Huawei p9 light camera. Huawei P9 Lite - Specifications. Appearance and ease of use

Huawei P9 Lite test results

• Price/quality ratio
  Fine
• Place in the overall ranking
  108 out of 200

• Price/quality ratio: 70
• Performance and Control (35%): 85.2
• Equipment (25%): 56.6
• Battery (15%): 62.9
• Display (15%): 90.8
• Camera (10%): 57

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Huawei P9 Lite: the appearance of the phone is aesthetically pleasing

In the case of the Huawei P9 Lite, one of the victims of the equipment (compared to) was the flagship’s dual camera. Instead, a completely ordinary 13-megapixel module is installed.

The WLAN speed has also become slightly worse: the P9 Lite lacks the ac standard. Instead of LTE Cat6, the P9 Lite has LTE Cat4.

In terms of performance, we can't complain about the P9 Lite, although it uses an eight-core Kirin 650 clocked at 2 GHz instead of the much more powerful Kirin 955 in the P9.

P9 Lite performs tasks at lightning speed and responds to gesture controls without delay. Like the top model, this smartphone has 3 GB of RAM.

What other features of the P9 Lite we liked, and what inconveniences we will have to endure when purchasing the P9 Lite - we will tell you further. In any case, the price of the device is acceptable: you can buy this mobile phone for 290 euros (the price in Russia will be announced on June 7, but at the current exchange rate it turns out to be 21,300 rubles).

Convincing display and phone acoustics of the P9 Lite

We are glad that when crossing off flagship features from the list for the Lite version, Huawei did not draw a red pencil over the main ones. For example, in the multifunctional slot of the P9 Lite, you can insert either two SIM cards or a MicroSD memory card and one SIM card in the same way. Telephone acoustics also deserve praise: it's been a long time since we had such pleasure from a test conversation.

On the smartphone side, we liked the quiet line and the natural sound of the interlocutor’s voice. Noise reduction also works well, only during a counter-conversation the P9 Lite can occasionally swallow one or another syllable. We were also pleased with the speakerphone mode - the voice of the interlocutor sounds clear and natural, as if he were nearby.

In terms of display, Huawei also did not lose face. While the P9 Lite doesn't have OLED technology, not to mention the curved or rounded edge of the Edge, its contrast ratio (118:1) and maximum brightness (500 cd/m2) are quite high for a 5.2-inch device. The color space coverage could have been a little wider, but overall the display deserves good to very good ratings.

Bad photos without a Leica camera?

While Huawei collaborated with Leica on its flagship P9 camera - whether on software or lenses - the P9 Lite comes without this bonus. And are the photographs now bad? No, the 13-megapixel camera is capable of taking quite satisfactory pictures.

Particularly in daylight, images are very detailed and clear even in corners. Additionally, our test "scene" with the artificial head looks pleasantly bright.

Even in low light, the P9 Lite takes beautiful photos. Although they turn out to be very “soft”, they are quiet and bright for the same reason. The P9 Lite camera is only usable in complete darkness: despite the presence of a dual LED flash, the images are too dark, noisy and not very clear.

Among the various shooting modes, there are interesting ones not only for the female part of the audience, for example, “Food”, but also slow motion, as well as time-lapse. The professional mode, in which you can independently determine the ISO and shutter speed parameters, is aimed at ambitious photographers.

P9 Lite has a battery problem

Until now, strictly speaking, everything was going like clockwork, but the time has come to talk about problems. In the case of the P9 Lite, this is the battery. With a battery capacity of 3,000 mAh, the smartphone should have been well prepared for our battery tests, but in web surfing mode it died out quite quickly - after just 6 hours 18 minutes.

However, in telephone conversation mode the device can last longer - you can chat continuously for about 9.5 hours. We were unpleasantly surprised by the time it takes the smartphone to fully charge using the included power supply: the P9 Lite must spend approximately 3 hours 30 minutes at a power outlet - this is simply a very long time.

Huawei P9 Lite: alternative

It plays in the same league as Huawei P9 Lite - in terms of both price and equipment (price in Russia is 15-20 thousand rubles). If you've never heard of the ZUK smartphone, that's okay! Behind its facade there is equipment from Lenovo, and in large quantities. This mobile phone also has Dual-SIM function and a fingerprint sensor.

During the test, it showed good battery life. A large 4100 mAh battery can support more than 10 hours of continuous use in web surfing mode, and more than 13.5 hours in telephone conversation mode. In terms of appearance, the ZUK Z1 cannot compete with the P9 Lite due to the plastic back cover.

