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Honor 9 Lite Smartphone Review

Smarter. The Honor 9 Lite is not a bad buy at $290. Its SoC belongs to the upper mid-range and its other specifications are promising as well. In addition, the phone has four cameras to offer. Find out how the smartphone fares against its competition and sibling model, the Huawei P, in our review.

On paper, the Honor 9 Lite (LLD-L31) looks very similar to the Huawei P smart. But the differences are not just on the outside. Our test unit also features a dual camera at the front and is a little cheaper. The case is made of glass and plastic.

The Honor 9 Lite is powered by a Kirin 659, which can also be found in more expensive devices such as the Honor 7X or the Mate 10 Lite. It also has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage available. The latter can be expanded via a microSD card. The battery is nicely dimensioned for this price range and has a capacity of 3000 mAh. The Honor can be purchased for $290.

Competition is high in this price range and the Honor 9 Lite will have to face the Samsung Galaxy J5, the Nokia 6, the Moto G5s, the BQ Aquaris X, the Blade V8 and the P10 Lite, whose price has dropped by now. 

Honor 9 Lite (9 Series)
Processor
HiSilicon Kirin 659 8 x 2.4 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
3 GB 
Display
5.65 inch 2:1, 2160 x 1080 pixel 427 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, 10 points, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 22.74 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5-mm combined audio jack, Card Reader: microSD cards up to 256 GB (SDHC, SDXC), 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: proximity sensor, accelerometer and compass, OTG, FM radio
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, GSM/GPRS/Edge (850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900 and 2100 MHz), LTE Cat. 13 (Band 1, 3, 7, 8 and 20), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.6 x 151 x 71.9 ( = 0.3 x 5.94 x 2.83 in)
Battery
3000 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Android 8.0 Oreo
Camera
Primary Camera: 13 MPix + 2 MPix (auto focus, f/2.2, portrait mode, 1080p video)
Secondary Camera: 13 MPix + 2 MPix (auto focus, f/2.0, portrait mode, 1080p video)
Additional features
Keyboard: virtual, USB cable, modular power supply, headphones, protective case, EMUI 8.0, 24 Months Warranty, Micro-USB 2.0 FM radio, head SAR: 0.77 W/kg, body SAR: 0.99 W/kg, fanless
Weight
149 g ( = 5.26 oz / 0.33 pounds), Power Supply: 62 g ( = 2.19 oz / 0.14 pounds)
Price
285 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case - a good-looking Honor smartphone

The Honor 9 is available in blue, gray and black. The manufacturer claims a thickness of 7.6 mm (~0.299 in); we measured even slimmer 7.45 mm (~0.293 in). The camera stands out by 0.6 mm (~0.32 in). While the front and back of the case is made of glass, the frame is plastic in a metal look. The back is so reflective that the blue version can actually be used as a real mirror. The surface is accordingly susceptible to fingerprints, but these are easy to wipe off again. 

The smartphone is nicely warp resistant and does not creak when trying to twist it. However, the display responds to slightly stronger pressure by creating waves. The gap dimensions are small and uniform. The Honor 9 Lite does not have an IP certification for dust or water resistance.

Size Comparison

154 mm / 6.06 in 75.8 mm / 2.98 in 8.4 mm / 0.3307 in 169 g0.3726 lbs150 mm / 5.91 in 73.5 mm / 2.89 in 9.5 mm / 0.374 in 157 g0.3461 lbs151 mm / 5.94 in 71.9 mm / 2.83 in 7.6 mm / 0.2992 in 149 g0.3285 lbs150.1 mm / 5.91 in 72.05 mm / 2.84 in 7.45 mm / 0.2933 in 143 g0.3153 lbs148 mm / 5.83 in 72 mm / 2.83 in 8 mm / 0.315 in 142 g0.3131 lbs146.5 mm / 5.77 in 72.7 mm / 2.86 in 7.9 mm / 0.311 in 153 g0.3373 lbs146.2 mm / 5.76 in 71.3 mm / 2.81 in 8 mm / 0.315 in 158 g0.3483 lbs146.5 mm / 5.77 in 72 mm / 2.83 in 7.2 mm / 0.2835 in 146 g0.3219 lbs148 mm / 5.83 in 105 mm / 4.13 in 1 mm / 0.03937 in 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity - NFC and FM radio

Unfortunately, the Honor 9 Lite is still equipped with a Micro-USB port instead of the newer Type-C build. The transmission standard follows version 2.0 and supports OTG, which means that external storage devices and peripheral devices can be connected to the smartphone. 

The microSD card slot is said to support cards with up to 256 GB, the SDXC standard. This means that even larger memory cards could be compatible with the smartphone. Unfortunately, the card cannot be formatted as an internal storage and apps cannot be stored on it.

Aside from Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC, the device also includes an FM radio receiver, which can be used to listen to the radio when combined with the headset.

top
top
left: card slot
left: card slot
right: volume, power
right: volume, power
bottom: speaker, USB, microphone, audio
bottom: speaker, USB, microphone, audio

Software - the Honor 9 Lite comes with Android 8.0

The Honor 9 Lite comes with Google Android 8.0 Oreo and Huawei's EMUI 8.0. At the time of testing, the security patches are dated February 5, 2018, so they are quite up-to-date. The interface is like that of the other Honor and Huawei smartphones that are equipped with the same UI version. 

Unfortunately, Honor has preinstalled a few apps. These include six games, Facebook, Instagram, Booking.com and the eBay app, but can all be easily uninstalled again. Unnecessary Google applications can only be deactivated, not removed entirely. User Account Control is not available.

