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Huawei P8 Lite 2017 Smartphone Review

Flagship lite 2.0. Huawei's P8 lite was actually the slimmed down version of Huawei's second-last flagship phone. Nevertheless, it has now been reworked with a new design, Full HD panel, and many other improvements. Our report reveals whether the P8 lite (2017) is a good deal.

For the original German review, see here.

2015 was an eventful year: The spacecraft "New Horizons" reached Pluto, VW admitted that they had been dishonest about their diesel engines, Stefan Raab quit his TV career, and Huawei launched the P8 lite as a small, slimmed down version of its P8 flagship phone. Almost two years later both smartphones are still being retailed. Not a bad performance in this fast-paced market. Perhaps Huawei has decided to introduce a successor of the mid-range model in the form of the P8 lite (2017) just for this reason. It comes with a Full HD screen, 3 GB of RAM, and a much bigger battery, making it considerably more up-to-date than its predecessor. The phones also look very different. Only the recommended retail price of 240 Euros (~$255) for Huawei's P8 lite (2017) is very similar to that of its predecessor, and it is thus situated in the mid-range.

We compare the latest P8 lite with its predecessor alongside three other mid-range models: Asus' Zenfone 3 Max, HTC's One A9s, and Lenovo's ZUK Z2.

Huawei P8 lite 2017 (P8 Series)
Processor
HiSilicon Kirin 655 8 x 2.1 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
ARM Mali-T830 MP2, Core: 900 MHz
Memory
3 GB 
Display
5.20 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 424 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 10 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5-mm combo jack, Card Reader: micro-SD max. 128 GB, 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: proximity sensor, accelerometer, compass, USB-OTG
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.1, GSM (850/​900/​1800/​1900), UMTS (850/​900/​1900/​2100), LTE (B1/​B3/​B7/​B8/​B20); LTE Cat. 6 (max. 300 Mbit/s download, max. 50 MBit/s upload); SAR rate: 0.96W/​kg (head), 0.98W/​kg (body), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.6 x 147.2 x 72.9 ( = 0.3 x 5.8 x 2.87 in)
Battery
11.4 Wh, 3000 mAh Lithium-Ion, Standby 2G (according to manufacturer): 531 h
Operating System
Android 7.0 Nougat
Camera
Primary Camera: 12 MPix Phase comparison AF, LED flash, videos @1080p/​30fps
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: speaker on lower edge, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, SIM tool, charger, USB cable, headset, HiCare, HiGame, themes, phone manager, 24 Months Warranty, FM radio, fanless
Weight
147 g ( = 5.19 oz / 0.32 pounds), Power Supply: 47 g ( = 1.66 oz / 0.1 pounds)
Price
240 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

As said, the casing of Huawei's P8 lite (2017) has been completely redesigned and has little in common with the P8 lite. Our review sample's design looks very organic thanks to the 2.5D glass on the front and the curved edges. The glossy glass back looks stylish and, like the front, it is difficult to keep clean: Fingerprints and dust accumulate quickly. Furthermore, the smartphone slides on even slightly slanted surfaces and could fall from a table accidentally. The smartphone is available in black, gold, and white. A blue model is mentioned on the website, but it does not seem to be available in Europe.

Huawei's P8 lite (2017) has a slightly bigger screen of 5.2 inches, and thus both the casing and the weight have increased. However, our present review sample is marginally slimmer than the 2015 P8 lite: We still measured 7.6 millimeters (~0.3 in) here.

Pressure on the screen is visible in the liquid crystals for a moment, but it does not leave prolonged pressure marks. The handset easily defies pressure on the back. Huawei's P8 lite (2017) can be warped slightly, which produces quiet cracking noises. In total, the casing makes a high-quality and solid impression. The selected glass and metal materials correspond to the category standard.

