Honor’s mid-range V9 Play smartphone to be announced on September 6

HONOR took the wraps off the high-end V9 smartphone in China back in February. The company has now revealed that it will soon announce the V9 Play, which is expected to be a toned-down version of the device.

HONOR has announced on its Weibo account that the upcoming handset will make its debut on September 6. This is also the last day of IFA, although the smartphone will actually be unveiled in China.

Thanks to a recent listing on TENAA and a few rumors that are going around, we already know a few things about the device. It is expected to be powered by the Kirin 659 chipset, come with 4 GB of RAM, and will likely be equipped with a 12 MP primary camera. Other details including the display size, storage options, and the battery, among others, are unknown at this time.

The TENAA listing also includes a few images of the device (see above), revealing exactly what it will look like. Despite its name, it’s actually quite different than the V9 in terms of design. Well, at least the back. Although it does look quite simplistic, the back isn’t quite as eye-catching as the one on the V9. Made of metal, it sports a camera along with a flash module on the left, with the fingerprint scanner sitting below it. The top and bottom parts have a different, darker color than the rest of the back plate, which gives the device a bit more character. But in general, the overall design looks quite dull.

The smartphone will initially only be available in China, with rumors claiming it will cost the equivalent of $225. When or if the V9 Play will make its way to other markets remains a mystery at this time. We’ll know more in exactly one week when the handset will officially be revealed.