Honor 90 Lite – Review

Honor has unveiled another addition to its latest lineup of mid-range smartphones. To recap, Honor recently introduced the Honor 90 and Honor 90 Pro less than a month ago, featuring the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipsets, respectively. In contrast, the Honor 90 Lite employs the MediaTek Dimensity 6020, a slightly less powerful chipset that combines two ARM Cortex-A76 CPU cores running at 2.2 GHz with six Cortex-A55 CPU cores clocked at 2 GHz.

Furthermore, the Honor 90 Lite boasts a 6.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2,388 x 1,080 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The phone’s slender 7.48 mm thick body accommodates this large display, along with a 4,500 mAh battery that supports 22.5 W charging via its USB Type-C port. On the front, a 16 MP front-facing camera is located within the centered punch hole of the display, while the rear setup comprises a 100 MP primary camera, a 5 MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2 MP macro lens.

The Honor 90 Lite is now on sale in Europe. While European pricing has not been confirmed by the company, the UK pricing for the Honor 90 Lite will be £249.99 with availability commencing on June 20. All units of the Honor 90 Lite will come with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and MagicOS 7.1, a customized Android 13-based user interface.

Good Points :- 

• Fantastic price/performance.
• Unlocks so fast on the capacitive fingerprint reader built into the power button.
• Nice size in the hand.
• Flat screen.
• Plastic back panel.
• 22.5 Watt Fast Charging.
• Powerful chipset with 5G and plenty of RAM and storage.
• Large, clear display.
• Good performance from primary camera.
• Battery life is strong, so you’ll get two days or more between charges.

Bad Points:-

• Secondary cameras are average.
• Lack of stabilisation impacts on video recording.
• No case or charger included in price of phone.
• No 3.5mm headphone socket despite the radio app askes you to plug in the headphones as they act as your antenna.
• Screen a little dim in bright sunlight.
• No wireless charging.
• IR port but no TV remote type app.
• No stereo speaker’s only the bottom firing one.

Specs:-

• NETWORK Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
  2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
  3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
  4G bands LTE
  5G bands SA/NSA
  Speed HSPA, LTE, 5G
• BODY Dimensions 162.9 x 74.5 x 7.5 mm (6.41 x 2.93 x 0.30 in) Weight 179 g (6.31 oz)
• SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
• DISPLAY Type IPS LCD, 90Hz Size 6.7 inches, 108.7 cm2 (~89.6% screen-to-body ratio) Resolution 1080 x 2388 pixels (~391 ppi density)
• PLATFORM OS Android 13, Magic UI 7.1
• Chipset Mediatek Dimensity 6020 (7 nm)
• CPU Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
• GPU Mali-G57 MC2
• MEMORY Card slot No Internal 256GB 8GB RAM
  MAIN CAMERA Triple 100 MP, f/1.9, (wide), PDAF 5 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide) 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) Features LED flash, HDR, panorama Video 1080p@30fps
• SELFIE CAMERA Single 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide) Video 1080p@30fps
• 3.5mm jack No
• 24-bit/192kHz audio
• COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP, LE
• Positioning GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
• NFC Yes
• USB USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
  FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, compass Virtual proximity sensing
• BATTERY Type Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
• Charging 35W wired, 55% in 30 min (advertised)
• Colours Titanium Silver, Cyan Lake, Midnight Black
• Price £ 249.

Build & Design :-

To begin with, the Honor 90 Lite features a flat display and edges, drawing inspiration from recent iPhone models. The camera lenses on the back of the device have a noticeably prominent design, characterized by a two-level protrusion. The arrangement of the lenses may evoke mixed reactions, as they appear to overlap each other, although it’s important to note that these are not actual oversized lenses but rather placeholders for three separate cameras.