But the display with its 5.5-inch diagonal is larger and offers better contrast, higher brightness and the same Full HD resolution. Lovers of LTE speeds should be careful when choosing the ZUK Z1 - there is no 800 MHz band.

Features and test results of Huawei P9 Lite

The main advantage of the Huawei P9 Light is its functionality at an inexpensive price. Judge for yourself: the phone is equipped with an 8-core HiSilicon Kirin 650 processor and 2 GB of RAM; this configuration will allow the device to run most modern applications and not the most demanding games. At the same time, the smartphone will cost about 12,000 rubles. Plus we get a modern shell, an update to the latest version of Android, an excellent matrix, and a fast fingerprint scanner. Compared to us, we have weaker cameras and not as high-quality sound, although for the stated price the sound is pretty good. In general, we can recommend Huawei P9 lite for a more detailed and intimate acquaintance as this phone has many advantages over competitors in this price range. And does not forget about the large number of positive reviews

Specifications and price

Reviews

— Battery capacity;

— High-quality matrix;

— Attractive price-quality ratio;

— Decent assembly;

— A good matrix with a realistic color scheme;

— Relatively good cameras;

— Powerful iron;

— The presence of a notification indicator, which can be classified as an additional plus;

— Regarding the fingerprint scanner, it is worth saying that it functions quite quickly, but sometimes “misses” happen;

— When under load, the smartphone starts to warm up a little;

— Own shell for Android;

— High functionality of the phone;

- Loud sound;

— Modern appearance;

— The quality of assembly materials is unfortunately not the best quality;

— The service is also trying to pass the warranty claim onto the user;

— Update to the seventh android;

— Unfortunately, this model is not suitable for the most modern games;

— The camera may get a little soapy;

— Support for two SIM cards or one SIM and SD card;

— Weak vibration;

— No protection from water;

— Quick connection to GPS satellites;

— Fast work with Wi-Fi networks;

— Positive feedback;

— The quality of the headphones, which are in a low-quality box;

— There is a model with 3 GB of RAM;

Conclusion

In general, the Huawei P9 Light is an excellent solution for the stated price, although the phone has some disadvantages, but the number of advantages negates the latter. Therefore, in this price range it is definitely worth paying attention to the device.

Although this smartphone did not inherit the powerful hardware and dual main camera from the flagship model, it retained the screen size, fast fingerprint scanner and functional proprietary software. What else is attractive about the simplified version of Huawei P9 lite, Vesti.Hi-tech found out.

At the beginning of June, Huawei announced the start of sales in Russia of smartphones, P9 Plus and P9 lite. By the way, you can read more about the flagship model with a dual main photo module. The top devices and the P9 Plus, made in all-metal cases, differ visually, perhaps, only in their overall dimensions (the screen diagonals of these devices are 5.2 and 5.5 inches, respectively). As for the “light” version of the P9 lite, which replaced the , its outward appearance is distinguished by a rather nice, but less prestigious plastic case. Since the basic, more powerful and more sophisticated models differ not only in technical parameters, but also in price, the buyer can easily select the appropriate device depending on his preferences and capabilities.

Specifications

• Model: VNS-L21
• OS: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with EMUI 4.1 shell
• Processor: 64-bit HiSilicon Kirin 650, 8 cores ARM Cortex-A53 (4x2.0 GHz +4x1.7 GHz)
• Graphics coprocessor: ARM Mali-T830 MP2 (up to 600 MHz)
• RAM: 2 GB, 64-bit, 2-channel, LPDDR3
• Storage memory: 16 GB, eMMC 5.1, support for microSD/HC/XC cards (up to 128 GB)
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP, LE), microUSB (USB 2.0) for charging/syncing, 3.5 mm headphone jack, NFC
• Screen: capacitive, IPS, In-Cell, 5.2-inch diagonal, resolution 1920x1080 pixels, pixel density per inch 424 ppi, glove control
• Cameras: main - 13 MP, Sony IMX214, f/2.0 aperture, autofocus, flash, video recording 1080p@60 fps, front - 8 MP, f/2.0 aperture, EGF 27 mm, video 1080p@30 fps
• Network: 2G, 3G (HSPA+, up to 42 Mbit/s), LTE Cat. 6 (up to 150 Mbps), FDD-LTE: b1, b3, b7, b8 and b20
• SIM card format: nanoSIM (4FF)
• Slot tray configuration: nanoSIM + nanoSIM (Dual SIM Dual Stand-by), or nanoSIM + microSD/HD/XC
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS, A-GPS
• Sensors: accelerometer, compass, light and proximity sensors, fingerprint scanner
• Battery: non-removable, lithium polymer, 3,000 mAh
• Colors: white, black
• Dimensions: 146.8x72.6x7.5 mm
• Weight: 147 grams

Design, ergonomics

If the front view of the P9 lite is still trying to somehow adapt to the recognizable appearance of its flagship, then in the rear view it is no longer possible to confuse these smartphones - the “big brother” is immediately revealed by two lenses of the main photo module.