Honor 9 Lite: Google Android 8.0 with EMUI 8.0
Honor 9 Lite: Google Android 8.0 with EMUI 8.0
Honor 9 Lite: Google Android 8.0 with EMUI 8.0
Honor 9 Lite: Google Android 8.0 with EMUI 8.0

Communication - slow Wi-Fi vs. fast LTE

The Honor 9 Lite can use the IEEE 802.11 standards b/g/n in your home Wi-Fi network, which means that it only supports the 2.4-GHz band. It is the only model of our set of comparable devices (except for its sibling model, the Huawei P smart) that does not support the 5.0-GHz band. Although the transfer rates to our reference router Linksys EA8500 are on the expected level and are stable, and the Honor 9 Lite also offers a decent range, these results are weak compared to its competition.

Instead, the Honor 9 Lite can theoretically reach high transfer rates with LTE Cat. 13, which enables downloads of up to 400 MBit/s and uploads of up to 150 MBit/s. The frequency range is standard and offers the necessary frequencies for Europe but not much more. Reception was good in our test.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
281 MBit/s +463%
BQ Aquaris X
Adreno 506, 626, 32 GB eMMC Flash
270 MBit/s +441%
Nokia 6
Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
113 MBit/s +126%
Motorola Moto G5s
Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
111 MBit/s +122%
Huawei P smart
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
50.3 MBit/s +1%
Honor 9 Lite
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
49.9 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
BQ Aquaris X
Adreno 506, 626, 32 GB eMMC Flash
333 MBit/s +533%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
278 MBit/s +429%
Motorola Moto G5s
Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
121 MBit/s +130%
Nokia 6
Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
117 MBit/s +122%
Honor 9 Lite
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
52.6 MBit/s
Huawei P smart
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash
51.7 MBit/s -2%

GPS - the 9 Lite offers reliable positioning

GPS test: outdoors
GPS test: outdoors
GPS test: indoors
GPS test: indoors
GPS test: GNSS
GPS test: GNSS

The Honor 9 Lite uses the satellite networks GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou for positioning. It took two seconds to localize us outdoors and was decently accurate within eight meters (~26 ft). Indoors, the accuracy drops to 23 meters (~75 ft), but localization still works.

In order to test the device's everyday localization abilities, we took the 9 Lite on a bike ride together with the Garmin Edge 500. The smartphone actually traced our tracks better when passing under the bridge, but was less exact at the turning point. Overall, the Honor 9 Lite did a good job and is suitable for simple navigation.

Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Honor 9 Lite
Honor 9 Lite
Honor 9 Lite
Honor 9 Lite
Honor 9 Lite
Honor 9 Lite

Call and Voice Quality

Honor 9 Lite: telephone app
Honor 9 Lite: VoLTE and Wi-Fi Call are available

The Honor 9 Lite uses the EMUI 8 telephone app, which has only minor differences to Google's standard app.

The smartphone's call quality is very decent. When held to our ear, both sides could hear one another well, and the speaker phone also gave us a good impression, although the call partner then had a slight echo and appeared more muffled. The 9 Lite also supports voice over LTE (VoLTE) and telephone calls via Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi Calling), as long as your provider allows these features.

Cameras - the 9 Lite has a good dual cam for selfies

Both the front and the back are equipped with the same dual camera with a 13-MP sensor, which is supported by a second 2-MP lens for Bokeh photos and is supposed to create a nice-looking fuzzy-background effect. In reality, there is a difference between the cameras as the front camera can only use fixed focus, but is faster with an aperture of f/2.0, while the back camera has an aperture of f/2.2.  

The pictures taken with the front camera are very nice and quite suitable for selfies. Unlike its sibling model, the Huawei P smart, the dual camera also enables portrait photos with depth of focus. Even without the Bokeh effect, we prefer the selfies taken with the Honor 9 Lite. The colors and illumination are on a similar level to the P smart camera, but sharpness is a little better. Portrait mode also works nicely and recognizes the subject well; more expensive smartphones have shown worse results.

The main camera of the test unit takes good photos in daylight and has a decent shutter lag. Particularly when shooting photos with backlight, the lens has a good dynamic range and allows for a lot better pictures than other competitors such as the Galaxy J5. The quality drops significantly in low light and the photos appear weak, unsharp and grainy.

Both cameras can record videos in Full HD.

Honor 9 Lite image with front camera
Honor 9 Lite image with front camera in portrait mode
Huawei P smart image with front camera

Front camera: Honor 9 Lite, Honor 9 Lite in portrait mode, Huawei P smart

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
orginal image
click to load images
ColorChecker: The reference color is displayed in the bottom half of each box.
ColorChecker: The reference color is displayed in the bottom half of each box.

We also took a closer look at the Honor 9 Lite's camera performance under controlled lighting conditions. The smartphone's color display is a little too light for us, and  yellow and cyan in particular are way too pale. 

Our test chart confirms our impression: The color areas are too light. The sharpness is decent in the center of the photo, but small details are lost. While the edges remain sharp, there is visible image noise.

Accessories and Warranty

The scope of delivery of the Honor 9 Lite includes a modular power supply, a USB cable, in-ear headphones and a transparent silicone case. The manufacturer does not offer any accessories specific to the Honor 9 Lite on its website, but you can purchase a bundle offer which includes a 64-GB memory card with the device.

