Huawei P20 lite (2019) - pros and cons

The Huawei brand is quite popular in the domestic market. And this is not surprising, since the company produces high-quality and inexpensive telecommunication systems. The manufacturer recently introduced a novelty for 2019 - the Huawei P20 Lite (2019) smartphone, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Experts and fans of the brand immediately noted the external resemblance to the 2018 Huawei P20 Lite model. Indeed, they are partially similar, but only externally. They are distinguished not only by weight, dimensions and size of the display diagonal. For the production of each, the developers used a different hardware filling with their own characteristics. In this article, we will consider the features of the new device and its differences from its prototype last year.

Description Huawei P20 Lite

The first thing that catches the eye of an ordinary layman is a large, frameless screen with a small cutout for the front camera. It creates the overall design background. The developers decided not to be smart with the design and simply placed the hardware inside a plastic case. It worked with this model, it looks like an expensive phone.

Compared to last year's version, it became larger, which affected its weight - 178 versus 145 grams. However, experts associate the increase in mass with an increase in the number of cameras. He received four modules for the rear area in a combination of 24, 8, 2 and 2 megapixels. The battery capacity is also increased to 4000 mAh. But the weight gain is practically not felt, since it is only a few tens of grams. But the ergonomics have been improved, the device sits comfortably in any type of palm.

The body is made of glass and plastic. In the front part there is a 6.4-inch display, behind the microcircuit there is a cover. Protection against moisture and dust is at the proper level. There are holes through which they fall easily, but this is not critical, since there are covers. Users will always purchase them in the store as needed.

The material of the back cover should also be noted. It looks like it has a glass coating. On close inspection, it also seems that this is it. However, the manufacturer never spoke about it. What gives the hull gloss is still a mystery to many experts.

Such a gloss from the outside confuses and gives the impression of a slippery gadget that will surely slip out of your hand. Thanks to the clever design, this does not happen. It sits confidently in the hand, since there are small grooves on the sides, which you automatically grasp while using the phone.

This feature is characteristic of the entire P20 line.

On the rear there are four camera modules with LED flash. Nearby is the fingerprint scan sensor.

The selfie sensor is located on the left side of the screen. In the version of this model, a small hole is made for it, while in other versions the entire upper part of the device is selected in the form of a cutout for the module and flash.On the side there is a slot for one or two SIM cards. It depends on the assembly. On the right are the volume and off buttons. Bottom USB and 3.5mm jack.

The color palette of the exterior design includes:

• the black;
• blue;
• red.

There is a gradation of shades, which additionally gives the device charm. One gets the impression that an expensive flagship is in the hand, and not a budget model of a smartphone. The display of color and realism is pleasantly pleased, the total number of shades is 16 million. There is an FM radio, which will delight music lovers and news lovers.

Specifications

Screen

Manufacturers presented to the market a smartphone with seasonal notches on the screen, which are loved by many users, taking up minimal space in relation to the total area. The display diagonal is 6.4 inches. The resolution complies with the full-format video and photo standard 1080x2310 pixels with a density of only 398 dpi. He added in dimension, but lost in color rendering ability.

Laboratory measurements of brightness by specialists showed a brightness of 480 nits and a contrast ratio of 1785: 1. With these settings, the user can be confident that the screen will display images clearly at night and in direct sunlight. Even with averaged measurements, this number is sufficient to eliminate doubts about the appearance of glare.

But even on the brightest day, it reproduces colors accurately and with a maximum white point. The black-and-white gradation is crisp, with no glare or darkening even in the default mode. There are several ways to customize the color rendition, from cool tones to rich bright ones.

Visualization of images is of high quality, which is typical for models of graphics accelerators from the Mali family. Even at low density, all 16 million colors are rendered with stunning realism. Such displays are well suited for online gaming. The textures are accurate without dead spots and freezes. I'm not sure that it will handle difficult games, but the chipsets of this series have good cooling and high acceleration factor. Due to the synchronization of processes, all operations are performed in stages, but the user will not even notice it. The speed of response to touch is literally a fraction of a second.

Battery

The device is powered by a 4000 mAh lithium polymer battery. Unlike previous models, it does not have 22W fast charging, the maximum power it can deliver is only 18W. Still, it's better than nothing at all. Experts in the field of electronic technology conducted tests, where the phone showed 30% in just half an hour, 100% in two hours.

They were a little surprised because they didn't expect this from the 18W charging. However, as they later found out, the power rarely exceeds the 10W limit. It stays stable at this mark and rarely reaches the mark stated by the manufacturer. In some cases, it was that the level reached 19% in thirty minutes, and full filling took place in three hours. This behavior is associated with power surges, otherwise it cannot be explained.

As for the battery life, the smartphone holds a charge for 77 hours in normal operation. Only this model of this line has such an indicator, even the P10 Pro operates for only 48 hours. Long-term autonomy is affected not only by capacity, but also by hardware firmware. The P20 has EMUI 9.1 installed. It is distinguished by its high energy-saving ability.

The testing included not only telephone conversations, but also surfing the Internet, watching movies and listening to songs. Experts tried to bring laboratory conditions closer to real life situations. They performed those operations that an ordinary user does regularly in everyday life.

