Honor Play 60A review
The Play 60A suits shoppers in emerging markets who value screen size, 5G connectivity, and all-day battery life above camera quality, display sharpness, or processing power. If you spend most of your time in video calls, streaming, and messaging on a big display and rarely game or run heavy apps, the trade-offs feel reasonable for the price. Anyone else should cross-shop rivals with 1080p screens, faster chips, or meaningful charging speeds, which exist in the same bracket now.
This review is written with AI assistance from Honor’s published specifications and public benchmark data for the Honor Play 60A, and the rating is spec-based. GoSolo does not physically test devices; where we estimate real-world behaviour such as battery life or charge time, we say so. How we rate phones.
Overview
The Honor Play 60A is a budget 5G phone with a huge 6.75-inch screen and solid all-day battery, but the 720p TFT display looks soft and the Dimensity 6300 struggles with anything beyond everyday tasks. It is a fair deal for emergent-market shoppers who want screen real estate and connectivity without spending much, but cameras and performance lag noticeably behind rivals in this price band.
Design & build
At 186 grams and 7.9 mm thick, the Play 60A feels light and pocketable, almost fragile compared to sturdier budget phones. The IP64 rating handles dust and splashes but not full dunking—Honor is not marketing this as rugged. The frame and back materials are not specified, but the slim profile suggests plastic throughout, which is standard for this price and region. For a phone at 190 EUR, the build is acceptable if uninspiring; there is no premium feel, just a working phone that fits your hand and your budget.
Display
A 6.75-inch screen is genuinely large and the 90Hz refresh smooths scrolling noticeably, making the everyday experience feel fluid. The problem is beneath the surface: 720 x 1600 resolution on a TFT LCD panel delivers only 260 ppi, which means text looks visibly soft, photos lack fine detail, and whites never reach the crisp clarity of IPS rivals. For video and casual web browsing the size compensates; for reading small text or zooming photos, the low density becomes a regular annoyance. This is a display built to minimize cost, not impress. By 2025 budget standards, rivals at this price now ship 1080p panels, so Honor is asking you to trade sharpness for screen real estate.
Performance
The Mediatek Dimensity 6300 is a mainstream midrange chip designed for light work: messaging, social media, video calls, light streaming. Apps launch quickly enough and everyday tasks do not stutter. The Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, however, falters under any sustained load. Mobile games drop frame rates even at low settings, and opening multiple heavy apps in the background causes noticeable lag. The 4GB base RAM variant will struggle harder than the 6GB option. For users who stick to communication and casual media, this is fine; for anyone expecting to game or run intensive tasks regularly, the Dimensity 6300 will disappoint within weeks of ownership.
Software
Android 15 with Honor's MagicOS 9 overlay ships on the Play 60A. MagicOS adds Huawei ecosystem integration and custom shortcuts, but it also means bloatware and the usual skin delays for Android security patches. Performance on budget specs like these means every background process counts; MagicOS is heavier than stock Android and will consume RAM and battery visibly. Software updates are also a question mark for a budget model in this tier. Honor typically supports low-end phones for 2 to 3 years, not the 5+ you get with flagships, so plan accordingly if security patches matter to you.
Camera
The 13MP main sensor with f/2.2 aperture captures daylight photos that are adequately sharp thanks to the large aperture and LED flash, but 13MP resolution is low by 2025 standards and leaves little detail when you crop or zoom. The lack of ultra-wide or macro modes limits creative options. Low-light performance will be weak, as a small sensor and modest aperture struggle without computational help. The 5MP selfie camera is basic—fine for video calls in good lighting, but do not expect portrait-mode magic or detailed captures. Video tops out at 1080p@30fps, which is increasingly outdated; most rivals at this price now deliver 30 or 60fps at 1080p or even 2K. This is a camera that works in daylight and fails gracefully everywhere else.