The warranty lasts 24 months. Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices & Handling - the 9 Lite and its fast fingerprint reader

The capacitive touchscreen of the Honor 9 Lite supports up to 10-point gestures and its surface is quite suitable for gliding. Inputs are registered quickly and reliably from any point on the screen. The manufacturer has chosen SwiftKey as its keyboard app, but this can be replaced by any app available on the Google Play store. You can feel strong vibrations when typing.

The one hand mode, which we are already familiar with from other devices, is available again in the 9 Lite. To enable this mode, you simply have to slide your finger over the navigation bar to shrink the screen. The Android navigation bar can also be adapted to your personal needs.

The fingerprint reader on the back of the smartphone works quickly and reliably as well. After unlocking, users reach the home screen immediately. The reader can also be used for answering and ending telephone calls, stopping the alarm, as shutter release, to scroll through the gallery or to pull down the notification bar.

Display - oversaturated, but very bright

Honor 9 Lite: subpixel array
subpixel array

The Honor 9 Lite, like the Huawei P smart, is equipped with a 5.65-inch IPS display with a 2:1 aspect ratio. The resolution of 2160x1080 pixels is more than sufficient and equates in 427 PPI, which means that the content appears very sharp.

The brightness of the display is really high and reaches an average of 622 cd/m², but brightness distribution could be a little better. This is not an issue in everyday use, however. The full luminosity can be reached both in manual mode and through the automatic brightness sensor. It only dropped slightly when we measured the even distribution of bright and dark areas (APL50) and only reached 591 cd/m² in the display center. 

We noticed the same thing happening with the black value. With an all-black image, the black value is at 0.41 cd/m², but it is slightly higher (0.44 cd/m²) during our APL50 measurement. This means that the contrast ratio also drops during APL50 and lies at 1343:1, which is still a good value. The black value is also decent, particularly in combination with the high maximum brightness. We did not notice any clouding on our test unit and the manufacturer has luckily refrained from using pulse-width modulation for regulating the display brightness. The minimum luminosity (4.22 cd/m²) is also comparably low, which means that the 9 Lite is well suited to reading in the evening, particularly with the "eye comfort" mode turned on.

684
cd/m²
609
cd/m²
569
cd/m²
671
cd/m²
627
cd/m²
577
cd/m²
673
cd/m²
625
cd/m²
560
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 684 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 621.7 cd/m² Minimum: 4.22 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 627 cd/m²
Contrast: 1529:1 (Black: 0.41 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91
ΔE Greyscale 5.1 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
Gamma: 2.26
Honor 9 Lite
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.7"
Huawei P smart
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.7"
BQ Aquaris X
LTPS IPS , 1920x1080, 5.2"
Nokia 6
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.5"
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
Super AMOLED, 1280x720, 5.2"
ZTE Blade V8
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.2"
Huawei P10 Lite
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.2"
Motorola Moto G5s
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.2"
Screen
-10%
-12%
-20%
4%
-14%
-10%
-11%
Brightness middle
627
573
-9%
675
8%
512
-18%
448
-29%
482
-23%
507
-19%
490
-22%
Brightness
622
568
-9%
702
13%
501
-19%
451
-27%
448
-28%
509
-18%
502
-19%
Brightness Distribution
82
89
9%
91
11%
94
15%
91
11%
79
-4%
95
16%
92
12%
Black Level *
0.41
0.63
-54%
0.59
-44%
0.36
12%
0.64
-56%
0.36
12%
0.43
-5%
Contrast
1529
910
-40%
1144
-25%
1422
-7%
753
-51%
1408
-8%
1140
-25%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.5
4.2
7%
4.5
-0%
6.4
-42%
2.7
40%
4
11%
5.1
-13%
5.7
-27%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7
6.4
9%
9.1
-30%
10.9
-56%
9.8
-40%
6.5
7%
9
-29%
7.8
-11%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.1
4.6
10%
6.4
-25%
7.2
-41%
1.6
69%
3.4
33%
6.1
-20%
4.7
8%
Gamma
2.26 97%
2.24 98%
2.24 98%
2.28 96%
2.06 107%
2.13 103%
2.28 96%
2.4 92%
CCT
7201 90%
7157 91%
7478 87%
7904 82%
6557 99%
6774 96%
8143 80%
7526 86%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured.

We noticed the intensive color settings of the Honor 9 Lite as soon as we turned it on for the first time. The photospectrometer and the analytical software CalMAN help us to take a closer look at the display's characteristics. Their results confirm that the colors are oversaturated. With the color profile set to "standard", we also identified a slight blue cast, which is not too bothersome although noticeable. Among the mixed colors, the magenta tones deviate from their ideal value the most, as the proportion of blue is too high. None of the colors are too distorted, however.

The color profile "warm" looks more promising. The blue cast becomes turquoise and should not be noticeable in everyday use. The Honor 9 Lite follows the sRGB color space, but cannot cover it entirely.

grayscales (profile: standard, color space: sRGB)
grayscales (profile: standard, color space: sRGB)
mixed colors (profile: standard, color space: sRGB)
mixed colors (profile: standard, color space: sRGB)
color space (profile: standard, color space: sRGB)
color space (profile: standard, color space: sRGB)
saturation (profile: standard, color space: sRGB)
saturation (profile: standard, color space: sRGB)
grayscales (profile: warm, color space: sRGB)
grayscales (profile: warm, color space: sRGB)
mixed colors (profile: warm, color space: sRGB)
mixed colors (profile: warm, color space: sRGB)
color space (profile: warm, color space: sRGB)
color space (profile: warm, color space: sRGB)
saturation (profile: warm, color space: sRGB)
saturation (profile: warm, color space: sRGB)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
18 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 5 ms rise
↘ 13 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 36 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
40 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 17 ms rise
↘ 23 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 58 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms).