Size Comparison

149.5 mm / 5.89 inch 73.7 mm / 2.9 inch 8.55 mm / 0.3366 inch 148 g0.3263 lbs147.2 mm / 5.8 inch 72.9 mm / 2.87 inch 7.6 mm / 0.2992 inch 147 g0.3241 lbs146.5 mm / 5.77 inch 71.5 mm / 2.81 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 150 g0.3307 lbs143 mm / 5.63 inch 70.6 mm / 2.78 inch 7.7 mm / 0.3031 inch 133 g0.2932 lbs141 mm / 5.55 inch 68.88 mm / 2.71 inch 8.45 mm / 0.3327 inch 149 g0.3285 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

With 3 GB of working memory and 16 GB of storage, Huawei's P8 lite (2017) is up-to-date. However, some smartphones offer even higher storage capacities in this category. The USB port is not implemented in the USB-C format, and it only supports USB 2.0 speeds. At least it allows connecting external storage devices via USB OTG.

Two SIM cards can be inserted into Huawei's P8 lite (2017); a single-SIM version also exists on the market, but it is presently not available in Europe. The storage can be expanded by up to 128 GB via a micro-SD card but in favor of one SIM slot. Apps can be moved to the SD card although Huawei takes a different approach than some other manufacturers: Either the internal storage or the micro-SD card is selected as the standard storage. When the SD card is selected, data from compatible apps are moved to the SD card automatically and future apps, photos, and data are stored there. App2SD does not have to selected for every individual app. The card cannot be formatted as internal storage, and thus it can still be used with other devices.

Left: SIM slot
Left: SIM slot
Right: Volume control, standby button
Right: Volume control, standby button
Lower edge: USB 2.0 port
Lower edge: USB 2.0 port
Upper edge: 3.5-mm headset jack
Upper edge: 3.5-mm headset jack

Software

Huawei's Emotion UI 5 visibly modifies the looks of Android 7, but it is a bit more flexible than Google's stock Android: For example, the user can launch "Basic Mode" that facilitates use when large icons or only few functions are needed. It is also possible to decide whether all apps are displayed on the home screen or whether app drawers are used and arranged like the menu buttons. At first glance, the system makes a somewhat fragmented impression due to the small font size, but this can be changed in the settings and the text then becomes legible also for users with weaker eyesight. However, some app labels are cut off under the icon.

Thanks to the preloaded "HiCare" app, it is possible to quickly access Huawei's service offers or open instructions concerning the smartphone. "HiGame" contains some basic mobile games for downloading, and a phone manager provides security and cleaning features. Useful tools, such as a compass or file manager, are found in the tool folder. However, some affiliate apps, such as "Gameloft", "TripAdvisor", and "Twitter", are also preloaded.

Communication and GPS

Huawei's P8 lite (2017) offers relatively fast LTE Cat. 6 at a maximum download speed of 300 Mbit/s and maximum upload of 50 Mbit/s. Thanks to four GPRS, four UMTS, and five LTE frequencies, it should always be possible to find a network (at least in European countries). The reception within a rural area was usually good: We also usually had four of five bars indoors in the well-developed German Vodafone network. Conveniently, SIM cards can be inserted and removed on the fly.

The Wi-Fi standards are limited: Only 802.11 b/g/n are offered. Consequently, the less-frequented 5-GHz band cannot be used. HTC's One A9s provides a few more options, and Lenovo's ZUK Z2 that is difficult to acquire here even supports the high-speed 802.11 ac standard. Our review sample delivers acceptable though not outstanding Wi-Fi transmission rates, as we discovered in our standardized Wi-Fi test. It achieved a transmission speed of around 54 MBit/s in send and receive. HTC's One A9s, for example, offers twice the speed. The reception near the router was good in practice; websites opened relatively fast. Half the signal strength was still displayed at a distance of ten meters (~33 ft) and through three walls, but websites opened just as fast.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Lenovo ZUK Z2
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996, 64 GB eMMC Flash
318 MBit/s +490%
HTC One A9s
Mali-T860 MP2, Helio P10 MT6755, 32 GB eMMC Flash
109 MBit/s +102%
Huawei P8 lite 2017
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 655, 16 GB eMMC Flash
53.9 MBit/s
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 32 GB eMMC Flash
49.7 MBit/s -8%
iperf3 receive AX12
Lenovo ZUK Z2
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996, 64 GB eMMC Flash
296 MBit/s +443%
HTC One A9s
Mali-T860 MP2, Helio P10 MT6755, 32 GB eMMC Flash
102 MBit/s +87%
Huawei P8 lite 2017
Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 655, 16 GB eMMC Flash
54.5 MBit/s
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 32 GB eMMC Flash
47.4 MBit/s -13%
GPS test indoors
GPS test indoors
GPS test outdoors
GPS test outdoors

Huawei's P8 lite (2017) could not locate us indoors, but an accuracy of up to 5 meters (~16.4 ft) is quickly reached outdoors. We performed our practical tracking test, where we take the smartphone and a professional navigation system by Garmin, by car this time. We compared the outcomes of both devices with the "Runtastic" app.

