The middle price segment of the smartphone market is constantly under fierce competition. Manufacturers are forced to constantly offer new solutions to users in order to stay in a rapidly changing market. Honor 8 Lite, the review of which we have prepared, looks like such a “breath of fresh air”.
The device is notable for its interesting design and materials, a solid supply of RAM and good performance. But despite its attractiveness, the Lite version of Honor 8 still has several drawbacks. Let's figure out whether they are critical and why this model is inferior or better than other new Huawei products.
Equipment and appearance
Honor 8 Lite is hidden in a compact slider box with a minimal set of markings on the outer surface. Inside you can see a vertically placed phone (the Huawei P10 Lite is packaged in the same way) and a separate cardboard section for the rest of the contents. The device comes with a charging unit, a microUSB cable, a headset, a clip for the SIM card tray and documentation.
The smartphone looks almost the same as its older brother Honor 8. It is quite difficult to distinguish the two devices from the front; at the back you can notice the absence of a dual main camera module. The Lite version attracts the eye with shiny glass surfaces on the front and back sides. The shiny body is especially beautiful in blue, gold and white. For lovers of the classics, the black color option is suitable.
Unfortunately, brilliant design comes at a price. Glass with 2.5D effect does not have serious protection against damage and does not have an oleophobic coating. As a result, the phone quickly collects all kinds of scuffs, scratches and fingerprints. Copying the flagship Honor 8, the manufacturer also removed the aluminum frame - the ends of the device are made of plastic, so dropping this smartphone is strictly contraindicated.
The back cover of the device is very slippery – Honor 8 Lite tries to slip out of your hands every now and then. We recommend immediately adding a protective bumper or case to your shopping cart along with your smartphone.
The device is equipped with a 5.2-inch screen under which only the brand logo is located, the usual function keys are displayed on the display.
At the top of the front panel there is a speaker, an 8-megapixel camera, an event indicator and a set of sensors.
On the right is a set familiar to most smartphones - a volume rocker and a screen activation button.
On the left side, only the SIM card slot takes up space. One of them can be sacrificed to expand the internal storage using microSD. The compartment can be opened with a special clip included in the delivery set.
The MicroUSB connector on the bottom end of the device is symmetrically surrounded by two perforations. The main microphone is hidden under the left, and the multimedia speaker is hidden under the right.
The second microphone is located on top next to the 3.5mm audio input for headphones.
At the back is the main 12-megapixel camera lens next to the flash. A little lower you can feel the fingerprint scanner pad, slightly recessed into the body. The sensor works almost flawlessly.
There are no complaints about the assembly of the case; the quality is felt in everything. With a thickness of 7.6 mm, the device fits perfectly into the palm of your hand even in a protective case, and thanks to the optimal screen diagonal, you can comfortably operate your smartphone with one hand on the go.
Features of Huawei Honor 8 Lite in detail
Platform
Chipset HiSilicon Kirin 655 Octa core CPU 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2.12 GHz 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.70 GHz 64-bit Yes GPU ARM Mali-T830 MP2 @ 800 MHz NPU No Process technology 16 nm FinFET+
Memory
RAM 4 Gb - LPDDR3 @ 933 MHz (Single Channel) Built-in storage 32 Gb - eMMC 5.1 Memory expansion Yes Memory card types microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC Maximum capacity 128 Gb Dedicated slot No data
Screen
Resolution 1080 x 1920 (FullHD) Aspect ratio 9:16 Matrix type IPS Diagonal 5.2″ Area ~74.5 cm2 Fill percentage ~69.4% (of the total front surface area) Pixel density ~424 ppi Security Yes
Connection
Communication standards GSM, UMTS, LTE 2G GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz 3G WCDMA B1 2100 MHz, B2 1900 MHz, B4 1700 MHz, B5 850 MHz, B8 900 MHz 4G LTE FDD B1 2100 MHz, FDD B3 1800 MHz, FDD B5 850 MHz, TDD B39 1900 MHz, TDD B40 2300 MHz, TDD B41 2500 MHz LTE support Yes LTE categories Category-6 LTE speed Up to 300 Mbit/s in data download mode, up to 50 Mbit/s in transfer mode LTE device categories indicate the maximum speed at which it can send and receive data on 4G LTE networks through carrier aggregation. Number of SIM cards 2 Type of SIM cards Nano SIM
Cameras
Main camera
Type Single Resolution 12.0 MP Autofocus Yes Aperture No data Flash LED
Front-camera
Resolution 8.0 MP Aperture No data
Interfaces
WiFi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, access point mode Wi-Fi is a technology for building wireless local networks based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards. Supported by all modern smartphones and many mobile phones. Bluetooth v4.0 Bluetooth is a universal wireless interface for exchanging data between various types of devices at close range. Can be used for file transfer, audio streaming, network connection, printing and other purposes. The newer the version, the greater the speed and number of supported profiles. Navigation GPS, Glonass, Beidou For at least 10 years, smartphones have supported the geolocation function using data from satellite navigation systems. At the moment, these are the American-developed GPS, the Russian GLONASS, the Chinese BeiDou and the European GALILEO. As a rule, smartphones support the first two and optionally the rest. NFC No The built-in NFC module of a smartphone is mainly used for contactless payment in applications like Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Can also be used to read data from contactless cards, transfer files, etc. Read more here. Infrared port No Some smartphones have a built-in IR port. In the past, it was used to synchronize data both between two mobile phones and between a phone and a PC. However, now, due to its low speed, the infrared port is used mainly to control external devices in remote control mode. FM radio No Built-in radio receiver that allows you to listen to radio stations operating in the FM range. In most cases, it only works when headphones are connected, since the wire is used as a communication antenna. However, there are devices with a built-in antenna. 3.5 mm audio No Standard audio jack for connecting wired headsets and headphones. Starting in 2021, some smartphone manufacturers, following Apple, began to abandon it. In this case, to connect regular headphones, you need a special adapter for Lightning/USB Type-C. USB Micro USB, On-The-Go The type of USB connector installed in the smartphone and the capabilities it supports.