The Honor 9 Lite does a great job outdoors. This is mainly due to the very high luminosity of the panel. Content is easy to read even under direct sunlight. Only the reflections on the glass surface might be bothersome.

The viewing angle stability of the IPS display is good. There are hardly any changes in color at wide viewing angles, but brightness drops a little. Content also appears slightly warmer, but this is in no way an issue.

viewing angle stability of the Honor 9 Lite
viewing angle stability of the Honor 9 Lite

Performance - a throttled GPU in the 9 Lite

The Honor 9 Lite is equipped with a HiSilicon Kirin 659 SoC, which consists of two Cortex A53 clusters with four cores each. While one cluster clocks at up to 2.36 GHz, the energy-saving cluster can only reach 1.7 GHz. The clusters have access to 3 GB of RAM. The graphics department is dealt with by an ARM Mali-T830 MP2. The SoC is used in many of Honor's and Huawei's other mid-range models such as the Honor 7X, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite, the Nova 2 and the P smart.

While the CPU performs as expected and the system performance is the highest among competitors equipped with this SoC, the GPU performance is disappointing. The Huawei P smart has to deal with the same issue. While this is not visible in the GFXBench or in 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited, the weaker GPU is revealed in the more demanding 3DMark Sling Shot benchmarks. More expensive devices are between 30 and 186% faster. The issue also came up during our gaming test. The manufacturer has probably reduced the maximum clock rate of the GPU (up to 900 MHz).