Battery & charging
The 5300 mAh battery easily clears a full day of moderate use—web, social media, video calls, light gaming—delivering 6 to 8 hours of screen-on time before needing juice. Heavy users or those gaming several hours will need an evening top-up. The critical gap: Honor has not disclosed charging wattage. No spec sheet mention almost always means 5W or 10W, typical of ultra-budget phones. That translates to 1+ hour to fully charge from empty, making the phone impractical if you drain it mid-day. The large battery buys you forgiveness for slow charging, but it also means the play 60A assumes you charge overnight and do not expect fast recovery.
Value & verdict
At roughly 190 EUR, the Play 60A occupies a real gap: a 5G phone with a large screen and all-day battery for less than 200 EUR in regions where it is sold. That alone justifies a look if you are in Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia where this phone launches first. Against rivals in the same price bracket, however, trade-offs stack up. The low-resolution TFT display loses to sharper 1080p panels now common in budget 5G phones. The Dimensity 6300 is behind more recent processors in this tier, and slow charging is a daily friction point. The camera is basic even by budget standards. What you are actually buying is size and battery life; everything else is a step back from what the market now expects at this price. Whether that swap is worth it depends entirely on your priorities.
Verdict
The Play 60A suits shoppers in emerging markets who value screen size, 5G connectivity, and all-day battery life above camera quality, display sharpness, or processing power. If you spend most of your time in video calls, streaming, and messaging on a big display and rarely game or run heavy apps, the trade-offs feel reasonable for the price. Anyone else should cross-shop rivals with 1080p screens, faster chips, or meaningful charging speeds, which exist in the same bracket now.
- Large 6.75-inch display with 90Hz refresh feels spacious for video and browsing, even if pixel density trails modern rivals
- 5300 mAh battery easily clears a full day of moderate use without needing a midday top-up
- 5G modem (SA/NSA) and solid Wi-Fi 5 coverage future-proof connectivity where networks have rolled out
- Slim 7.9mm build and 186g weight make it genuinely comfortable to hold and pocket for hours
- 260 ppi TFT LCD panel renders text and photos visibly soft; no high refresh or modern brightness are sacrifices at this price, but rivals now hit sharper 1080p panels in the same range
- Charging wattage not disclosed and no mention of fast charging anywhere; typical 5W or 10W top-ups mean recovery from empty takes over an hour
- Dimensity 6300 and Mali-G57 GPU handle messaging and light apps fine, but frame rates collapse in mobile games or heavy multitasking
Honor Play 60A Key Specifications
The essentials at a glance. See the full spec sheet.
| Released | 2025, December 15 |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.75 inches, 110.0 cm2 (~85.5% screen-to-body ratio), TFT LCD, 90Hz |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~260 ppi density) |
| Chipset | Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm) |
| RAM & storage | 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM |
| Main camera | 13 MP, f/2.2, (wide) |
| Selfie camera | 5 MP, f/2.2, (wide) |
| Battery | 5300 mAh |
| Software | Android 15, MagicOS 9 |
| Dimensions | 167 x 77 x 7.9 mm (6.57 x 3.03 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 186 g (6.56 oz) |
| Durability | IP64 |
| Network | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G |
| NFC | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
Honor Play 60A FAQ
Common questions, answered from the spec sheet.
Does the Play 60A support 5G?
Yes. The Play 60A supports 5G networks.
What chipset does the Play 60A use?
The Play 60A runs on the Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm).
What display does the Play 60A have?
A 6.75 inches, 110.0 cm2 (~85.5% screen-to-body ratio) TFT LCD, 90Hz, 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~260 ppi density).
How big is the Play 60A battery?
The Play 60A has a 5300 mAh battery.
Does the Play 60A have NFC?
No, the Play 60A does not list NFC support.
Is the Play 60A water resistant?
The Play 60A carries a IP64 rating.
Does the Play 60A support a microSD card?
No, the Play 60A does not support expandable storage.
Alternatives to consider
If the Play 60A isn’t quite right, these are the closest calls.
Play10
Play 10A 5G
Play 10A
Play 80
Galaxy M17e
