Conclusion:
The price-quality ratio here is convincing: although during testing the Honor 9 Lite showed shortcomings in the areas of battery life and photo quality, we can consider the display, performance and workmanship, despite the low initial cost of about 16,000 rubles, convincing. As a nice addition, there is a high-resolution dual front camera with portrait mode for selfie lovers.
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Processor and performance
The Huawei P9 Lite smartphone is equipped with a mid-class chipset by today's standards - HiSilicon Kirin 650. It has 8 cores, 4 of which operate at a maximum clock frequency of 1.7 GHz, and the second 4 cores at 2 GHz. The gadget also has a good Mali T830 video processor in all respects with a frequency of up to 600 MHz. But the fact that there is an NFC chip here is rather an advantage, since most often they are only found in flagship models.
The manufacturer immediately announced that only the junior version of the device with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of ROM would be sold in Russia, and another version with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory was released abroad. In general, there is not much difference between them, because there is absolutely no shortage of RAM with the 2 GB version. Of course, if there are 6-7 applications running in the background, then the tabs in the browser are loaded anew each time, but this point is not critical. The device copes with high load levels “excellently” and even practically does not heat up.
The gadget also has no problems with performance - the animated shell literally “flies”, programs launch very quickly, there are no slowdowns or system glitches. Overall, you get the feeling of using a modern and expensive flagship. In popular benchmarks like AntuTu P9 Lite does not score unrealistic performance scores, but the hardware that is there is quite enough for everyday comfortable use of the device.
Honor 9 Lite test: top quality for its price
Honor 9 Lite feels great in the hand and looks cool: despite the low cost (about 16,000 rubles), buyers in this case receive a smartphone with very good workmanship. Aluminum frame, glass back. We really like the look, however, as is the case with so many other glass mobile phones, fingerprints are very visible on the back.
Below the camera is a fingerprint scanner, which we could easily reach when holding the smartphone in our hands. There is a classic audio jack for connecting a headphone cable on board. But you will have to forget about protection against water damage or wireless charging - nothing surprising for this price segment.
Honor 9 Lite looks and feels good in the hand. Illustration: Chip
Honor 9 Lite smartphone: presentation and first acquaintance with the new product, examples of photo and video shooting
On the eve of the start of sales of the Honor 9 Lite , Huawei decided to introduce Russian journalists to its product. For this purpose, a special presentation was organized, during which we were not only able to get a first impression of the new product, but also had the opportunity to test the capabilities of its unusual cameras live.
Main characteristics of Honor 9 Lite:
- SoC HiSilicon Kirin 659, 8 cores Cortex-A53 ( [email protected] .36 GHz + [email protected] .7 GHz)
- GPU Mali-T830 (MP2)
- Operating system Android 8.0, EMUI 8
- Touch display IPS 5.65″, 2160×1080, 427 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 3/4 GB, internal memory 32/64 GB
- Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
- MicroSD support up to 256 GB
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (900/1800/1900 MHz)
- WCDMA/HSPA+ networks (850/900/1900/2100 MHz); CDMA 800 & TD-SCDMA
- LTE Cat.6 networks FDD (B1/3/7/8), TD (B38—41)
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz)
- Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE
- GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
- Micro-USB 2.0, USB OTG
- Main camera 13 + 2 MP, autofocus, f/2.2, video 1080p
- Front camera 13 + 2 MP, f/2.0, fixed. focus
- Proximity and light sensors, magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, step counter
- Fingerprint's scanner
- Battery 3000 mAh
- Dimensions 151×72×7.6 mm
- Weight 149 g
It’s worth starting with the fact that Honor, having separated into an independent Internet brand several years ago, still remains a brand closely associated with the main Huawei brand. Therefore, it is not surprising that mobile products of both brands of each generation have a lot in common not only in terms of hardware and technical characteristics, but also in appearance and design.
The recently presented Honor 7X, for example, is almost a copy of most models in metal cases from Huawei Nova 2 to P10. However, Honor 9 Lite remained true to the general design concept and style of the latest Honor flagships and, like Honor 9, received an all-glass body.