The recorded route only deviates by 60 meters (~197 ft), which is a very good rate over almost ten kilometers (6.2 miles). The GPS module in Huawei's smartphone sometimes takes shortcuts when it loses the signal between two measuring points, but Garmin's Edge 500 navigation system does this, too. Huawei's module is even a bit better than the professional device on serpentine streets. In total, it is an impressive outcome for a GPS module in a mid-range smartphone. Consequently, the tracker can also be used for more demanding excursions.

GPS Huawei P8 lite (2017): Total
GPS Huawei P8 lite (2017): Total
GPS Huawei P8 lite (2017): Traffic circle
GPS Huawei P8 lite (2017): Traffic circle
GPS Huawei P8 lite (2017): Bends
GPS Huawei P8 lite (2017): Bends
GPS Garmin Edge 500: Total
GPS Garmin Edge 500: Total
GPS Garmin Edge 500: Traffic circle
GPS Garmin Edge 500: Traffic circle
GPS Garmin Edge 500: Bends
GPS Garmin Edge 500: Bends

Telephone and Call Quality

Huawei has actually reworked the phone app. However, it basically supports the same functions as Google's stock app. We liked the fact that the call list can be filtered according to categories, such as missed or unknown. The harassment filter is also a convenient tool for warding off unwanted calls.

The earpiece can get quite loud, but the higher its volume the less clear it becomes and it then starts to roar. We liked it most at medium volume although the call quality was also only mediocre then. The microphone had problems recording quiet voices and we also sounded muffled to our contact. Our contact sounded relatively good in hands-free mode, and the microphone can even record quieter speech. However, we still sounded a bit muffled to our contact.

Cameras

Front camera photo
Front camera photo

A small surprise: Huawei offers even fewer megapixels in its P8 lite (2017) primary camera than in its predecessor: now only 12 megapixels in contrast to 13 megapixels. However, this is not necessarily a step backward as Huawei relies on extra big pixels of 1.25 micrometers in order to capture more light. The autofocus also responds particularly quickly. We can confirm that the camera shoots well-exposed photos that still depict depth in both dark and bright areas, which is not a bad outcome. The outlines could be sharper; an intentionally blurred background often looks artificial. Subjectively, the primary camera definitely takes good photos for a mid-range smartphone in total. 

Videos can be recorded in 1080p at 30 frames per second with the rear-facing camera. The exposure here is very good and adapts quickly to changing light conditions. The image sharpness is also good, and we quite like the results in total. A marginal note: The user has to take particular care not to cover the camera with a finger when holding the smartphone due to its position in the upper left corner.

The 8-megapixel, front-facing camera has a considerably higher resolution than Huawei's 2015 P8 lite. However, the photos are rather mediocre with visible color noise, bright areas quickly look overexposed, and they do not really look sharp. It should be acceptable for an occasional selfie, but it is not enough for really high-quality photos.

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
click to load images

The analysis of the rear-facing camera also delivered good results under defined light conditions in our photo studio. Colored surfaces look relatively homogeneous and not too grainy. However, the sharpness decreases slightly toward the edges. The sharpness is good in the image center. Colors are reproduced well, but most tones are a bit too light compared to the reference color space.

Reference card screenshot
Reference card screenshot
Test photo section
Test photo section
Screenshot of ColorChecker colors. Original colors are displayed in the lower half of each patch.
Screenshot of ColorChecker colors. Original colors are displayed in the lower half of each patch.

Accessories and Warranty

Huawei's P8 lite (2017) comes with a charger, USB cable, and a SIM tool for opening the slot. A cabled headset is also included. Special accessories are not found on Huawei's website.