Sensors and biometrics
Sensors Light sensor, Electronic compass, Gravity sensor, Proximity sensor Fingerprint scanner Yes Scanner location On the back of the case Scanner reaction time No data Face scanner (Face ID) No Iris scanner (IRIS) No
Power supply
Battery capacity 3000 mAh Battery type Li-ion Removable battery No Fast charging No Wireless charging No
Software
Operating system Android 7.0 Nougat Shell No Over-the-air (OTA) update Yes Sending messages SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM Internet browser HTML5, CSS, JavaScript Audio formats AAC, MP3 Video formats 3GP, MP4 Graphic formats BMP, GIF, JPEG, JPG, PNG Voice assistant Google Assistant
Physical parameters
Dimensions 147.2 x 72.9 x 7.6 mm Weight 147 g Package dimensions 180.0 x 120.0 x 60.0 mm Package weight 450 g Protection level No Colors Golden
Performance
Geekbench 746 / 3288 (Single core / Multi core) Huawei Honor 8 Lite performance assessment according to the popular GeekBench benchmark.
Average data are shown. AnTuTu 56500 points Performance assessment of Huawei Honor 8 Lite according to the popular AnTuTu benchmark. Average data are shown. PassMark No data Important note : unfortunately, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of all data presented on this page, but we are constantly working in this direction. If you notice an error in the device settings, we will be very grateful if you report it in the comments.
Top
Screen
The 5.2” display of Honor 8 Lite has FullHD resolution with a pixel density of 423 units per inch. Thanks to a good brightness reserve (maximum limit - 620 cd/m2) and anti-glare coating, information on the smartphone screen is easy to read even in direct sunlight. Multi-touch supports up to 10 simultaneous touches.
The color gamut of the display is highly dependent on the brightness setting. In some values there is a large drop in red, which causes the image on the screen to be slightly distorted. You can notice this when adjusting the brightness with the light sensor.
Otherwise, the Honor 8 Lite screen fully meets all the requirements of a mid-priced device. From Huawei flagships, the hero of the review received an eye protection mode and automatic color correction technology. The first function significantly reduces eye strain when reading text in a dark room. The second regulates the color temperature according to the user's preferences.
Design
As the name suggests, Lite is a lightweight modification of Honor 8, which has a lot in common with it. The smartphone body is a plastic frame sandwiched between two panels of 2.5-inch glass. The thickness of the phone is 7.6 mm, weight – 147 g.
The problem with glass surfaces is that the material is more fragile than plastic or metal. In addition, the absence of Gorilla Glass increases the chances of an unfavorable outcome after the first fall of the smartphone. Therefore, users are rightly concerned about the durability of the phone. And if you handle it carelessly, you can very likely get scratches all over the surface of your new and shiny smartphone. Luckily, Huawei offers a replacement plastic back cover that can provide additional protection.
On the front there is a 5.2” screen. There is also an 8 MP selfie camera, as well as a metal speaker. The smartphone looks good thanks to the glass back, but unfortunately it easily attracts fingerprints and makes the phone too slippery. It even glides on inclined surfaces. The black color makes the spots very noticeable. Therefore, the phone will have to be wiped frequently.
The 12 MP camera and LED flash are located in the upper left corner of the rear panel. At the bottom there is a MicroUSB port, surrounded on both sides by grilles. There is a speaker under the right, and a microphone under the left. According to user reviews, they would prefer a different location for the sound source, since during the game the hand covers it when the screen is rotated horizontally. An additional microphone and a 3.5mm headset jack are located on top.
Performance
Huawei devices traditionally receive chipsets of the Chinese giant's own production. This fate did not spare the Honor 8 Lite - the smartphone is equipped with an eight-core HiSilicon Kirin 655 processor. The “heart” of the Lite version is made according to the 16 nm standard with FinFET+ technology. The maximum clock frequency of the chipset is 2.12 GHz.
