Huawei has recently teased its Mate 20 & Mate 20 Pro devices on Weibo. The short video ended with a square outline which contains the words “This is Mate”. The outline confirms the rumours about the unique triple camera setup on the devices. The device will launch at an event on 16th October.
Huawei has also been very confident about being the most innovative smartphone manufacturer this year. Recently, the company mocked Apple after the recent launch event. In a series of tweets, Huawei ‘thanked’ Apple for not making any innovations and ‘letting it be the hero’ this year. With these extremely confident comments from Huawei, we hope to see something truly revolutionary in the upcoming devices. With a lot of rumours surrounding the device, we give you everything to know so far about the Huawei Mate 20.
The Huawei Mate 20 will have a triple camera setup, making it the highlight of its design. The three cameras and flash are in a square frame. Another rumour is the presence of an in-display fingerprint scanner. This will make the Huawei Mate 20 the first device from the company to have this technology. The device will reportedly use the ultrasonic fingerprint technology from Qualcomm. However, this is 3x costlier than the optical in display sensor being used by most companies now. The ultrasonic fingerprint display is more secure, advanced and can work even if your fingers are greasy.
The device will run on the Hisilicon Kirin 980 Octa-core chipset, according to reports. This is the latest flagship processor by Huawei. It uses the 7 nm manufacturing process, like the A12 Bionic from Apple. The SoC will offer better thermal efficiency and faster processing power, according to reports. It will also have the 2nd Gen Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Apart form this, the devices are also expected to have 6+ inch displays and a large 4200 mAh battery.
Huawei has confirmed that the Huawei Mate 20 and Huawei Mate 20 Pro Smartphones will be launching on 16th October. After revealing the date during the IFA 2018, Huawei said that the devices will be running the latest flagship processor, the HiSilicon Kirin 980.
Huawei Mate 20 & Mate 20 Pro:
Huawei has not revealed any more information about the device. However,numerous ‘leaks’ and spy shots give us a fair idea about the smartphones. Earlier leaks and renders reveal that the devices sport a ‘water drop notch’. The notch is smaller than the notches we can see on other phones. The devices supposedly have a triple camera setup, which is quite unique to look at.
Renders Via XDA
The devices reportedly have 6+ inch screens and a massive 4200 mAh battery.
Renders Via XDA
Most recently, a Spanish technology blog ‘spotted’ a Mate 20 device at the IFA 2018. The device is apparently in the hands of a Huawei employee and is protected by a thick back cover. The cover prevents one from getting a better view at the device. But the unique camera setup which matches the renders of the device makes a compelling case. The price of the devices will be known in October.
The Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 980 is the company’s latest flagship processor. The processor will be used in all upcoming Huawei flagship devices, according to the company. The chipset is the first production SoC to have used the 7nm for its manufacturing. The 7nm manufacturing process makes a chipset more power efficient. It is designed around the ARM’s Cortex-A76 CPU and the Mali-G76 GPU, which are new designs. According to the company, the Kirin 980 has 6.9 billion transistors running on it. Comparatively, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 has 4.3 billion.
Huawei also says that the octa-core Kirin 980 utilises two cores for ‘turbo performance’ and two for long term performance. The other four are used to maximise power efficiency. Normally, a CPU uses a combination of only high performance and high efficiency cores. Therefore, making this a step away from conventional design.
For increased Ai performance, the Kirin 980 has a dual NPU ( Neural Processing Unit). This performs AI assisted image recognition tasks at a rate of 4500 images per minute, according to Huawei. Comparatively, Apple’s A11 bionic chip identifies 2371 images and the Snapdragon 845 recognises 1458, the company added.
Huawei believes that the Kirin 980 is far better than the Snapdragon 845, which has already been out for some months now. The Kirin 980 is set to launch in October, while Qualcomm is working on the successor to the Snapdragon 845. It will be exciting to see how many of Huawei’s claims come true after the launch of the Kirin 980.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has surpassed Apple to grab the second position in the smartphone market. A report by Gartner revealed the sales made by each company in the second quarter of 2018. According to the report, Huawei sold 49,846 units in Q2 2018 compared to 35,964 units in Q2 2017. At the same time, Apple sold only 44,715 Units in Q2 2018.
