Huawei P9 Lite review: A good phone in its day but outclassed in 2018

Huawei P9 Lite review: Camera

Another of the Huawei P9 Lite’s downsides lies in its 12-megapixel rear camera. It simply isn’t a patch on the Moto G4’s.

Despite sharing the same resolution, the P9 Lite’s camera suffered from smeared-out details, even in well-lit scenes. Outdoor shots paled in comparison to the Moto G4’s, and on a sunny winter’s day, photographs looked noticeably gloomy, lacking any real vibrancy. In our main outdoor test shots, captured in the streets of Fitzrovia, central London, the brickwork on buildings was blurry and images were disappointingly under-exposed. Even the phone’s HDR mode, which can often fix these sort of issues, did very little to rectify the problems.

Likewise, indoor shots were a cause for concern. Detail levels in low-light conditions were terrible, with objects in our still-life arrangement again lacking detail. In fact, images were far too grainy across the board, and while the flash did help a little, the results still weren’t wonderful. There isn’t any way of fine-tuning your snaps either as the P9 Lite lacks the “pro” mode of the full-blown P9.

Huawei P9 Lite review: Verdict

It all started so well. The Huawei P9 Lite’s look and feel, performance and display all promised great things when I began to write this review, especially given the phone’s sub-£200 price tag. I even thought it might challenge the Moto G4 for the honour of best budget smartphone.

But while it is a very nice low-cost phone, a few critical things hold it back, namely battery life and a distinctly mediocre camera.

The result is that, for budget buyers at least, the Moto G4 should still be your first port of call. It has a better camera, a longer-lasting battery and it’s cheaper too. The king isn’t dead just yet.