Push Admin

Huawei P20 Lite Review: Punches above weight with design, display

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/04/22/042218_p20.jpg"/><figcaption>The Huawei P20 Lite is shown in this photo. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - It&#x27;s understandable why Huawei did not unveil the P20 Lite at the same time as the P20 and P20 Pro in Paris last March. Without the camera brawn of the two, the Lite would seem like too much of a downgrade.</p><p>Taken on its own, however, the P20 Lite is a beautiful device with a surprisingly excellent display for its P15,990 price tag. Announced without fanfare, the P20 Lite goes on sale at the end of April along with the rest of the P20 series.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/16/18/huawei-announces-lite-version-of-photo-centered-p20-series">Huawei announces &#x27;lite&#x27; version of photo-centered P20 series</a></li></ul><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/03/31/18/the-case-for-triple-cameras-hands-on-with-huaweis-p20-pro">The case for triple cameras: Hands on with Huawei&#x27;s P20 Pro</a></li></ul><div><strong>DESIGN AND HARDWARE</strong></div><p>The P20 Lite does not stray too far from the P20 range. It has a notch at the top of the screen that&#x27;s similar to the iPhone X. The glass back sets it apart from the polycarbonate shells of its competitors giving it a more premium feel.</p><p>The textured metal frame makes it easier to grip. Though at 145 grams, it feels too light, almost like a chocolate bar that can fly off the hands.</p><p>The glass back, which also houses the fingerprint sensor, is not curved as in the P20 Pro. Overall, the phone fells sturdy and well built.</p><p>The 5.84-inch 2280x1080 screen packs 432 pixels per inch, that&#x27;s slightly higher than on the P20 and P20 Pro. The iPhone X has 458 pixels per inch.</p><p>It&#x27;s in the screen where the P20 Lite feels nothing like a mid-ranger. It&#x27;s bright, images are sharp and colors are vivid.</p><div><strong>CAMERAS</strong></div><p>The P20 Lite has two lenses on the back, one at 16 megapixels and the other at 2 megapixels. The front-facing camera also has 16 megapixels.</p><p>The cameras don&#x27;t carry the Leica branding of the P20 and P20 Pro, but the P20 Lite&#x27;s cameras produce rich colors and fine detail under good lighting conditions.</p><p>The P20 Lite struggles, however, when shooting against the light when subject can get washed out.</p><p>Huawei is touting a &#x27;beauty algorithm&#x27; on the selfie camera that smoothens the skin and brightens the eyes and lips without sacrificing detail.</p><p>The P20 Lite also offers augmented reality or AR effects and backgrounds.</p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/04/22/042218_p201.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/04/22/042218_p202.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/04/22/042218_p203.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/04/22/042218_p204.jpg"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>A test shot using the Huawei P20 Lite. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A test shot using the Huawei P20 Lite. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A test shot using the Huawei P20 Lite. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A test shot using the Huawei P20 Lite. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></p></div></div></div><div><strong>PERFORMANCE AND SOFTWARE</strong></div><p>Even without the AI-centered Kirin 970, the P20 Lite had no hiccups running on the lesser Kirin 659, built in-house by Huawei.</p><p>The 3,000 mAh battery can get through a day. Huawei promises a 43-percent battery boost with just 30 minutes of charging with the supplied brick and USB C cable.</p><p>The phone runs Android 8.0 Oreo overlaid with Huawei&#x27;s EMUI skin.</p><p>For better or for worse, it&#x27;s the same EMUI as in Huawei&#x27;s most recent devices though it&#x27;s not as heavily customized compared to the EMUI of a few years back.</p><p>Huawei also gives users the option to hide the notch by blackening the space around it.</p><div><strong>CONCLUSION</strong></div><p>Huawei was right to hold off on announcing the P20 Lite until after the international media blitz of the P20 and P20 Pro.</p><p>By giving it its own launch, albeit quiet, the P20 Lite is a phone that gets appreciated on its own merits.</p><p>Its a handset that retains much of the design DNA of the far more expensive phones in the P20 series while offering a capable camera and an excellent display at a price that undercuts its rivals.</p>

<p>It's understandable why Huawei did not unveil the P20 Lite at the same time as the P20 and P20 Pro in Paris last March. Without the camera brawn of the two, the Lite would seem like too much of a downgrade.</p>

It's understandable why Huawei did not unveil the P20 Lite at the same time as the P20 and P20 Pro in Paris last March. Without the camera brawn of the two, the Lite would seem like too much of a downgrade.