Via Videoblocks
Another report, published by IDC a month ago had also put Huawei at the no 2 spot, ahead of Apple. However, as this report ranked the manufacturers according to shipments made rather than sales, it didn’t paint quite a clear picture. The rise of sales for Huawei can be entirely credited to its fast growing Honor sub-brand. Huawei continues to bring innovative features into its smartphones and expand its smartphone portfolio to cover larger consumer segments.
Huawei is growing at such a fast pace as it continues to bring innovative features which the customers like. It is also constantly working to expand its smartphone portfolio, covering larger customer segments, according to executives at Gartner.
The rankings were different back in May this year with Apple holding 14.1 % share in the smartphone market and Huawei with 10.1 %. The dynamic has reversed now, with Huawei holding 13.3 % of the market share and Apple down to 11.9 %. Samsung still holds the top spot in the market share, however its market share has actually declined. With 20.8 % market share in Q1 of 2018, Samsung has dropped to 19.3 % in Q2 of 2018. Regardless, it still holds the top spot by a great margin.
Apple has seen quite a downfall with Q2 of 2018. The interest generated by iPhone X and the iPhone 8 seemed to be short-lived and didn’t help much in terms of sales. Xiamo and Oppo come in at 3rd and 4th place respectively, this quarter. Xiaomi, who flew past Oppo this quarter, has also shown tremendous growth with the implementation of its online and retail strategy.
The report also shows the share held by iOS and Android devices in the market. Android still dominates the market share at 88 % while iOS makes a slight mark with 11.9%.
The Honor Play exploded into the market when it was released. The high performance device, set a benchmark for flagship killers and gives tough competition to higher-end devices. Everyone had come to terms with the fact that nothing could beat the Honor play when boom, the Poco F1 raced into the public sphere. The only phone to offer the Snapdragon 845 in this price range, it’s not just speed that sets the Poco F1 apart.
While the pricing of the base model of the Poco F1 is directly competitive with that of the Honor Play, the two devices do have many differences. The Poco F1 offers its 6GB/64GB variant at a highly lucrative price of Rs 20,999. Sitting just a little away from this is the 4GB/64GB Honor Play. The 6GB/128GB and the 8GB/256Gb variants of the Poco F1 cost Rs 23,999 and Rs 28,999 respectively.
The Honor Play has a 6.3-inch Full HD display, complete with thin bezels on the side and a notch on the top. With a resolution of 2340×1080 pixels and a 19:9 aspect ratio, the Honor Play provides an immersive visual experience at 409 ppi. Not lagging behind, the Poco F1 gives a similar performance with its 6.18-inch, Full HD display. At 2246×1080 pixels, it gives us a density of 403 ppi.
Processor:
This is where Poco F1 really hits the sweet spot. With Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 845 chipset and the Adreno 630 GPU, the specs speak for themselves. Also adding to this is the fact that it is liquid cooled, which Poco claims will ensure that the Processor gives out peak performance always. Honor also brings on the heat with its Kirin 970 chipset coupled with its GPU Turbo technology, which has been promised will change gaming experiences for everyone.
RAM & Storage:
Another segment in which the Poco F1 surges forward with its higher specifications, what really adds to this is the expandable storage. With a memory card, the Poco F1’s storage can reach more than half a TB in its top model, providing more power for the user. The Honor Play has upto 256GB of expandable memory, giving you all the space you need.
While both the devices have AI enabled cameras which provide extensive scene detection and other smart features, they do differ fundamentally. The Poco F1 has with a 12MP and 5MP sensor for its rear camera with an aperture of f/1.9 and f/2.0 respectively. the Honor play at the same time only offers a 16MP and 2MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.2 and f/2.4 respectively. It can be seen that the Honor Play does not really bring flagship specs when it comes to the camera. The AI technology however, helps it overcome this hurdle. Another cool feature that we’re looking forward to is the special scene detection for India in the Poco F1 which shows that they went that extra mile.
