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Huawei Honor 9 Lite
Huawei Honor 9 Lite
Huawei Honor 9 Lite
Huawei Honor 9 Lite
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8.4/10
Informr score
The Huawei Honor 9 Lite currently has an Informr score of 8.4 out of 10. This score is based on our evaluation of 19 sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

The "1-Minute" Review

Verdict

If you’re looking to play games or use your phone often, the Honor 9 Lite might not be up to the task. However, if you’re looking for a capable media streamer and a great camera for selfies and video chat, the phone offers an appealing package that looks great too.

What's good

  • Great front camera
  • microSD support
  • Bright, detailed screen
  • Comfortable grip

What's bad

  • Not up to heavy use or gaming
  • Prone to scuffs and smudges
  • Battery slow to charge
  • Slippery when set down

Huawei has established itself as a contender in the mid-range market by creating phones that offer a premium feel while making smart sacrifices to keep prices low. With the Honor 9 Lite, they hope to appeal to media lovers and photographers looking for a solid value.

The phone features a metal frame with a glass rear panel. While the back is pretty, it’s prone to smudges and scratches -- especially since there’s a fingerprint scanner back there. You’ll need to keep a cloth around or slap it in a case to keep things looking like new.

It is also slippery. Many reviewers mentioned the phone sliding off uneven surfaces -- though none had problems with cracking. 

Around front, you’ll find a 5.6-inch IPS LCD panel running at 2160-by-1080. The 18:9 screen ratio means tiny bezels. But reviewers still had trouble with one-handed use. Fortunately, Huawei added features to the software to help with this. 

The screen offers excellent contrast and brightness. Reviewers had no trouble with outdoor visibility and loved the screen for both reading text and watching videos. Many called it one of the best options in the Honor 9 Lite’s price range.

The phone has a few weaknesses. The pairing of 2.36Ghz octa-core Kirin 650 processor with 3GB of RAM was enough to keep basic tasks and casual games running snappy. But advanced things, like 4K video and complex 3D games, created stuttering and heat issues.

The phone includes 32GB of internal storage. You can expand that with a microSD. However, it requires using the second SIM slot. So you’ll have to choose which feature is more important -- two lines or more storage.

The phone runs Android 8.0 Oreo with the EMUI 8.0 interface. Previous versions of EMUI were known for their bloatware and heavy modifications. Reviewers like the scaled back experience of this latest version. While there’s still bloatware, you can uninstall most of it.

The cameras are the obvious star of the show. The phone features 13MP dual lens front and rear cameras with 2MP secondary lenses for added bokeh. While reviewers found the bokeh and portrait modes very subtle, they liked the detailed, colorful images captures -- particularly from the front-facing camera. 

Low-light performance was so-so. But for the price, it performed admirably, and the flash was powerful when detailed images were needed.

The 3,000mAh battery was another weak link for many reviewers. With light-to-moderate use, the phone has no problems lasting a day. But heavy users will struggle to reach sundown without searching out a charger. To make matters worse, it uses micro USB charging and doesn’t support any form of fast charging. You’re looking at a few hours for a full top off and will likely want to charge overnight.

TechNave said, “... this is a phone for a user who doesn't need a lot of requirements. It looks nice and the camera is quite good, so that's all an average user really needs.” Recombu said, “The Honor 9 Lite is a solid budget smartphone, offering full functionality for media lovers who want a big-screen experience on the move.”


Android
Operating system
Operating system
Android
2.36 GHz
Processor
Processor
2.36 GHz
5.65"
Screen Size
Screen Size
5.65"
13+ MP, f/2.2
Camera
Camera
13+ MP, f/2.2
3000 mAh
Battery


What the Critics Are Saying...


MobileTechTalk
MobileTechTalk

The full glass front and back keeps it feeling like a modern premium device. You would only know that you weren’t using a flagship device when you fire up the camera and start to take some shots. That was the only real flaw I encountered whilst I was using the device. For me, the camera on the Honor...

- Chris Wallace, MobileTechTalk
Expert Reviews
Expert Reviews

The key to the Honor 9 Lite is its price. It may not be the fastest or most long-lived smartphone on the market, but for £200 it’s an outright bargain. With its excellent 18:9 display and decent set of cameras, it could well be a contender for best budget smartphone of 2018. Honor’s rivals are going...

- Nathan Spendelow, Christopher Minasians, Expert Reviews
TechNave
TechNave

This is a phone for a user who doesn't need a lot of requirements. It looks nice and the camera is quite good, so that's all an average user really needs. While the battery is a bit of a letdown, iy is not that much of a problem when it's not pushed to the limits.

- Abel Wong, TechNave
Notebookcheck
Notebookcheck

Honor has managed to create a good mid-range smartphone: The 9 Lite. It impresses with its bright display, decent dual cameras and smooth system performance. In addition, it has a great design with attractive color options.