The phone boasts a spacious 6.7-inch LCD display that offers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2388 pixels. Additionally, it incorporates a 90Hz refresh rate. While it may seem inferior compared to phones with 120Hz, 144Hz, or even higher refresh rates available in the market, it’s worth noting that the difference between 90Hz and 60Hz is still noticeable. The enhancements beyond 90Hz are comparatively less significant, particularly unless you’re engaging in gaming that can take advantage of the higher refresh rates. For regular day-to-day usage of the phone, such as scrolling through content, the display performs adequately and provides a satisfactory experience, that said I did notice that using the device in direct sunlight the display was a little on the dim side.

At the bottom of the display, there is a noticeable bezel, although the overall display remains appealing. Moreover, a factory-installed screen protector adds an extra layer of protection. A notable addition to the Magic 5 series is the Circadian Night Display feature, which dynamically adjusts the screen temperature to aid in falling asleep more comfortably. Additionally, for individuals experiencing eyestrain, there is a dynamic dimming mode available to alleviate discomfort.

Located on the right-hand side of the phone, you’ll find a volume rocker and a power button that also doubles as an integrated fingerprint sensor, which I found to be blazingly fast.  On the left side, there is nothing except for the SIM tray, which can accommodate two nano SIM cards. Moving to the bottom, you’ll come across a single down-firing speaker, a microphone, and a USB-C port.At the top of the phone, there is another microphone and what seems to be an Infrared port. However, it’s worth mentioning that there was no pre-installed app on the phone to utilize this feature, and I encountered difficulties downloading the app that was available on the Magic 5 Pro model.

 

Camera:-

The Honor 90 Lite is equipped with an impressive 100-megapixel main camera sensor, which also enables decent quality 2x zoomed images and can reach a maximum zoom level of 10x. However, it’s important to note that there is a noticeable decline in image quality when zoomed to the maximum level, partly due to the absence of optical image stabilization and a dedicated image processing chipset.

 

While the phone is capable of capturing good photos, it’s essential to acknowledge that there are certain limitations inherent to this particular model, as expected from a device positioned at the lower end of the series.The ultra-wide camera is constrained by a 5-megapixel sensor, and the limitations are even more apparent with the 2-megapixel macro camera. In terms of video recording, the device is restricted to 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second, and once again, lacks any form of image stabilisation.

This lack of Stabilisation is more evident when recording video, when panning and zooming. Also video is limited to 1080p at 30fps.

If you desire greater versatility in your camera capabilities, it would be advisable to consider one of the alternative models in the Honor 90 series. However, if capturing photos on a phone is not a top priority for you or if you are content with using it as a straightforward point-and-shoot camera primarily in the standard 1x (100-megapixel) mode, you will be pleased with the results achieved in both daylight and low-light conditions. The AI mode effectively adjusts the settings to suit different environments, yielding satisfying outcomes. Additionally, the portrait mode produces impressive results.

 

 

 

Performance:-

The chipset for the Honor 90 Lite is supplied by MediaTek, featuring a 7nm Dimensity 6020 chip that supports 5G connectivity and Wi-Fi 802.11ac, with the latter offering a maximum speed of 433Mbps. Notably, the phone is equipped with two individual nano SIM trays, both capable of supporting 5G simultaneously. For a device positioned in the low to mid-range segment, this is an impressive feature set that ensures the phone remains future-proofed for a considerable period. In terms of benchmarks, the AnTuTu v9 score reached around 371,200.

The Honor 90 Lite comes pre-installed with Magic OS 7.1, which is based on Android 13. While the user interface closely resembles native Android, and even surpasses certain Google phones in this aspect, some may find it slightly outdated. However, the interface can be customized with various themes, and a wide range of free themes are available, including an ample selection of alternative fonts.

With 8GB of RAM (expandable to 13GB through Honor’s RAM Turbo virtual memory system) and 256GB of storage, users have ample space to store their apps and content. Additionally, the enhanced RAM capacity allows apps to remain in memory for longer durations, resulting in a faster overall user experience. In my opinion, the combination of 8+256GB strikes the perfect balance for most devices, and it’s commendable that even the entry-level model in the Honor 90 series hasn’t compromised in this department.