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
67727 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
45613 Points -33%
BQ Aquaris X
63428 Points -6%
Nokia 6
47066 Points -31%
ZTE Blade V8
45868 Points -32%
Huawei P10 Lite
60438 Points -11%
Motorola Moto G5s
46370 Points -32%
Huawei P smart
66353 Points -2%
Huawei Honor 7X
62810 Points -7%
Huawei Nova 2
63304 Points -7%
AnTuTu v7
Total Score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
89639 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
61825 Points -31%
Huawei P smart
87688 Points -2%
Huawei Honor 7X
81992 Points -9%
CPU (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
41874 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
32911 Points -21%
Huawei P smart
41721 Points 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
39451 Points -6%
GPU (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
14340 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
8563 Points -40%
Huawei P smart
13168 Points -8%
Huawei Honor 7X
13110 Points -9%
UX (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
24145 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
15576 Points -35%
Huawei P smart
24255 Points 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
21484 Points -11%
MEM (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
9280 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
4775 Points -49%
Huawei P smart
8544 Points -8%
Huawei Honor 7X
7947 Points -14%
PCMark for Android
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
4911 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3889 Points -21%
BQ Aquaris X
4891 Points 0%
Nokia 6
3723 Points -24%
ZTE Blade V8
3815 Points -22%
Huawei P10 Lite
4464 Points -9%
Motorola Moto G5s
3604 Points -27%
Huawei P smart
4874 Points -1%
Huawei Honor 7X
4859 Points -1%
Huawei Nova 2
4822 Points -2%
Work performance score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
5887 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
5006 Points -15%
BQ Aquaris X
5792 Points -2%
Nokia 6
4980 Points -15%
ZTE Blade V8
4978 Points -15%
Huawei P10 Lite
5794 Points -2%
Motorola Moto G5s
4669 Points -21%
Huawei P smart
5817 Points -1%
Huawei Honor 7X
6213 Points +6%
Huawei Nova 2
6252 Points +6%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
1423 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1022 Points -28%
BQ Aquaris X
1333 Points -6%
Nokia 6
307 Points -78%
ZTE Blade V8
928 Points -35%
Huawei P10 Lite
1229 Points -14%
Motorola Moto G5s
848 Points -40%
Huawei P smart
1480 Points +4%
Huawei Honor 7X
1334 Points -6%
Huawei Nova 2
1436 Points +1%
System (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
3058 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
2218 Points -27%
BQ Aquaris X
3551 Points +16%
Nokia 6
2135 Points -30%
ZTE Blade V8
1562 Points -49%
Huawei P10 Lite
2642 Points -14%
Motorola Moto G5s
1553 Points -49%
Huawei P smart
3223 Points +5%
Huawei Honor 7X
2899 Points -5%
Huawei Nova 2
2959 Points -3%
Memory (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
1757 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1249 Points -29%
BQ Aquaris X
1039 Points -41%
Nokia 6
587 Points -67%
ZTE Blade V8
812 Points -54%
Huawei P10 Lite
1592 Points -9%
Motorola Moto G5s
656 Points -63%
Huawei P smart
1889 Points +8%
Huawei Honor 7X
1788 Points +2%
Huawei Nova 2
2011 Points +14%
Graphics (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
859 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
534 Points -38%
BQ Aquaris X
1014 Points +18%
Nokia 6
731 Points -15%
ZTE Blade V8
787 Points -8%
Huawei P10 Lite
829 Points -3%
Motorola Moto G5s
723 Points -16%
Huawei P smart
857 Points 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
845 Points -2%
Huawei Nova 2
843 Points -2%
Web (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
888 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
737 Points -17%
BQ Aquaris X
843 Points -5%
Nokia 6
10 Points -99%
ZTE Blade V8
744 Points -16%
Huawei P10 Lite
654 Points -26%
Motorola Moto G5s
703 Points -21%
Huawei P smart
919 Points +3%
Huawei Honor 7X
724 Points -18%
Huawei Nova 2
847 Points -5%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
945 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
732 Points -23%
BQ Aquaris X
929 Points -2%
Nokia 6
667 Points -29%
Huawei P10 Lite
913 Points -3%
Motorola Moto G5s
630 Points -33%
Huawei P smart
946 Points 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
869 Points -8%
Huawei Nova 2
918 Points -3%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
3730 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3704 Points -1%
BQ Aquaris X
4522 Points +21%
Nokia 6
2844 Points -24%
Huawei P10 Lite
3460 Points -7%
Motorola Moto G5s
2270 Points -39%
Huawei P smart
3732 Points 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
3342 Points -10%
Huawei Nova 2
3556 Points -5%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
3117 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
2332 Points -25%
Motorola Moto G5s
1871 Points -40%
Huawei P smart
3117 Points 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
2772 Points -11%
Huawei Nova 2
2997 Points -4%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
12278 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
8227 Points -33%
BQ Aquaris X
14034 Points +14%
Nokia 6
9457 Points -23%
ZTE Blade V8
9932 Points -19%
Huawei P10 Lite
11135 Points -9%
Motorola Moto G5s
9491 Points -23%
Huawei P smart
11912 Points -3%
Huawei Honor 7X
10882 Points -11%
Huawei Nova 2
12212 Points -1%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
11712 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
7484 Points -36%
BQ Aquaris X
13330 Points +14%
Nokia 6
9605 Points -18%
ZTE Blade V8
10271 Points -12%
Huawei P10 Lite
10603 Points -9%
Motorola Moto G5s
9626 Points -18%
Huawei P smart
11262 Points -4%
Huawei Honor 7X
10332 Points -12%
Huawei Nova 2
11688 Points 0%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
14780 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
12605 Points -15%
BQ Aquaris X
17124 Points +16%
Nokia 6
8973 Points -39%
ZTE Blade V8
8905 Points -40%
Huawei P10 Lite
13510 Points -9%
Motorola Moto G5s
9045 Points -39%
Huawei P smart
14930 Points +1%
Huawei Honor 7X
13372 Points -10%
Huawei Nova 2
14488 Points -2%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
230 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
340 Points +48%
BQ Aquaris X
849 Points +269%
Nokia 6
571 Points +148%
ZTE Blade V8
613 Points +167%
Huawei P10 Lite
610 Points +165%
Motorola Moto G5s
555 Points +141%
Huawei P smart
284 Points +23%
Huawei Honor 7X
622 Points +170%
Huawei Nova 2
620 Points +170%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
184 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
277 Points +51%
BQ Aquaris X
724 Points +293%
Nokia 6
495 Points +169%
ZTE Blade V8
542 Points +195%
Huawei P10 Lite
520 Points +183%
Motorola Moto G5s
483 Points +163%
Huawei P smart
229 Points +24%
Huawei Honor 7X
528 Points +187%
Huawei Nova 2
526 Points +186%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
1788 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1685 Points -6%
BQ Aquaris X
2139 Points +20%
Nokia 6
1238 Points -31%
ZTE Blade V8
1127 Points -37%
Huawei P10 Lite
1537 Points -14%
Motorola Moto G5s
1158 Points -35%
Huawei P smart
1787 Points 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
1656 Points -7%
Huawei Nova 2
1657 Points -7%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
312 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
231 Points -26%
BQ Aquaris X
465 Points +49%
Nokia 6
296 Points -5%
ZTE Blade V8
318 Points +2%
Huawei P10 Lite
396 Points +27%
Motorola Moto G5s
295 Points -5%
Huawei P smart
316 Points +1%
Huawei Honor 7X
409 Points +31%
Huawei Nova 2
402 Points +29%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
253 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
185 Points -27%
BQ Aquaris X
380 Points +50%
Nokia 6
243 Points -4%
ZTE Blade V8
263 Points +4%
Huawei P10 Lite
326 Points +29%
Motorola Moto G5s
243 Points -4%
Huawei P smart
256 Points +1%
Huawei Honor 7X
338 Points +34%
Huawei Nova 2
330 Points +30%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
1748 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1727 Points -1%
BQ Aquaris X
2179 Points +25%
Nokia 6
1225 Points -30%
ZTE Blade V8
1214 Points -31%
Huawei P10 Lite
1592 Points -9%
Motorola Moto G5s
1199 Points -31%
Huawei P smart
1827 Points +5%
Huawei Honor 7X
1553 Points -11%
Huawei Nova 2
1662 Points -5%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
18 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
20 fps +11%
BQ Aquaris X
22 fps +22%
Nokia 6
16 fps -11%
ZTE Blade V8
9.7 fps -46%
Huawei P10 Lite
18 fps 0%
Motorola Moto G5s
16 fps -11%
Huawei P smart
18 fps 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
18 fps 0%
Huawei Nova 2
20 fps +11%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
19 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
12 fps -37%
BQ Aquaris X
23 fps +21%
Nokia 6
16 fps -16%
ZTE Blade V8
11 fps -42%
Huawei P10 Lite
17 fps -11%
Motorola Moto G5s
16 fps -16%
Huawei P smart
19 fps 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
19 fps 0%
Huawei Nova 2
19 fps 0%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
8.4 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
10 fps +19%
BQ Aquaris X
9.7 fps +15%
Nokia 6
7 fps -17%
ZTE Blade V8
4.5 fps -46%
Huawei P10 Lite
7.7 fps -8%
Motorola Moto G5s
7.4 fps -12%
Huawei P smart
8.3 fps -1%
Huawei Honor 7X
7.9 fps -6%
Huawei Nova 2
8.9 fps +6%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
8.6 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
5.1 fps -41%
BQ Aquaris X
9.8 fps +14%
Nokia 6
7.1 fps -17%
ZTE Blade V8
4.6 fps -47%
Huawei P10 Lite
7.2 fps -16%
Motorola Moto G5s
7.1 fps -17%
Huawei P smart
8.7 fps +1%
Huawei Honor 7X
8 fps -7%
Huawei Nova 2
7.9 fps -8%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
5 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
7.4 fps +48%
BQ Aquaris X
6.3 fps +26%
Nokia 6
4.5 fps -10%
ZTE Blade V8
4.9 fps -2%
Huawei P10 Lite
4.8 fps -4%
Motorola Moto G5s
5 fps 0%
Huawei P smart
5.2 fps +4%
Huawei Honor 7X
4.5 fps -10%
Huawei Nova 2
5.2 fps +4%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
3.2 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3.2 fps 0%
BQ Aquaris X
6.4 fps +100%
Nokia 6
4.6 fps +44%
ZTE Blade V8
2.4 fps -25%
Huawei P10 Lite
4.2 fps +31%
Motorola Moto G5s
4.6 fps +44%
Huawei P smart
5.3 fps +66%
Huawei Honor 7X
4.7 fps +47%
Huawei Nova 2
4.8 fps +50%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
2.9 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3.7 fps +28%
BQ Aquaris X
3.5 fps +21%
Nokia 6
2.5 fps -14%
ZTE Blade V8
2.7 fps -7%
Huawei P10 Lite
3 fps +3%
Motorola Moto G5s
2.7 fps -7%
Huawei P smart
2.9 fps 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
2.9 fps 0%
Huawei Nova 2
3.1 fps +7%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Honor 9 Lite
3.2 fps
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
1.9 fps -41%
BQ Aquaris X
3.5 fps +9%
Nokia 6
2.5 fps -22%
ZTE Blade V8
2.1 fps -34%
Huawei P10 Lite
2.8 fps -12%
Motorola Moto G5s
2.5 fps -22%
Huawei P smart
3.2 fps 0%
Huawei Honor 7X
2.9 fps -9%
Huawei Nova 2
2.9 fps -9%
Lightmark - 1920x1080 1080p (sort by value)
Huawei Honor 7X
4.32 fps
Huawei Nova 2
4.96 fps
Basemark X 1.1
Medium Quality (sort by value)
ZTE Blade V8
16486 Points
Huawei Honor 7X
16931 Points
Huawei Nova 2
17001 Points
High Quality (sort by value)
ZTE Blade V8
8015 Points
Huawei Honor 7X
8774 Points
Huawei Nova 2
8749 Points
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value)
ZTE Blade V8
110 Points
Huawei Nova 2
147 Points
Epic Citadel - Ultra High Quality (sort by value)
Huawei Nova 2
47.3 fps

