Huawei P20 Pro and P20 Lite Hands On Review With Pros and Cons

Huawei today launched its camera-centric P-series phones – the P20 Lite and P20 Pro- in India. The two P20s are separated by a vast price margin and will compete in a very different league altogether.

While the Huawei P20 Pro is a worthy flagship that represents the sum total of all Huawei’s innovative approach and engineering prowess, the P20 Lite is basically an upgraded Honor 9 Lite with improved cameras and an added notch.

Both of these phones were introduced globally last month and we got to try them out at their India launch. So, let’s talk about both of these phones and the first impression they cast on us.

Also Read: Honor 9 Lite Review – For basic consumers who prioritize design

Huawei P20 Pro

Huawei P20 Pro costs 64,999 INR. That’s the same amount of money that could get you a Samsung Galaxy S9+, a Google Pixel 2 XL, or even Apple iPhone X if you get a good bargain. Huawei clearly makes a point that it wants to be seen right up there with the big boys. And that’s not an unfounded assumption, because Huawei has an awesome rear camera to show for it.

The Huawei P20 Pros’ lavish feature list is quite extensive and nearly exhaustive. Merely mentioning all that is there sounds burdensome but we will try and do our best. Let’s start with the camera.

Huawei has partnered with Leica for its triple rear cameras. You get three sensors:

• 8MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture, OIS, and Telephoto lens for 3X Zoom
• 40MP RGB sensor, f/1.8 aperture
• 20MP monochrome sensor, f/1.6 aperture

The camera software is smart enough to combine feed from all three sensors depending on the shooting mode.

Apart from the sensors there is 4 way AF (Laser, Phase Detection, Contrast, AF), a color temperature sensor that can differentiate between the temperature of subject’s skin and the room to add more accuracy, top ISO of 102,400, studio lighting, ability to capture handheld long exposure shot, and lot more.

That’s not even including Kirin 970 NPU fueled AI Smarts and AIS that have a big role to play in embellishing the end results. Like all other flagships, the P20 Pro also heavily relies on its software and

Clearly, a lot of hard work has gone into designing this camera and DxoMark acknowledges that with the best camera rating to date (It beats other by a wide margin). We couldn’t ascertain these claims in our hands-on time but P20 Pro is supposed to excel in low light photography.

Also Read: 7 Best Phones With Under Display Fingerprint Sensor

Even apart from the camera, the P20 Pro has ridiculously lot to savor. There is sophisticated iridescent gradient paint job, IP67 water resistance, an efficient front fingerprint sensor, USB 3.1 based Type-C port, Stereo Speakers, a convenient and efficient front fingerprint sensor, Fast Face Unlock, ability to power a Samsung dex-like desktop experience using simple HDMI to USB converter, one of the best quality AMOLED displays, a notch that you can hide, latest Android 8.1 Oreo as base software, and a massive 4000mAh battery!

You get every hardware and software feature in the book, everything except a 3.5mm audio jack and Wireless charging.

But the main question is, will people want to shell out 65K for the new Huawei flagship phone? Well, Huawei might not sell many of them this year, but the P20 Pro should lay a solid foundation and could uplift Huawei’s brand perception. It’s a competitive offering that’s less gimmick and more substance and projects Huawei as tier-1 smartphone player, in the same league as Samsung and Apple.

Huawei P20 Lite

The P20 Lite belongs to the same series as the P20 Pro but is in an entirely different league. It’s an affordable phone and isn’t all that different from other affordable phones from Huawei.

Huawei is once again using the Kirin 659 octa-core chipset, which is the same chip that you will find on Honor 9 Lite (that costs almost half as much), or Honor 7X, or Honor 9i. That would have been fine if it were comparable to contemporary chips like Snapdragon 636, 630 or even 625 in performance.

The battery, OS, and Glass-plastic body are other similarities it shares with the bottom-rung Honor 9 Lite.

The only thing different is the display and cameras. Huawei is using an extended 18.7:9 display with a notch at the top and an improved set of cameras.

The P20 lite is more compact than other notch phones like Vivo V9 and Oppo F7 but it still feels like the same old wine in a new bottle.

Price and Availability

• Huawei P20 Pro price in India – Rs. 64,999
• Huawei P20 Lite Price in India – Rs. 19,999

Both phones will be available on Amazon.in starting from May 3, 2018.