The chipset also comes with a Mali-T830 graphics accelerator, 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory. This set is enough for everyday work; the perfectly optimized EMUI shell does not slow down during use.
Antutu results:
Based on synthetic tests, it is difficult to call the Honor 8 Lite a gaming device. In the heaviest 3D games, for comfortable gaming you have to lower the graphics settings, but the smartphone runs 90% of games without problems. During heavy loads the device does not heat up above 40 °C.
Camera performance
Judging by the characteristics of the Huawei Honor 8 Lite, photos taken with the smartphone should provide professional results. For this purpose, a 12 MP image sensor with a pixel size of 1.25 microns is used. There is also a single LED flash (not dual-color like other smartphones). The phase detection autofocus method is used.
The camera app is quite simple and easy to use. There are many modes to choose from, including for professional photo and video shooting with the ability to control all shooting parameters. In this case, if the owner knows how to handle the camera, he can immediately make the necessary settings.
During the day, the phone's rear camera focuses quickly and the pictures come out well. Even if you leave it in automatic mode, it copes with its responsibilities. The colors in the photos are quite accurate. In low light, the quality of images deteriorates, but is restored after manually adjusting the exposure. Macro photography is good, and the fullHD display allows you to see photos in all their glory.
The camera app lacks a dedicated night mode. To compensate for this, it is able to detect low light and sharpens images. Photos taken at night are good, but you can see that they have been processed. A dedicated night mode would be more useful than leaving the phone to solve this problem on its own.
The smartphone can record video with fullHD resolution, take slow and fast motion, and take panoramic photos.
For selfie lovers, the model is equipped with an 8 MP front camera. Her app has a mode that brightens skin tones. There is no front flash, but you can use the screen instead. The Huawei Honor 8 Lite 32GB Blue selfie camera has sufficient characteristics so that photos taken with it can be posted on social networks. The front sensor also allows you to record HD video.
Camera
Unlike the flagship models of the line, the budget version received a single main 12-megapixel camera module instead of a dual one. The photo sensor here is a Sony IMX286, the lens has an aperture of f/2.2, and the camera is also equipped with phase detection autofocus.
The quality of the resulting images is quite consistent with a mid-level smartphone. No surprises, pleasant or unpleasant. The Lite version takes excellent photographs in normal lighting; at dusk, the processor tries to minimize the amount of noise in the frame. The lens quickly focuses on the correct subject and produces an image with accurate white balance. The front module is capable of producing acceptable material for Instagram and social networks, but you shouldn’t count on the flagship quality of selfies. There is a built-in minor facial enhancement feature.
Examples of photos:
The main camera can record FullHD video at 30 frames per second. Only HD format is available for the front camera. An example of a video is in the video below.
Speaker, sound quality
The multimedia speaker of the Honor 8 Lite is standard for its price - it has a good volume reserve, but does not impress with its high-quality sound. Its main drawback is the frankly weak bass, but the device reproduces high frequencies quite well.
The sound in the headphones is a little behind the flagships. You can “tweak” the sound to more or less acceptable quality using the built-in equalizer or third-party enhancers, a la Viper FX.
Test results
In terms of benchmarks, the phone scores 54,929 points in the AnTuTu test, while the GeekBench single-core and multi-core tests score 821 and 3,361 points respectively. For comparison, the Moto G5 Plus, equipped with a Snapdragon 625 with a similar architecture, scores 63,855 in AnTuTu and 771 and 2,976 in Geekbench.
At the same time, gaming tests show not very impressive performance. Huawei Honor 8 Lite Black shows 18 fps in GFXBench, and Moto – 23 fps. Dropping frames occur in Asphalt 8. The Kirin 655 is good for general tasks, but the GPU lets you down when it comes to gaming.
Battery
Inside the Honor 8 Lite there is a non-removable 3000 mAh lithium-ion battery, and the proprietary Smart Power smart energy saving system also fights for autonomy. In mixed mode use (a couple of hours of video, surfing the web, photography, calls and some games), the smartphone consistently lasts for a full daylight hours.
The smartphone does not support fast charging; the average battery replenishment time takes approximately 1.5-2 hours.
OS and interface
The characteristics of Huawei Honor 8 Lite 32GB Blue have been improved thanks to the use of the latest version of the operating system. This is nice since most other smartphones still remain on the Marshmallow platform. The EMUI add-on is installed on top of the operating system. The user interface is quite simple and easy to navigate. If you don’t like its appearance, the phone owner has the opportunity to change the theme, icon set and font.
The debate about whether applications should be in a separate folder or remain icons on home screens should fade into oblivion with the release of such a model, since EMUI allows you to choose a more preferable option. The phone supports one-handed operation, which can be easily activated by sliding your finger across the on-screen buttons. Huawei Honor 8 Lite features allow you to easily switch between mobile and Wi-Fi connections to ensure the best possible connection, similar to the Wi-Fi Assist feature on iOS.
