Smartphones

Honor 90 Lite: test / review

Published on: 01-10-2023 / Modified: 08-10-2023
Honor is a Chinese brand created by Huawei to compete with other mid-range Chinese brands without affecting the main Huawei brand. I had the opportunity to test several Honor smartphones from this period, and while they weren't bad, they weren't on a par with Xiaomi in the same price range. Huawei then ran into major problems with the American authorities and had to sell off the Honor brand, which was bought by another Chinese company. This new Honor 90 Lite is therefore part of the new generation of Honor smartphones and I'm curious to see how the brand has evolved with its new owner

Special offer

During Prime Days on Amazon, the price of the Honor 90 Lite drops to 199€ with the code 48MIAK5R. At this price, it's a very good deal. Offer valid until October 15

To take advantage: Honor 90 Lite on Amazon

Manufacturer web site:

https://www.hihonor.com/global/

Site where I have bought the Honor 90 Lite:
https://amzn.to/48Y6...

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Price Honor 90 Lite

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Timeline

September 23, 2023: receipt of the Honor 90 Lite from Amazon

Why this phone?

Huawei is a premium brand which, despite its setbacks with American justice, continues to offer innovative phones on the Chinese market. Honor has taken advantage of this heritage by taking advantage of mid-range phones using components from Huawei. This is probably no longer the case today but this Honor 90 Lite is, as its name suggests, a lighter version of the Honor 90 but the similarities end there. The Honor 90 Lite is a mid-range smartphone that seems to want to focus on its 100 million pixel camera and its nice level of finish. The Honor 90 Lite is aimed at a fairly wide audience and its price level will put it in competition with a phone like the Redmi Note 12. That's good, I also tested this phone and I could therefore compare them and see if this new generation of Honor is able to stand up to Xiaomi.

Unpacking

The Honor brand has adopted the new box format like what we find at Samsung. The boxes are smaller and no longer contain a charger. A priori this should not pose too much of a problem because a large majority of smartphone users probably already have a USB type C charger. The box therefore only contains the phone, a charging cable, a manual and a needle for open the sim drawer.

First configuration

The Honor 90 Lite runs Android 13 and its initial configuration is very similar to what can be found on other smartphones running Android 13. The main difference lies in the fact that Honor uses an overlay called Magic UI a bit. like Xiaomi with its MIUI. Like Xiaomi, Honor will encourage you to create an account with them to be able to access additional features. I'll let you judge the relevance of registering. The Honor 90 Lite also works with gesture navigation and everything is very well explained at the end of the setup procedure. Once you arrive at the home screen, you will notice that the home screen is quite different from what you can find on other Android phones. Honor will highlight a certain number of applications, you are free to move them, it's the same with Xiaomi.

Finish

The finish is your first contact with the phone, it's what will give a first subjective impression and it's quite important when choosing a phone. My subjective feeling about the finish of this Honor 90 Lite is rather positive. I find it a beautiful phone which has a double-sided biscuit side with the screen on one side and a metallic blue color on the other also covering the edges of the phone. For a 240€ smartphone, I find that the level of finish is superior to the Redmi Note 12.

The front is dominated by the screen which occupies almost 90% of the available surface, the borders are a little thinner than usual and the screen is only interrupted by the selfie camera at the top and middle of the screen. The screen is protected by a plastic film to protect it from scratches.

On the upper edge you will find an infrared transmitter, I thought Xiaomi was the only one to still offer this kind of thing. There is also a sound sensor. On the left edge, there is a SIM drawer that can accommodate two SIM cards.

On the bottom edge, there is the usual USB type C port, an audio output and another sensor for sound. The single audio output seems to indicate that the phone will only produce mono audio but I will verify this with the audio test later in this review.

The back is mainly made of plastic with a metallic effect. It is also covered by a slightly blurred plastic protection which gives a more pearly side to the texture of the phone. The photo block is quite imposing and stands out quite strongly from the back of the phone. There are 3 sensors, a main wide-angle sensor, an ultra-wide-angle sensor and additional sensor for taking macros. This photo block reminds me of the photo blocks used by Redmi a few years ago but with a slightly more careful design.

The screen bezels are thinner than usual and I find this gives a neater feel than most phones in this price range. The border at the bottom of the screen is larger but perfectly acceptable. Overall, this Honor 90 Lite made a good first impression on me. Most phones in this price range look similar, but Honor manages to stand out a little from its Chinese cousins.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone. The Honor 90 Lite runs on a Mediatek architecture, a processor that I have not yet had the opportunity to test. This is a mid-range architecture, I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary in terms of technical characteristics, you will find all the screenshots with the technical information below.

