Honor launches mid-range gaming phone 'Play' with GPU Turbo technology. Prices, features and specifications here

Smartphone-maker Honor on Monday expanded its mid-range segment of smartphones with the launch of its new offering 'Play'. 

The model, which will be exclusively available on Amazon, has been launched in two variants. The base variant, which will have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, will carry a price tag of Rs 19,999 while the top-spec variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB of storage will be priced at Rs 23,999. 

Labelled as a gaming smartphone in the Honor line-up, the Play is the first one to have a proprietary GPU Turbo technology from the company. The GPU Turbo enhances the graphics and enables smooth functioning by leveraging hardware-software integration. 

The phone sports Huawei's flagship chipset, HiSilicon Kirin 970, which also comes with AI capabilities. Unlike Honor's 9N and 9N lite, which had a glass back, the new Honor Play sports a metallic body. As per the company, the phone will provide the users with a 4D gaming experience with its new Smart Shock technology. 

The rear panel has a dual-camera which is stacked vertically along with the round fingerprint sensor. 

The Play sports a 6.5-inch Full HD display with a deep notch similar to that on the OnePlus 6 and the iPhone X. The display is a natural 409 PPI display with a max resolution of 2340x1080 pixels. 

The operating system on the phone is the EMU 8.2 which is based on Android Oreo 8.1. Optically speaking, the rear dual camera is enabled with a Bokeh mode with a 16MP primary lens and a 2MP secondary lens. In the front, the phone has a 16 MP lens. Powering the phone is a 3,750 mAh battery. Connectivity options on the phone include 802.11 b/g/n/a/ac, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, GLONASS, USB Type-C port for charging and a 3.5mm audio jack.

This phone has been launched a few days after Honor's parent company Huawei surpassed Apple in terms of market share of worldwide shipments of smartphones in the second quarter of 2018. According to the data provided by several agencies such as the International Data Corporation (IDC), Canalys and Strategy Analytics, Huawei shipped over 54 million handsets in the second quarter compared to the 41.3 million units in the second one. 

As per IDC's figures, Samsung held 20.9% of the market share, while Huawei ranked second with 15.8% trailed by Apply which had 12.1% of the share. Experts suggest that Huawei might enjoy the second position only for a short while, however, as Apple is likely to launch three new iPhones by September.