Honor Play vs Vivo V9 vs Oppo F7 vs Nokia 7 Plus: Specifications face-off

Days after launching the budget-oriented Honor 9N, Huawei's sub-brand Honor has just launched the gaming-oriented, Honor Play in India at a very competitive price of Rs 19,999. Why competitive may you ask?[caption id="attachment_4903551" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Honor Play. Image: tech2/ Amrita Rajput[/caption]That's because the Honor Play features Huawei's HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset, the same chipset present in the brand's flagship offering, the Huawei P20 Pro as well as the Honor 10. The Honor Play also gets Huawei's recently announced GPU Turbo feature which is said to enhance GPU performance while gaming and other graphics-heavy tasks. Huawei also claims that GPU Turbo enhances battery efficiency as well.With a starting price tag of Rs 19,999 and capping out at Rs 23,999 for the variant with 6 GB RAM, the Honor Play does have a number of key competitors that it will have to displace to make a dent in the market. Competiton includes the likes of the Vivo V9, the Oppo F7 and the slightly higher priced Nokia 7 Plus.[caption id="attachment_4444195" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The Nokia 7 Plus Image: tech2/Rehan Hooda[/caption]What is also interesting here is the fact that all four smartphones here have different chipsets powering them. The Vivo V9 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 SoC, the Oppo F7 comes with a MediaTek Helio P60 chipset, while the Nokia 7 Plus features a Snapdragon 660 chipset.

Smartphone	Honor Play	Vivo V9	Oppo F7	Nokia 7 Plus
Display Size (inch)	6.3	6.3	6.23	6
Resolution (pixels)	2340 x 1080	2280 x 1080	2280 x 1080	2160 x 1080
Pixel Density (PPI)	409	400	404	403
Display Type	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Dimensions(mm)	157.9 x 74.3 x 7.5	154.81 x 75.03 x 7.89	156 x 75.3 x 7.8	158.4x75.6x8
Weight (gm)	176	150	158	TBA
Dual SIM	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SIM Type	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM
Connectivity Types	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE	GSM / WCDMA / LTE	GSM / WCDMA / LTE	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
Processor	Hisilicon Kirin 970	Qualcomm Snapdragon 626	MediaTek P60	Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
CPU Cores	Octa-core	Octa-core	Octa-core	Octa-core
CPU Clock Speed (GHz)	4x Cortex-A73 @ 2.4 GHz & 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 GHz	8x Cortex-A53 @ 2.2 Ghz	4 Cortex-A73 @ 2.00 GHz & 4 Cortex-A53	4x Kryo 260 @ 2.2 GHz & 4x Kryo 260 @ 1.8 GHz
GPU	Mali-G72 MP12	Adreno 506	ARM Mali-G72 MP3	Adreno 512
RAM	4 GB, 6 GB	4 GB	4 GB, 6 GB	4 GB
Ruggedness	—	—	—	IP54
On-Board Memory	64 GB	64 GB	64, 128 GB	64 GB
Expandable Memory	Yes, up to 256 GB	Yes, upto 256 GB	Yes, upto 256 GB	Yes, up to 256 GB
Sensors	Fingerprint Reader, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass
Primary Camera	16MP f/2.2, 2MP f/2.4	16 MP f/2.0 and 5 MP	16 MP f/1.8	12 MP, f/1.75 and 13 MP, f/2.6
Optical Image Stabilization	No	No	No	No
Camera Array	Dual Camera	Dual Camera	Single Camera	Dual Camera
Autofocus System	Phase Detection AutoFocus	Phase Detection Autofocus	Phase detection autofocus	Dual pixel phase detection Autofocus
Secondary Camera	16 MP, f/2.0	24 MP, f/2.0	25 MP, f/2.0	16 MP, f/2.0
Video Capture	4K (30fps)	4K @ 30fps	1080p @ 30fps	4K
Flash	LED	Dual-LED	LED	Dual-LED
OS Version	Android 8.1 Oreo	Android Oreo 8.1	Android Oreo 8.1	Android 8.1
AI (Smart Assistant)	Google Assistant	Google Assistant	Google Assistant	Google Assistant
GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
Bluetooth	4.2, A2DP, LE, EDR, aptX HD	v4.2, A2DP, LE	v4.2, A2DP, LE	v5, A2DP, LE
NFC	No	No	No	Yes
Infrared	No	No	No	No
Fingerprint Scanner	Yes, Rear mounted	Yes, Rear button	Yes, Rear button	Yes, Rear button
3.5mm jack	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Radio	Yes	Yes	Yes	FM Radio
USB Type	Type-C 1.0 reversible connector	microUSB 2.0	microUSB 2.0	Type-C Reversible connector
USB Standard	USB 2.0	USB v2.0	USB v2.0	USB v2.0
Battery (mAh)	3,750	3,260	3,400	3,800
Fast charging	Yes	No	No	Yes
Colors	Black, Blue, Violet	Pearl Black, Champagne Gold, Pearl Black, Sapphire Blue	Red, Silver, Diamond Black	Black/Copper, White/Copper
Prices in India	Starting at Rs 19,999	Rs 20,990	Rs 23,990	Rs 25,999

So which one should you pick? If gaming is what you seek and do not care much about design and camera quality, then the Honor Play certainly seems like a bargain for the price. However, if you are considering the Honor Play for its camera performance or how it looks, then you certainly should give the Nokia 7 Plus a thought, though it is priced a tad bit higher.Moving on to selfies, here the Vivo V9 and the Oppo F7 definitely have the edge on paper and will likely give you better results, even in relatively poor-lit conditions.[caption id="attachment_4430153" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The Vivo V9 is an iPhone X lookalike. Image: tech2/Rehan Hooda[/caption]Your choice here will also be dependent on which software you choose to pick as all four smartphones feature their own skins on top of Android Oreo 8.1. Oppo's Color OS and Vivo's FunTouch OS is quite similar to Huawei's EMUI 8.2 on the Honor Play, featuring tons of customisation options and features. The Nokia 7 Plus though features a clean stock experience with Android One with limited customisations but a buttery smooth, no-frills experience.We shall be putting out a full review of the Honor Play soon, so do check back.