Both the devices house their front-facing cameras in the notch. They are similarly equipped with AI and an improved portrait mode. The Poco F1 has a 20MP, f/2.0 sensor while the Honor Play carries a 16MP, f/2.2 sensor.
Battery:
Neither of the phones come with flagship features like wireless charging but they do pack a punch. The Poco F1 packs a massive 4000 mAh battery and Quick charge 3.0. The Honor Play carries a 3750 mAh battery along with the Huawei Super charge 3.0. Each of the devices claim advanced AI and curated operating systems will ensure that battery life is further optimised.
Is The Hunt Over?
While the two smartphones bring an unbelievable amount of flagship features to us for great prices, will they really make their mark? As both the phones are sold in flash sales conducted from time to time, the impact they make on the audience may not be that concrete. Although it creates a buzz and ensures that anxious buyers are always lined up to buy the devices, companies like OnePlus are in the lead in this segment due to the availability of their phones in the market. Let’s wait and watch as to how these new entrants change the Indian Market.
After the company launched a flagship and a mid-range smartphone today, Huawei is all set to launch a gaming smartphone soon with is sub-brand, Honor. The company has announced that it will be launching a gaming oriented flagship in India called the Honor Play on 8th August. The smartphone will be an Amazon exclusive device. For people in India who were waiting for Xiaomi’s Black Shark smartphone, this is exciting news. The Honor Play first launched in China in the month of June.
Huawei Nova 3
The trend of launching gaming smartphones has picked up the pace in the recent years. Brands like the Asus ROG and Razer, which usually make gaming PCs, have launched their own gaming smartphones. The Asus ROG was the world’s first smartphone to launch with a 3D vapour-chamber cooling system. While the Razer gaming phone was the world’s smartphone with a 120Hz screen. Now the Huawei sub-brand, Honor, is launching the company’s first gaming-focused smartphone in India. Even though the smartphone does not feature any over the top hardware, Huawei recently announced their GPU Turbo software update. With this update, which the Honor Play may launch with out of the box in India, the smartphone can achieve better gaming performance and battery optimization. The company claims 60% better gaming performance and 30% less battery consumption than conventional smartphones.
The Honor Play has a lot in common with the recently launched Huawei Nova 3. Both the smartphones have the same 6.3-inch IPS LCD panel with 2340 x 1080 px resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The smartphones also share the same Hisilicon Kirin 970 chipset. This SoC has 4 x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 cores and 4 x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 cores. The Honor Play might also have the AI shopping features unveiled with at the Huawei Nova 3 and Nova 3i launch event today.
However, unlike the Nova 3 with a total of four camera sensors, Honor Play only has three. The primary camera of the smartphone has a 16MP sensor with a f/2.2 aperture and a 2 MP with f/2.4 aperture. The smartphone launched with two RAM variants of 4GB or 6GB RAM with 64GB storage in China. We can expect the same variants to launch in India as well.
Honor Play
Pricing And Availability
The Honor Play had a starting price of CNY 1,999 (Rs. 20,238.88 approx) in China. We expect the smartphone to be priced similarly in India as well. The sale for the smartphone could start on the day of the launch itself. The GPU Turbo update is yet to arrive in smartphones. However, if the company delivers on its claims with the update, then this could be one of the best competitively priced gaming smartphones. We will have to wait and find out once the device launches on 8th August.
As a smartphone brand, Huawei is now fully back and operational in the Indian market. The company has entered the Indian market for various price segments. While the Huawei P20 Pro is a top of the line flagship, the company also has the lite variants and now two new phones. The company has launched the Huawei Nova 3 and Nova 3i today. These smartphones will go on sale exclusively via Amazon. You can buy the smartphones here.
While a lot is common between the two smartphones, the Huawei Nova 3 and Nova 3i target two different price segments. Huawei Nova 3 is a flagship smartphone, whereas the Nova 3i is more of a mid-range device. With that said, what you will find in common with these two devices are their display panels. Both the smartphones have a 6.3-inch IPS LCD panel with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and a resolution of 2340 x 1080 px. Both of these devices use a custom Huawei EMUI 8.2 ROM based on Android 8.1 (Oreo).
