In the ever-evolving world of smartphones, finding a device that offers premium features at an affordable price point can be a challenge. Enter the Honor 9 Lite, a budget-friendly smartphone that aims to disrupt the market with its impressive specs and stylish design. As a tech enthusiast, I've had the opportunity to thoroughly test this device, and I'm excited to share my in-depth review of the Honor 9 Lite.
Design and Build Quality: Premium Looks on a Budget
The Honor 9 Lite immediately stands out with its sleek and elegant design. Featuring a glass back with a mirror-like finish on the grey and blue models, this device exudes a premium feel that belies its budget price tag. At just 7.6 mm thick and weighing a mere 149 grams, the Honor 9 Lite is both slim and lightweight, making it comfortable to hold and use for extended periods.
The attention to detail in the design is evident, with smooth, rounded edges and a seamless integration of the display into the body. The 2.5D curved glass on both the front and back adds to the premium look and feel. However, it's worth noting that the glossy back is prone to fingerprints and smudges, so you may find yourself wiping it frequently to maintain its pristine appearance.
Display: Immersive Visuals on a Budget
One of the standout features of the Honor 9 Lite is its 5.65-inch display, which boasts a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. This Full HD+ display offers a pixel density of 428 PPI, resulting in sharp text and crisp images. The minimal bezels on the sides contribute to an immersive viewing experience, making the device feel more modern and in line with current design trends.
In terms of display quality, the Honor 9 Lite impresses with its bright and vivid colors. The IPS LCD panel offers good visibility in various lighting conditions, including outdoor use. The color reproduction is quite accurate, with a slight tendency towards warmer tones. While it may not match the deep blacks of an AMOLED display, the contrast is still respectable for an LCD panel in this price range.
It's worth mentioning that not all apps are optimized for the 18:9 aspect ratio, which may result in some letterboxing or scaling issues with certain content. However, this is a common issue with many devices featuring this aspect ratio and is not unique to the Honor 9 Lite.
Performance and Software: Capable Daily Driver
Under the hood, the Honor 9 Lite is powered by Huawei's HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor. This octa-core chipset features four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.36 GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.7 GHz. The device comes in two variants: 3GB RAM with 32GB storage, and 4GB RAM with 64GB storage. Both versions support expandable storage via a microSD card.
In real-world usage, the Honor 9 Lite handles everyday tasks with ease. Social media apps, web browsing, and casual gaming run smoothly without noticeable lag. The device can even handle some more demanding games, although you may need to lower the graphics settings for optimal performance.
The Honor 9 Lite runs on Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, with Honor's EMUI 8.0 skin on top. EMUI 8.0 brings several useful features, including the option for an app drawer or home screen-only layout, a three-finger screenshot gesture, one-handed mode for easier use, and flip to mute functionality. The software experience is generally smooth, although some users may find the interface a bit cluttered compared to stock Android.
While not the fastest phone in its class, the Honor 9 Lite delivers reliable performance for most users' needs. It's worth noting that during heavy multitasking or when running more demanding apps, you may experience occasional slowdowns, particularly on the 3GB RAM variant.
Camera System: Quad Cameras for Creative Freedom
The standout feature of the Honor 9 Lite is undoubtedly its quad-camera setup. Both the front and rear of the device feature a dual-camera system, consisting of a 13MP main sensor paired with a 2MP depth sensor. This configuration allows for enhanced bokeh effects and improved low-light performance on both sides of the device.
The rear camera system performs admirably in good lighting conditions, producing images with excellent color reproduction and a good level of detail. The wide aperture mode, which allows for adjustable aperture from f/0.95 to f/4.0, is particularly impressive. It creates a natural-looking bokeh effect that can be adjusted post-capture, giving users more creative control over their photos.
In low-light situations, the camera struggles a bit more, with some noise becoming apparent. However, the night mode does help to improve the results, albeit at the cost of some sharpness due to longer exposure times.
The front-facing camera system is capable of taking decent selfies, with the option to add bokeh effects. While the results are generally good, the colors tend to be a bit muted compared to the rear camera, and the bokeh effect isn't as refined.
The camera app offers a variety of modes and features, including a Pro mode for manual controls, light painting mode for creative long exposures, time-lapse, and a food mode for those Instagram-worthy meal shots. It's worth noting that the camera app can occasionally lag, especially when reviewing photos taken in wide aperture mode.
Battery Life: Adequate for Most Users
The Honor 9 Lite is equipped with a 3000mAh battery, which is on the smaller side compared to some competitors in this price range. Battery life varies depending on usage patterns, but most users should be able to get through a full day on a single charge with light to moderate use.
Heavy users, particularly those who make extensive use of the camera or engage in gaming, may find themselves reaching for the charger before the end of the day. To extend battery life, users can lower the display resolution to 1440 x 720p, which can help squeeze out a few extra hours of use.
The device supports 10W charging, which is not particularly fast by today's standards but is adequate for overnight charging. Unfortunately, there's no support for fast charging or wireless charging, which is understandable given the price point.
Connectivity and Audio: Covering the Basics
The Honor 9 Lite offers dual SIM support with a hybrid slot, allowing users to use either two SIM cards or one SIM card and a microSD card for expanded storage. The device supports 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS, covering all the essential connectivity options.
Call quality is generally good on most networks, with clear voice reproduction and minimal distortion. The loudspeaker is adequate for casual use but can sound tinny at high volumes, which is not uncommon for devices in this price range.
It's worth noting that the device retains the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is becoming increasingly rare in modern smartphones. However, no earphones are included in the box, so users will need to provide their own.
Value Proposition: A Lot of Bang for Your Buck
The Honor 9 Lite offers an impressive package for its price point, starting at Rs 10,999 for the 3GB/32GB variant and Rs 14,999 for the 4GB/64GB variant. At the lower price point, it's hard to beat the combination of premium design, versatile camera capabilities, and solid overall performance.
The higher-priced variant faces stiffer competition from devices like the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Moto G5s Plus, which offer their own unique strengths. However, the Honor 9 Lite still holds its own with its quad-camera setup and sleek design.
Conclusion: A Worthy Contender in the Budget Smartphone Arena
The Honor 9 Lite proves to be a strong contender in the budget smartphone market, offering a well-rounded package that punches above its weight class. Its standout features include the premium design, versatile camera system, decent everyday performance, and feature-rich software.
While it may not be the absolute best in every category, the Honor 9 Lite successfully brings premium features down to a more accessible price point. For users looking for a stylish, capable smartphone without breaking the bank, the Honor 9 Lite is definitely worth considering.
As technology continues to evolve, it's exciting to see devices like the Honor 9 Lite pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the budget smartphone segment. It serves as a testament to the rapid pace of innovation in the mobile industry and the increasing accessibility of advanced features to a wider audience.