The body of Honor 9 Lite can be called ergonomic, it is not too large, and due to the streamlined sides it is quite comfortable to hold in the hand and fits snugly in clothing pockets. At the same time, glass surfaces can slip in your hands, this must be taken into account. But as for the aesthetic side, the high-quality oleophobic coating on the glass prevents the body from quickly becoming covered with fingerprints.
The main distinguishing feature of the smartphone is the presence of four cameras. The Honor 9 Lite has two of them installed on the front and back, which is extremely unusual for a device in this price category; it adds points to an inexpensive mobile device.
The front and rear cameras each have two sensors, a main 13-megapixel and an additional 2-megapixel. The front camera is equipped with an f/2.0 aperture lens and supports an advanced photo beautification mode that works depending on the gender and age of the person, recognizing the contours and features of the face. Gesture control is supported, and there is a familiar mode for creating a bokeh effect. To release the shutter, just wave your hand in the frame - the camera will take a photo in 2 seconds.
Examples of shooting with the front camera of Honor 9 Lite:
The rear camera has an f/2.2 aperture lens and PDAF phase focusing, and a wide aperture mode allows you to change the focus on ready-made photographs. This emulates manual aperture control in the range from f/0.95 to f/16. Recording photos in RAW is not supported.
Examples of shooting with the rear camera of Honor 9 Lite:
The maximum video recording resolution is 1080p at 30 fps. There is no optical stabilization. The camera shoots video quite satisfactorily for its level. In good lighting the picture is decent, but even in low light conditions the sharpness and detail do not drop very much. The sound is also recorded quite clearly, the microphones are sensitive, and the noise reduction system works adequately.
Video examples:
- Video No. 1 (1920×1080, 30 fps, H.264)
- Video No. 2 (1920×1080, 30 fps, H.264)
- Video No. 3 (1920×1080, 30 fps, H.264)
Also among the functional advantages of the new product with an attractive price is the presence of a huge FullView HD screen with an aspect ratio of 18:9, a diagonal of 5.65 inches and a resolution of 1080×2160.
The smartphone is built on the familiar mid-range 8-core Kirin 659 chipset, manufactured using a 16 nm process technology and equipped with a Mali-T830 graphics module.
The device has 3 GB of RAM, a built-in storage capacity of 32 GB, and memory cards up to 256 GB are also supported.
The smartphone comes with the new Android 8.0 Oreo operating system and the proprietary EMUI interface, which has been updated to version 8.0.
The new version of the proprietary shell has a number of improvements that increase comfort of use, speed up the launch of applications and reduce energy consumption due to “smart” resource distribution.
The Honor 9 Lite model is available in three color options, traditionally given beautiful names: “midnight black”, “sapphire blue” and “ice grey”. The “mirror reflection” effect due to the special substrate under the glass is available only in the blue and gray modifications. Sales of Honor 9 Lite in Russia and Armenia will start on February 8. You can purchase a smartphone for 14,990 rubles in the official online store shop.huawei.ru and in the company’s partner stores.
We liked the display of Honor 9 Lite
In addition to its appearance, Honor 9 Lite repeats Huawei P Smart to the smallest detail. Honor is an independent “daughter” of a large Chinese concern and both models do not make much of a secret about it. Also in Honor 9 Lite, buyers get a 5.65-inch display in a narrow 18:9 format. The resolution is 1080x2160 pixels, that is, it corresponds to the extended Full-HD length, which is also called Full-HD Plus. Content looks extremely crisp and colors are neutral.
The maximum brightness of the display is also excellent, so its contents can be read without problems even in bright sunlight. But in a direct comparison, it becomes clear that the Huawei P Smart panel is able to offer something a little more and therefore receives a higher total of rating percentage points in the Display test category.
Natural colors, decent brightness: the 5.6-inch display with Full-HD-Plus resolution seems convincing to us. Illustration: Chip
operating system
This model is equipped with the modern Android 6.0 operating system with unique software settings that make the interface design as unique as possible and different from the standard, “pure” Android OS. For example, application icons are located on the main screens rather than in the menu, and there is also a wide selection of different design themes, and the possibilities of combining their elements to the user's taste are almost endless.