Speaker and audio quality

The phone is equipped with one speaker located at the bottom of the case. He showed good results during testing. The sound quality is impressive, as is typical of the P20 series. However, the sound is slightly muffled and noise appears at high volumes. All mid-range phones have this property. The audibility level of the voice was 66.3 dB, for noise and music - 71.5 dB, for a call - 84.9 dB. According to experts, these are very good indicators.

After plugging the headphones into the 3.5mm jack, the phone turns off the amplifier for the external speaker and goes to the headset. The audibility is slightly above average. The volume is not much different from other brands of smartphones. The stereo crosstalk is below the low level, but there is intermodulation of distortion, but the overall clarity of the sound remains normal. If you use ordinary headphones with monolithic solders for listening to music, the user will not notice the interference and the sound will remain good. With a professional headset, audibility will be insufficient.

operating system

The gadget runs Android 9.0 with an internal shell EMUI 9.1. With each release, the user interface gets better, including the internal hardware. There is a functionality that can more effectively manage RAM, save battery power, response to touches on the touch screen, including the accuracy of coordinate positioning of the touch of the display.

The necessary options appear to control the parameters of the device operation, unnecessary clutter of software disappears. The developers leave only the most necessary ones, which make life easier for the user. Working with the device becomes more convenient every time.

In this version there is no section for applications, it is a single-level interface like in iPhones. But they can be displayed using the settings. There is a search option that is invoked by clicking on an empty space on the desktop. The shell contains a so called screen lock log. When activated, a random selection of wallpapers occurs when the display is activated.

There is also the inclusion of face recognition, smart rotation and wake up from sleep mode when lifting. There is support for a large number of topics, and there are a lot of them. Some of them allow you to change icons, wallpapers and covers. With the help of the control application, the user is given the opportunity to configure the battery operation, block numbers and clean up disk space. Search tools for removing malware are also located here. The developers have installed free Avast antivirus.

The brightness control is done in the standard style - using the familiar slider. Added the familiar multitasking option. Holding down the Previous button divides the screen in two.

There is an MP3 player and FM radio for listening to music. Audio is stored in the Gallery. The creators took care of the user's health, so they installed the Google Fit app and the step counter. It will be useful for people who are actively involved in sports. The filling itself and the shell are designed for active people.

Performance

The 2019 phone has a Hisilicon-Kirin-710 chipset with 12 nanometer production technology.This series of processors has become the benchmark with expected functionality and performance. The developers decided not to deviate from the traditions and delivered this line of processors. They have already proven themselves on the good side.

The rig includes four Cotex-A73 cores overclocked to 2.2 GHz and four Cotex-A53 at 1.7 GHz. The last four perform tasks that require less hardware resources. Due to the synchronizer, they supplement the power of the main layers of the microcircuit. The main cores take on complex tasks, and the simple ones are transferred to the auxiliary ones.

Of these, the Mali-G51-MP4 graphics card has only two layers. They are quite enough to cope with modern loads of object visualization. With their help, the user is able to run most of the modern active games. But experts are concerned that low-quality textures and errors may well harm the accelerator.

Many experts recommend not running games with low graphics and not tested on their phones. They can do more harm than a virus. During the tests, the device showed high performance in online games. Freezes and lags were not observed. All objects are rendered clearly with contrast. There is air cooling, so there is no heating during intensive operation.

Memory

The smartphone has 4 GB of RAM and 64 or 128 internal storage. The combination depends on the model version. There is enough space to store a large number of photos and videos. The RAM is fast and loads swap files very quickly.

There is a slot for an external 256 GB card. It significantly expands the capabilities of information storage media. The shell is sharpened for the cloud removal of files. This service is absolutely free and allows owners of smart devices to have access to the information they need from anywhere in the world.

Experienced users recommend using a flash drive to install programs. It is also worth moving the cache and swap area here. This will speed up the work of accessing the necessary files. However, this speed depends on the model of the external medium. But in everyday life, the user will not even notice such a slowdown. You just need to regularly clean it from junk files. They appear when launching applications and browsing the Internet.

To save photos and videos to external servers, manufacturers have added software from Google. They provide a certain amount of gigabytes. Access to them is not limited and the owner, having taken pictures on vacation, can view them at home from a computer. In addition to Google, there are many other services that also provide external drives for free.

Cameras

The device is equipped with a main module of 24 megapixels with f / 1.8 lenses and LED flash. It is complemented by 8, 2 and 2 MP sensors. Unfortunately, they lack the stabilization and hybrid zoom options. But the main sensor is equipped with autofocus. Added portrait function with decoration elements.

The control interface is similar to the previous models, here the developers did not remove or add anything. Controls are invoked by touching the left or right side of the menu screen. Initially it seems inconvenient, but gradually you get used to it. Menu items include all shooting modes. This includes panorama, portrait, night photography, with a ready-made background, light sketching and others.

There is also a manual mode in the console. Here is the ISO, focus, backlight and a delay of up to 8 seconds. Night mode includes multiple shots that are then combined into one image. The functionality is similar to the previous versions of phones, but with minor improvements.