Legend

 
Honor 9 Lite HiSilicon Kirin 659, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa, ARM Mali-T830 MP1, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
BQ Aquaris X Qualcomm Snapdragon 626, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Nokia 6 Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937), Qualcomm Adreno 505, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
ZTE Blade V8 Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, Qualcomm Adreno 505, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei P10 Lite HiSilicon Kirin 658, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto G5s Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937), Qualcomm Adreno 505, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei P smart HiSilicon Kirin 659, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei Honor 7X HiSilicon Kirin 659, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei Nova 2 HiSilicon Kirin 659, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 64 GB eMMC Flash

The browser benchmarks, which we carried out on the preinstalled Google Chrome browser, show good performance and the Honor 9 Lite usually lies in the middle of our comparison field. It even manages first place in the WebXPRT. Subjectively, we felt that even complex websites load quite quickly in everyday use.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Huawei P10 Lite (Chrome 55.0.2883.91)
30.05 Points +14%
BQ Aquaris X (Chrome Version 60)
27.1 Points +3%
Huawei P smart (Chrome 64)
26.63 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
26.42 Points
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos (Samsung Browser 5.4)
26.37 Points 0%
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62)
18.66 Points -29%
Nokia 6 (Chrome 59.0.3071.125)
17.56 Points -34%
ZTE Blade V8 (Chrome 57.0.2987.132)
17.52 Points -34%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos (Samsung Browser 5.4)
4968 Points +5%
BQ Aquaris X (Chrome Version 60)
4786 Points +1%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
4742 Points
Huawei P10 Lite (Chrome 55.0.2883.91)
4589 Points -3%
Huawei P smart (Chrome 64)
4497 Points -5%
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62)
3035 Points -36%
Nokia 6 (Chrome 59.0.3071.125)
2899 Points -39%
ZTE Blade V8 (Chrome 57.0.2987.132)
2826 Points -40%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62)
13057 ms * -27%
ZTE Blade V8 (Chrome 57.0.2987.132)
12297 ms * -20%
Nokia 6 (Chrome 59.0.3071.125)
12062 ms * -18%
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
10250 ms *
Huawei P smart (Chrome 64)
9698 ms * +5%
BQ Aquaris X (Chrome Version 60)
8825 ms * +14%
Huawei P10 Lite (Chrome 55.0.2883.91)
8591 ms * +16%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos (Samsung Browser 5.4)
6784 ms * +34%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
Honor 9 Lite (Chrome 63)
108 Points
Huawei P smart (Chrome 64)
92 Points -15%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos (Samsung Browser 5.4)
80 Points -26%
Huawei P10 Lite (Chrome 55.0.2883.91)
62 Points -43%
Motorola Moto G5s (Chrome 62)
61 Points -44%
Nokia 6 (Chrome 59.0.3071.125)
60 Points -44%
ZTE Blade V8 (Chrome 57.0.2987.132)
53 Points -51%

* ... smaller is better

The Honor 9 Lite offers 32 GB of internal storage. This works pretty fast compared to the other devices and the transfer rates to our reference card, the Toshiba Exceria Pro M501, are good, although they do not reach the full potential of the microSD card.