In the latest shell update, the company has packed the smartphone with convenient features - for example, the ability to smartly display a notification panel. From the very beginning, it was arranged in such a way that Huawei had notification lists and icons with quick access divided into two windows. But now everything is a little different: If at least one notification has arrived, then when the curtain is lowered, a notification window will open, and if there are none, a list with quick access icons will open.
Also a huge plus is how Huawei takes care of the security of users’ personal data. Now you can not only lock your phone with a password or fingerprint, but also protect individual files from prying eyes, be they notes, photos or videos, and much more. Setting up this function is very simple - everything is done directly in the file manager.
In a full review of the EMUI shell, it became clear that it allows the user to fine-tune the gadget to suit their personal needs, without causing the need for additional installation of any utilities. Below is a partial list of such features:
- Activating Do Not Disturb mode at night;
- Setting up wired headphone keys;
- Setting up a schedule for turning the device on and off;
- Display lock function using a proximity sensor (so that the smartphone does not accidentally unlock in your pocket);
- Monitor application RAM usage and much more.
Good performance
All conclusions about the performance and battery life of Huawei P Smart are also true for Honor 9 Lite: Huawei's mid-range Kirin 659 processor is perfectly equipped to perform all everyday tasks and harmonizes very well with the operating system. The pace of the Honor 9 Lite is very fast, all animations look very smooth. Applications launch quickly, and websites can be scrolled smoothly.
Honor 9 Lite in LTE networks reaches a data transfer speed of 300 Mbps, which is quite fast. Some limitations compared to top CPUs show up in graphics performance: demanding 3D games are still better played on Kirin 970 or Snapdragon 835 / 845 processors. You will find the current highest-performance mobile phones in the top positions in our respective rankings.
Honor 9 Lite responds quickly to commands. Illustration: Chip
Communication and sound
The Huawei P9 Light has amazingly high-quality speakers. The melodies became not only clearer, but also louder. The situation is similar with listening to music through headphones. And with the help of an equalizer you can easily enhance the bass or volume of the sound. The gadget supports standard networks, as well as LTE Cat 4.
More about Huawei: Smartphone Huawei P40 Lite 6/128GB Midnight Black (JNY-LX1) - buy smartphone Huawei P40 Lite 6/128GB Midnight Black (JNY-LX1), prices in the Eldorado online store in Moscow, delivery throughout the Russian Federation
Battery life could be better
The weak point of the Honor 9 Lite is the rather disappointing battery life: 7 hours 08 minutes in our “online” testing with the display activated for a modern smartphone with a 3000 mAh battery - this is unexpectedly low. Many top models can boast of 10 to 12 hours in this area.
Despite this, for ordinary users the battery's energy reserves should last the whole day without any problems. However, in two years, when the battery endurance decreases somewhat, there will no longer be any certainty. In addition, the 3 hours that a smartphone must spend at a power outlet until its battery is full again is quite a long time.
Honor 9 Lite: there is a headphone audio jack. Illustration: Chip
Battery and autonomy
There is a 3000 mAh battery installed here - its charge during everyday use will last for a maximum of a day, but it all depends on how optimized the software is. In addition, a software power consumption optimizer, Smart Power 4.0, is installed here, which monitors applications that consume a lot of power, and in which you can either manually configure the operation of various applications, or do as the system suggests. The function is really good - if you set up the work wisely, you can easily add another 4 or 5 hours to the autonomy of your smartphone.
The quality of photographs is poor, especially at dusk.
Photo quality is only adequate - and disappointing especially in poor lighting conditions. Anyone who takes photos during the day in good light will find decent but not mind-blowing quality with some minor flaws. We quite like the dynamics and color rendition, but the detail of 13-megapixel photos, although normal, could be better.
What especially stands out here, for example, is the fact that the hair on our mannequin’s head merges into a single mass - Huawei P Smart copes better with them, although otherwise the pictures look very similar. Perhaps the reason for such differences is the tolerance of the assembly. The blurring algorithm gets down to business just as roughly and reduces the level of detail, according to our calculations, sometimes by up to 60 percent - top models “capture” up to 90 percent of the details.