Huawei offers the 24-month manufacturer's warranty in the EU. Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices and Handling

Huawei preloads the third-party keyboard app "SwiftKey". Although it offers many configuration options, it is not very well-arranged since the keys often have multiple assignments. In return, the individual letters and numbers are mapped on large buttons. Voice input, swipe and a dictionary are also present.

The touchscreen has a very sleek surface and is thus very slippery. Whether or not the user likes it is a matter of taste. In any case, the touchscreen is very accurate and functions very precisely even in the corners. The menu keys are displayed on the screen. The volume control and standby button are on the casing's right as expected.

A highlight is certainly the fingerprint scanner. Although it has become standard in this price range, the fingerprint scanner in Huawei's P8 lite (2017) is extremely fast and accurate. The screen unlocks within fractions of a second after touching the area on the smartphone's back.

Keyboard portrait mode
Keyboard portrait mode
Keyboard landscape mode
Keyboard landscape mode

Display

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

The 16:9 screen in Huawei's P8 lite (2017) has a Full HD resolution that is not at all a matter of course in this price range. The IPS panel has a 5.2-inch size and an unusually high brightness of 559 cd/m². The illumination of 91 percent is also very homogeneous, and thus colored surfaces look evenly bright.

556
cd/m²
572
cd/m²
570
cd/m²
556
cd/m²
575
cd/m²
569
cd/m²
526
cd/m²
555
cd/m²
555
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 575 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 559.3 cd/m² Minimum: 6.6 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 575 cd/m²
Contrast: 1474:1 (Black: 0.39 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.2 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 7.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
93.7% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.4
Huawei P8 lite 2017
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20
Huawei P8 lite
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
IPS, 1280x720, 5.20
HTC One A9s
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Lenovo ZUK Z2
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.00
Screen
-15%
-4%
9%
-5%
Brightness middle
575
365
-37%
507
-12%
348
-39%
512
-11%
Brightness
559
353
-37%
474
-15%
320
-43%
502
-10%
Brightness Distribution
91
93
2%
85
-7%
85
-7%
84
-8%
Black Level *
0.39
0.42
-8%
0.53
-36%
0.23
41%
0.58
-49%
Contrast
1474
869
-41%
957
-35%
1513
3%
883
-40%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.2
5.2
-0%
4.7
10%
3.5
33%
3.8
27%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
10.3
7.2
30%
6.4
38%
11.2
-9%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
7.2
5.85
19%
4.8
33%
4
44%
2.7
62%
Gamma
2.4 92%
2.17 101%
2.25 98%
2.3 96%
2.09 105%
CCT
7224 90%
7252 90%
6441 101%
6527 100%
6076 107%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
70.86
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
91.25

* ... 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 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Although the black level of 0.38 cd/m² is not a top rate, it is still better than in most comparison devices. Dark areas have a light grayish tint. The contrast ratio of 1474:1 is nevertheless very good thanks to the high brightness, and colors thus look fairly vivid. The screen has a blue filter mode that reduces eyestrain. This is achieved via the white balance that can also be readjusted manually. This is recommended since the image looks very yellowish otherwise.

We examine the image reproduction ex-factory, and in the cool and warm white balance with the CalMAN software and spectrophotometer. A color tint is always present; the white balance only changes the color. The tint is green in a very warm white balance and blue in a very cool setting. The default setting exhibits the lowest color deviations compared to the sRGB color space. Depending on the setting, the sRGB color space is covered from 93.3 to 93.7 percent. This will be too little for professionals especially since the color tint cannot be completely eliminated. Normal users should not depend too much on the screen's colors, either.

