What's good
- Long battery life
- Bright and vibrant display
- Good performance
What's bad
- Camera struggles in low light situations
- Some stuttering on graphics intensive games
- Plastic body slippery to hold
Launched alongside their flagship P9 smartphone, Huawei also released the P9 Lite. As the name suggests, it is an affordable version of the original that sacrifices some features for the sake of lowering the cost. For example, instead of an aluminum unibody it comes with a polycarbonate back with an aluminum frame. Despite having mostly a plastic body, the P9 Lite weights 147 grams, which is 4 grams heavier than the P9. The rounded edges and corners provided reviewers with a nice hand feel, but the slippery back made it difficult to grip.
The 5.2-inch screen offers a resolution of 1080p for full HD clarity. Critics found it to be vibrant, saturated and bright with excellent viewing angles thanks to the use of IPS technology. Huawei also uses InCell technology for almost zero gap between the glass and display. Speaking of glass, unlike many other smartphones, the P9 Lite glass is regular glass and not Gorilla Glass.
Keeping the P9 Lite running is an octa-core processor clocked at 2GHz and 3 GB of RAM. Although the processor isn’t top-of-the-line, combined with the RAM critics found it relatively quick during everyday usage. They didn’t notice any lag when opening or switching between apps.
The only time it suffered was when they played graphics intensive games on max settings. Even then, they point to the graphics card as the cause for the stutters and not the processor. Android Pit states, “With the P9 Lite, Huawei has built a very well balanced package of performance, power consumption and heat output…Only gamers should think twice before picking one up.” Even more impressive than its performance was its battery life. Critics were able to get over 10 hours with moderate use.
The most notable aspect missing from the P9 Lite is the lack of dual lens found on the P9. Instead, there’s a single 13MP rear camera with no optical image stabilization. This didn’t present too much of a problem when reviewers tested out the camera in bright light situations. Most of the images were quite sharp in good lighting conditions. However, the quality quickly dipped once light decreased leading to distortions. It does come with a Pro mode so users can adjust the ISO, exposure time, white balance and focus for better image quality.
For the price, reviewers have no problem recommending the P9 Lite to non-power users. Notebook Check states, “Huawei has a strong mid-range smartphone in its lineup that does many things…” Pocket Lint adds, “Fair price, fair performance and more than fair design lead the way here…”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Nathan Spendelow, Expert ReviewsIt all started so well. The Huawei P9 Lite’s look and feel, performance and display all promised great things when I began to write this review, especially given the phone’s sub-£200 price tag. I even thought it might challenge the Moto G4 for the honour of best budget smartphone.&...
- Alexandru Stănescu, GSM DomeHuawei P9 Lite is a great follow up to a great P8 Lite and it will surely sell well. The main upgrades are the battery, display, camera, but still this is not exactly on par with the Galaxy A 2016, for example. It can fight it in the camera area, but the battery and screen are better on the Samsung...
- GSMArena team, GSMArenaThe Huawei P9 Lite is great as more affordable version of the flagship.
- Manuel Masiero, NotebookcheckWith the P9 Lite, Huawei has a strong mid-range smartphone in its lineup.
- Shu On Kwok, AndroidPITThe Huawei P9 lite is a well-conceived package without serious weaknesses. The 5.2-inch smartphone is sufficiently compact and comfortable, with its 147 gram weight delivering the feel of a solidly crafted phone. The Huawei P9 lite must be looked at with a magnifying glass to identify serious c...
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Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Huawei P9 Lite user manual here.
Huawei backs up the P9 Lite with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your P9 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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