The Huawei P30 Lite enjoys a fair amount of spotlight compared to other "similarly-specced" handsets due to its namesake. Being under the wing of the very popular P30 series, most of its market existence is living up to the expectations of the P30 series' fans. And being in the fiercely contested mid-range market, the P30 Lite is set to hurdle not only one but multiple obstacles. Does it has what it takes to be your next smartphone? Let's find out in this Huawei P30 Lite review.Huawei P30 Lite Review
Design
The Huawei P30 Lite definitely catches attention with its glass backing. The white variant negates all the fingerprint smudges in the glass panel; and it's also very resistant to scratches. The back may be glass but the frame comes with a different story. The metal-esque sides are not metal at all, they're made up of premium plastic, polished to look like metal. Still, it's very pleasing in the eyes but the frame could be prone to scratches.
When it comes to button and port placements, they are laid out in a no non-sense manner. The power button and the volume rocker are housed on the right side; while the left side is void of buttons and ports. The top comes with the hybrid SIM-microSD card tray and a microphone. At the bottom, you'll see the USB Type C port, 3.5-mm audio jack, another microphone, and the speaker grills.
There's a triple camera module on the back panel together with the LED flash. Plus, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor occupies the upper middle portion; while the Huawei branding is flushed to the lower left side.
It has a very compact design with a size that can easily be maneuvered using one hand. The front panel is a flat glass that offers thin bezels for great viewing experience. All in all, I am amused with the svelte design philosophy of the Huawei P30 Lite.
Display
There's a 6.15-inch FHD+ LCD display upfront. For me, this screen size is the perfect form factor for a 2019 compact smartphone. Its body is somewhat long with 19.3:9 aspect ratio; in this screen size, the 1080 x 2312p resolution registers a 415 ppi pixel density. It is also worth-noting that Huawei dropped the AMOLED panel in this Lite version and settled with the LCD one.
But to be honest, I haven't got any complaints with regards to the LCD display. Clarity is in high bars with viewing angles being so welcoming as ever, even in broad daylight. Color accuracy and white balance are the display's strongest suits. The waterdrop notch is non-intrusive. You can even hide it if it does not please you.
Camera
The Huawei P30 Lite may be a shed-down version of the popular smartphone line but it also packs a solid punch. In fact, it has a triple rear camera system which features one 48MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an ultra-wide 8MP (f/2.4) shooter, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth-sensing camera. This means that the P30 Lite's camera clouds the closest competition when we talk about features on paper.
But in the real world scenario, outputs are impressive with photos taking 12MP default resolution. This technology is called "pixel binning" which integrates multiple pixels to come up with a better image quality in expense of having a lower resolution. But 12MP resolution is not too shabby at all, in fact I could live with that as long as my photos are punchy and come with great detail and clarity - and the Huawei P30 Lite's camera gave me all of that.
In good lighting, photos have great contrast. The image quality is also cranked up when the AI scene optimizer is turned on. Dynamic range is quite impressive. There's no option of having an automatic HDR but you can always toggle HDR anytime you need it.
Huawei's camera interface is straightforward. The camera app also takes fast shots with almost zero lag from the time you hit the shoot button. In low-light, noise comes in but the handset can still manage to get decent shots. Check out camera samples below.
 |
| Sample Shot: Good Lighting |
 |
| Normal Shot |
 |
| Wide-Angle Shot |
 |
| Sample Shot: Low-light |
The selfie shooter features beauty mode that has a suite of customization features. Photos comes in good detail and contrast. The ultra-wide camera can be helpful and impressive in some scenarios. But the fish-eye effect is even more pronounced compared to other ultra wide-capable phones that we have tried before.
 |
| Selfie Shots from Left to Right: Beauty Mode OFF, Beauty Level 4, Beauty Mode OFF |
Check out the Sample Photos in Original Resolution Here.
Video recording with the P30 Lite produces punchy and detail-oriented videos. It could shoot up to 1080p. And sadly, there's no optical image stabilization. Check sample video below.
Software
The Huawei P30 Lite boots with EMUI 9 based on Android 9 Pie. It may not be flashy as that of Samsung's One UI but the software has its own strengths. All installed apps are loaded in the Homescreen with the absence of an app drawer.
The interface is clean and icons are well-designed. However, when it comes to the notification center, it seems like EMUI lags behind some skins from its Android peers in terms of aesthetics. Having said that, I can still see interesting jewels from EMUI like superb battery management and easy-to-access toggles courtesy of the navigation bar.
Performance
By default, EMUI will automatically toggle your connectivity to data when it deems that your WiFi signal is too low. This may be a problem for those who conserve data on a daily basis. Popular titles like Mobile Legends and AOV run smoothly on the P30 Lite. Playing PUBG is also a breeze when you settle for the prescribe graphic settings.
The smartphone is also a good multimedia device. Streaming movies and shows via Netflix is a worthwhile experience with this smartphone. In our Antutu test, the Huawei P30 Lite scored 132,536 which is above average among its peers.
Call quality is also great. I have no complaints when taking calls in a moving car or in a closed area.
Battery
The Huawei P30 Lite packs 3340 mAh battery. It supports 18W fast charging with the company's SuperCharge tech. I'm also impressed how Huawei allows a handful of battery optimizations in its software like notifying users of battery-draining apps. For a phone with 6.15-inch screen and moderate internals, the battery rating is quite reasonable.
A moderate user can survive a day without having to charge the phone. In our day to day test, we have used the phone with our usual tasks: occasional emails, three dozens of shots, 2-hour video streaming via Netflix, 30-minute calls, 30-minute music stream with Spotify, occasional usage of messaging apps, and one hour MOBA gaming. We used automatic brightness setting and full volume. At the end of these activities, our battery registers to 28 percent.
The phone is capable of Huawei quick charge tech when we used the power brick and cable that were shipped with the handset. We charged zero to 100 percent in one hour and twenty minutes.
The Wrap
Is the Huawei P30 Lite worthy of its namesake? Definitely yes! The handset is an eye-catcher with its premium aesthetics. More than the design, the handset also packs ample power for your most important tasks. The camera may not be at par with its higher-end brethren but it's a good mid-range camera, no question about that.
Yes. The Huawei P30 Lite is an all-rounder device. What's even more appealing is that you can get the handset for just PHP 16,990. You can even get good deals in some other online platforms. But to make the story short, you won't regret it if you decide to get this phone. Why? Because it's a P30 series smartphone! End of discussion.
Highlights:
1. Stunning Design, compact-sized smartphone
2. Solid Performance
3. Capable Camera
4. USB Type C
5. Fast-charging capability
6. Good display
Lowlights
1. Non-dedicated Dual SIM
2. Mono Loudspeaker
Huawei P30 Lite Key Specs
6.15-inch TFT LCD
19.3:9, FHD+
2312x1080 pixels
HiSilicon Kirin 710
6GB RAM
128GB storage
Expandable via MicroSD
Rear Camera:
24MP (Wide-angle, f/1.8)
8MP Ultra wide-angle, f/2.4
2MP Bokeh Lens, f/2.4
Front Camera:
32MP, f/2.0
WiFi
USB Type C
LTE
Android 9 Pie, EMUI 9
3340 mAh, 18W Charging
152.9 x 72.7 x 7.4 mm
159 grams
Related: Huawei P30 Lite VS Huawei P30
