What's good
- Good battery life
- Decent picture quality
- Generally smooth performance
- Attractive design
What's bad
- Low resolution display
- Screen occasionally non-responsive
- Slow shutter speed
In order to appeal to different markets, Huawei has released two different iterations of the P8 flagship. There's the monstrous P8 Max and the P8 Lite. The P8 Lite is priced to attract the more budget conscious shoppers, but in order to reduce the price tag Huawei had to make some sacrifices. The most notable is its all-plastic build. Still, reviewers consider it to be a fairly attractive device thanks to its curved corners and slim (0.3-inch) profile. It also surprised them with its excellent grip, which comes courtesy of its brushed plastic back and faux metal frame.
At 5-inches, the 720p resolution display offers a decent pixel density of 295ppi. While certainly not as clear and sharp as a Quad HD screen, experts describe it as a decent enough. They could still notice pixels, but it offered good color reproduction, wide viewing angles and maximum brightness high enough for good sunlight legibility. Some reviewers experienced issues with touch sensitivity having to frequently tap and double tap multiple times in order for their action to register.
Packed with a 1.5GHz octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM, the P8 Lite falls in line with other devices in its price range. Experts generally had smooth performance when swiping around the home screen and Android Authority adds, "The overall experience was mostly fluid, and the UI was fast and responsive most of the time." The Lite also comes with 16GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded further via microSD card and 4G LTE connectivity. What impressed critics the most was the longevity of the 2,200mAh battery. They were able to easily breeze through a day of moderate usage without the need to reach for a charger and a full two days when only doing the most basic activities. The only way they were able to drain the battery in less than a day was to keep the screen at max brightness, watch movies and do a ton of web browsing. Even then, they were able to get five hours of use. This is great news for consumers as the P8 Lite's battery is not removable.
The P8 Lite comes equipped with a 13MP main camera. For the most part, critics were able to get decently colored and detailed images in good lighting conditions though they add colors generally tend to be a bit dull. Low light settings were different story, resulting in a lot of noise and lack of details in their pictures. They suggest this is due to the lack of optical image stabilization and slow camera shutter. It took some experts a full two seconds from pressing the button for the pictures to actually process.
For many reviewers, the Huawei P8 is a difficult phone to recommend due to its various shortcomings. Anand Tech states, "At this time there are simply better options in the…price point." Tech Radar adds, "…the P8 Lite simply can't keep up with the competition."
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Sunetra Chakravarti, Mobile ChoiceVery good for basic usage, taking pictures or even as a starter phone, the P8 Lite will do well until you need sheer grunt power or better battery life. But for the price it is a solid handset and quite popular with the paying population according to my discreet enquiries with retailers.
- Kyle Wiggers, Digital TrendsThe P8 Lite's surprisingly good camera doesn't quite make up for average performance and a disappointing display.
- GSMArena team, GSMArenaThe Huawei P8ite really does match the best of two worlds. The exquisite styling of the P8 is beautifully and masterfully carried over to the more affordable device, without any obvious compromises. If it is good looks you are after, then you really needn't look further than the P8lite. Surprisingl...
- Andreas Kilian , NotebookcheckBuyers of the P8 lite get a solid device that convinces with a smooth operation, good voice quality and a decent screen in practice. The chassis leaves a good and pretty sophisticated impression in general as well, even though the build quality reveals shows some small flaws like the wobbly buttons....
- Kevin Purcell, GottaBeMobileBuyers who need a phone and can’t take advantage of a cheaper upgrade from their GSM carrier can get a decent budget phone with good performance, a nice camera and bright screen for far less than they could get most other phones. Don’t bother with the Huawei P8 Lite if you hate plastic...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Huawei P8 Lite user manual here.
Huawei backs up the P8 Lite with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your P8 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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