Huawei Mate 20 Lite first impressions – IFA 2018
The Huawei Mate 20 Lite was officially announced at IFA, Berlin. We got hands on.
Huawei has today released the Lite version of their new Mate 20 phone. Furthermore, they are teasing by saying “look how good this is, I bet you’re excited to see what the main phones can do”. The new wallet-friendly Huawei is loaded with high-end features, As well as its four cameras, the Mate 20 is packing AI smarts.
The Mate 20 Lite is powered by a Kirin 710 SoC that’s buddied with 4GB of RAM. Up front is a 6.3-inch 19.5:9 FHD+ (2340×1080) Huawei FullView display. Adding more viewing real estate, the screen-to-body ratio is up a further 4%, compared to its predecessor.
Replacing the top bezel is the ubiquitous notch.
Huawei Mate 20 Lite
Cameras and cell
The phone’s four cameras are divided up by a 20MP and 2MP set around the rear. The sensors are empowered by AI to recognise more than 500 different scenarios to auto optimise the shooting mode. Additionally, the rear cameras also support Super Slow Motion, capturing a snippet of action at 480fps, then playing it back 16 times slower.
Oddly, the front cameras have a higher specification than the rear on paper. Here you get a 24MP+2MP set-up that also utilises AI to recognise more than 200 scenarios. Additionally, you can use them to generate 3D Qmoji (in GIF or video formats). The animated faces can then be shared with friends on social media.
Battery life will be great thanks to the large 3,750mAh cell. Huawei claims you will get over 2 days for average users or 1.5 days for heavy users. The phone has 18W Quick Charge technology so you shouldn’t be without your device for long.
Mate 20 Lite – Return of the jack
Also, it’s good to see the return of both a microSD card slot and 3.5mm headphone jack. Huawei had removed those owner-favourites from the previous P20 and Mate 10 line. With these appearing on the Lite device, it is almost nailed-on that the full-fat version Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro will also be so equipped.
Mate 20 Lite AI
I’m not sure how handy the AI Shopping Assistant will be for me; however, I do like the AI Noise Cancellation that cleverly nulls noisy backgrounds for high-quality conversations.
Additionally, the AI Smart Gallery, which employs smart algorithms to sort pictures into albums automatically, is not only smart but quick.
Mate 20 Lite features
During my hands on with the phone, everything felt great. The phone has the look and feel of a premium model. Flicking through menus and apps all felt snappy and responsive.
As always with Huawei, the phone will use the EMUI features overlaying Android.
There are plenty of neat party tricks in the 20 Lite’s playbook. One of my favourites showcases its multitasking abilities. Picture the scene; you’re watching a movie and you receive a message. Usually, at this point, you’d have to pause your film, go to you messaging app, respond, return to the film and hit play. With the Mate 20 Lite, simply switch the phone to portrait mode. Now the film only takes up a small section of the screen so that you can respond to a message, update socials, and so-on, all still while the movie plays.
Price and availability
The Huawei Mate 20 Lite is available to purchase from £379 at Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone from Wednesday.
For more information, head on over to Huawei.