CalMAN Grayscale warm
CalMAN Grayscale warm
CalMAN Grayscale standard
CalMAN Grayscale standard
CalMAN Grayscale cool
CalMAN Grayscale cool
CalMAN Colorspace warm
CalMAN Colorspace warm
CalMAN Colorspace standard
CalMAN Colorspace standard
CalMAN Colorspace cool
CalMAN Colorspace cool
CalMAN ColorChecker warm
CalMAN ColorChecker warm
CalMAN ColorChecker standard
CalMAN ColorChecker standard
CalMAN ColorChecker cool
CalMAN ColorChecker cool
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps warm
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps warm
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps standard
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps standard
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps cool
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps cool

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
32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 10 ms rise
↘ 22 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 84 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 9 ms rise
↘ 15 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 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 29 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

The screen's very high maximum brightness allows using the smartphone outdoors on brighter days. However, the glossy screen is often an annoyance here. The viewing angles are very good; the images on the screen are still very clear even from a very flat angle.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles
Outdoors: maximum brightness
Outdoors: maximum brightness
Outdoors: ambient light sensor
Outdoors: ambient light sensor
Outdoors: medium brightness
Outdoors: medium brightness
Outdoors: minimum brightness
Outdoors: minimum brightness

Performance

HiSilicon's Kirin 655 is the installed SoC. It has a considerably higher clock rate than the Kirin 620 in the predecessor and is a variant of the Kirin 650 with a slightly higher clock rate in one of the processor's two clusters. They consist of four cores each and clock at a maximum of 1.7 GHz and 2.1 GHz. The SoC supports 64 bits and belongs to the mid-range. Compared with the predecessor, its performance has been notably increased from 20 to 50 percent depending on the benchmark. Huawei's P8 lite (2017) is also quite fast compared with comparable modern smartphones.

An ARM Mali-T830 MP2 graphics chip that clocks at 900 MHz is installed. It also offers performance rates that are at least equal to those of current mid-range smartphones, and which are sometimes even much higher.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
56798 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
30365 Points -47%
HTC One A9s
51330 Points -10%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
122513 Points +116%
Geekbench 4.0
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
780 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
569 Points -27%
HTC One A9s
711 Points -9%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
3240 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
1362 Points -58%
HTC One A9s
2936 Points -9%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
11611 Points
Huawei P8 lite
5629 Points -52%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
3827 Points -67%
HTC One A9s
10766 Points -7%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
29241 Points +152%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
11147 Points
Huawei P8 lite
5167 Points -54%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
3369 Points -70%
HTC One A9s
10453 Points -6%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
32997 Points +196%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
13590 Points
Huawei P8 lite
8206 Points -40%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
7298 Points -46%
HTC One A9s
12025 Points -12%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
20910 Points +54%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
606 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
157 Points -74%
HTC One A9s
603 Points 0%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
3302 Points +445%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
516 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
128 Points -75%
HTC One A9s
524 Points +2%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
4506 Points +773%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
1547 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
741 Points -52%
HTC One A9s
1269 Points -18%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
1706 Points +10%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
389 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
103 Points -74%
HTC One A9s
425 Points +9%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
2419 Points +522%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
321 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
83 Points -74%
HTC One A9s
359 Points +12%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
2792 Points +770%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
1532 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
699 Points -54%
HTC One A9s
1175 Points -23%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
1648 Points +8%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
19 fps
Huawei P8 lite
15.3 fps -19%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
10 fps -47%
HTC One A9s
27 fps +42%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
60 fps +216%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
18 fps
Huawei P8 lite
9.9 fps -45%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
5.9 fps -67%
HTC One A9s
18 fps 0%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
91 fps +406%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
8.5 fps
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
4.7 fps -45%
HTC One A9s
14 fps +65%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
43 fps +406%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
7.9 fps
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
2.2 fps -72%
HTC One A9s
7.2 fps -9%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
44 fps +457%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
5 fps
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
3.4 fps -32%
HTC One A9s
11 fps +120%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
29 fps +480%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
4.6 fps
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
1.4 fps -70%
HTC One A9s
2.6 fps -43%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
30 fps +552%
PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
4419 Points
Huawei P8 lite
3717 Points -16%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
2517 Points -43%
HTC One A9s
3350 Points -24%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
6969 Points +58%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
435 Points
Huawei P8 lite
687 Points +58%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
588 Points +35%
HTC One A9s
Points -100%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
2290 Points +426%
System (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
2694 Points
Huawei P8 lite
1467 Points -46%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
1041 Points -61%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
2986 Points +11%
Memory (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
1658 Points
Huawei P8 lite
816 Points -51%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
780 Points -53%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
1983 Points +20%
Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
826 Points
Huawei P8 lite
303 Points -63%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
210 Points -75%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
4335 Points +425%
Web (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
10 Points
Huawei P8 lite
616 Points +6060%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
703 Points +6930%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
1071 Points +10610%