Comparison: also the inexpensive bq Aquaris X produces better images in twilight lighting. Illustration: Chip
Those who take photographs in twilight lighting can no longer count on any pleasure: the photographs turn out extremely fuzzy, noisy and leave much to be desired in almost every respect - only we more or less like the color rendition.
However, Huawei P Smart has exactly the same problems. But in this price category, some other smartphones are able to show better results: for example, the bq Aquaris X. Those who can spend about 100 euros more on a smartphone can be pleased with the HTC U11 life with its excellent photo quality.
On both the front and back sides, Honor introduces a combination of a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor to give the smartphone the ability to create a background blur effect in portrait mode.
Accordingly, the images from the front camera can be considered convincing and qualify the Honor 9 Lite as a device for selfie lovers who do not want to spend too much money. In this sense, the P Smart, with its 8-megapixel single front camera, is somewhat behind the curve.
13MP + 2MP: Thanks to the dual camera design, portrait shots can be given a background blur effect - even through the front camera. Illustration: Chip
Screen
The Honor 9 Lite screen diagonal is an impressive 5.65 inches. Its description would not be complete without noting the significantly reduced thickness of the side frames. Thanks to this, the device looks stylish, and its dimensions are slightly different from models with a 5.2-inch screen.
If you review the Honor 9 lite and compare it with products from other manufacturers, you can immediately note that the smartphone does not look like a shovel at all . It impresses with its thoughtful design and cutting-edge appearance thanks to its display size, slim body and rounded edges.
The technical characteristics of the model’s display will not cause any complaints even among demanding users. The color gamut is maximum according to the RGB standard, the display is smooth. Gamma curve - no blue or red bias. The matrix, manufactured using one of the most modern technological processes, can be considered a standard for the accuracy of displaying color information.
Screen resolution is 2160x1080 pixels with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The density of 427 pixels per inch allows the smartphone to render the smallest image details and small point fonts.
Important! In the useful features of Honor 9 Lite, you can safely include the function of lowering the screen resolution. When this mode is activated, the system's power consumption drops sharply.
The display settings include a reading protection mode and the ability to change color temperature. According to user reviews, with the minimum brightness of the backlight on your smartphone, you can work comfortably even in complete darkness, and the maximum level is sufficient to confidently distinguish the screen image on a sunny day.
As a disadvantage of the model, we can note the lack of a sharpening mode in strong lighting. However, this does not in any way detract from the excellent display characteristics of the Honor 9 Lite. Covering with protective glass without an air gap allows you to observe minimal color changes from any viewing angle.
Android 8 with additional features
Honor installs Android 8 on the 9 Lite under a user interface called EMUI and developed by Huawei. The security system update package was up to date at the time of testing. The system looks good, is easy to control, and responds promptly to user commands. By default, there is no separate application menu; all program icons are located on the desktop. However, this can be corrected if someone considers this approach not visual enough.
We even liked some of the customization options: in particular, you can assign the camera shutter function to the fingerprint scanner or thus pull out the notification shade.
The Android 8 system looks good and responds quickly to commands. Illustration: Chip
Appearance
Open the box with the gadget, and you will immediately see that the smartphone is identical to the Huawei G9 - it is equipped with a flat glass panel with a plastic frame that fits almost perfectly with the glass and does not stick out at all. The edges of the case are metal, and the back panel is plastic. In older devices, the body is entirely made of metal, but the P9 Lite model does not seem cheap at all - on the contrary, it is a convenient, well-built gadget that fits in the hand and is a pleasure to use.
On the back panel there is a main camera in a glass frame, the characteristics of which will pleasantly surprise you, but more on that a little later. There is also a fingerprint scanner with a self-learning function, which works just fine - it works very quickly and accurately, there are practically no errors. Another cool feature is that to unlock the device you just need to put your finger on the scanner - this, by the way, is noticeably inferior to Samsung and Apple products, when in addition you also need to press a physical button.
The top edge of the device is equipped with a 3.5 mm audio output for headphones, the bottom – a micro-USB connector and a loud main speaker. Below the screen are branded touch keys for controlling the smartphone, which the user can configure at their discretion in the device settings. The disadvantage of their location is that they take up some of the usable space from the display (it would be better if they were on-screen), and the advantage is that it is very convenient to hold the smartphone in a horizontal position.