In addition, the back surface of the P9 lite, which is slightly rough to the touch, is made of matte polycarbonate, and only the frame with shiny chamfers remains metal in the body. In contrast, the lightweight version in Russia is presented not in three, but only in two colors (black and white).

While maintaining the same screen diagonal (5.2 inches), the P9 lite expanded slightly in width and length (146.8 x 72.6 mm versus 145 x 70.9 mm)

and got a little thicker (7.5 mm versus 6.95 mm). In weight, the new product surpassed not only its all-metal flagship (147 g versus 144 g), but also its 5-inch plastic predecessor (147 g versus 131 g). Note, by the way, that the weight and thickness of the Google “standard” for 5.2-inch smartphones are 136 g and 7.9 mm, respectively. However, even the thin (7.3 mm) metal-glass “classmate” did not fit into these weight limits (155 g).

For the front camera, an 8-megapixel matrix was considered sufficient, complementing it with a wide-angle lens with an EGF of 27 mm and an f/2.0 aperture. There is no autofocus here. The maximum resolution of the “self” is 3264x2448 pixels (8 MP, 4:3) and 3264x1840 pixels (6 MP, 16:9), respectively.

Both cameras can shoot in Full HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels, 16:9) at a frame rate of 30 fps. All content is saved in MP4 container files (AVC - video, AAC - audio). In slow motion mode (4x), quality is provided (640x480 pixels) @ 120 fps, and for recording “time lapses” - 1280x720 pixels.

The interface of the Camera application in P9 lite is largely the same as the flagship one. Swiping left opens the settings screen, swiping right opens a list of available shooting modes (of which there are already 16). Let us remind you that the settings are context-sensitive, and in addition to the professional mode for photos, there is also a professional mode for video. In particular, “pros” can choose the exposure metering method (evaluative, center-weighted, spot), ISO (from 100 to 1,600), shutter speed (from 1/4,000 to 8 seconds), exposure compensation (from -4 to +4 ), focusing (AF-C, AF-S, MF), white balance with presets, as well as auto and manual settings (from 2,800K to 7,000K).

In the normal “Photo” mode, where adjustment of contrast, brightness and saturation is still available, it is proposed to use eight effects (“Valencia”, “Nostalgia”, “Monochrome”, etc.). The flagship also retains modes for shooting at night, but they are clearly not the strength of the new smartphone, especially since in this case you will also need a tripod.

For example, when taking macro photography, the “Focus” mode will be useful, when you can set up post-focus in different parts of the already taken frame, thus choosing the depth of field. The P9 lite also retains such a trick as switching to the Camera application (also with simultaneous shooting) from the lock screen. As before, it can be done by double-clicking the volume rocker (down button).

The front camera settings still offer the “Perfect Selfie” option, where, along with the usual beautification effect, you can adjust additional parameters (Smoothing, Whitening, Big Eyes, Bright Eyes, Narrow Face "). Overall, the P9 lite's photo and video capabilities are obviously superior.

The manufacturer emphasizes the audio capabilities of the P9 lite, which owe much to the HiSilicon Hi6402 audio processor and 9-volt Smart PA (Power Amplifier). The “multimedia” speaker at the bottom end of the case sounds pretty good, but it could use some more volume. Standard smartphone tools play FLAC files created by codecs for compressing audio data without loss of quality. Unlike the flagship, where it is proposed to use DTS (Digital Theater System) technology to improve the sound in headphones, the surround sound effect in P9 lite is complemented by proprietary SWS (Super Wide Sound) technology. A wired audio headset will be required as a shortwave antenna for the built-in FM tuner. The Voice Recorder application records conversations in M4A (AAC) format files - an improved version of MP3, with the possibility of lossless compression. Let us remind you that such files can be easily played, for example, by the Google Play Music application.

Filling, performance

The base for P9 lite is the native HiSilicon Kirin 650 single-chip system, created in compliance with 16 nm design standards (FinFET+ technology). This chip was first introduced along with a smartphone in April of this year. Let us remember that a year ago I was satisfied with the 8-core Kirin 620 (28 nm) processor. Let us recall that the “rigor” of design standards means not only a reduction in the area allocated to the processor on a chip, but also more economical energy consumption, and, therefore, less heating.

