Conclusion

The Huawei P8 Lite was designed to a budget, for users who don’t want to splash out a fortune on a new smartphone, yet want to enjoy the P8 aesthetics. However, somewhere along the way, Huawei overdid it on a couple of fronts.

The display could and should have been better. The SoC is designed for efficiency and low manufacturing costs, but it sports an antiquated GPU. This isn’t a huge deal in a thin and inexpensive phone, but if you’re after GPU performance, you should consider other options.

Huawei’s EMUI has matured and we are quite pleased with the appearance and performance of the latest version. It’s a sleek UI with loads of customisation options, and doesn’t leave a lot of room for complaints. The main camera is relatively good, while the selfie cam suffers from a small aperture.

Looking at the Huawei P8 Lite as a complete package, we should note that it lives up to its “lite” moniker, perhaps a bit too much. As an off-contract purchase, the P8 Lite doesn’t offer the best value for money out there. If you are after value, your best bet is a phablet like the recently reviewed Lenovo K3 Note. However, the P8 Lite is thinner and more compact than your average budget phablet, so it’s aiming for a different audience.

It’s not about benchmark numbers, it’s about delivering part of the flagship P8 feeling to the masses.

Huawei P8 Lite Pros and Cons

Pros

• Surprisingly good UI
• Sleek design
• Good 13-megapixel camera, great camera app

Cons

• Screen should have been better
• Slow charging
• Kirin 620 SoC features outdated GPU