Honor 90 Lite Review

The Honor 90 and Honor 90 Pro were announced in China back in May, and the global launch is scheduled for the 6^th of July with an event in Paris.

Both phones look exceptional, with the Honor 90 Pro featuring the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) and both phones packing a 200 MP camera using the 1/1.4″ ISOCELL HP3 sensor. These should both be superb choices for anyone looking for a relatively affordable phone with a superb camera.

Joining those phones is the more affordable Honor 90 Lite which uses the recently launched MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset and features a 100MP primary camera.

I have had this phone for a bit less than a week, so the review won’t be as thorough as I’d like. However, it is an excellent phone for someone looking for something affordable that has a good camera.

Specification

• Display:
  • 6.7 inches LTPS LCD, FHD+ Display
  • 93.6% Screen-to-body Ratio
  • 90Hz Refresh Rate
  • 1080 x 2388 Resolution
• Chipset:
  • MediaTek Dimensity 6020 5G (7nm)
  • CPU: 2x ARM Cortex-A76 up to 2.2GHz; 6x ARM Cortex-A55 up to 2GHz
  • GPU: ARM Mali-G57 MC2
• Memory & Storage: 8GB+256GB
• Rear Camera:

• 5MP (f/2.2) Wide & Depth Camera
  • 2MP (f/2.4) Macro Camera
• Front Camera: 16MP Selfie Camera
• Battery: 4500mAh
• Charging: 22.5W Wired
• Android: MagicOS 7.1, based on Android 13
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4G/5G)
• Network:
  • Dual 5G SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) 8Technology: NR/ LTE TDD/LTE FDD/WCDMA/HSPA+/HSPA/EDGE/GPRS
• Dimensions: 162.9mm (L) x 74.5mm (W) x 7.48 mm (D)
• Weight: 179g

Packaging

I wouldn’t normally cover the packaging, and I think Honor may have different packaging for the review units vs the retail units.

For my review unit, Honor decided to adopt the minimalist packaging option similar to Apple and Amazon.

There is a USB cable, and the phone has a reapplied plastic screen protector, but there is no charger and no TPU protective case.

I am not opposed to this idea, but the problem here is that phones like the Honor 90 Lite rarely get a good selection of third-party phone cases, and brands like Honor tend to use proprietary (Supercharge) charging standards.

However, I don’t think this will be an issue for the retail units. HiHonor.com already lists the Honor 90 Lite, and it states that the box does include an HONOR SuperCharge Charger and a TPU Protective Case.

Design and Display

The Honor 90 Lite has an elegant design with a flat display and a flat back with quite angular edges running down the sides and top.

The general shape is not that different from the Infinix Note 30 VIP I recently reviewed, yet the Honor 90 Lite feels and looks superior in every respect.

There is a minimal bezel running around the screen, and this gives you an impressive 93.6% screen-to-body ratio, with the largest part of the bezel running along the bottom of the screen.

This has an LTPS LCD display running at 90Hz, which is a significant downgrade to what you find on the similarly priced Honor Magic5 Lite with its 120Hz AMOLED display. However, the performance is reasonably good. I used the phone during an unusually sunny period for the north of the UK, and I found it just about usable in direct sunlight, probably no worse than my Pixel 6.

Due to the LCD display, this has a fingerprint reader on the power button, which some people love, and some hate. I rarely found that I needed it because the facial unlock is always responsive with Honor phones.

Camera

This phone has only one usable camera that has a 100MP (f/1.9) main camera, but the performance of this camera is excellent considering the price of the phone. Photos are vivid and rich in detail without overexaggerated colours.

Photo Gallery

Performance and Thermal Throttling

The MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset inside this phone provides adequate performance. It is going to be fine for most day-to-day activities, and I had no problems with the performance during my time with the phone.

That being, it is quite a low-end chipset that uses two ageing Arm Cortex A76 cores and a dual-core Mali-G57 GPU. It is basically the same as the Helio G99 but with 5G capabilities.

As a result, benchmarks show it performing significantly below the MediaTek Dimensity 920 and below the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 in all benchmarks but 3DMark Wildlife, where they are about equal.

Battery

This is equipped with a 4500mAh battery which is good enough for a phone with this chipset, and I was easily able to get a day of moderate to heavy use out of it.

Honor lists this as having 22.5W wired charging, but the power meter built into the USB cable I used showed it drawing 25W. This could be an inaccuracy with the cable.

Honor lists the official charger as being 10V2.25A, however, I didn’t have the official charger, so I had to use my Ugreen Nexode 200W, which has 12V3A or 9V3A as the closest options. Regardless, I was glad that I was able to charge the phone quickly from a non-proprietary charger.

Price and Alternative Options

The Honor 90 Lite has an RRP of £249. If you buy it during the initial sale event, you can get the Honor Earbuds X5 or the Honor Band 7 for free. The Honor Band 7 is worth £50, so this is a good deal.

That’s the same price as the 6GB/128GB Honor Magic5 Lite, which has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, a 120Hz AMOLED display, a 64MP main camera and a 5100 mAh battery with 40W wired charging.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro is probably the best alternative I can think of, it has a much higher RRP, but you can get it for £300 (which is still 20% more), but you get a superior Dimensity 1080 chipset, OLED display, and a 50 MP 1/1.56 Sony IMX766 camera sensor.

Overall

I like the Honor 90 Lite. It is an excellent phone for anyone looking for something that is reasonably affordable yet capable. In particular, the camera is much better than you’d typically expect from a £250 phone, and I would say this is the main selling point.

The Realme 9 is the only model at this price with such a camera, but that has an inferior chipset. The Redmi Note 12 Pro is likely a better phone all around, but it costs 20% more and that’s after the current discounts. If the camera is less of a priority, it is hard to ignore the Honor Magic5 Lite. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset is marginally better, you have a superior AMOLED display, bigger battery and faster charging, all for the same price (though RAM and storage area is also smaller).

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.