Honor Play vs Samsung Galaxy S9+
The Honor Play (2018) runs on the Hisilicon Kirin 970, while the Samsung Galaxy S9+ (2018) runs on the Samsung Exynos 9810. By overall MobileRank rating, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ leads — 36/100 vs 31/100 (a 5-point difference). Key differences: the Honor Play has the bigger battery (3750 mAh vs 3500); the main camera is 16 MP vs 12 MP; the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is faster in AnTuTu (594,285 vs 470,805); the Samsung Galaxy S9+ has NFC for contactless payments, the Honor Play doesn't; the Honor Play is thinner (7.5mm vs 8.5mm).
Profile comparison
Category scores
Honor Play
Samsung Galaxy S9+
What makes Honor Play better?
- Bigger battery: 3750 vs 3500 mAh
- Faster charging: 18W vs 15W
- Better main camera: 16MP vs 12MP
- Lighter: 176g vs 189g
- Better portability (79/100 vs 60/100)
What makes Samsung Galaxy S9+ better?
- Higher AnTuTu: 594285 vs 470805
- Better Geekbench Single: 744 vs 420
- Better Geekbench Multi: 1863 vs 1617
- Higher performance (43/100 vs 34/100)
- Better camera (15/100 vs 14/100)
- Longer battery life (19/100 vs 16/100)
- Better display (66/100 vs 58/100)
Comparison verdict
Comparing the Honor Play vs the Samsung Galaxy S9+, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ scores 5 points higher (36/100 vs 31/100). In the "performance" category, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is a bit better (43/100 vs 34/100). In the "display" category, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is a bit better (66/100 vs 58/100). In the "camera" category, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and the Honor Play are nearly equal (15/100 vs 14/100). In the "battery" category, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and the Honor Play are nearly equal (19/100 vs 16/100). In the "portability" category, the Honor Play notably outperforms the Samsung Galaxy S9+ (79/100 vs 60/100).
Specs comparison
| Specification | Honor Play | Samsung Galaxy S9+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Hisilicon Kirin 970 | Samsung Exynos 9810 | |
| AnTuTu | 470805 | 594285 | |
| Geekbench Single | 420 | 744 | |
| Geekbench Multi | 1617 | 1863 | |
| Display | 6.3" IPS LCD | 6.2" Super AMOLED | |
| Resolution | 1080x2340 | 2960x1440 | |
| Refresh rate | — | 60 Hz | |
| Battery | 3750 mAh | 3500 mAh | |
| Charging | 18W | 15W | |
| Wireless charging | 0W | 10W | |
| Main camera | 16 MP | 12 MP | |
| Telephoto | 0 MP | 12 MP | |
| Front camera | 16 MP | 8 MP | |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB | |
| Storage | 64GB | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB | |
| OS | Android 8.1 (Oreo); EMUI 8.2 | Android 8.0 | |
| NFC | no | yes | |
| Protection | — | IP68 | |
| Dimensions | 157.9×74.3×7.5 mm | 158.1×73.8×8.5 mm | |
| Weight | 176 g | 189 g | |
| Launch price | — | $840 |
Camera comparison
Honor Play
- Main: 16MP f/2.2
- Front: 16MP
Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Main: 12MP f/1.5
- Telephoto: 12MP
- Front: 8MP
Display comparison
Honor Play
- 6.3" IPS LCD
- Resolution: 1080x2340
- Refresh rate: —
Samsung Galaxy S9+
- 6.2" Super AMOLED
- Resolution: 2960x1440
- Refresh rate: 60 Hz
Battery and charging
Honor Play
- 3750 mAh
- Wired: 18W
- No wireless charging
Samsung Galaxy S9+
- 3500 mAh
- Wired: 15W
- Wireless: 10W
Overall performance score
We compared Honor Play and Samsung Galaxy S9+, covering their specs and all relevant benchmarks.
Samsung Galaxy S9+ leads Honor Play by 20.8% in our overall performance rating.
Benchmarks
Launch prices and where to check today's
Honor Play
Price unknownDetailed category analysis
performance
In the "performance" category, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is a bit better (43/100 vs 34/100).
display
In the "display" category, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is a bit better (66/100 vs 58/100).
camera
In the "camera" category, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and the Honor Play are nearly equal (15/100 vs 14/100).
battery
In the "battery" category, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and the Honor Play are nearly equal (19/100 vs 16/100).
portability
In the "portability" category, the Honor Play notably outperforms the Samsung Galaxy S9+ (79/100 vs 60/100).
Frequently asked questions
Which is better: the Honor Play or the Samsung Galaxy S9+?
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ edges out the Honor Play by just 5 points — the two devices are very close in overall level.
What is the rating of the Honor Play and the Samsung Galaxy S9+?
The Honor Play has a MobileRank rating of 31/100, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ — 36/100.
Which is more powerful: the Honor Play or the Samsung Galaxy S9+?
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ leads on performance (43/100 vs 34/100).
Should you choose the Honor Play over the Samsung Galaxy S9+?
Neither model stands out enough to recommend it for a specific use case: the clearest difference is portability — better on the Honor Play (79/100 vs 60/100).