Che Custodio | June 24, 2018 | Manila
It's been a good couple of months after the Huawei P20 Lite has been released. We've touched, experienced and seen its performance day in and day out. So how about we answer the question:
How is the Huawei P20 Lite after a few month's use?
A lot of current and future users would still want to know if grabbing the midranger is a good buy these days.
Doing a recap of what the phone has to offer:
Huawei P20 Lite - midrange performer with Huawei's HiSilicon 659 under the hood
Priced at Php 15,990 (Promo prices and freebies are store dependent)
1080 x 2280 pixels, 19:9 ratio | FHD+ (really nice screen in our opinion) | no buttons on the front giving a full screen experience.
64gb storage, 4gb RAM/memory, expandable via microsd (uses sim 2 slot)
dual nano sim
USB Type-C port (fast charge capable using stock cable and charger), USB On-the-go (OTG) capable
EMUI 8 which is based on Android Oreo 8.0
REAR Fingerprint sensor with face unlock security feature
3000mAh battery capacity, 3.5mm headphones jack, FM radio
Joins the notch trend which houses the earpiece, 16mp front-facing camera, notification light and proximity sensor
Dual rear cameras - 16mp with 2mp for depth measurement
For everything that it offers, it's priced competitively. The notch, as with its flagship siblings, can also be toggled on/off via display settings. We had the Black P20 Lite and we liked how it looked with its shiny back. Just a couple of minor concerns: definitely a fingerprint magnet but given today's trend, almost all devices are going for the shiny glass front and back (tempered glass or not). The rear cameras are also placed within a "hump" which is similar to the iPhone X.
Of course there are a lot to like with the Huawei P20 Lite. Aside for the design changes making it look more premium than just your average midrange phone, Huawei gives its users updated features as well.
USB Type-C (2.0): Fast charging with the stock cable and charger
16mp front-facing (selfie) camera along with 16mp+2mp rear cameras
64gb of internal storage with 4gb ram (usually only available to flagships)
Comes with Android 8.0/EMUI 8 out of the box with timely updates
So going back, how does the P20 Lite perform after a few months after its introduction? We'd say that it's performing better and for those eyeing to get this phone soon, definitely one of the best at it's price point.
Here are some of the updates, changes and tests we were able to do while using the P20 Lite as a daily use phone.
Charging and Battery Consumption
This is by far one of the crucial aspects of any smartphone test. On a daily average, most smartphones need to be plugged in to a charger or powerbank at least twice (2x) a day. The P20 Lite is good from morning till night or at least until you get home - 1 full recharge - texts, emails, internet browsing, spotify.
Screen on time - total time where the screen is on.
Average SoT (Screen on Time)
* On DATA - 4+ hours
* On Wifi - 5-6 hours
This means you can use the phone between 4-6 hours straight and even more depending on your usage. Gaming will also provide a shorter screen on time average as this automatically uses a lot of processing power. Data and Wifi connections also vary especially when considering range, availability and power consumption needed to have a stable connection especially when on data.
Normal daily use activities we've listed:
Non-stop Facebook / Instagram browsing
Facebook Messenger and Viber
Sending/Receiving Emails
Spotify and Netflix streaming
Casual online game (Restaurant Story).
Taking photos and videos
Calls and Texts
The P20 Lite has already received a recent update. Part of this update provided an update to the phone's charging results. Out of the box, the phone becomes warm and that charging time takes between 2-3 hours even with the fast charging technology and type-c port. After the last update, the phone no longer becomes warm and that charging time has been reduced to just almost 2 hours. We also need to consider other factors that can affect charging times: Temperature (room/environment and phone), cable and adapter (original/replacement and if in good condition or worn out).
Screen and Overall System Navigation
The P20 Lite comes in with EMUI/Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box and navigation is pretty much straight forward with the exception of having no front physical button like that of the P10, Mate 10 and P20 series which doubles as a navigation dock via gestures. We have the regular on-screen navigation bar instead.
The stock EMUI skin/theme has 2 options for the app drawer. The default/standard when you first power on your device which reminds us of Apple's iOS style navigation and the Android standard menu button app drawer where apps are listed alphabetically. Simply choose which one suits your needs.
The P20 Lite may have been upgraded with a USB type-c 2.0 port but as expected, the desktop mode is reserved to the Mate 10 and P20 flagship series units. This is also because they use the Kirin 970 chips whereas the lite version is using Kirin 659.
The phone screen is readable when used outdoor or under direct sunlight, you can enable Auto Brightness under Settings > Display.
Gaming
Casual and non graphic intensive games will definitely work without issues with the Lite's graphics chip. However, games like NBA 2K and most online coop games will require adjustment to lower settings to have the best performance. Increasing game graphics properties will eventually result to choppy and laggy performance.
Sound, Bluetooth and Connectivity
The P20 Lite has bottom firing speakers and the 3.5 mm headphones jack. No stereo surround output (P9 Plus, P10 Plus, Mate 10, P20). Bluetooth connectivity to speakers and earphones have a slight hiccup. For most bluetooth devices, the phone connects seamlessly. There are few instances wherein the bluetooth devices could not be paired or it is paired but the audio is still coming from the phone's speakers. Wireless and Data connectivity - no causes for concern.
Camera
Standard Huawei camera software with additional modes and capabilities. We have the aperture mode, light painting modes, the common functions such as HDR and Panorama as well as the PRO mode enabling you to tinker about manual settings although a bit limited as expected also. Rear 16mp main camera works hand-in-hand with the 2mp camera for better depth sensing. Front 16mp camera also provides more details when taking selfies.
Wrapping and Team TCR's Recommendations
The P20 Lite is still a solid performer with a sleek design and updated features that are only usually present in a flagship device.
We encountered the NFC icon bug where the icon is stuck on the status bar even if the device does not have one. Last update solved the concern but after a few days, it was back. Hoping that Huawei will be able to address this concern same with the bluetooth connectivity. Telco signal depends on location of course.
Highly recommended for everyone as a midrange device.
In case you missed it, here are our camera samples using the P20 Lite before.