Home Hi-Tech Android World ,,,,, In many respects Honor 9 Lite is very similar to a terminal tried a few weeks ago, Huawei P Smart. The two devices share dimensions and other technical characteristics, being able to almost define, if not brothers, at least cousins. After all, Huawei and Honor seem to go hand in hand when presenting new smartphones, as has already happened with Honor 7X and Huawei Mate 10 Lite. With Honor 9 Lite, once again, a really economical mid-range is proposed, which does not give up style and elegance in design, with good performance.
Aesthetics
Although Huawei P Smart and this Honor 9 Lite share the dimensions, the aesthetics of the latter terminal is different, characterized by a more particular design. What characterizes it most are the light effects that break on the slide, especially on the rear, as was already the case with Honor 9. This type of highly reflective surface seems to have become the trademark of the company, which continues to adopt for their smartphones really special colors. The one under test, for example, is totally blue: on the front with slightly duller shades, so as not to be annoying to the eye, while on the back much more electric and bright.
As for Huawei P Smart, however, the size of the display, equal to 5.65 inches, is to be praised, therefore different from many other terminals of the moment that take advantage of a 5.99 diagonal. The difference may seem minimal, and indeed it is during use, but the benefit is enormous during use. It holds very well in the hand and thanks to the elongated form factor, and the extremely small frames, it can be used almost in one hand. Honor 9 Lite therefore represents an absolutely interesting choice for those who appreciate 18: 9, but would still like a “small” device in their hands.
Honor 9 Lite holds well in the hand
If the dimensions of the panel are really spot on, the overall quality of the display is also excellent, also considering the price range of the device, which can be purchased on Amazon for less than 200 euros. It is based on LCD technology, with Full HD + resolution, and a pixel density of 428 ppi. Always readable and well lit, it absolutely does not leave you thinking of a low cost smartphone.
From the point of view of the quality of the display we can resume what was said for Huawei P Smart, with colors that are faithful, and many settings that allow you to customize the display. There is, for example, the important night mode that reduces the blue point, as well as a particular option to switch from FHD + to HD resolution, to save battery.
Technical features
The data sheet is almost identical to the cousin P Smart, except for the front chamber, which this time is dual, like the rear one, with 13 + 2 MP sensors. In any case, in consideration of the selling price, the data sheet reads particularly well, and cannibalizes any attempt to emerge of the Chinese mid-low range smartphones. The terminal is equipped with the Huawei proprietary chip, HiSilicon Kirin 659 (4x 2.36 GHz Cortex-A53 + 4x 1.7 GHz Cortex-A539, with Mali-T830 GPU, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of integrated memory and MicroSD compartment for expansion. In terms of sensors and connectivity, nothing is really missing, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, WiFi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, FM radio, fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, proximity sensor and compass.
In terms of performance, Honor 9 Lite equals Huawei P Smart in everything: in everyday life it allows you to fully enjoy the Android ecosystem, it works well, and does not present problems of any kind. We are not facing the smoothest phone on the market, and the transition from one application to another could take a few hundredths of a second longer. It is normal in consideration of the technical data sheet, but considering the reduced price it is absolutely a terminal to be promoted from every point of view.
Even typing on the keyboard, without major lag, is still slightly slower than on other terminals. Also in this case, as already mentioned for Huawei P Smart, you only realize these little things if you come from top-end terminals.
No problem in unlocking the terminal: the fingerprint sensor positioned on the rear body can be reached well, it is hollow enough to reach it without problems and, above all, it is lightning fast and reliable, unlocking the terminal 10 times out of 10.
The operating system has been updated, with Android Oreo 8.0 and EMUI 8.0. The settings system has been completely revolutionized, really simplified, now much more intuitive, with all the settings better arranged within a few sections.
Multimedia
At the multimedia level, the terminal uses a double photographic module, 13 MP + 2 MP, with autofocus, and LED flash. The secondary camera is used exclusively to calculate the depth of the images, but it is sufficient to allow the user to take photos with bokeh effects, then portraits. Same setting on the front too, with a double 13 + 2 MP sensor, which takes absolutely sufficient selfies.
Certainly it is not possible to compare these shots to other more expensive top-of-the-range terminals, but overall the photographic quality is absolutely in line with the price of the terminal, which we reiterate to be less than 200 euros on Amazon. As always we leave you to a photo gallery taken without corrections and without any filter.
Even the front camera is absolutely acceptable and thanks to some software corrections, such as face beauty filters, they return appreciable shots. The videos, on the other hand, are recorded at 1080p at 30 fps, with a quality comparable in all respects to that of P Smart: natural colors, with a faster change of focus than the Huawei cousin. Of course the videos are not stabilized, but otherwise it could not be, considering the price range of the product.
Reception and autonomy absolutely in the norm. No problems during our calls, as well as no sudden drop in signal while browsing, with a 4G that is always stable and constant, and consequent high download speeds. From the standpoint of autonomy, the device covers the day of intense use, also leaving a residual percentage before going to bed.
In terms of sound, the terminal offers a mono speaker (of course, considering the price). In itself the quality is not bad, the volume is also satisfactory, but overall it seems to tend towards cold sounds, exactly to the same extent as the Huawei P Smart did. It is forgiven, however, with the implementation of FM radio, for many users still an advantage not to be underestimated. Audio in capsule, good during conversations, while the speakerphone has a somewhat low volume.
Conclusions
Honor 9 Lite is the cousin of Huawei's P smart, but there is no shortage of reasons to prefer it to the latter. First of all, the price, a few tens of euros lower than the direct competitor. Again, the front room with double module, but above all the design, more original than P Smart. It is not said that everyone likes the strong and iridescent colors, but if you don't mind the Honor style, then it will certainly be more recognizable than many other terminals. Absolutely contained dimensions, even with a large 18: 9 display, make it a young, fashionable terminal, suitable for everyone.
Amazon sells it for around 200 euros. As already said for Huawei P Smart, even Honor 9 Lire at this price is absolutely a best buy.
PRO
VS
,,