Legend

 
Huawei P8 lite 2017 HiSilicon Kirin 655, ARM Mali-T830 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei P8 lite HiSilicon Kirin 620, ARM Mali-450 MP4, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL Mediatek MT6737, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
HTC One A9s Mediatek Helio P10 MT6755, ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Lenovo ZUK Z2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996, Qualcomm Adreno 530, 64 GB eMMC Flash

The Internet browsing performance of Huawei's P8 lite (2017) is also very fast - at least in the category comparison. Huawei's smartphone is on par with HTC's One A9s, and Lenovo's ZUK Z2 is naturally even faster thanks to its upper-range SoC. In any case, sophisticated HTML5 pages and animations run quite smoothly on Huawei's P8 lite (2017).

Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
8768 ms *
Huawei P8 lite
15866 ms * -81%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
14983 ms * -71%
HTC One A9s
9346 ms * -7%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
3290 ms * +62%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
4630 Points
Huawei P8 lite
2483 Points -46%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
2534 Points -45%
HTC One A9s
4395 Points -5%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
8436 Points +82%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
62 Points
Huawei P8 lite
47 Points -24%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
35 Points -44%
HTC One A9s
69 Points +11%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
29.5 Points
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
16.47 Points -44%
HTC One A9s
27.48 Points -7%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
51.7 Points +75%

* ... smaller is better

Accessing an inserted micro-SD card was faster than with the comparison devices in our test, at least according to the tests performed with our Toshiba reference card. High-end smartphones, such as Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge, achieve considerably more with the micro-SD card.

Accessing the internal storage was also quickly possible in the category comparison. No matter whether write or read, the Huawei's P8 lite (2017) scored well and even placed itself clearly before Lenovo's ZUK Z2 in random access.

AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
165.8 MB/s
Huawei P8 lite
139.5 MB/s -16%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
174.2 MB/s +5%
HTC One A9s
210.2 MB/s +27%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
239.4 MB/s +44%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
42 MB/s
Huawei P8 lite
52.8 MB/s +26%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
65.2 MB/s +55%
HTC One A9s
68.6 MB/s +63%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
46.52 MB/s +11%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
38.7 MB/s
Huawei P8 lite
18.46 MB/s -52%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
20.9 MB/s -46%
HTC One A9s
21.3 MB/s -45%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
21.27 MB/s -45%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
8 MB/s
Huawei P8 lite
8.32 MB/s +4%
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
9.1 MB/s +14%
HTC One A9s
34.6 MB/s +333%
Lenovo ZUK Z2
5.64 MB/s -29%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
53.1 MB/s
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
47.67 MB/s -10%
HTC One A9s
39.6 MB/s -25%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard (sort by value)
Huawei P8 lite 2017
32.1 MB/s
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
29.59 MB/s -8%
HTC One A9s
25.6 MB/s -20%

Games

The app "GameBench" helps us determine the frame rates in order to see just how smooth games run on the review sample. We discovered smooth frame rates are not always possible with very high details in demanding games. In "Asphalt 8", a fast-pace racing game, the details had to be lowered for achieving 30 frames per second. Slight performance drops that reduced the average frame rate to 29 frames were recorded in "Dead Trigger 2". We did not record more than 30 frames per second in the test. The manufacturer has apparently set a limit. Of course, performance problems were not observed in basic games, such as "Angry Birds".

Navigation via touchscreen and position sensor functioned very reliably.

"Dead Trigger 2"
"Dead Trigger 2"
"Asphalt 8"
"Asphalt 8"
Asphalt 8: Airborne
 SettingsValue
 high25 fps
 very low30 fps
Dead Trigger 2
 SettingsValue
 high29 fps

Emissions

GFXBench battery test
GFXBench battery test

Temperature

We did not feel a real temperature increase on the review sample even during full load. The handset always remained cool and only reached a maximum of 33 °C (91.4 °F) on the back during prolonged load. The idle temperatures were only marginally lower.

