Review of Huawei P40 Lite - a spectacular smartphone for 20 thousand rubles
Devices / / January 06, 2021
Huawei has not been associated with the budget segment for a long time, but is fighting for a buyer with A-brands such as Apple and Samsung. It is all the more interesting to find out how the Huawei P40 Lite turned out - a novelty worth 20 thousand rubles. Have the Chinese maintained an attractive price-performance ratio, or was the model released just to fill a hole in the product line? Let's find out.
Table of contents
- Specifications
- Design and ergonomics
- Screen
- Software and performance
- Sound
- Camera
- Autonomy
- Outcome
Specifications
Platform | Android 10, EMUI 10 firmware |
Display | 6.4 inches, 2 310 × 1,080 pixels, LCD, 60 Hz, 398 ppi |
Chipset | Kirin 810, Mali-G52 MP6 video accelerator |
Memory | RAM - 6 GB, ROM - 128 GB; support NM up to 256 GB |
Communication | Hybrid NanoSIM slot, Wi-Fi 5, GPS, GLONASS, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GSM / GPRS / EDGE / LTE |
Sound | 3.5mm audio jack |
Battery | 4 200 mAh, 40 W fast charging |
Dimensions | 159.2 x 76.3 x 8.7 mm |
Weight | 183 grams |
Design and ergonomics
You can find fault with details like the rather thick bezels or the plastic bezel between the front glass and the aluminum frame, but the overall impression of the Huawei P40 Lite's build and materials is excellent. We tested the smartphone in bright green; there is also a black version for those who like strictness.
The screen has rounded corners and a round cutout for the front camera. The bottom indent is wider than the rest; under it there is a display cable. Contrary to fashion, screen edges not curved, which has a positive effect on reliability.
But the designers still bent the back side, but this decision is dictated by ergonomics: this way the smartphone lies more comfortably in the palm of your hand. The back is made of plastic, although it almost looks and feels like glass. It is non-slip, but very easily soiled - it is not easy to wipe off prints and dust.
A square block with cameras can inspire thoughts about iPhone 11, but this is actually a Huawei chip: the company was the first to use such a solution in the Mate 20. True, now the lenses have been moved from the center to the upper corner, which is why the similarities with Apple smartphones are obvious.
On the right side there is a volume rocker and a power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner. The right thumb rests directly on the sensor pad, but left-handed have to relearn.
Below is a multimedia speaker, USB Type ‑ C and - lo and behold! - 3.5 mm audio jack. On the left side there is a hybrid slot for SIM cards and NM memory cards (Huawei's own format).
Screen
Almost the entire front panel is occupied by a 6.4-inch display with Full HD + resolution. The matrix is made using LCD technology, the pixel density is 398 ppi - enough not to see the "ladders" on small text.
Vivid color mode is enabled by default, and the picture is a little "blue". For accurate color reproduction, you can choose a regular palette, and there is also an RGB-wheel for fine-tuning to your tastes.
Viewing angles and black depth are good, although the contrast level of the screen is far from modern AMOLEDs. The same applies to maximum brightness: in direct sunlight, readability drops noticeably.
Software and performance
The Huawei P40 Lite runs Android 10 with EMUI 10 skin. Due to US sanctions, Google services have not been installed on the smartphone, and if earlier they could be added on their own, then recently the loophole has been closed, and a new one has not yet been found.
This creates certain difficulties: at least one has to look for alternatives to popular services, such as navigation applications. Client Youtube not on a smartphone - you need to open a video hosting through a browser.
Huawei offers its counterpart Google Pay, but so far it only works with UnionPay cards and is not supported by many online stores and services.
Instead of Google Play in the company's smartphones, there is the AppGallery store. It contains almost all popular applications and games, and those that do not exist can be installed from APK files. But not all of them will work correctly.
For example, the game presented in AppGallery World of Tanks: Blitz first notifies about the need for Google Play services, and then crashes. With due diligence, it can still be launched, but there is a possibility of problems with authorization if you have previously logged in through Google Play Games.
With Asphalt 9, the situation is better: the game is fully available at maximum graphics settings.
The hardware platform is Huawei's own Kirin 810 chipset with eight cores (2 × Cortex ‑ A76, 2.27 GHz; 6 × Cortex ‑ A55, 1.88 GHz) and the Mali ‑ G52 MP6 graphics accelerator. RAM - 6 GB, internal storage capacity is 128 GB.
The system interface works with lightning speed and smoothness, applications launch quickly, and there were no problems with connecting to the network. I was also pleased with the speed of the biometric entry: the fingerprint scanner on the right side works instantly and accurately, the same applies to unlocking in the face. However, the latter uses the front camera and cannot work in complete darkness.
Sound
Huawei did not spoil the user with stereo speakers. The multimedia speaker plays in mono mode and does not differ in quality: an overload is heard at maximum volume, the sound becomes harsh and unpleasant.
The speaker here is quite decent, the microphones also cope with capturing voice during calls. What I really didn't like was the vibration motor. The tactile response is weak, rattling and gives the device a budget level.
But for the presence of a 3.5 mm audio jack we put a bold plus. So you can wired headphones connect without adapters, and AUX in the car. In conjunction with the Beyerdynamic DT 1350 headphones, the volume reserve is sufficient, and the quality is typical for smartphones.
Camera
The Huawei P40 Lite has four cameras on the back: a standard 48 megapixel, a wide-angle 8 megapixel, a 2-megapixel macro lens and a depth sensor. Front camera resolution is 16 megapixels.
The smartphone copes decently with shooting in different scenarios, but this set of cameras is puzzling. Why do you need a dedicated depth sensor when neural networks and so well separate objects from the background (remember at least Google Pixel smartphones)? A macro lens is also a pretty useless thing: the quality of it resembles a mobile camera 15 years ago. It would be better to provide a "shirik" autofocus for these purposes.
Video is written in 1,080p resolution with a frame rate of 30 FPS. There is no stabilization, the soundtrack is stereo.
Autonomy
The Huawei P40 Lite has a 4,200 mAh battery inside. Taking into account the energy efficiency of the processor, this capacity is enough for a day of active use (calls, web surfing, watching videos, some photos and games), while the smartphone will be asked for charging only late in the evening.
Comes with a 40W Huawei SuperCharge adapter. Half an hour at the outlet replenishes the charge by 70%, and the maximum recharge takes about an hour.
Outcome
At a cost of 20 thousand rubles, Huawei P40 Lite offers us a good screen, high performance, a good camera and excellent battery life. All the shortcomings of the novelty are reduced to lack of Google services. If this moment is not critical for you, then the smartphone at least deserves attention.
Buy
The author thanks Huawei for the device provided for testing. The company had no way to influence the test result.
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