Honor just unveiled a new cheap phone, but it doesn't have the Google Play Store

Honor 9A
The Honor 9A (Image credit: Honor)

Honor evidently hasn't been put off by the fact its phones can't have Google Mobile Services anymore as it has a new cheap phone that it has just announced will be coming to Europe.

This new phone is the Honor 9A - it has a supremely low price, but it sports some pretty impressive specs despite this.

As we've said, this new phone doesn't have certain Google services due to the Huawei ban (Huawei is Honor's parent company). That means you won't be able to access Google Maps, Gmail, Chrome, Play Store and a variety of other services.

The Play Store's role is filled by Huawei's own App Gallery, which has far fewer apps but is slowly growing to offer alternative services.

The Honor 9A is set to cost €150 (roughly $170, £135, AU$245) so don't expect top-end specs. It'll be available in various regions (that Honor hasn't specified yet) from July.

We'd expect the UK to be included in those regions as the company often sells its phones there, but it is unlikely to be released in the US or Australia. We'll have to wait until we hear more from Honor to know for sure.

Honor 9A specs

The Honor 9A has a 5,000mAh battery, which is pretty big so we'd expect it to last quite a while between charges.

The phone has three rear cameras consisting of a 13MP main, 5MP ultra-wide and 2MP depth-sensing snapper, with an 8MP camera on the front for selfies.

The screen is 6.3-inches with a 'tear-drop' notch for the self shooter, and while Honor hasn't stated the resolution we would expect it to be 720p on a display of this sort.

We don't know the processor just yet, but the Honor 9A has 3GB RAM and 64GB storage which is indicative of the low price.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.