Huawei Mate 10 Lite

Huawei Mate 10 Lite comes with the name of the Premium Huawei Mate 10 but is downgraded to a more affordable version. Priced at Rs. 29,990, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite does not show itself to be an inferior version of the Mate 10 even though it comes at a low price.

The Huawei Mate 10 Lite comes with a fantastic design paired with a good processor and capable battery. However, it does have its flaws – GPU performance is poor and the phone does not have a consistent camera performance. If you are a gamer or a photographer, then you should go for better phones than this one. Otherwise, this phone has enough hardware to keep you satisfied in other areas.

The Huawei Mate 10 Lite comes with an 18:9 aspect ratio which is quite thin and makes it easy to hold. The phone is tall and slim, with a thickness of about 7.65 mm. It is an aluminium case with the camera bulging out a little – a design decision that sticks out like a sore thumb. When placed flat on the table, the phone wobbles. Otherwise, the build quality is praiseworthy. When twisting the phone, it does not creak, though there is a minor flex that could be seen. The display panel also shows a ripple effect which does not bode well for the sturdiness of the phone. Overall, the phone is quite sturdy if not pushed too hard. The problem with the phone is that it does not come with an IP rating of water resistance and dust resistance.

The Huawei Mate 10 Lite arrives with a 5.9-inch panel with an average brightness of a decent 457 nits. Overall, the brightness distribution on the screen is quite even. The colours, however, are not quite crisp. The white is a bit too cool, but if you turn the colour display to warm mode, the natural colours pop out. The phone does have a satisfying contrast ratio of 1557:1. The brightness makes it easy to handle the phone outdoors. However, harsh sunlight may reduce visibility. The viewing angles are decent, though, at extreme angles there is a slight drop in the brightness levels. Plus, you will be able to see reflections on the screen, which can get really irritating.

The Huawei Mate 10 Lite gets its power from the same company produced Kirin 659 – an octa-core processor which was previously seen in Nova 2. It is paired with 4GB RAM and an ARM Mali-T830 MP2 GPU. The chipset is a bit slow, especially when it comes to its GPU performance. Daily tasks can be conducted quite smoothly. However, it is when the phone was pushed for gaming purposes that things start to deteriorate. It runs Asphalt 8 with ease, but Real Race 3 was not as smooth, and experiences lags. Dead Trigger 2 is playable only at 30fps. The GPU of this phone is not robust, delivering a stuttery gameplay experience. If you are a gamer, then this phone is not for you.

The Huawei Mate 10 Lite comes with a dual selfie camera with a 13MP primary camera paired with a supporting 2MP depth sensing. The bokeh effect that the selfies come with is quite good but when only when you use the selfie camera in conducive light conditions. The image quality remains quite decent when the proper lights are present. On the other hand, when you encounter bad lighting situations, the images turn out to be weak and grainy.

On the rear end, the phone has a 16MP primary camera paired with a 2MP supportive camera. Bright daylight allows you to click great phones though the details are not prominent when zoomed in. The dynamic range is just about decent, but the photos are overexposed. Low-light shots are dull and grainy. The cameras are definitely not suitable for low-light conditions.

Both cameras can shoot Full HD videos at 30 fps, and they are mostly colourful but with a bit of overexposure present in the videos.

The Huawei Mate 10 Lite is fueled by a 3340 mAh battery, which is small compared to the other Mate 10 series handsets. However, it is quite decent since the processor is power efficient. With light use, you will be able to keep the phone chugging on for an entire day. It is even better than the potential offered by Galaxy A5. The only problem with the battery is that it does not have fast charging. You have to wait for 2 and a half hours for it to get fully charged.

The Huawei Mate 10 Lite is the smallest phone in the Mate series. It is also easy on the pocket. However, the phone does not hold you back too much with the reduction in price. It does come with certain conditions – the phone has a fantastic processor, but it is not suitable for gaming due to its weak GPU. You get a good display with this phone, and the cameras are just about decent. The phone is not very striking, but it gets the job done. If you are a fan of Mate 10 but do not have the money to get it, the Mate 10 Lite can be a decent alternative.