The Kirin 650 also has eight 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 processor cores with ARMv8-A architecture, one quartet of which (ARM big.LITTLLE) can operate at a maximum clock speed of 2.0 GHz, and the other at 1.7 GHz. At the same time, graphics operations are taken over by the ARM Mali-T830 MP2 (600 MHz) accelerator with support for OpenGL ES 3.1 and OpenCL 1.1. The basic platform of the smartphone is complemented by 2 GB of 2-channel 64-bit LPDDR3 memory, controlled by an appropriate controller. It is believed that in terms of performance, the Kirin 650 is trying to catch up with the MediaTek Helio X10, leaving behind the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615/616 and MediaTek MT6753.

Having scored 52,634 “virtual parrots” on the AnTuTu Benchmark synthetic tests, the P9 lite performed, for example, better than (43,629), which, given the clock speeds of both cores, is, in general, not surprising.

When assessing the amount of “horsepower” and the efficiency of using processor cores (Geekbench 3, Vellamo), the position of the P9 lite smartphone is quite consistent with its unofficial “upper middle class” status.

Using the Epic Citadel visual test settings (High Performance, High Quality and Ultra High Quality), the average frame rate changed as follows - 57.6 fps, 56.2 fps and 44.5 fps, which is obviously higher than the “borderline” 30 fps. Note also that the Ultra High Quality mode is not available at all.

On the universal gaming benchmark 3DMark, where the smartphone was tested on the recommended Sling Shot set (ES 3.1), a result corresponding to the platform level was recorded - 377 points. So you shouldn’t count on maximum settings in “heavy” games. Let us recall, for example, that a “classmate” scored 336 points on this test.

But the total number of points earned by P9 lite on the cross-platform benchmark Base Mark OS II was 1,219.

Of the 16 GB of declared internal memory, approximately 10.35 GB are available, and 9.5 GB are free. As already noted, to expand the storage in the P9 lite, the place of the second nanoSIM card in the combined slot should be taken by a microSD/HC/XC memory card with a capacity of up to 128 GB. Let us remind you that the maximum capacity of a microSDHC card is 32 GB.

But for some reason, support for USB-OTG technology in the new smartphone is not implemented. So you won’t be able to connect a regular flash drive to the P9 lite.

Even when installing two subscriber identification modules in nanoSIM (4FF) format, they are still connected to one radio module, and therefore operate in Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) mode, that is, they are constantly active, but if one of them is busy, then the same moment turns out to be inaccessible to another. The supported 4G frequency bands of the P9 lite smartphone also included the “Russian troika” - LTE-FDD: Band 3 (1,800 MHz), Band 7 (2,600 MHz), Band 20 (800 MHz). Note that the modem in the new smartphone, like its flagship, is designed for LTE Cat.6 networks (300/50 Mbit/s). At one time, they were limited to LTE Cat.4 (up to 150/50 Mbit/s). The range of wireless communications includes not only Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz) and Bluetooth 4.1 (BLE) interfaces, but even NFC.

In this case, “near field communication” is of practical interest not only for connecting devices to each other. In particular, this interface allows you to read and top up the Moscow Troika transport card through the My Travel Card application from the Bank of Moscow.

Unfortunately, the price of the new smartphone had to be reduced not only by simplifying the hardware (among the main losses are the photo module and processor), but also by replacing aircraft-grade aluminum with plastic. In addition, the P9 lite has a “sore” that forces you to make a mandatory choice between installing a second SIM card and expanding the memory (it seems that this feature will soon be added to the advantages of the device). And in terms of performance, P9 lite, of course, cannot compete with the flagship.

However, in terms of prices the difference is no less significant: - 39,990 rubles, and P9 lite - 19,990 rubles. So, if you are not a fan of mobile photography (the dual Leica camera, of course, has no competition), then the choice becomes obvious. As for the famous “classmate”, at the time of testing, it was offered in large retail chains for 23,990 rubles. At the same time, the advantages of this device include not only a metal-glass body, but also an AMOLED screen (which significantly affects battery life), as well as optical stabilization in the main camera. But the P9 lite’s processor will still be faster.