- Daniel Schmidt, Notebookcheck
TechRadar
TechRadar

Honor has become accomplished at churning out excellent-value smartphones, and the Honor 9 Lite is no exception. It's not perfect, but with a decent quad-camera setup and a very handsome design, it delivers exceptional bang for your buck.

- Basil Kronfli, TechRadar


Prices (Where to Buy)




Common Questions


We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Huawei Honor 9 Lite user manual here.


Huawei backs up the Honor 9 Lite with a 2 Years parts & labour warranty.


If your Honor 9 Lite has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Huawei support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Huawei's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.



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Quick view

Screen Size
5.65"

The Huawei Honor 9 Lite's screen size is 5.65 inches with 1080 x 2160 pixels resolution.

Processor
2.36 GHz

There is a HiSilicon Kirin 659 Octa core 2.36 GHz processor (CPU).

OS

The phone runs on the Android 8.0 Oreo operating system (OS).

Camera
13+ MP

You can take photos or capture video with the phone's onboard 13+ MP, f/2.2 camera.

There is also a secondary front facing camera with 13+ megapixels resolution.

Storage
32 GB

Internal memory is 32 GB. An external, MicroSD, MicroSDHC, microSDXC (up to 256 GB) expansion slot is available for increased storage capacity.

Battery
3000mAh

The phone is powered by a Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol), 3000 mAh battery. Huawei's performance ratings are 2011 minutes, 675 minutes Wi-Fi surfing.

Honor 9 Lite Specs

Overview
Release Date December 21, 2017
Regions Available United Kingdom
Operating System Android 8.0 Oreo

Compare Android Smartphones

Processor HiSilicon Kirin 659 Octa core 2.36 GHz
Internal Storage 32 GB
RAM 3 GB
Hearing Aid Compatible No
TTY/TDD No
Noise Cancellation Yes
SAR Head: 1.26 W/kg
Body: 1.26 W/kg
Manufacturer Warranty 2 Years
Accessories Included USB Power Adapter, Manual, Data Cable
Cellular
Networks
GPRS, EDGE, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE
Mobile / Cellular Data
4G/LTE
Push-to-talk (PTT) No
Wi-Fi Calling Yes
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Yes
SIM card size
Nano-SIM
Dual SIM Yes
Connectivity
USB Micro-USB 2.0
USB OTG Support Yes
GPS Type A-GPS
Infrared No
Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth Profiles A2DP, AVRCP, OPP/FTP, HID, HFP, HSP, PAN
Bluetooth Audio Codecs SBC
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Mobile Hotspot Yes
Memory Expansion Slot Yes
Expansion Slot Info MicroSD, MicroSDHC, microSDXC (up to 256 GB)
NFC Yes
Data Tethering Compatibility Yes
Camera
Main Camera
Resolution / Aperture
13+ Megapixels, f/2.2
Zoom
Yes
Flash
Yes (LED)
Additional Rear Camera Info
Auto focus, Brightness control, Effects, Face detection, Geotagging, ISO, Panorama, Self-timer, Smile detection, White balance, Dual camera feature (2 MP 2nd camera), Exposure
Video Recording Formats
MPEG-4
Video Recording Parameters
Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), 30 fps
Front Camera
Resolution / Aperture
13+ Megapixels
Additional Front Camera Info
Panorama, Dual camera feature (2 MP 2nd camera)
Video Recording Parameters
Display / Screen
Type Color
Technology LCD (IPS)
Colors 16.7 million
Resolution 1080 x 2160 pixels
Pixel Density 428 pixels
Size 5.65 inches
Secondary Display No
Sensors Ambient Light, Proximity, Motion / Accelerometer, Digital Compass
Multi-Touch Yes
Fingerprint-Resistant Coating No
Additional Display Features Capacitive touch screen, 2.5D display
Power & Battery
Battery Type Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol)
Battery Capacity 3000 mAh
Removable Battery No
Wireless Charging No
Fast Charging No
Video Playback Time Up to 780 minutes
Internet Use (Wi-Fi) Up to 675 minutes
Internet Use (Cellular) Unknown
Talk Time Up to 2011 minutes
Standby Time Up to 52 days
Mixed Usage
Physical Characteristics
Design Type Bar
Material Aluminium
Colors Midnight Black, Glacier Gray, Sapphire Blue, Navy, Seagull Gray, Magic Nightfall, Pearl White, Lite Gray
Dimensions [H x W x D] 15.1 x 7.19 x 0.76 cm (5.9 x 2.8 x 0.3 in)
Weight 149 grams
Water Resistant / Waterproof No
Rugged design No
IP Rating No
Headset Jack 3.5mm
External Speakers Yes
Input / Navigation
Sleep / Wake Key Yes
Home Key No
Input / Keyboard Type Touchscreen
Navigation Type Touchscreen
External Volume Control Yes
Fingerprint Sensor Yes
More
Additional Information Other Names (AKA):
Related Links Quick Start Guide (PDF)
Manual (PDF)
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