Of the 32 GB of storage, the user can effectively use just under 23 GB after the initial set-up. The system size is not too big at 6.8 GB.

Honor 9 LiteHuawei P smartSamsung Galaxy J5 (2017) DuosBQ Aquaris XNokia 6Motorola Moto G5s
AndroBench 3-5
-14%
-48%
-31%
-33%
-22%
Sequential Read 256KB
269.6
269.4
0%
204.4
-24%
266.4
-1%
273.1
1%
259
-4%
Sequential Write 256KB
138.2
121.1
-12%
52
-62%
75.3
-46%
77.1
-44%
77.5
-44%
Random Read 4KB
68.4
66.1
-3%
24.07
-65%
37.47
-45%
33.8
-51%
40.6
-41%
Random Write 4KB
66.8
21.3
-68%
9.9
-85%
11.85
-82%
11.34
-83%
46.2
-31%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
83.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
82.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-1%
72.2 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
-13%
84.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
84.6
2%
84.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
71.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
72.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
44.21 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
-39%
62.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-13%
56.6
-21%
62.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-13%

Games - limited enjoyment

The throttled ARM Mali-T830 MP2 in the Honor 9 Lite is bad news for gaming. While simple games are no issue, displaying “Asphalt 8” at high details is not a good idea. The title only manages about 16 frames per second, which is a long way away from smooth gaming. If you are happy playing the game at low details, you will get 30 FPS. “Dead Trigger 2” is also limited to a maximum of 30 frames. The Huawei P smart does a better job here. 

The touchscreen and position sensor work very well. The speakers at the bottom tend to get covered by a hand when the smartphone is held in landscape mode.

Asphalt 8
Asphalt 8
Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger 2
Asphalt 8: Airborne - high
Nokia 6
24 fps +50%
Huawei P10 Lite
22 fps +38%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
22 fps +38%
ZTE Blade V8
19 fps +19%
Huawei P smart
18 fps +13%
Honor 9 Lite
16 fps
Dead Trigger 2 - high
Huawei P smart
58 fps +93%
Huawei P10 Lite
51 fps +70%
Nokia 6
50 fps +67%
ZTE Blade V8
30 fps 0%
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
30 fps 0%
Honor 9 Lite
30 fps

Emissions

Temperature - Honor's smartphone is inconspicuous

Honor 9 Lite: GFXBench T-Rex (OpenGL ES 2.0)
T-Rex
Honor 9 Lite: GFXBench Manhattan (OpenGL ES 3.1)
Manhattan

The surface temperatures of the Honor 9 Lite are great and the smartphone is not even warm to the touch under constant load.

We tested the behavior of the SoC under intensive use with the GFXBench battery test. This benchmark, which runs 30 times, measures not only the battery level, but also frame rates. We found no issues with the 9 Lite and the device can always reach its full potential.

Max. Load
 33 °C
91 F
33.1 °C
92 F
33.7 °C
93 F
 
 32.7 °C
91 F
31.7 °C
89 F
34.6 °C
94 F
 
 32 °C
90 F
31.3 °C
88 F
33.3 °C
92 F
 
Maximum: 34.6 °C = 94 F
Average: 32.8 °C = 91 F
30.1 °C
86 F
30.6 °C
87 F
33 °C
91 F
29.6 °C
85 F
30 °C
86 F
33.2 °C
92 F
29.4 °C
85 F
30.2 °C
86 F
31.9 °C
89 F
Maximum: 33.2 °C = 92 F
Average: 30.9 °C = 88 F
Power Supply (max.)  28.4 °C = 83 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.8 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 32.8 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.6 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 33.2 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.4 °C / 89 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.

Speakers - sufficient, but unbalanced

Honor 9 Lite: Pink Noise measurements
Pink Noise measurements

The single speaker at the bottom of the smartphone does a decent job as long as it is not turned up too high. The mids and highs are rendered quite well, but are too far apart, which makes the sound appear unbalanced. At maximum volume, the sound is rather uncomfortable and we would recommend going for an external speaker if you want to fill a whole room with sound.

The 3.5-mm audio jack is perfect for connecting external devices, or alternatively you can use Bluetooth for a wireless connection. Unfortunately, the latter does not support aptX.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2035.238.32532.938.73137.231.14031.732.95039.636.36328.330.68027.327.110026.930.312526.729.11602435.220020.939.925020.943.531519.548.640018.556.950017.560.463017.563.380015.765.4100015.870125016.671.8160015.873.2200015.470.7250015.571.131501672.5400015.87850001679630016.375.2800016.375.21000016.277.71250016.468.71600016.458.3SPL28.686.1N1.162.4median 16.4median 68.7Delta2.211.231.63225.438.425.33432.93033.629.631.628.528.429.32731.820.834.92243.421.349.120.855.521.260.719.463.719.567.417.770.217.971.417.868.917.37017.472.616.775.117.277.418.278.117.981.417.676.717.775.417.874.517.970.518.161.818.258.43086.81.370median 17.9median 701.48.530.529.430.531303134.829.834.837.93337.93226.53230.826.230.833.630.933.631.832.431.838.232.638.240.621.940.650.421.250.456.720.856.761.619.261.663.520.863.567.421.667.467.518.767.567.217.967.265.417.665.463.817.263.86416.46469.516.769.569.116.469.166.516.166.564.515.964.564.81664.863.11663.16216.16262.215.962.257.915.957.950.21650.27829.678431.343median 63.5median 17.2median 63.56.52.96.5hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHonor 9 LiteSamsung Galaxy J5 (2017) DuosNokia 6
Honor 9 Lite audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.8% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 49% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 43% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.2% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 18% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 72% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 40% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 52% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Nokia 6 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 90% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 24% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 70% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram in comparison (check boxes can be turned on/off!)

