Days after launching the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Porsche Design, Huawei returns to surprise with a new member for the family, who has the surname Lite . It is a phone that follows the design line of its range brothers, although it also boasts its own identity. Despite bearing the “ Lite ” seal, the new device makes use of a 5.5-inch screen, which positions it within the phablet sector. We can say that this lower category distinction suggests that it is a more basic model than the two already announced. And yes, it is something that we observe in a large number of benefits, such as in the photographic section or in the processor. The new Mate 9 Liteit yields a little less, but that does not mean that it is not powerful, as we will see below. The device still has a double camera, although with a tighter resolution, and it also equips a 3,340mAh battery. Okay, it is not like the 4,000 mAh of its brothers, but we are facing a terminal with less exuberant characteristics. The company has not yet provided prices or release dates, but we know that it will arrive in two different versions (depending on RAM and capacity) in several colors to choose from: gold, dark gray and silver.
5.5 inch 2.5D screen
The Lite stamp is something that you can already see on the screen. The Mate 9 Lite mounts a 5.5-inch, somewhat smaller than the standard version, which is 5.9 inches, but they continue to position it within the phablet category. The resolution used by the company is still in this case Full HD, which will help us to view multimedia content without problems. You already know that Huawei is reluctant to use the QHD resolution in its terminals, although this year it has made an exception with the Porsche Design model , which also uses a 5.5-inch panel, but with 2K resolution. It is important to note that the Mate 9 LiteIt has a 2.5D glass, something that is perfectly appreciated in its round and curved edges. In terms of design, the Mate 9 Lite inherits the aluminum chassis of its range brothers and continues to offer a fingerprint reader on its back for mobile payments or for greater security. Its exact measurements are 150.9mm x 76.2mm x 8.2mm and its weight is just 162 grams. The new terminal will be available in various colors to be chosen by the user: gold, dark gray and silver. All of them quite elegant and discreet.
Dual camera with "bokeh" effect included
One of the great features this year in the new Mate 9 has been the camera. The standard version uses a dual made by Leica , with which the company signed an agreement a few months ago. In this model, if you remember, we have a target color RGB with sensor 12 megapixels , as well as a sensor monochrome with a resolution of 20 megapixels. The Mate 9 Lite does not stand out so much in this section, although it does not behave badly either. The resolution is fixed at 12 megapixels, with 1.25μm pixels on the sensor, being 2 megapixels for the second camera. We also find phase detection autofocus and LED Flash.In this double camera, the “ bokeh ” effect is also appreciated , which means that the user can blur in the background and readjust the focus whenever they want.
The front camera equips an 8 megapixel sensor with extra features, such as automatic facial recognition and retouching software. We will also find some filters to beautify our captures, as well as a panoramic mode , to use in landscapes or with groups of people.
Power up to the task
Huawei has decided to equip the new Mate 9 Lite with a somewhat less powerful processor than the rest of the family. In his case we find a Kirin 655 , made up of an eight-core architecture (four of them running at 2.1 GHz and the other four working at 1.7 GHz). This chip will come in two different versions to choose from. On the one hand, we can opt for a 3 GB RAM with 32 GB of storage capacity. The Asian company will also allow us to acquire a Mate 9 Lite with a 4 GB RAM and 64 GB space, which will guarantee even better performance, although, yes, the price will rise a little.
Regarding the operating system, the Mate 9 Lite will be governed by Android 6.0 Marhsmallow along with the EMUI 4.1 interface, the customization layer that the company incorporates to all its devices. We would have preferred it to arrive with Android 7.0 Nougat, although we believe that it will not take long to update to this more modern version of the platform
Top-notch battery and connectivity
The Huawei Mate 9 Lite complies in relation to the connectivity section. The device has a wide range of options, among which are the ability to connect to high-speed 4G networks, Wi-Fi networks 802.11b / g / n, 2.4GHz, GPS or Bluetooth 4.0. There will also be a USB type C port in the section of physical connections, which will allow us to transfer files or charge the phone in a faster way.
The new Lite for Huawei does not reach the level of their brethren in terms of battery capacity. It has a 3,340 milliamp rating, of course it must be said in its favor that having more moderate features will allow you to save a little more. According to data, the Mate 9 Lite is capable of holding up to 650 hours of standby and 23 hours of use, which is not bad at all.
Price and availability
At the moment we cannot tell you if it will arrive in Europe and at what price it will. The device was just announced in China without making a lot of noise, so we think this will be the first place it will go on sale. It is possible that the price is set over 200 euros, although, as we say, there is nothing confirmed. We will be aware of the information that comes to us from Huawei Spain to give you new data when appropriate.
Huawei Mate 9 Lite Datasheet
Brand | Huawei |
Model | Huawei Mate 9 Lite |
Type | phablet |
screen
Size | 5.5 inch |
Resolution | Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) |
Density | 401 dots per inch |
Technology | IPS |
Protection | - |
Design
Dimensions | 150.9mm (height) x 76.2mm (width) x 8.2mm (thickness) |
Weight | 162 grams |
materials | Metal |
Colors | gold, dark gray and silver |
Waterproof | - |
Fingerprint reader | Yes |
Camera
Resolution | dual 12MP + 2MP |
Flash | Yes, LED |
Autofocus | PDAF (phase-detection auto-focus) focus system |
Video | Full HD at 30 fps |
Sensor and modes | Bokeh effect |
Opening | - |
Image stabilization | Yes |
ISO | - |
Front camera | 8 megapixels Automatic facial recognition Retouch software Basic beauty filters Panoramic mode |
Others | - |
Multimedia
Formats | Audio Playback Formats: MP3, MP4, 3GP, WMA, OGG, AMR, AAC, WAV, MIDI, RA High Resolution Audio (LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DSD) Video playback formats: 3GP, MP4, WMV, RM, RMVB, and ASF |
Radio | Tuner, RDS Support |
Sound | - |
Features | - |
software
Operating system | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EMUI 4.1 |
Extra applications | - |
Special functions | - |
Power
CPU processor | Kirin 655 (8 power cores) at 2,100 MHz |
Graphics processor (GPU) | Mali T830 MP2 |
RAM | 3, 4 GigaBytes |
Power tests | - |
Memory
Internal memory | 32, 64 GB |
Extension | Yes, with MicroSD card up to 128 GB Online storage systems (Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Google Drive) |
Connections
Mobile Network | 3G (HSPA + at 42 Mbps) 4G LTE up to 150 Mbps (CAT 4) |
Wifi | Wifi |
GPS location | GPS |
Bluetooth | 4.1 with A2DP |
DLNA | Yes |
NFC | Yes |
Connector | USB Type C |
Audio | 3.5 mm minijack |
SIM | dual NanoSIM slot |
Bands | - |
Others | Allows you to create WiFi zones, WiFi Direct, Miracast |
Autonomy
Removable | Not |
Capacity | Li-Po 3,340mAh |
Standby duration | 650 hours |
Duration in use | 23 hours |
AnTutu Tester tests | Antutu 55,000 |
+ info
Release date | To confirm |
Manufacturer's website | Huawei |