Feature-packed cameras, but don’t expect the world
Aside from being one of the most affordable phones to have a quad camera (dual front + dual rear) setup, the Honor 9 Lite’s UI comes with a nifty set of features that include Bokeh and Portrait modes, Pro Photo and Pro Video modes, Huawei’s Light Painting and Good Food modes, and AR camera.
When it comes to real-life use, the Honor 9 Lite’s cameras get the job done, but it has its limitations. On daylight and most tricky light situations, the Honor 9 Lite produces really good photos with adequate sharpness, accurate color reproduction, and correct exposure. In low light, image quality dips to the point that images look smudgy when you pixel peep.
However, if you really, really want to use the Honor 9 Lite in low light, it is best to utilize its pro photo or light painting mode, as this camera features help bring out the full potential of the Honor 9 Lite’s cameras.
As for the front camera, image quality is good, and its portrait and bokeh mode is pretty impressive for a phone priced at the sub-Php 8k mark.
Regardless of its quirks, the Honor 9 Lite’s quad camera system does perform, and it’s really hard to ask for more given its sub-Php 8k price tag.
Decent battery life, but no fast charging can be a bit annoying
Armed with a 3000mAh battery, the Honor 9 Lite’s battery performance is pretty much on the average side, scoring a total of 7 hours and 31 minutes on PCMark’s battery test. In real-life conditions, you can coast along with a full charge throughout the day and have some juice left when you reach home.
However, what can be frustrating is that the Honor 9 Lite does not come with fast charging. Juicing it up takes around a little over two hours using the supplied charger. That being said, it is recommended to plug in the Honor 9 Lite at the end of the day to make sure the phone’s ready for the next day.