09/28/2023
Right on the heels of the HONOR 90 5G, HONOR Philippines has just announced that its Lite variant will now also be available.
Priced at PhP X12,990, the HONOR 90 Lite comes in as the more conservative pick. As of writing, pre-orders are ongoing and come with additional freebies. But as to what you’re getting (or not getting) with this more affordable variant, that’s what we’ll be finding out.
Design and display
Let’s work from the outside in. The difference in design between the two variants is quite obvious. HONOR wanted to give the 90 Lite its own identity by giving it a different look from its bigger brother.
Unlike the HONOR 90 5G, the 90 Lite 5G opts for hard, flat edges. While I find the grip better on the non-Lite mode, the 90 Lite still provides a pretty comfortable in-hand feel.
The next most obvious difference is the design of the camera module. Placement remains the same but on the HONOR 90 Lite 5G we have a Dual Ring camera module that’s supposedly jewelry-inspired.
We also have only two colors available for the HONOR 90 Lite – Cyan Lake and Midnight Black. We have the Cyan Lake colorway with us and compared to the HONOR 90 in Midnight Black, it’s much more fingerprint-resistant thanks to the matte finish.
On the display front, both boast large 6.7-inch screens. With the HONOR 90 Lite, however, you are getting an LCD, 90Hz refresh rate, and Full HD+ resolution. It also doesn’t have an in-display fingerprint reader but you are given face unlock and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner as security options.
Internals, performance, battery
Another area of compromise on the HONOR 90 Lite is its processor. It comes in a single configuration with a MediaTek Dinemsity 6020 5G chip at its heart and is supported by 8GB of RAM. At its price, the HONOR 90 Lite’s 256GB internal storage also becomes a highlight.
Now, while not as high-performing as the HONOR 90 5G, the Lite variant still proves its mettle. Everyday tasks like browsing social media or checking emails are easy to knock out. No problems surfaced either when doing light photo and video editing and casual gaming is also possible.
Heavy gaming isn’t its strong suit with Genshin Impact dropping a few frames now and then but others I’ve tried like Mobile Legends and Pokemon Unite didn’t struggle even when playing for a a good while.
For its OS, the HONOR 90 Lite similarly runs MagicOS 7.1 based on Android 13 so you’re getting the same UI experience here.
Another aspect of this phone that’s gone ‘Lite’ is the battery. Compared to its big brother, the HONOR 90 Lite ships with a slightly smaller 4500mAh battery and no SuperCharge support.
In using it, however, we’ve found that the battery could last a full day even when you’re not using it too conservatively. You will need to charge by the day’s end, though, and it’ll take you more than an hour to completely fill up with its 35W charger.
Cameras
The HONOR 90 5G wowed many with its 200-megapixel camera. With the HONOR 90 Lite, you are getting fewer megapixels but still getting quite a lot.
Offering a 100-megapixel shooter, the HONOR 90 Lite 5G carries on providing high-quality photography tools at an accessible price. Accompanying the primary camera are a 5-megapixel wide and depth, and a 2-megapixel macro.
Out of curiosity, I decided to pit the HONOR 90’s 200-megapixel camera with the HONOR 90 Lite’s 100-megapixel camera.
With the two photos side by side, the compromise is noticeable but both cameras did produce good photos in their own right. The most obvious difference is the level of detail the 200-megapixel shooter on the HONOR 90 produces but the HONOR 90 Lite doesn’t fall too far behind, especially when you consider its price.
Of course, this was taken in bright light which helps a lot in producing a cleaner photo.
Switch to low-light and, you’ll see the power of the higher megapixel camera. Details are sharper and the overall image is cleaner.
For selfies, the HONOR 90 Lite comes with 16-megapixel front-facing camera. Selfies come out clean and with a good amount of detail; the quality is what you’d expect from this kind of camera.
The only other major downside of the cameras of the HONOR 90 Lite is the lack of 4K video recording. While probably not an essential for most, it’s an often looked-for feature and possibly a deal-breaker for some.
If you’re able to look past that though, you’re getting a pretty capable rear shooter with that 100-megapixel lens and it comes in as a good deal given the price of the device.
Final thoughts
When I think of HONOR devices, I think of affordable but capable devices built for the everyday user. And that stays true with the HONOR 90 Lite.
The HONOR 90 5G is already an affordable offering as it is but if you need something that’s just lower down the ladder, the HONOR 90 Lite could be a contender. Appropriately called ‘Lite’, this device offers a similar experience to its bigger brother but with some compromises that aren’t too surprising given its segment.
For the HONOR 90 Lite official pricing, pre-order promos, and more, head over here.