CPU / GPU Performance

The Honor 90 Lite uses a MediaTek Dimensity 6020 processor, I had not yet tested this processor but it is a mid-range CPU offering correct performance for normal use, it is not a processor oriented performance. Other smartphones like the Realme 11, Vivo Y36 or the Oppo A1 use the same processor. For the graphics part it relies on an ARM Mali-G57 GPU that I tested on around ten phones. Here too we are in the mid-range, you will be able to play with this phone but the most demanding games will require some sacrifices in terms of graphics to be able to be used in correct conditions.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

I obtained a score of 276670 points with Antutu v8 and this score confirms what I wrote in the previous paragraph. This is a similar level of performance to the Redmi Note 12 with which I obtained just over 298,000 points. The advantage of this type of configuration is that the phone should not heat up very much and in principle, it should not consume too much battery.

Gaming

To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone.

I tested this phone with PUBG Mobile in HD mode and as you can see, the in-game experience is good. I didn't notice any slowdowns and the phone's temperature didn't rise significantly. This phone is obviously not designed for this type of game, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to use it. The game will be less detailed than with a more powerful phone to ensure a sufficient number of frames per second.

Sound is only available in mono (output at the bottom of the phone), so the sound experience isn't extraordinary, and if your hand is too close to the phone you might even block the sound output.

Network performance

The Honor 90 Lite covers a wide range of frequencies in 3G (5 frequencies), 4G (17 frequencies) and 5G (13 frequencies). So you should be able to use it just about anywhere in Europe. It lacks the B28b used by some operators, but I'm not sure that this frequency is the most widely used in all the territories concerned.

Signal 4G (from December 2020)

I decided to change the methodology for measuring the network because I noticed that the configuration of the mobile network changes over time. This makes it more difficult to compare phones because the conditions are no longer exactly the same.

To overcome this problem, I set up a device that captures 24 hours a day about ten parameters from the mobile network (ex: cell id, rssi, rsrq, snr, frequency,...). I then place the phone next to the device for 24 to 48 hours taking the same measurements so that I can compare them.

Overview of the phones tested with this methodology

I took 990 measurements to assess this phone's 4G network sensitivity and obtained an average signal of -99 dBm, whereas my probe obtained an average signal of -99.45 dBm at the same time and place. Performance is therefore fairly close, which means that the Honor 90 Lite has good network sensitivity. What was particularly noticeable in the measurements was the stability of the signal on the Honor, whereas the probe experienced larger deviations during the measurement period

Download/Upload speed

To test the download speed, I have identified some 4G cells offering good performance where I test all my devices several times to see what download and upload speed they can achieve.

Wifi performance

To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.

Wifi signal

I obtained an average signal of -18 dbm close to the router and -64 dbm at a distance. These are slightly above-average values, indicating that this phone has good wifi sensitivity.

Download/Upload speed

To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.

GPS performance

To test the accuracy of the GPS signal, I use two positioning applications to evaluate the difference between the actual position and the position indicated by the phone. This test is done outdoors with nothing to obstruct the signal. An accuracy level of up to 3 meters can easily be corrected by an application (e.g. Google Maps).

This phone uses a Mediatek GPS chip, and as I often write, this type of chip usually results in a fairly high level of accuracy. In fact, I achieved 1-meter accuracy fairly quickly, with the phone picking up around 30 satellites to obtain a good-quality signal. I then tested the accuracy in real-life conditions: I was positioned at the blue cross on the screenshot and the GPS was locating me 2 to 3 meters further away. This is still an acceptable level of accuracy, which can be corrected by your guidance application, but the level of accuracy displayed by the test application is probably a little too optimistic

Battery range

To test battery life I developed an application that measures the battery level minute by minute until the battery is empty. This application consumes about ten percent of the phone's resources and I do a test with 100 brightness. This test aims to reproduce a contemplative use of a phone (e.g. surfing the internet, reading articles, spending time on social networks). These results are not valid for intensive gaming/streaming use.

