camera setup with an improved 8MP selfie at the front.
- Last but not least, the device offers a Li-Po 6000 mAh battery configuration with 35W wired charging support.
Design and Display
When you discover this phone for the first time, the back panel might even resemble the Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22+ to a certain extent. Moreover, the Honor Play 50 Plus houses a dot-notch selfie camera on the flat 6.8-inch TFT LCD panel. Although, this LCD panel might not be able to provide crisp colors and contrast. But still, the phone is usable for the day to day activities without any problem.
Not to forget, the device comes in four exciting color options, which include Green, Black, Silver, and Purple. All of those color variants look elegant and appealing. But if you are looking for something professional, the standard black color variant is good to go. Apart from this, the back panel has a glossy design layout, which grants a premium feeling while holding this phone.
Moreover, the users can utilize the 90Hz refresh rate panel to watch content in FHD resolution. Besides this, the touch response has also improved to some extent. Although, bezels are noticeable on this phone. But still, they aren’t that much thick. You can even push the brightness limits up to 850 nits, which is considerably great for an entry-level 5G phone.
Memory and Internal
The hardware section of this phone is average as compared to other options available in the same price range. But still, the 7nm Mediatek Dimensity 6020 chip is a far better option than several entry-level chipsets. With this hardware, the Honor Play 50 Plus can only push the processing limit up to 2×2.2GHz cloaking speed. Alongside this, the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU will handle the graphic end in a precise manner.
On the other hand, the software end comes with Android 13 with MagicOS 7.2 custom interface. Through this UI, you will obtain numerous customization features to modify the overall Android ecosystem appearance as per your preference. Besides this, there are various utility tools, widgets, themes, and wallpaper options available. Thus, creating a personalized interface won’t be a huge trouble for the users.
When it comes to gaming, the phone doesn’t have that much appealing hardware, nor does the software end grant a smooth experience. You can expect more than 3 hours of gameplay with medium heating problems, while at the same time, the visual might not disappoint. But you will notice lags and performance drops during the gameplay. Hopefully, the phone doesn’t compromise when it comes to storage as you are getting 256GB space with an 8GB to 12GB RAM option to choose from.
Camera
The camera aspect of the Honor Play 50 Plus device is pretty average. However, the overall camera layout does look astounding, it’s good to see that the 50MP primary lens grants precise image quality. With the primary sensor, the users can easily take up to 1080p video without any hassle. Apart from this, the phone attains a 2MP depth lens, which will be responsible for providing better portrait results.
Colors and contrast are on the marks, while saturation does feel off sometimes. However, the software used by Honor makes sure the users get top-notch photos and video results. On top of that, the native camera app houses a wide range of features that you can effortlessly utilize and receive preferred results with no hassle.
Last but not least, the 8MP selfie lens also tries to push the limits of the camera app by providing decent image quality. But at the same time, the same thing can’t apply to lowlight photography since you might not be able to see details in the first place. Aside from this, the device can still record up to 1080p videos. Overall, there isn’t much expectation from the camera department. But still, the photos and video results are adequate.
Battery and Others
The battery performance of the Honor Play 50 Plus is worth noting as the Li-Po 6000 mAh cells grant up to 8+ hours of screen time in a single charger. Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about waiting to charge your phone. The company provides a 35W wired charger that ensures the users can refuel the phone in less than an hour or so. Aside from this, the phone grants decent sound output with loud and crisp noise.
With the Hi-Reso Audio support, you can connect your wired and wireless devices with this phone. Now the question is What is the price of Honor Play 50 Plus? The phone costs around $191 (Rs 15,999 in India) approx or CNY 1,399. At this price point, you will obtain a pretty decent and affordable 5G phone with appealing features on top. The phone will be found on the official Honor’s website of China.
Honor Play 50 Plus Pros and Cons
Honor Play 50 Plus Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Honor Play 50 Plus smartphone.
| Specifications | Honor Play 50 Plus |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | October 2023 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.56 x 3.01 x 0.32 inches |
| Weight | 199 g |
| Size | 6.8 inches |
| Display | TFT LCD 90Hz 850 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~389 PPI density |
| Protection | No |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2412 pixels |
| OS | Android 13, MagicOS 7.2 |
| Chipset | 7nm – Mediatek Dimensity 6020 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB |
| Internal | 256GB |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 8 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes (stereo speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes 24-bit/192kHz audio |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 6000 mAh 35W wired |
| Colors | Green, Silver, Black, Purple |
| Expected Price | $191 (Rs 15,999 in India) approx |
Conclusion
The Honor Play 50 Plus is undoubtedly a great phone in the affordable 5G segment, while the specs are a mixed bag of disappointment. Overall, all of the features aren’t that bad. The phone has a solid build, stable hardware, a customizable user interface, and other specs that make this phone a decent choice.
But still, the device comes with an average GPU configuration and the camera results are below average. You can’t expect much from the native camera app, especially for video recording. Therefore, we would recommend you check out the Samsung Galaxy M34 which comes with better specs and 4 years of software update. Lastly, the final decision is in your hands so choose the phone wisely according to your needs.