The camera for both the smartphones have a total four sensor. This is where the similarity ends as the primary camera setup on the Nova 3 has a 16 MP sensor with a f/1.8 aperture and a 24 MP black and white sensor with a f/1.8 aperture. While, the primary camera on the Nova 3i has a 16 MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a 2 MP depth sensor. The secondary cameras of both the Nova 3 and Nova 3i have a 24 MP and a 2 MP depth sensor.
The Huawei Nova 3 runs on the company’s flagship Hisilicon Kirn 970 chipset with the Mali-G72 MP12 GPU. The Nova 3 will also feature the company’s GPU Turbo functionality which makes the smartphone an ideal choice for gamers. While the Nova 3i runs on the mid-range Hisilicon Kirin 710 chipset with the Mali-G51 MP4 GPU. For storage option, you can get the Nova 3 with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Whereas, the Nova 3i is available with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. Both the smartphones support storage expandability via microSD card of up to 256GB.
Pricing And Availability
The Huawei Nova 3 and Nova 3i will be available exclusively on Amazon. The higher spec’d smartphone, Huawei Nova 3 will start at a price of Rs.Rs. 34,999. While the mid-range Huawei Nova 3i will cost Rs. 20,990. What sets the Huawei Nova 3 and Nova 3i apart is the chipset configuration. With the Kirin 970 SoC, Nova 3 accomplishes to implement face-unlock and the company’s version of Apple’s Animoji which they are calling Qmoji. Huawei was already implementing AI into its smartphones now the company has entered into the AR segment as well. It will be interesting to see how well the smartphone performance once we do a full review of the device. Meanwhile, you can check out our unboxing video for the Huawei Nova 3 below.
The Huawei Honor 9N is the latest smartphone in the Honor 9N lineup. The smartphone has launched in India on 24th July. The Honor India twitter handle has been proactively advertising the launch of this smartphone. The smartphone has a starting price of Rs. 11,999 and will be a Flipkart exclusive. You can buy the smartphone here.
Honor 9N
[section label=”Specifications”]
Starting with the display, the phone features a 5.84-inch Full HD+ 2160 x 1080 px screen. The phone follows a 19:9 aspect ratio. Huawei uses the EMUI 8.0 which is the company’s custom ROM based on Android 8.0 (Oreo). The phone will receive an Android 8.1 (Oreo) update. The smartphone is powered by the Kirin 659 chipset which is an octa-core SoC and a Mali-T830 MP2 GPU. The smartphone also has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space.
The company has been teasing the Huawei Nova series for a while. Now Huawei has made an official announcement for the India launch of the devices on Twitter. The Huawei Nova 3i will be launching in India on 26th July. The smartphone is expected to go on sale via Amazon for pre-order. The company did not make any announcements about the price. However, several leaks suggest the smartphone could go on sale for roughly Rs. 20,400.
[section label=”Specifications”]
Huawei Nova 3i is one of the successors of the Nova 2 which the company announced back in May 2017. The smartphone sports the same colour options as seen on the Huawei P20 Pro. The Nova 3i features the notch on its display and a dual front-facing camera setup. The display on the Nova 3i has a 6.3-inch panel with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and a resolution of 2340 x 1080 px. The smartphone has an IPS LCD panel. The Nova 3i runs on a Hisilicon Kirin 710 chipset with the Mali-G51 MP4 GPU. The camera setup on the smartphone consists of a total of four sensors. The primary camera has a 16 MP sensor with a f/2.2 aperture and 2 MP depth sensor. Secondary camera of the device has a 24 MP sensor and another 2 MP sensor. The smartphone is available with a 4GB RAM and 128GB storage.
Huawei is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer which has been giving the likes of Samsung a tough competition. The company took to Twitter on 15th July to announce that it will be bringing the Huawei Honor 9N to India. As confirmed by the company, the phone will launch on the 24th of July. Previous speculations suggested that the phone would launch under the name of Honor 9i. This name could have created a little confusion in the market. There is already a Huawei phone with the name Honor 9i which launched back in October 2017. Here is the tweet by the company.