The performance remained stable after repeated load as our test with GFXBench battery test shows: The same sequence is rendered thirty times in succession here. The frame rates of the first runs are very low. Then they increase and settle to a higher rate than at initiation. In total, it can be said that the performance can vary but this does not seem due to the system's temperature. The performance fluctuations of almost 10 percent are not tremendous anyway.

Max. Load
 32 °C
90 F
29.8 °C
86 F
30.4 °C
87 F
 
 32.8 °C
91 F
30.3 °C
87 F
33 °C
91 F
 
 31.9 °C
89 F
30.3 °C
87 F
31.9 °C
89 F
 
Maximum: 33 °C = 91 F
Average: 31.4 °C = 89 F
29.1 °C
84 F
30.3 °C
87 F
30.4 °C
87 F
29.6 °C
85 F
31.4 °C
89 F
31.4 °C
89 F
29.9 °C
86 F
31.2 °C
88 F
31.9 °C
89 F
Maximum: 31.9 °C = 89 F
Average: 30.6 °C = 87 F
Power Supply (max.)  42.3 °C = 108 F | Room Temperature 20.5 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.4 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 31.9 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.5 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heatmap front
Heatmap front
Heatmap rear
Heatmap rear

Speaker

Pink Noise speaker test
Pink Noise speaker test

The small speaker on the lower edge is relatively loud. However, music sounds a bit tinny at maximum volume. Not much bass is audible, but songs and voices in videos sound good, which could be due to the well-balanced mid-range. The sound at medium volume is relatively good and clearer than at maximum volume. The speaker's sound quality reminds us of that in Huawei's former P8 lite in total.

Audio playback via both the 3.5-mm jack and Bluetooth is good.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs203629.9362542.228.342.23138.229.238.24031.730.331.75031.229.731.26327.925.827.98031.823.531.810027.72427.712531.125.131.116026.121.826.120032.221.732.225037.324.737.33154524.14540051.521.851.550057.922.457.963063.219.863.28006518.565100065.318.465.3125067.11967.1160068.717.268.7200068.316.168.3250069.51669.5315070.916.470.940007515.875500077.214.677.2630072.514.672.5800072.914.772.91000074.514.974.51250069.414.769.41600055.514.755.5SPL83.629.883.6N53.11.353.1median 65.3median 18.4median 65.3Delta11.93.311.931.64125.44125.335.432.930.533.633.331.627.728.429.62727.520.824.22229.221.326.720.834.721.242.919.44919.555.317.760.817.967.417.874.817.379.117.47916.777.317.276.218.274.117.973.517.676.617.775.417.87817.97918.166.518.258.630881.368.5median 17.9median 68.51.414.6hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHuawei P8 lite 2017Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
Huawei P8 lite 2017 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 32.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.9% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (27.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 67% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 28% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 81% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 37.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 9.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (30.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 75% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 87% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 10% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram in comparison (checkboxes above can be turned on/off!)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The high standby consumption rate shocked us at first. Huawei's P8 lite (2017) allegedly consumes 0.82 watts, which means that the battery would be depleted in almost 14 hours when it is just idling. We can, however, give the all clear here: The battery capacity only reduced slightly even after a few days on the table. It is apparently an error in measurement.

Otherwise, the consumption rates, especially while idling, i.e. without explicit load, are relatively high in the category comparison. The Zenfone 3 Max, for example, is considerably more frugal here. This might also be due to the higher resolution screen in Huawei's P8 lite (2017). The manufacturer provides the option of reducing the resolution for saving energy when desired.

Then again, our review sample is more restrained during load and is almost frugal compared with other devices in this category. Thus, it depends on how the smartphone is used: When it is often idle, it will consume more power than the comparison devices, but the user will find a more energy-saving handset when games or similarly demanding tasks are performed.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.22 / 0.82 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.44 / 2.47 / 2.58 Watt
Load midlight 4.55 / 6.3 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Huawei P8 lite 2017
3000 mAh
Huawei P8 lite
 mAh
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
4100 mAh
HTC One A9s
2300 mAh
Lenovo ZUK Z2
3500 mAh
Power Consumption
6%
11%
7%
4%
Idle Minimum *
1.44
1.4
3%
0.74
49%
1.29
10%
1.31
9%
Idle Average *
2.47
2.3
7%
2.04
17%
2.28
8%
2.03
18%
Idle Maximum *
2.58
2.5
3%
2.22
14%
2.52
2%
2.08
19%
Load Average *
4.55
3.9
14%
5.57
-22%
4.06
11%
5.45
-20%
Load Maximum *
6.3
6
5%
6.59
-5%
5.91
6%
6.75
-7%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