Image quality

Thanks to the high resolution of the main 24 MP camera, images are obtained during the day with rich and well-detailed objects. For this class of modules, this clarity is a clear advantage. However, in improper lighting, there is excessive contrast at the corner. The dynamic range is medium, noise levels are at a low level, but occasionally interferes in the form of dotted shadows.Overall the photos are excellent.

The highest photo quality is provided by the full HDR standard. It gives rich colors and detail to objects. Experts recommend using it for special occasions. Images in this format take up a lot of space, but there is not enough disk space.

In low light shots, you can often notice distortion and blurring, as well as loss of color gamut. Photos of this quality are quite suitable for social networks, since they weigh a little.

In the light color mode, the phone captures a picture with preset settings into the lens and records only the movement of lights, imitating their movement, as when driving a car. But in terms of quality, such images are inferior to the previous models. A similar effect is achieved in manual mode with a delay of 8 seconds. Night photography requires a stable surface and a 20 second delay, including a bright flash. Otherwise, the image will turn out to be black with no clear silhouettes.

Panorama

This mode is one of the finest performances of high quality shooting. In principle, it is an automatic switch between portrait and landscape. In this model, several images are superimposed, stretched in height by 3100 pixels and with a resolution of 20 MP. In the process, the dynamic mode is activated, so moving objects are clearly seen in the pictures.

Variable aperture

The extended aperture, according to the developers, uses a depth sensor from a 2MP camera. This feature allows the user to use wide aperture defocusing and simulate apertures between f / 0.95 and f / 16.

Photo execution in this mode differs from professional equipment, but the simulation is as close as possible in pixels. To achieve a good result, the developers decided to isolate the background from the subject of photography. However, there is still some blurring of focus.

Portrait

Portrait mode combines variable aperture with beautification. The phone simultaneously creates pictures with pronounced faces and background bokeh effects. The size of such images does not exceed 8 MP.

Recognition is not the best. This can be seen in the footprints in the background and the fuzzy silhouettes of the figures. This is not professional equipment, and such shooting features are typical for all budget phones. This quality is quite suitable for amateur photography and social networks.

Selfie

The front camera has a 16 MP sensor with f / 2.2 lenses. It works only in portrait mode, even without an additional module. Images are beautiful, detailed and rich in color, but not sharp enough. Even with minor distortions, colors are natural.

There is automatic focusing, so the camera itself finds the face of the subject. The sensor shows good bokeh effect. He can even add embellishments to the face, that is, remove minor imperfections. The face recognition algorithm works flawlessly, it does its job perfectly, making the background more blurred. This method allows you to highlight the face and make it clear for recognition.

Filming

The P20 Lite series smartphone can record video with a resolution of 1080 pixels at a frame rate of 30. It is capable of recording a clip in MP4 format at a speed of 17 Mbps. Audio is created at 192 kbps, which corresponds to standard 48 kHz stereo quality.

The video quality meets the standards of this class of phones. However, the dynamic range is much wider than that of competing brands. The contrast and noise level are maintained at the proper level.

Reviews

A budget and multifunctional smartphone was needed. Of all the models, the P20 Light immediately caught the eye. This is a stylish and beautiful phone. At first glance, it gives the impression of an expensive flagship. Having studied the characteristics in detail, it immediately became clear that it fits. It has four cameras, and the first test showed that we will be satisfied with the purchase.

I have been using it for several months now and have not regretted the purchase at all. Everything suits me. The signal quality is always good, even where counterparts of other brands simply lose their cellular connection. This speaks of a solid antenna module. Images are clear without distortion. A little blur appears in low light, but other brands have even worse results.

Advantages and disadvantages

• attractive design;
• affordable price;
• high-quality multi-camera module with rich functionality;
• large battery capacity.

• the night shooting algorithm is not well developed;
• there is no aluminum frame like last year's model.

Comparison of P20 Lite 2019 and 2018

As mentioned above, the P20 Lite (2019) is a modified 2018 model. The developers have updated the filling and added functionality. The table shows the differences in the characteristics of the two versions.

The first thing that catches your eye during the first comparison is the size of the screen diagonal. It is increased by 6.4 inches. Installed a modern matrix Mali-G51-MP4, which supports high-format video. With this improvement, the quality of the clips has improved.

Expanded memory up to 128GB. The redesigned phone allows you to store more music and movies, as well as install applications. The resolution of the main camera is 24 MP versus 16, two more sensors 8 and 2 MP are added. One of them is monochrome. The developers used this technique to improve the clarity of images in dim light.

However, the Kirin-710 loses to the Kirin-659 in terms of performance. The four Cortex-A53 cores of the latest processor are capable of overclocking to 2.39 GHz, while the Cortex-A73 in the 710 version operates at 2.2 GHz. However, in everyday life, the user will not notice significant differences in performance.

Conclusion

The phone turned out to be very interesting, as it is a modified model of last year. Manufacturers have enlarged the screen, added cameras, expanded memory. The exterior design has also undergone changes - the metal frame and the cutout at the top of the screen for selfies have disappeared. Improved case ergonomics. In general, the improvements are obvious.