Beauty is not what meets the eye but an essence that is all around us! ?? Get ready to witness beauty like never before at the grand launch of #Honor9N on 24th July! ?? Mark your calendar! #BeautyAllAroundpic.twitter.com/HaOS70q6NO
Amidst speculation, not much about the Honor 9N is confirmed. The only confirmation we got was for the design. The smartphone follows the same design pattern as its predecessor, the Honor 9 Lite.
Honor 9 Lite
Huawei has been focussing on integrating AI in its smartphones and we could expect the trend to continue with the 9N as well. The Honor 9N may feature the company’s latest GPU Turbo update. This update, as the company claims, improves the gaming performance by 60% while reducing battery consumption by 30%. Unlike the Honor 9 Lite, this smartphone may feature a notch-display. This could mean that Huawei might go with a 19:9 aspect ratio for the Honor 9N. The smartphone may not compromise with its bezels and have a similar almost bezel-less display as the Honor 9 Lite or the Honor 9.
Several tweets by the company show that the Honor 9N will feature a dual rear-camera mounted horizontally. Below the camera setup, sits the fingerprint sensor.
The Chinese manufacturer uses its own chipsets for its smartphones named, Kirin. Such may be the case for the Huawei Honor 9N as well. The Honor 9 Lite had a Kirin 659 chipset, so we can expect similar if not better chipset for the Honor 9N.
Huawei has not confirmed the price segment at which this smartphone is aimed. Regardless, we speculate that it will be a budget-friendly smartphone. We are closely monitoring the Honor 9N news and will keep you updated with the same. So stay tuned to iGyaan.
The company has been teasing the Huawei Nova series for a while. Now Huawei has made an official announcement for the India launch of the devices on Twitter. The phone will be launching in India on 26th July. The rumours around the phone suggest that these phones could feature the new GPU Turbo. The smartphone is expected to go on sale via Amazon for pre-order. The company did not make any announcements about the price. However, several leaks suggest the smartphone could go on sale for roughly Rs. 35,500.
Huawei Nova 3 is the successor of the Nova 2 which the company announced back in May 2017. The smartphone sports the same colour options as seen on the Huawei P20 Pro. The Nova 3 features the notch on its display and a dual front-facing camera setup.
Specs
The Huawei Nova 3 features a 6.3-inch 2340 x 1080 pixels display with the aspect ratio of 19:9. This makes the pixel density of the device peak at 409 ppi. The screen to body ratio of the display is somewhere around 84%.
The Nova 3 could be launched with the 970 chipset. This SoC will be paired with a 6GB RAM and have two storage variants, 64GB and 128GB.
The Huawei Nova 3 camera setup is comprised of a 16MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and a 24MP Black and White sensor with an f/1.8 aperture. Furthermore, the front camera setup is a dual setup with one 24MP sensor and the other, a 2MP sensor.
Companies like Oppo and Vivo are bringing a notch-less and an almost bezel-less experience. This toughens the competition in the smartphone market. For Huawei Nova series to do well, the company will have to price its smartphones carefully.
The Indian launch date of the Huawei Nova 3 and Nova 3i is right around the corner. We will soon get to know how it fairs against other devices in its price segment. Stay tuned to iGyaan for further updates.
The new update which Huawei is calling GPU Turbo will release in August. The company plans to roll out the update only for a few of its smartphones. The Huwaei GPU Turbo will significantly improve the graphical performance of the device without compromising on its battery life.
The Huawei GPU Turbo is similar to overclocking the CPU of a computer. The update will improve the overall performance of the device by optimizing its resource utilization. This would result in almost 60% improved graphical performance while reducing close to 30% of battery consumption. Which means, not only will you be able to game better, but the battery life of your device will also improve.
Huawei is closely working with developers to make sure the update is a bug-free experience by the time it releases. The company has placed its bets on software optimization at a time when the competition is focussed on hardware. This is a refreshing change as having the latest GPU does not necessarily mean better performance. A well-optimized smartphone can use the GPU to its full potential.
Huawei GPU Turbo will provide noticeable improvements in games like PUBG. PUBG is a resource hungry game which eats away at the battery life of a smartphone. With GPU Turbo, the battery life will improve quite significantly.
PUBG
Following is a list of devices, release date, and regions which will receive the Huawei GPU Turbo update.