Results of the review of the Huawei P9 lite smartphone

Pros:

• Attractive design
• Clear 5.2" screen
• Support for "Russian" LTE frequencies and NFC interface
• Good autonomy
• Fingerprint scanner
• Functional software

Cons:

• Plastic case
• Moderate performance
• Mandatory choice between a second SIM card and memory expansion
• Lack of USB-OTG support

Grumpy Review

06.07.2016

Main characteristics of Huawei P9 lite

I’ll say right away that I liked the smartphone. Huawei P9 lite is a cool mid-range device (although the battery could be better). Just like its older brother, the flagship Huawei P9 Plus, is also an excellent device (I will finish a review on it in the next couple of days).

But now I will justify the title of grumbler and grumble intensely. Moreover, the grumbling applies to both devices equally, both P9 lite and P9 Plus.

Grumpy

I do a lot of battery tests. One of them is using torrents. I install the µTorrent software, limit the download speed, set something to download, turn off the screen. Well, I look at how quickly the battery is drained. Moreover, I conducted this test on many dozens of a wide variety of Android smartphones...

As usual, installed, launched, turned off the screen. A few hours later I look and there is no task. µTorrent is no longer listed as running. The process died. I started digging. I happily find out that Huawei has three (!) places in the settings where you need to go so that tasks don’t die like this:

1) Settings - Advanced settings - Battery manager. Add the application to the list of protected ones that are allowed to continue working after the smartphone goes into sleep mode.

2) Settings - Applications - Additional. settings - Ignore restrictions. I don’t know what this means, but since people advise, I also set it up for µTorrent, saying that everything is allowed to it.

3) These are not really settings anymore. We press the button for the last running tasks, find the same long-suffering µTorrent there, and swipe down on it. A padlock is drawn in the problem. What this lock means, again, is not very clear... But people advise...

Total one-two-three. I tried it together, I tried it separately. Nothing helps. µTorrent is still dying. Sooner or later, one way or another, it dies. So I couldn’t do this test.

The problem, of course, is not only the ill-fated µTorrent. Downloading torrents on a smartphone is exotic. It would be much less pleasant if all sorts of messengers and other VKontakte died. They don't die, no. But sometimes suddenly notifications begin to arrive with a delay of several minutes. Or they don't even come at all. Well, that is, they come immediately as soon as you turn on the device’s screen. Patterns are difficult to grasp. Yesterday everything worked, today it stopped. If you have recently used a smartphone, the beep from a new message will arrive instantly. If your smartphone has been sitting idle for a couple of hours, you will most likely have to wait. Tricky energy saving?

On the day of focusing on the text of the review, I meditated on my smartphone for half an hour in the morning. He lay there all night with the screen turned off. I see on the router that it is registered on the Wi-Fi network. I send messages - silence. Half an hour later I turn on the screen and the messages come immediately.

Or here's another one. No, I understand that processes can be killed. You never know - the memory has run out or some other resources. But I have never seen them kill themselves with such special cynicism. Okay, P9 lite, it still has “only” 2 GB of RAM. But P9 Plus! It has 4 GB! Launch the file manager, start the video, return to the file manager an hour later and find that it is no longer in memory. How's that?

In short, Huawei has an extremely evil killer of processes and notification messages. I tried to get clarification from Huawei technical support. They asked for IMEI numbers and firmware versions. And they fell silent. They've been silent for a week now.

(For nerds. The power consumption mode is productive, constant data transfer is turned on, Wi-Fi in standby mode is the same. I don’t know what else can be tweaked in the settings).

Price

The official price is 20 thousand rubles. In MediaMarkt - a thousand cheaper. In a number of small stores - another 500 rubles cheaper. From China you can order the local variety for 16 thousand.

Competitors

There are not so many devices that are similar in parameters (screen diagonal, multi-core processors, decent amount of RAM, comparable price).

Oddly enough, the main Baba Yaga was raised in her own community. I would name the main competitor for the P9 lite to be the recently introduced Huawei Honor 5C on our market. According to the characteristics, it is a complete twin (processor, screen, memory, battery), except that there is no finger sensor. But the body is metal. And it costs five thousand less. However, it will probably be sold again in small “waves” and there may not be enough for everyone...

If you agree to reduce the screen to 5", several more competing devices will be added:

Equipment

Only the smartphone itself arrived to me, without a kit box. So there won't be a traditional photo of headphones and chargers.

Judging by the descriptions on store websites, everything is standard. Charger, Micro-USB cord, headphones, card tray ejector.

Appearance

White or black coloring with a metallic gray frame. The back cover seems to be plastic. Excellent build quality. There is an LED, although it is dim.

Thin.

Android on-screen buttons.

The tray for two Nano-SIM and one Micro-SD memory card is, alas, combined. Either two SIM cards, or a SIM card and a memory card.

