HUAWEI P8 LITE REVIEW
Smartphone flagship spin-off models typically fall into one of two categories: Phones that stand up on their own merits, or phones so decimated by cost-cutting compromises any resemblance to their bigger, pricier siblings disappears. Sony’s Xperia Z3 Compact and Apple’s iPhone 5C are shining examples of the former, retaining and even improving upon their higher-end counterparts’ hardware.
Other phones, some of Samsung’s Galaxy Mini devices for example, miss the mark. The P8 Lite, Chinese smartphone maker Huawei’s budget companion to the P8, isn’t quite one of those, but it straddles the line, coming up short in the crucial areas of performance and hardware.
Not that the P8 Lite is a bad phone. If it wasn’t up against a few well-executed competitors that accentuate its flaws, it might even be considered a great one. Except in a crowded mid-range market where “great” is now baseline, an attractive design, strong cameras, and good battery life just aren’t enough any more.
Does the P8 Lite bring anything else to the table? Let’s find out.
Substantial, durable, and comfortable to hold
The P8 Lite’s hardware is a definite plus. It trades the aluminum and glass of the higher-tier P8 for a plastic shell with faux-metal accents, but the imitation is surprisingly convincing. On the front, a solid white cutout on the top and and bottom sandwich a screen with a substantial black bezel. Up top is an earpiece, a front-facing camera, and a proximity sensor; down below is an unassuming Huawei logo.
Around the P8’s side is a silvery band that frames a microphone (one of two) and single external speaker. The bottom houses a microUSB port, the top a 3.5mm jack and the second, noise-canceling mic. The power button and the volume rocker, both of which are solid and responsive, occupy the right side and protrude ever-so-slightly. It’s a great configuration, one easy to finagle with one hand.
The P8 Lite’s hardware is a definite plus.
On the P8’s reverse is a two-texture, subtly grippy back. A smooth strip of plastic houses the camera sensor and flash unit, and beneath it sits a brushed white, silvery, almost glittering non-removable backplate emblazoned with Huawei’s signature peacock logo. It’s tastefully austere.
Importantly, the P8 Lite feels good. It’s light (4.76 ounces) and slim (7.7mm), but substantive, and rests naturally in the palm thanks to angled edges above and beneath the silver metal siding. By all appearances, it’s also durable. No part of it gave way even after flexing every which direction in a pocket for two weeks, and the seams around the edges are as tightly bound as the day it arrived.
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