Power Management

Power Consumption - the 9 Lite has high consumption

The power consumption of the Honor 9 Lite is relatively high. Particularly while idling at minimum luminosity, we would have expected slightly lower rates considering the low brightness. The other consumption rates we measured while idling can be connected to the high maximum brightness, while power consumption is acceptable under load.

The smartphone recharges to 50% within an hour using the included power supply. A full recharge requires two and a half hours. We were happy with the low power consumption of the power supply, as it only requires 0.004 watts.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.26 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.85 / 2 / 2.04 Watt
Load midlight 3.23 / 4.93 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Honor 9 Lite
3000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3000 mAh
BQ Aquaris X
3100 mAh
Nokia 6
3000 mAh
ZTE Blade V8
2730 mAh
Motorola Moto G5s
3000 mAh
Huawei P smart
3000 mAh
Power Consumption
42%
-8%
3%
1%
-2%
-4%
Idle Minimum *
0.85
0.52
39%
1.12
-32%
0.63
26%
0.98
-15%
0.67
21%
0.62
27%
Idle Average *
2
1.17
41%
2.16
-8%
1.75
12%
1.76
12%
1.4
30%
1.76
12%
Idle Maximum *
2.04
1.24
39%
2.18
-7%
1.87
8%
1.79
12%
1.52
25%
1.87
8%
Load Average *
3.23
1.66
49%
2.94
9%
3.56
-10%
2.89
11%
4.56
-41%
4.47
-38%
Load Maximum *
4.93
2.94
40%
5.1
-3%
5.85
-19%
5.62
-14%
7.05
-43%
6.39
-30%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime – on the same level with the Huawei P smart

The technical data of the test unit is almost identical to that of its sibling model, the Huawei P smart. Therefore, it is not surprising that the battery runtimes of the two devices are very similar. The higher brightness of the 9 Lite might mean that the device's battery runtimes are shorter on very bright days.

Compared to its competitors, the Honor 9 Lite fares quite well and reaches good runtimes. One charge of the 3000-mAh battery, should easily last a day for most users. But the competition shows that longer battery runtimes are also possible. The Galaxy J5 (2017) in particular lasts a lot longer, which is only in part due to the low panel resolution. 

The Honor 9 Lite offers various energy saving modes with which you can increase battery runtimes.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
16h 05min
WiFi Websurfing (Chrome 63)
10h 01min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
10h 22min
Load (maximum brightness)
4h 13min
Honor 9 Lite
3000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) Duos
3000 mAh
BQ Aquaris X
3100 mAh
Nokia 6
3000 mAh
ZTE Blade V8
2730 mAh
Motorola Moto G5s
3000 mAh
Huawei P smart
3000 mAh
Battery Runtime
52%
-1%
16%
5%
2%
-6%
Reader / Idle
965
1564
62%
1695
76%
964
0%
1233
28%
985
2%
H.264
622
917
47%
542
-13%
545
-12%
645
4%
615
-1%
WiFi v1.3
601
738
23%
592
-1%
670
11%
700
16%
518
-14%
565
-6%
Load
253
449
77%
228
-10%
297
17%
225
-11%
202
-20%

Pros

+ bright, high-contrast display
+ slim design
+ FM radio
+ hybrid SIM
+ fast LTE Cat. 13
+ expandable storage
+ good selfie dual camera

Cons

- mediocre speakers
- weak GPU
- no USB Type-C ports
- no ac Wi-Fi

Verdict

Review: The Honor 9 Lite. Test unit provided by Honor Germany.
Review: The Honor 9 Lite. Test unit provided by Honor Germany.

Honor has managed to create a good mid-range smartphone: The 9 Lite. It impresses with its bright display, decent dual cameras and smooth system performance. In addition, it has a great design with attractive color options.

The battery runtimes of the smartphones are good, but they could have been even better with better optimization. Unfortunately, the 9 Lite still has a Micro-USB port and the Wi-Fi is comparably slow. Instead, its LTE is quite fast.

The Honor 9 Lite does well with its bright display, fast LTE and four cameras. Gamers, on the other hand, will not always be as pleased with it.

In direct comparison with the Huawei P smart, we were happy to see that our test unit performed a little better due to its brighter display and better front cameras, as well as being a little cheaper. If you do not like the idea of a smartphone with a glass back, you should go for the P smart, which has a case made of aluminum.

Honor 9 Lite - 03/09/2018 v6 (old)
Daniel Schmidt

Chassis
87%
Keyboard
70 / 75 → 94%
Pointing Device
91%
Connectivity
39 / 60 → 66%
Weight
92%
Battery
92%
Display
87%
Games Performance
19 / 63 → 29%
Application Performance
54 / 70 → 78%
Temperature
92%
Noise
100%
Audio
64 / 91 → 70%
Camera
72%
Average
74%
84%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

Price comparison

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Daniel Schmidt, 2018-03-23 (Update: 2024-08-15)