Introduction
Smaller versions of flagship devices weren’t always well accepted. While the Samsung calls the smaller versions of its devices “Mini”, Huawei calls them “Lite”. This name should be taken with a grain of salt because this is still a device with a 5.2” display (Lite version is, in fact, a little bit bigger than the regular P10) which promises a great deal with its performances. It is very well designed, and the glass on both sides provides a special feel, especially if we compare it to the P9 Lite predecessor which was partly made of plastic. Besides these visible improvements, there are many more, especially regarding the hardware. There’s a hybrid SIM/microSD card slot. The P10 Lite comes in: Pearl White, Graphite Black, Platinum Gold, and Sapphire Blue color which we have here in our review. Let’s see what else is new in the P10 Lite.
Unboxing
Display
As we have said, the Lite has a bigger screen that the baseline P10. It is a FullHD IPS LCD display with a diagonal of 5.2” and 424 PPI, which is excellent, and it makes the sharpness of the screen very good (display details can be seen in the picture 6). IPS LCD panel has great contrast, very deep blacks and very good maximum brightness. Visibility of the sunlight is about average. It is possible to mitigate the reflection a little bit by using maximum brightness of the screen. The biggest downside of the display of the P10 Lite is definitely the lack of any glass protection on the screen – there’s no Corning Gorilla Glass, nor Dragontrail Glass, nor anything at all.
Hardware and OS
Huawei P10 Lite comes with a new Huawei chipset developed by themselves (HiSilicon), and it’s the Kirin 658 chipset. It is an octa core chipset divided into 2 quad core clusters. This way we have 4 cores clocked at 2.36 GHz, and 4 clocked at 1.7 GHz. Mali T830-MP2 is in charge of the graphics, which isn’t really the best, but it has proven itself as a decent choice for a mid-range device, which will definitely do well for an average user. When it comes to synthetic benchmark tests, the P10 Lite had great CPU scores, and only average or below average GPU scores. This device is equipped with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. This one, which we have here, is an international market version, but for some other markets there is a version with 4GB of RAM, and 64GB storage. The storage is expandable through a microSD card up to 256GB. AnTuTu benchmark showed this score: 57826. This device doesn’t have an issue with overheating, it performs great and even after extensive use there are no signs of overheating. The device has a built-in fingerprint scanner which is located inside the HOME button. The P10 Lite comes with preinstalled Android v7.0 Nougat firmware, and with Emotion 5.1 user interface, which is also used by the stronger P10.
Camera
The thing we really liked in the P10 Lite definitely is its primary camera. This time there’s only one camera sensor on the back as opposed to the P10 which has 2 cameras. The resolution of the camera is 12MP, and the sensor supports “Phase Detection Auto-focus”. The aperture is f/2.2, with 1.25 μm pixels. The camera interface is the same as in other devices from the Huawei lineup. We reveal the settings menu by swiping either up or down. The main camera menu shows us the shooting options: Photo, HDR, Pro, Panorama, All Focus, Beauty, and Light Painting. For the photography enthusiasts, the PRO mode offers a wide range of settings – manual focus settings, shutter speed, ISO and other parameters. Results achieved with the main camera of the P10 Lite are – excellent. Photos have high level of details, the noise is very low, while the color reproduction is quite realistic, with not too much saturation. Video is captured in 4K resolution at 30fps, which is definitely a welcome option. FullHD video at 60fps is not supported, but slow-motion is, although only in VGA resolution at 120fps. Video is of an average quality and an average level of details, with nice colors and good contrast. The front facing camera is still an 8MP camera (as it was on the P9 Lite), and can capture FullHD videos at 30fps. This sensor does not have auto-focus, and the photos are only average. The aperture is f/2.0 and the photos are automatically processed (Beauty Mode).
Connectivity
The P10 Lite is equipped with all modern connections. We will start from the SIM card slot which is in fact a hybrid slot, as it represents the slot for both the nanoSIM cards and a microSD card. So this way you can either have two SIM cards simultaneously, or one SIM card and one microSD card. Networks and connections of 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations are of course supported (2G, 3G, 4G), with download speeds up to 300Mbps and upload speeds up to 50Mbps.
Other wireless connections are:
- WiFi (with HotSpot mode)
- A-GPS
- DLNA
- BlueTooth v4.1
- NFC
- FM Radio
Battery
When it comes to the battery, the P10 Lite has a slightly smaller battery compared to the P10. It is a non-removable 3200 mAh battery. Smaller capacity battery goes hand in hand with the weaker chipset compared to the P10.
Results are:
- around 4 hours of gaming
- around 8 hours of browser use
The device also supports quick charging through the adapter which is delivered in the box. The device will get a 37% charge in half an hour, and a full charge in 2.5 hours. In general, the battery life is on a decent level, but it is worth to mention that a lot of energy is wasted in the stand-by mode.
Final words
For the end of this review we can say that the Huawei P10 Lite provides a lot for its money’s worth. Great design combined with the new Kirin mid-range chipset, and a very good camera for this class are a winning combination. The P10 Lite is very fluent, and all applications work flawlessly. Android v7.0 Nougat is also great news, and regular updates are expected, and soon even the new Android O. Compared to its predecessor, the P10 Lite definitely represents a step forward with its updated chipset, chassis redesign, bigger memory capacity, quick charging, and a newer version of Android.
Do you like the Huawei P10 Lite? We’d like to see your opinion in the comment section below. If you have any ideas or you would like to see a specific device being reviewed soon, feel free to let us know here or on our Facebook page. If you liked this review, subscribe to our Youtube channel, like us on Facebook, and sit back and relax while we make more of the same for you.
Huawei P10 Lite Full Specifications