The Honor 90 Lite comes without a charger, so I don't know what kind of protocol it uses to optimize charging. As usual, I used my UGREEN 100 watt fast charger to measure charging time. It took me 88 minutes to charge the phone from 3 to 100%. Charging is more or less linear until around 80%, at which point the charging speed decreases. It takes 55 minutes for the first 80 percent and 32 minutes for the last 20 percent

I then tested the autonomy under the same conditions as usual and was surprised by the autonomy with the screen on at 50%, it's almost 4 times longer than the autonomy with the screen on at 100%. That's the biggest difference I've measured. In the end, I obtained a battery life of 550 minutes with brightness at 100% and 2026 minutes with brightness at 50%.

Energy efficiency

I also measured CPU, GPU and FPU consumption to assess the phone's energy efficiency. The Honor 90 Lite has similar CPU power to the Poco X5 and slightly less than the Redmi Note 12. In terms of GPU, it does better than the Redmi Note 12. In terms of energy consumption, this translates into average efficiency, with the CPU consuming 4.77 Watts when pushed to its maximum, the GPU 1.62 Watts and the FPU 2.5 Watts. With component consumption, you can estimate the total consumption if you push the phone to the maximum

When pushed to the maximum for several minutes, the battery temperature rises by about ten degrees, the heat is perceptible through the back of the phone but not to the point where it becomes a problem

Photo camera test

To test the quality of photos produced by a phone, I do a technical test (resolution, sharpness, chromatic aberration,...) in studio (identical conditions) to evaluate the technical part objectively. From the second half of 2020, I built my own laboratory to take completely objective technical measurements. I then take pictures in real conditions to see how the camera performs. I then evaluate these photos according to my criteria but I publish the photos so that you can evaluate the result according to your criteria.

Hardware

The Honor 90 Lite features four cameras, three on the rear and one on the front

The main camera is a 100-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor with an f/1.9 aperture. It is accompanied by a 5-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture, a 2-megapixel macro camera with f/2.4 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth-of-field sensor with f/2.4 aperture

The front camera is a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor with an f/2.2 aperture

I've already tested the Samsung main sensor on other phones, so I don't expect anything new on this side unless Honor has tweaked the image processing. This is a possibility, because this sensor usually produces photos with 108 million pixels, and Honor seems to have reduced it to 100 million pixels. On the face of it, the number of pixels shouldn't change the level of quality, but Honor may also have made other modifications

The ultra-wide-angle sensor is also a Samsung one, but it's a curiosity because it's usually used for selfies and here I find the same characteristics for a sensor on the back of the phone.

Photo quality

Photo quality (indoor/studio)

The studio test is carried out under the same conditions so that the results can be compared on an equal basis. I calibrate my lighting for each test to obtain the same brightness and colour temperature. This test is a preliminary analysis of the technical qualities of a camera. Most phones fail this test, so you should also read the results of the other tests in the following paragraphs.

Samsung HM2 main sensor

On this first photo taken with the main sensor, I can see that sharpness is quite good, with details well detoured without over-aggressive processing. Colorimetry is a little too cold and tends too much towards blue. However, I've had the opposite effect with this sensor on other phones with colorimetry that was too warm. Studio lighting often causes color deviations, so I'll have to compare these results with an outdoor photo test.

I tested the other HDR, night and 100 megapixel modes, which you'll find in the photo gallery below. Access to these functions is not the same as on most phones. HDR, for example, is not available as a setting for the main camera; you have to go to the settings to activate it. The same goes for the 100 megapixel mode

Here's the usual photo with the bills:

When I first analyzed this photo, I thought I'd taken the wrong one and was looking at the photo taken with the ultra-wide-angle sensor. Why did I think that? You'll see below that on the same photo taken with the ultra-wide-angle sensor, the level of detail is greater, and it's usually the opposite. The main sensor offers good sharpness, the small characters of the Canadian banknote are perfectly legible and the periphery is also sharp, but if you compare the result with the photo of the banknotes for the other sensor, the result is surprising

Samsung S5K4H7 5 megapixel secondary sensor

This sensor obviously causes distortion, as is the case with all sensors of this type, here we're talking about 17 mm. As I said in the next paragraph, there are several things that surprised me. First of all, the level of sharpness is way above anything I've seen from ultra-wide-angle sensors to date. I don't remember seeing this level of sharpness on any other phone. The other point is colorimetry: colors are better saturated, the image is less cold and I find the rendering more realistic. It's a totally unexpected result for this kind of sensor.