I did  the home screen is clogged with too many custom apps, including Honor’s own app store, App Market, its own Themes store, and the My Honor system manager-meets-user handbook app. If you’re anything like me, your first inclination is to move all such apps to a folder, and there’s a lot to move. You’ll also be provided a slew of third-party pre-installations, such as Facebook, Netflix, TikTok, and Booking.com, although these can all be uninstalled.

Display :-

Despite being categorized as a mid-range device, the Honor 90 Lite surprises with its stunning display. Personally, I find the screen of the device to be quite remarkable. It features a virtually borderless 6.7-inch panel, with slim bezels that contribute to an immersive viewing experience. In terms of screen-to-body ratio, the Honor 90 Lite boasts an impressive 93.6%, which is commendable for a mid-range device. To further enhance the user experience, Honor has meticulously color-calibrated the panel.

The device also incorporates several additional display features. One notable feature is the dynamic dimming technology, which intelligently adjusts the display brightness to prevent eye fatigue. Additionally, there is an enhanced night time mode that aims to improve sleep quality.

The only downside I could see with the display that it was a little dim when used in direct sunlight, and doesn’t ramp up past the maximum like some of the flagships.

Battery Life :-

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Honor 90 Lite is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery, which is quite impressive considering its price range. Generally, lower-powered phones tend to offer better battery life, as users are less likely to engage in processor-intensive gaming or use the camera extensively for prolonged periods.

When it comes to tasks like making calls, wireless music playback, or even video streaming, the Honor 90 Lite absolutely amazed me, easily lasting for two days or even longer on a single charge. ( lasting longer than my S23 Ultra )

Although 22.5W charging may not be as fast as some devices on the market today (such as the Realme GT3 with its 9-minute charging time using a 240W power brick), it is still reasonably quick. It’s worth noting that a charger is not included in the box, so acquiring one separately may be necessary to take advantage of the full charging speed.

The decision to exclude the power supply from the package is primarily aimed at reducing electronic waste and encouraging users to utilize their existing USB-C chargers. ( or a cynic may say to earn more revenue by selling the fast charging solution separately)  However, for optimal charging speed, a Huawei/Honor SuperCharge compatible power adapter is recommended.

 

Conclusion :-

As the most affordable model in the Honor 90 series, it’s clear that there are certain compromises made in comparison to the soon-to-be-announced Honor 90 and Honor 90 Pro. Both of the higher-tier models offer higher megapixel sensors, with the Pro variant even incorporating a dedicated telephoto camera. These compromises are evident in various aspects, such as battery capacity, charging speed, display quality, Wi-Fi connectivity, and stereo sound, all of which will be improved in the higher-end models. However, it’s important to note that these enhancements come at a significantly higher price, potentially even double or more for the Pro model.

The Honor 90 Lite, on the other hand, ensures that it doesn’t compromise on the essential features and functionalities that smartphone users desire and expect. While it may not have every extravagant feature, many individuals prefer a more streamlined approach.

Thanks to MediaTek’s impressive performance in the mid-range chipset segment and Honor’s straightforward Magic OS user interface, which closely resembles native Android in crucial areas, the Honor 90 Lite offers a well-rounded package. The only minor drawback may be the need to spend a little extra on purchasing a protective case, as the device delivers on most fronts.

If your seeking a affordable device that will easily last you two days of normal use, with a descent display, and takes a reasonable picture in good light then the Honor 90 Lite certainly should be considered.

Pricing and Availability :-

The Honor 90 Lite offers a range of color options, including Cyan Lake (as reviewed), Titanium Silver, and Midnight Black. With a price tag of £249.99, the Honor 90 Lite is available at an introductory discounted price of £224.99, which also includes a complimentary pair of Earbuds X5s or a Honor Band 7. This promotional offer is valid until July 4th, 2023. on the Honor site 

For those interested in purchasing the phone, it is currently available at various retailers such as Argos, Amazon, Very, and Currys. Additionally, it will be available for purchase from Three starting from the end of July.