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Huawei P20 Lite
Huawei P20 Lite
Huawei P20 Lite
Huawei P20 Lite
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7/10
Informr score
The Huawei P20 Lite currently has an Informr score of 7 out of 10. This score is based on our evaluation of 16 sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

The "1-Minute" Review

Verdict

While the phone isn’t bad per se, it’s not an exceptional value. Many reviewers question the price of the P20 Lite and recommend Honor’s similarly priced -- and better performing -- options instead.

What's good

  • Solid design
  • Bright, vivid display
  • Decent camera
  • Ample storage space
  • microSD support

What's bad

  • Weak low-light camera performance
  • Weak battery for gaming and video
  • So-so performance
  • Questionable UI design

Huawei’s P20 Pro established itself as a major contender in the flagship market. But trimming a flagship powerhouse down to a more budget-friendly option is a tricky affair. The P20 Lite tries to do exactly that and bring the P20 panache to a much lower price point. But does it succeed?

While the phone doesn’t stand out from a design perspective, it is attractive enough and well built. The phone is thin and light, and reviewers found it slipped into their pockets with ease. The glass back -- as usual -- was a fingerprint magnet. Otherwise, reviewers loved the comfortable grip and clean lines on offer.

The back includes a slight camera bump in the upper corner and a fingerprint scanner in the middle. The scanner is responsive and easily reached without having to adjust your hold on the phone.

Around front, the 5.84-inch 1080p LCD panel received mixed marks. While there’s plenty of color and brightness, reviewers felt the screen lacked contrast. Though at 432 pixels-per-inch, you’ll have no problem noticing details in video and images or reading text.

There’s also the infamous notch in play here. If you don’t like it, you can try to hide it by adding a black bar to the screen in the phone’s settings. But according to reviewers, this doesn’t work well due to lack of screen contrast.

Performance reviews were also scattered. The octa-core 2.36Ghz Kirin 659 processor with 4GB of RAM is enough to keep the phone running smoothly for media consumption, multitasking, and everyday use. But crank up a newer game and the phone shows its mid-tier pedigree. While games ran fairly smooth, they were slow to load and settings needed to be dialed back.

The phone includes a generous 64GB of internal storage. Should you need more space, it also supports microSD cards up to 256GB.

The software was another area of contention for the P20 Lite. It runs Android 8.0 with EMUI 8.0. While Huawei has trimmed back some bloat from earlier versions of EMUI, many reviewers found the interface ugly and cluttered. Fortunately, it runs snappy and applies minimal changes to Android features. This means you can always pick up an alternate launcher from Google Play without missing out on important functions.

The phone’s dual-lens rear camera with a 16MP color sensor and 2MP depth sensor perform well in decent lighting. But as the lights dim, so does camera performance. The phone also lacks the AI processing of the bigger P20 Pro, so you’ll likely just want to leave things in auto and see how pictures turn out.

The front-facing 24MP selfie shooter captured respectable images, but the lack of flash puzzled many reviewers. 

To keep things chugging along, Huawei included a 3000mAh battery with USB Type-C charging and Quick Charge support. In most cases, it lasted a day for reviewers. However, if you’re planning to stream video often or play games, you’ll want to keep the charger nearby.

Despite the praise, reviewers still had trouble recommending the Huawei P20 Lite. Ironically, it’s because they felt that other Honor phones -- Huawei’s budget-friendly sister company -- offered better value. The Honor 7X offers similar specs and features for slightly less while the Honor 10 offers better performance across the board for only slightly more -- and it looks better too.

Recombu explained this well, saying, “... this smartphone is perfectly fine as an everyday blower, even up to the challenges of online gaming and capturing good-looking photos… The main problem is that it’s not really much different to a whole load of recent Honor handsets...” 


Android
Operating system
Operating system
Android
2.36 GHz
Processor
Processor
2.36 GHz
5.84"
Screen Size
Screen Size
5.84"
16+ MP, f/2.2
Camera
Camera
16+ MP, f/2.2
3000 mAh
Battery


What the Critics Are Saying...