And to add another layer, here's the photo with the banknotes:

Sharpness is a little less good than the main sensor, as the characters on the Canadian banknote are barely legible, but it's an excellent result for an ultra-wide-angle lens. Color contrast is also much better than with the main sensor, where the photo is blander. I can see a deterioration in the periphery, which was entirely to be expected, but the center positively surprised me

Photo: technical test

I was inspired by industrial technical tests to create my own technical test to evaluate the technical quality of a camera. This test is an objective assessment of a camera's ability to render a scene correctly.

I test the following elements:
- centre sharpness, peripheral sharpness
- colour fidelity based on 24 reference colours
- level of chromatic aberration
- dynamic range (ability to capture dark and light areas without loss)
- distortion

The technical evaluation may differ from the subjective evaluation as the feeling of a photo will be influenced by the processing provided by each manufacturer.

Samsung HM2 main sensor

Outdoor photo quality

Main sensor / 100 million pixels

I was lucky enough to have good weather to take these photos, the sun was very present and the sky was barely veiled by a few white clouds. I'd already tested this camera in other phones, and here I notice its particularity of producing photos with a warmer colorimetry that enhances autumnal colors quite well. In other circumstances, the more yellow tint of the photos would probably be less appropriate. Photo sharpness is good and not too pronounced, but don't zoom in too much, as the camera relies mainly on its 100 megapixel mode to preserve maximum detail.

A photo in standard mode will be sufficiently detailed as long as you don't view it on a large 4k screen. I find that saturation could certainly have been pushed a little further, but overall photo quality is quite comparable to other mid-range phones, and I didn't notice any big differences in image processing between this Honor and other brands using the same camera.

One thing I do find a shame is the layout of the various photo modes in the photo app. All the usual options, such as HDR or 100 million pixel mode, are found in a menu accessible with just a few clicks, whereas all these options are generally available on the first screen

Secondary sensor

The ultra-wide-angle sensor had made a good impression on me with photos taken in my studio, but for outdoor shots I still see quite a few small defects appearing. The distortion of the optics is very visible, even on landscapes, the degradation of sharpness in the periphery is very visible, and the loss of detail is quite significant. On the other hand, colors are fairly well rendered; I'd even say they're more saturated than with the main sensor, and more accurate. The zone of sharpness observed in the studio is still present in the center, but we can see its limits more quickly with the foliage in this photo. No big surprises, then, as these are common faults with this type of sensor

Test photo / night

Main sensor

Phones in this price range are generally not very good at night photography. I was positively surprised by the quality of the Honor 90 Lite's night photos. The night mode isn't very fast, as it forces you to stay in position for several seconds, but the phone applies processing to combine photos to achieve better exposure and reduce motion blur.

The final luminosity is quite good and close to reality, the significant differences between very light and very dark areas is fairly well managed. Colors are fairly natural, whereas mid-range phones tend to produce slightly orangey photos when the brightness drops. Sharpness, on the other hand, is too forced on contours and there is a loss of detail within contours. There is also digital noise in uniform areas.

The processing applied by Honor is therefore quite good for night photography, it's just important to understand that this kind of photo is not made to be used at 100% of its size on a large screen (tv, pc,...)

Secondary sensor

Ultra-wide-angle sensors are never at ease with night photography and this is also the case for this phone. The photo is underexposed, the level of detail is not good as many areas are blurred and the photo is overall unusable

Video quality

Stabilisation

The Honor 90 Lite doesn't shine in terms of video stabilization. As you can see from the image, the jolts caused by my footsteps are not well dampened, and the video goes off in all directions. I'm not really surprised, as to get good stabilization you'd have to go for a more powerful and therefore more expensive range of phones.

Video normale conditions

The Honor 90 Lite is capable of filming at 1080p and 30 frames per second. This is the bare minimum, as other phones in this price range offer 4k. Video quality is decent, but the comments made about the photo section also apply here. The level of detail is good, provided you use a medium-sized phone or screen. Colors also lack a little saturation, and the same goes for photos. Focusing is fast, and I can't see any exposure jumps or tears in movement, despite the 30fps limitation.

Video low light

Night video is a complicated exercise for mid-range phones, and this Honor 90 Lite doesn't fare very well. The night video is underexposed, the level of detail isn't very good and the focus isn't quick enough. There's nothing surprising here, but as I test the same thing on all phones, I had to go through this stage to demonstrate something fairly predictable

External audio quality

This test is intended to give you an overview of the volume and sound quality during calls and when listening to music through the external speakers.

Not yet available / tested

Audio quality (headphones)

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.