What else can I say about appearance? Probably my favorite size. That's it.

It seems to be all quite smooth, but non-slip. It's nice.

Boring details and photos

Above the screen, as usual, there is a camera, speaker, sensors. There is an LED hidden in the right corner.

Below the screen is a lone logo.

Rear On top there is a strip of glossy plastic. On it, in the corner, there is a camera and a flash.

The rest of the back surface is a nice matte plastic that doesn't stain. On it - in the traditional place - there is a finger sensor.

Below is the logo and all sorts of inscriptions.

Top edge. 3.5mm audio output and noise canceling microphone.

Bottom edge. Micro-USB and loud speaker. There are two sets of speaker holes, to the right and left of the USB. But the sound comes only through one. The second one is fake, made just for beauty.

On the right are the buttons. As usual, turning on is locking and volume rocker.

On the left is a card tray.

Internals (iron)

Fresh chipset of our own production. Seems to fall into the average category. But, by and large, few people need more/faster. Performance is in perfect order.

RAM - a good 2 GB. True, more than half is constantly spent on system needs.

Flash memory - 16 GB. If suddenly this is not enough for you, you can replace the built-in memory of your smartphone with a large memory card. But it’s better to do this right away, when you first install it on your phone. Otherwise, you will end up with toys that have lost their data, screenshots that are now stored in a memory section that is inaccessible to third-party file managers. Etc. In short, it's not much fun. But in general, if you plan to install a lot of heavy programs (primarily toys), this, of course, makes sense. A larger and more reliable memory card - and go ahead.

Sensors Accelerometer, compass, proximity, illumination. Well, fingerprinting. Works well.

Communication with the outside world

On a pleasant note - LTE category six. Less pleasant is that there is no 5 GHz Wi-Fi. And so - as usual, there is nothing to talk about in this section.

Screen

Good quality IPS screen. I have no complaints about him at all. And if you are not a terrible bore, you won’t either.

No 2.5D. Everything is flat and even protected by a microscopic edge.

The brightness reserve is good. Oleophobic coating is present. There is even a mode for working with gloves (it is turned on in the settings in the “Control” section).

You can play around with the color temperature - it is adjustable. Three standard values ​​- 7000K ("Warm"), 8900K ("Default"), 10900K ("Cold"). And the "color wheel". The warm and cold points, by the way, are not on the boundaries of the circle, so the temperature spread is actually even greater than 7000-10900K.

Please note that when you shift the temperature from "Default", you will lose a little in the maximum brightness of the screen. Not that much, 15-20 percent maximum. But you will.

Operating system and other software

There is no single list of applications, a somewhat unusual settings menu.

A bit of pre-installed software (Dropbox, Shazam, Booking.com, Sberbank...) Everything is easily removed.

Battery

Battery capacity - 3000 mAh. By today's standards, this is typically average. The average result of battery tests is only 121% of my standard standard. Not enough. I thought it would be better.

For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) phablet (5.5" screen, 3300 mAh battery) had as much as 227%.

• Case materials: metal, glass
• Operating system: Android 8.0 Oreo, EMUI 8
• Networks: GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, LTE Cat 4 (1/3/7/8/20 band)
• Screen: LTPS LCD, 5.65” diagonal, resolution 1080x2160 pixels (FullHD+)
• Platform: HiSilicon Kirin 659
• Processor: 16nm, 64-bit, 8-core, 4xCortex-A53 2.36 GHz + 4xCortex-A53 1.7 GHz
• Graphics: Mali-T830
• RAM: 3GB LPDDR3
• Data storage memory: 32 GB
• Memory card slot: yes, microSD up to 128 GB (instead of a second SIM card)
• Main camera: 13/2 MP, f/2.2, 1/2.8’’ sensor, 1.25 micron pixel size, phase detection autofocus, LED flash
• Front camera: 13/2 MP, f/2.0
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB connector (USB-Host) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm jack for headset/headphones
• Navigation: GPS (A-GPS support), GLONASS, Beidou
• Additionally: NFC, fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor
• Battery: Li-polymer, 3000 mAh, fast charging
• Dimensions: 151 x 71.9 x 7.6 mm
• Weight: 149 grams

Scope of delivery

• Smartphone
• Network adapter
• USB cable
• Case (may or may not be available - depends on the country of sale)
• Warranty card

Introduction

Huawei has decided to update all lines of its mobile devices in order to equip each device with a FullView display. That’s why we see Honor 2i, Honor 7X, Honor View 10, and Huawei Nova 2i on the shelves. To this decent number of devices was added another inexpensive smartphone called Honor 9 Lite. Essentially, this is the Huawei P10 Lite, only with a different processor and two additional cameras.