Gadgets 360
Gadgets 360

The Huawei P20 Lite is a compact and good-looking smartphone with a crisp and vibrant display, Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, and decent cameras. That said, its battery life is underwhelming at best, EMUI is still cluttered, and performance is below average.

- Shobhit Varma, Gadgets 360
3G.co.uk
3G.co.uk

The Huawei P20 Lite has a lot of flagship features, including a great screen, a high-end build and a dual-lens camera, but some rivals offer similar or more and it feels a bit underpowered.

- James Rogerson, 3G.co.uk
Cnet
Cnet

The Huawei P20 Lite looks more expensive than it is, has dual cameras and is very affordable. But its battery life and performance are just OK. If $500 feels like too much for a phone, Huawei’s P20 Lite is a solid sub-$300 option.

- Daniel Van Boom, Cnet
Verified Tasks
Verified Tasks

The Huawei P20 Lite has one of many essential nicest are compatible and finish inside the mid-range space, plus some strong choices that set it aside from the competition – nevertheless an older processor method its days are numbered.

- Monica Sharma, Verified Tasks
TrustedReviews
TrustedReviews

The Huawei P20 Lite has some of the nicest fit and finish in the mid-range space, plus some powerful features that set it apart from the competition – but an older processor means its days are numbered.

- Alex Todd, TrustedReviews


Prices (Where to Buy)




Common Questions


Huawei backs up the P20 Lite with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.


If your P20 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
5.84"

The Huawei P20 Lite's screen size is 5.84 inches with 1080 x 2280 pixels resolution.

Processor
2.36 GHz

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

OS

The phone runs on the Android 8.1 Oreo operating system (OS).

Camera
16+ MP

You can take photos or capture video with the phone's onboard 16+ MP, f/2.2 camera.

There is also a secondary front facing camera with 16+ megapixels resolution.

Storage
64 GB

Internal memory is 64 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 1800 minutes.

P20 Lite Specs

Overview
Release Date March 21, 2018
Regions Available Canada, United Kingdom
Operating System Android 8.1 Oreo

Compare Android Smartphones

Processor HiSilicon Kiri 659 Octa core 2.36 GHz
Internal Storage 64 GB
RAM 4 GB
Hearing Aid Compatible No
TTY/TDD No
Noise Cancellation Yes
SAR Head: 0.75 W/kg
Body: 1.21 W/kg
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year
Accessories Included USB Power Adapter, Manual, Headphones, 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 No
Connectivity
USB USB Type-C
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, aptX, aptX HD
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/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
16+ Megapixels, f/2.2
Zoom
Yes
Flash
Yes (Dual LED)
Additional Rear Camera Info
Auto focus, Effects, Face detection, Geotagging, Multi-shot, Night mode, Panorama, Self-timer, Dual camera feature (2 MP 2nd camera, f/2.4), HDR
Video Recording Formats
MPEG-4
Video Recording Parameters
Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels)
Front Camera
Resolution / Aperture
16+ Megapixels
Additional Front Camera Info
Face detection, Self-timer, Aperture f/2.0
Video Recording Parameters
Display / Screen
Type Color
Technology LCD (TFT)
Colors 16.7 million
Resolution 1080 x 2280 pixels
Pixel Density 432 pixels
Size 5.84 inches
Secondary Display No
Sensors Ambient Light, Proximity, Motion / Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Digital Compass
Multi-Touch Yes
Fingerprint-Resistant Coating No
Additional Display Features Capacitive touch screen
Power & Battery
Battery Type Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol)
Battery Capacity 3000 mAh
Removable Battery No
Wireless Charging No
Fast Charging Yes
Video Playback Time Unknown
Internet Use (Wi-Fi) Unknown
Internet Use (Cellular) Unknown
Talk Time Up to 1800 minutes
Standby Time Up to 19.625 days
Mixed Usage
Physical Characteristics
Design Type Bar
Material Aluminium
Colors Midnight Blue, Klein Blue, Sakura Pink, Platinum Gold
Dimensions [H x W x D] 14.86 x 7.12 x 0.74 cm (5.9 x 2.8 x 0.3 in)
Weight 145 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):

Also available in dual SIM variant.

Related Links Quick Start Guide (PDF)
Huawei P20 Lite Reviews
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