Not yet available / tested

Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.

Colorimetry

The Honor 90 Lite's screen is an IPS one, and that's a shame, because in the same price range you'll find Amoled screens from Redmi. That's not to say that this screen is bad, but it's not as good as the Redmi Note 12's

I tested colorimetry in vivid color and normal color modes, and also played with color temperature to see which was the most optimal configuration

I obtained a dE between 3 and 4 for all the tests carried out, and got the best result with vivid color mode and a warm color temperature. The choice between vivid and normal colors will also determine the color space used. In normal mode, the phone is limited to REC 709, whereas vivid color mode will use the DCI P3 space, which offers a much wider color palette. I therefore advise you to use the vivid color mode in combination with a warm color temperature to obtain the best colorimetry

From a dE greater than 3, the human eye can perceive colorimetric deviations. This phone therefore has a slight deviation that may be perceptible in white, cyan and blue.

Brightness / Contrast

I measured a maximum brightness of 470 cd/m² by flooding the sensor with light. If the sensor is in an unusual location, this could explain why the brightness level didn't rise above that during my test. This level of brightness is comparable to that of the Redmi Note 12, but will undoubtedly be insufficient to ensure good reading in bright sunlight

Contrast

I obtained a contrast level of 1396:1, which is a good level of contrast for a screen of this type, but well below what an amoled screen can produce.

Biometry

Not yet available / tested

Operating system

I've never been a big fan of alternative versions of Android with overlays that integrate loads of unrequested apps and with an operating system that's always trying to sign you up for something. When I first booted up the Honor 90 Lite, I was repeatedly confronted with screens prompting me to sign up for My Honor. It's the kind of thing that annoys me because I don't really see the point, and it's almost impossible to ignore. Once I'd got past that initial frustration, I found myself with a home screen full of applications that don't interest me. Other manufacturers do the same thing, so it's nothing new

As with all phones of this kind, I do a bit of tidying up of applications by moving them elsewhere and replacing them because what's really useful to me. After a few days of use, I've changed my mind a little about the interface. Even if the interface is broadly similar to other Android phones, I find it full of interesting little graphic details that make the experience more pleasant. It's obviously a matter of taste and quite subjective, but I found the interface more polished and pleasant to use than a basic Android phone. There's no application drawer and gesture navigation is enabled by default, but I got used to it pretty quickly. There's just the application search, which I find less intuitive when using the main search engine

Here's a quick demo of MagicOS 7.1:

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

Accessories Honor 90 Lite

Compare Honor 90 Lite with the others

Test / Review conclusion

The Honor 90 Lite is a mid-range phone that should be compared with the likes of the Redmi Note 12 and the Samsung Galaxy A34, even though the latter is in a higher range. The Honor 90 Lite stands out quite clearly in terms of its aesthetics, with a higher level of finish than the Redmi Note 12, which has opted for a plastic casing. This in no way affects the phone's quality, but it will affect your perception when you pick it up. The format is also a little different: the Honor is a little more slender, and at 179 grams it's quite slim and light. The 6.7-inch screen is surrounded by fairly thin borders, occupying 89% of the phone's front panel and reinforcing this first impression of quality, even if it is subjective.
The Honor 90 Lite is not a performance machine, even if you'll be able to play most games. It's a phone for a very wide audience, and will enable you to surf, watch videos or spend time on social networks in good conditions. Autonomy is very good if you don't push the screen all the way, but I find it regrettable that Honor is content with an IPS screen where Redmi equips its phones with amoled screens in the same price range. The image is beautiful but the black will never be truly black, the contrast will be less pronounced.

For those who still use their phone to make calls, they'll be delighted to learn that network sensitivity is good, and that this will also have a positive impact on 4G/5G data transfer.

On the photo front, the Honor 90 Lite fares well, but no better or worse than the competition in the same price range. It produces slightly better photos than the Redmi Note 12

To sum up, I'd classify this phone as a good generalist, it has no major flaws but it doesn't stand out spectacularly on certain points either. It does better than a Redmi Note 12 in terms of photography, battery life, finish and network sensitivity.

Strengths

Level of finish

Photo quality in this price range

Network sensitivity

Battery life if screen not at full brightness

User-friendly operating system

Average GPS accuracy

Weaknesses

Video stabilization

Screen consumption (max brightness)

Night video

IPS screen, average colorimetry

Alternatives to this product

Not yet available / tested