The main feature of the latest Huawei gadgets is a screen with minimal frames at the top and bottom. The company called it FullView. For example, LG has FullVision displays, while Samsung has Infinity Display. In general, everyone comes up with their own marketing names.

At the time of writing, the gadget was not officially released in Russia, so some parameters were not known to me. The cost also remained unknown. However, we can assume that the 9 Lite will cost a potential buyer 18,000 – 20,000 rubles, given that its closest analogue costs about 15,000 rubles.

Design, dimensions, control elements

The Honor 9 Lite smartphone is a “mixture” of several Huawei gadgets that combine glass panels. For example, in P10 Lite the back side is made up of two halves, and in Honor 9 the entire back panel is glass. Each of them has a special distortion of the glass. However, the Honor 9 Lite has a distortion-free panel, like a mirror. Of course, this has its downsides: fingerprints quickly cover the material, making chips and scratches more noticeable. However, I personally like this design.

For review, I received a blue device - an amazingly beautiful color. Moreover, if the back panel is glass with a blue tint, then the front side has a semi-glossy coating interspersed with fine grains, creating a mother-of-pearl effect. The side frames are matte - it's metal.

In general, the phone looks extremely impressive, although somewhat secondary: it is unlikely that anyone (even reviewers) will immediately tell which model you have in your hands.

In terms of dimensions, Honor 9 Lite is very cool: 151 x 71.9 x 7.6 mm, thin, not wide, and much smaller in height than the 5.5-inch Apple iPhone 8 Plus. The weight is also only 150 grams. The 9 Lite smartphone fits perfectly in the hand and does not slip out. The screen frames are as follows: top 10 mm, bottom 11 mm, right and left just under 4 mm.

On the top of the front panel there are two selfie cameras, light and proximity sensors, an indicator of missed events, and a speaker. It is loud, high-frequency sound without bass notes.

At the bottom you will find a standard 3.5 mm jack, a main microphone, an old microUSB connector and a speakerphone.

On the right is the power button and volume control. On the left is a typical plastic combined slot for a SIM and memory card. The top end is empty.

On the back panel there is a dark module with two lenses, a second microphone and a flash. Below is a fingerprint scanner.

Conclusion on the section: a beautiful, but easily soiled device with good assembly, pleasant-to-touch materials, ergonomic design, convenient arrangement of various elements.

Honor 9 and iPhone 8 Plus

Honor 9 and P-Smart

Display

This device uses a screen with a diagonal of 5.65 inches. Physical size – 64x128 mm. There is an anti-reflective coating, which is quite effective.

The display resolution of Honor 9 is FullHD+, that is, 1080x2160 pixels, aspect ratio is 18:9 (2:1), density is 427 pixels per inch. IPS matrix without on-cell air gap.

Screen viewing angles are maximum, no distortion. The backlight brightness is high, the screen does not go blind in the light

In the settings there is an item with color temperature. The eye protection function works: you can choose not only the on and off time, but also the intensity.

For the first time on Huawei devices (I could be wrong), a resolution selection option appeared:

• Smart Resolution
• FullHD+

Apparently, in this way you can influence the speed of the device and the “lifetime” of the battery.

Battery

The Honor 9 Lite uses a non-removable lithium polymer (Li-Pol) battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh. A fairly typical battery for such gadgets. Frankly speaking, we can already judge in advance the average performance of a smartphone: about a day with a maximum amount of screen time of 3–4 hours, about 6 hours of HD video (MP4) at 100% brightness of the matrix backlight and 4 hours under the load of 3D games ( Marvell: Contest of Champions).

As you understand, Honor 9 Lite is not about longevity.

With battery charging, everything is more or less good here: a full “tank” in 2.5 hours.

Communication capabilities

As usual, the smartphone supports dual SIM cards. However, one slot may be occupied by a memory card.

The Honor 9 device “understands” LTE Cat 4 in the bend range 1/3/7/8/20.

One notable thing is the presence of an NFC chip (but without Mifare Classic and Mifare Ultralight), which is not very often found in such gadgets. Honor 9 reads the Troika card. It was not possible to top up the card. Otherwise there are no problems: the sensitivity is high, you can pay for purchases.

There are also no complaints about GPS and GLONASS - everything works like a clock. There is a typical “shock” set: Wi-Fi without ac and two bands, Bluetooth version 4.2, USB version 2.0 with “host”.

