Huawei add the P9 Lite to their portfolio

As you can see in the review we are pretty big fans of the Huawei P9. It now seems that Huawei is going to be making a bigger push into the UK market than we first thought.

Coming very soon to a network near you is the P9 Lite and, as the name suggests, this is essentially a lighter-weight option of the P9 which is is currently available from many networks and retailers. So, what do you get with the P9 Lite? Let’s dive into the specs and have a look.

First things first and this is going to be lighter than the P9 at 147g with a maximum thickness of 7.5mm. It still keeps the very sleek aluminium frame that we saw on its bigger brother. Screen-wise we have a 5.2″ display with 2.5d glass allowing for a seamless melding of the metal frame into the glass. The screen-to-body ratio is 76.4%, which is relatively high these days but not an industry leader. We also find a NTSC colour gamut of 85% which again is great to see at this level.

Camera-wise we find the biggest difference between the two P9’s – the Lite only has one sensor. This comes in at 13 megapixels. This is accompanied by a dual LED flash and autofocus. There are many tweaks that can be applied in the camera UI such as full white balance control, ISO EV and shutter time in the Pro mode. We first saw these features on the P9 and, apart from a strange layout, they work well. Up front, we have an 8 megapixel shooter which will capture your selfies at a Full HD resolution.

For those who listen to music on their phones, you too are in for a treat as Huawei have packed in some tech to keep your music flowing to your ears clean and true. High fidelity audio is included and the speaker has seen a significant redesign since the previous generation devices.

We also find the excellent fingerprint reader that is starting to become the norm on Huawei’s devices of late. This is still one of the fastest readers I have come across and I am very glad to see it on board, especially with Android Pay just around the corner for the UK.

All this beauty is great as long as the phone has the brains to support it. Fortunately, we are covered here by a HiSilicon Kirin 650 octa-core processor with 16GB of internal memory. This can be added to via microSD card support for up to 128GB. All of this is powered by a large 3000mAh battery with various battery-saving features that can be used as and when needed.

Software-wise we see the expected Emotion UI 4.1 UI that is based on Android 6.0 and has come on quite nicely since I last played with the UI on the Huawei Mate S last year.

As expected the phone will support full GSM, 3G and 4G bands for the networks that are releasing the unit ie O2, EE and Vodafone. The device will also be available as SIM-free unit from Carphone Warehouse.

We are still trying to find out the projected price for the unit. We think it will be in the £200 to £250 segment as a SIM-free device and free on appropriate tariffs through contract.

Full details below..

Show Press Release (524 More Words)

Huawei P9 family extended with P9 Lite

Available in the UK in May from EE, O2, Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse.

[London, 12 May, 2016] Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) has today announced the P9 Lite, an exciting new addition to the popular P9 family. The P9 Lite marries a sleek, stylish design with a powerful camera and creative photo editing capabilities, as well as the latest in high fidelity audio, fingerprint sensor technology and battery saving technology.

The P9 Lite smartphone will be available in the UK from late May and can be purchased in black from EE, O2, Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse.

Weighing just 147g and slim line with a 7.5mm depth, the P9 Lite’s lightweight, stylish, aluminium frame and sleek appealing form factor, results in a truly premium design, without the price tag to match.

Its bright 5.2 inch screen is encased in an aircraft-grade aluminium frame, ensuring the P9 Lite finds the perfect equilibrium between looking durable and aesthetically appealing. With a high screen-to-body ratio of 76.4 and an NTSC colour gamut of 85%, there are several reasons why the P9 Lite is a sight to behold.

With the P9 Lite’s 13MP rear camera, which boasts dual LED flash and autofocus, amateur photographers have clear, lifelike images at the tips of their fingers. With the ability to set white balance, ISO EV and shutter time in pro camera mode, those that like to tinker with the finer details of the art of photography, can do so with ease.

The 8MP front camera produces full HD resolution images of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, so perfect selfies can be captured day and night.

Audiophiles also have reason to fall in love with the P9 Lite, with high fidelity audio and an integrated speaker design, the low frequency, volume and quality of the sound has seen considerable improvement since the last generation P series devices.

With ARM and TrustZone technology integrated into the P9 Lite’s lightning fast fingerprint 2.0 sensor, users can access everything in an instant, while ensuring private data remains private.

In terms of connectivity, the P9 Lite follows in the P9 family’s footsteps and comes equipped with the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system, Huawei’s intuitive Emotion 4.1 user interface and supports 4G. The P9 Lite has a HiSilicon Kirin 650 octocore processor, making the smartphone a powerful younger brother of the P9 and P9 Plus.

Thanks to its 3,000 mAh battery and ability to reduce power as required, the P9 Lite allows continuous calling time of up to 18 hours and standby time of 630 hours, (when operated on 3G).

The P9 Lite has plenty of storage capacity for higher memory requirements, coming with 16GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot which can support 128GB of expanded memory.

Rhys Saunders, Sales Director, Huawei UK&I Consumer BG, said: “With the P9 smartphone family, Huawei are offering users a superior smartphone experience. The latest edition to the family, the P9 Lite, with its lower price point, is no exception to this. The phone has a premium and stylish look and feel, a high-resolution rear and front camera, as well as a powerful battery, making this a perfect companion for budding photographers on the go.”