Compared with the predecessor, the battery capacity has been increased considerably to now 3000 mAh or 11.4 Wh. Huawei's P8 lite (2017) thus achieves a much longer battery life than its predecessor. The user can browse the Internet via Wi-Fi for a bit over 10 hours, which is a good rate that most comparison devices do not achieve. Only Asus' Zenfone 3 Max with its gigantic battery can outrun the review sample. 4:43 hours of load are a very impressive rate for Huawei's P8 lite (2017).

Two normal workdays are possible. The handset will only have to be recharged daily when used very often or intensely. Unfortunately, Quick Charge is not supported and recharging a completely drained battery takes quite a long time with almost 3 hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
22h 06min
WiFi Websurfing
10h 04min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
10h 44min
Load (maximum brightness)
4h 43min
Huawei P8 lite 2017
3000 mAh
Huawei P8 lite
 mAh
Asus Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL
4100 mAh
HTC One A9s
2300 mAh
Lenovo ZUK Z2
3500 mAh
Battery Runtime
-41%
21%
-5%
-10%
Reader / Idle
1326
715
-46%
1462
10%
1543
16%
H.264
644
369
-43%
845
31%
587
-9%
WiFi v1.3
604
351
-42%
814
35%
517
-14%
546
-10%
Load
283
194
-31%
301
6%
245
-13%

Pros

+ high-resolution screen ...
+ ... with high contrast and high brightness
+ useful battery life
+ relatively high performance
+ low casing temperatures
+ decent primary camera
+ accurate GPS module
+ websites load quickly
+ good configuration incl. dual-SIM
+ fast fingerprint sensor

Cons

- slippery back
- fingerprint susceptible casing
- screen's massive color tint
- front-facing camera's poor image quality
- long charging times

Verdict

In review: Huawei P8 Lite (2017). Review sample courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de
In review: Huawei P8 Lite (2017). Review sample courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de

Although the decision to reiterate the slimmed version of the former flagship is unusual, the manufacturer has created more than just a competitive mid-range smartphone with the Huawei P8 lite (2017). Our review sample surpasses its predecessor, the Huawei P8 lite, in many aspects and can even compete with more expensive devices in some sectors. First to be mentioned would be the very fast and accurate fingerprint scanner that is hardly found otherwise in a 250 Euro (~$264) device. The screen has a higher resolution than common in this category, but without much of an impact on battery life: Two workdays without recharging are quite easily possible in practice. The smartphone's performance is good and the handset hardly heats up at the same time.

The call quality is only mediocre, and the speaker will hardly convince a real music fan. The bright and low-contrast screen unfortunately has a visible color tint, and recharging takes a very long time. The casing is too slippery for slanted surfaces and the smartphone could fall to the ground.

Huawei introduces an overall successful update of its mid-range smartphone with the P8 lite (2017). It was worthwhile to take this unusual approach and reconfigure the almost forgotten smartphone with a better screen, good battery life, and a considerable performance boost.

Huawei makes up for the smartphone's shortcomings with the aforementioned plus points alongside a very accurate GPS module and decent configuration. Thus, we give Huawei's P8 lite (2017) a purchase recommendation.

Huawei P8 lite 2017 - 02/13/2017 v6(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
84%
Keyboard
65 / 75 → 87%
Pointing Device
91%
Connectivity
40 / 60 → 67%
Weight
93%
Battery
92%
Display
85%
Games Performance
22 / 63 → 34%
Application Performance
41 / 70 → 59%
Temperature
93%
Noise
100%
Audio
58 / 91 → 64%
Camera
73%
Average
72%
83%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Florian Wimmer, 2017-02-18 (Update: 2019-04-13)