Memory and memory card

Memory has been spared a little, so you will only have to use 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB (about 20 GB available) of internal memory. The RAM is quite fast – 5,000 MB/s, but the built-in memory is normal, 173/100 MB/s. Memory cards up to 256 GB are supported, but only instead of one of the SIM cards.

Cameras

In order for the marketing machine to work to its fullest, it is necessary to come up with more and more new tricks. This time Huawei decided to install as many as 4 cameras! Yes, we already know all about this, but it rarely occurs in inexpensive solutions.

In general, Honor 9 has two cameras on the front and back sides. This was done not only for marketing reasons, but also to blur the background - bokeh. The main and front cameras are 13 MP each (f2.2, 26 mm), the rest are 2 MP each. The latter are involved only in bokeh; they cannot be turned on separately.

Traditionally, cameras from Huawei take good pictures: correct white balance, not much noise, clear picture. Focus is fast and accurate. “Bokeshechka” has an average quality of photo processing, but, in general, it will do just fine. There is at least an honest blurring of the background, not like its Chinese counterparts.

In photo mode, you can select a digital aperture from 0.95 to 16. There is a “Live Photo” function - Apple’s simple answer to Live Photos. Such photographs are marked with a circle with dots.

Selfies get 4 out of 5 points. The picture is not always sharp and has the correct white balance. Bokeh – 3 out of 5. The screen acts as a flash.

The video seemed unremarkable to me: FullHD 30 FPS (both cameras) in all lighting conditions.

Sample photos

Performance and software

In Honor 9 Lite we again find a chipset of our own production – HiSilicon Kirin 659: 16 nm, 64-bit, 8-core, 4xCortex-A53 2.36 GHz + 4xCortex-A53 1.7 GHz. The processor is almost no different from previous generations - Kirin 658/655/650. The only difference is in the frequencies and versions of Bluetooth/Wi-Fi.

The device is completely adequate, does not slow down, does not freeze, does not glitch. Using the system is a pleasure.

In the Antutu test, it scores about 66,000 points. About the same as MediaTek Helio P25. Kirin behaves normally with games: most of them started without problems and ran at maximum settings. Is there anything graphically complex on Android?

The Honor 9 smartphone has been updated to Google Android version 8.0, which is pretty cool. Most similar devices are still on the “seven”. The proprietary shell has also been updated: now EMUI version 8.0. I didn’t notice any special changes, except for a slightly different design of the settings: they became more orderly.

Among the interesting things: navigation panel (changing the location of buttons), one-handed control.

Multimedia

Honor 9 Lite uses a single speaker to output music. Its volume is high, the sound is flat, without bass and with a minimal amount of midrange. The quality is good.

I tested the sound quality in the headphones on Bose QC35 and Meizu Flow. The first ones showed pleasant bass, moderate mids and not the cleanest highs. In general, it’s very good, but I would like the midrange and high frequencies to be more interesting. Again, theoretically they can be tightened up with an equalizer.

“Ears” from Meizu: the volume is higher than that of Bose, the bass is relatively elastic, but at the level of 60 Hz - 80 Hz. In the midrange and high frequencies it’s also not very good.

Overall sound: low frequencies are fine, mids and highs are lacking. Naturally, this is my personal opinion.

This model has a radio.

Conclusion

I would highlight two undeniable cool features in this device: a nice glass design and minimal frames due to the use of a FullView display. The smartphone definitely looks impressive, fits well in the hand, and is very convenient to use. The processor does not raise any questions, the cameras are good and there is a bokeh effect (many will like it), decent sound in headphones, the OS has been updated to Android Oreo.

“This”: the usual amount of RAM and built-in memory, their low speed, archaic microUSB connector. I didn't find any cons in this model.

Once again I would like to repeat that I reviewed the smartphone before the official announcement, so the cost in Russia was not known to me. On AliExpress Honor 9 Lite you can find it for about 13,000 rubles. Therefore, we can assume that our device will cost 18,000 – 20,000 rubles. If it’s around 16,000–17,000 rubles, then the “light” is quite a good buy for a FullView gadget with NFC.

Competitors:

• ASUS Max Plus
• LG Q6
• Honor 7X
• Huawei Nova 2i
• Xiaomi Mi A1

Of the “gray” ones, of course, Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, but it only has one main camera. However, there is also a “sea” of two-chamber Chinese gadgets.

P.S. I’m preparing a review of the Huawei P-Smart smartphone, which is almost no different from the Honor 9 Lite and, apparently, will cost even less (without NFC and a second selfie camera).