Device
Release Date
Region
Huawei Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, Mate RS
August 2018
Europe, Russia, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa
Huawei P20 and P20 Pro
August 2018
Europe, Russia, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa
As the list suggests, the Huawei Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, and Mate RS will be the first devices to receive this update. These devices will be followed by the likes of Huawei P20 and P20 Pro. Although the list isn’t big it contains a list of mostly the high-end device of Huawei.
Huawei is all set to release a new smartphone in the month of July according to a poster released by the company on Weibo. This news comes after Huawei dubbed the P20 Lite as the Nova 3e in Europe and select Asian markets so it is still to be seen what the device would be called. The company is calling it the Huawei Nova 3.
The overall look and feel of the device, at least from the pictures, is much similar to that of the P20 Lite. With that said, Huawei has teased a couple of interesting colour variants for the Nova 3. While nothing is confirmed, we believe that the Huawei Nova 3 may come in Light Blue, Gold, and Aurora colour variants.
The Huawei Nova 3 also sports that notch seen on other Huawei devices released this year. What is worth noting is that the notch is somewhat elongated and now houses a dual camera setup. This is the company’s first phone to feature a front-facing dual camera setup with 24MP and 2MP sensor. The rear camera setup will have 16 and 24MP sensors. It will be intriguing to see how Huawei plans on using the camera setup.
The Huawei Nova 3 will have a 6.3 inch 2340 x 1080 pixels display with the 2018 aspect ratio of 19:9. According to TENAA, the Nova 3 will run on the octa-core Kirin 710 chipset. This chipset will be paired with 6GB RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. The post on TENAA also reveals the dimensions of the device; 157 × 73.7× 7.3 mm with the weight at around 166 grams. All of this will be backed by a 3,650 mAh battery and the smartphone is expected to have fast charging capabilities which the company calls Super Charge.
Huawei has managed to turn a lot of heads with its flagship P20 Pro with its triple camera setup and now the company is all set to launch a dual front-facing camera smartphone. We will be covering this story closely and will also take a look at how fast Super Charge is when the Huawei Nova 3 is released so stay tuned for further details.
Xiaomi recently launched the Mi 8 and the Mi 8 Explorer Edition at an event in China. While the two flagship devices grabbed deserved headlines, the Mi 8 SEwas also unveiled at the same event. The new budget smartphone from Xiaomi is likely to launch in India in the coming months as the company prepares the Mi 8 launch for India as well. If launched in India, the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE will compete with the Huawei P20 Lite for the best smartphone for Rs 20,000.
The Huawei P20 Lite was launched in India along with the Huawei P20 Pro. Just like the Mi 8 SE, the P20 Lite was overshadowed by its bigger sibling. However, the P20 Lite continues to be one of the best smartphones for the price range. The P20 Lite is priced at Rs 19999 in India. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is priced at CNY 1,799 (Rs 19000 approx.) for the 4GB RAM variant and CNY 1999 (Rs 21000) for the 6GB RAM variant.
The Mi 8 SE has a 5.88 inch Super AMOLED display with a 2248 x 1080 px resolution. The aspect ratio is 18.7:9, which is the same as the Mi 8. The P20 Lite, on the other hand, has a 5.84 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2280 x 1080 px resolution. Both the smartphones have glass on the front and back with an aluminium frame.
The P20 Lite runs on the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset which is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The Mi 8 SE, however, runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset. It is worth noting that the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is the first-ever smartphone to be powered by Qualcomm’s new mid-range chipset. The Mi 8 SE is available in two variants, one with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and the other one with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
Both the smartphones stray away from the popular stock Android interface. The P20 Lite runs EMUI 8.0 on top of Android 8 Oreo while the Mi 8 SE runs MIUI 9.5 on top of Android 8 Oreo. The P20 Lite is powered by a 3000 mAh battery with support for SuperCharge. The Mi 8 SE is powered by a 3120 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0. Both the devices have a USB-C port which is great in budget phones, especially. The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE does miss out on a headphone jack.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE has a 12MP RGB sensor with an f/1.9 aperture mated with a 5MP depth sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. To the front is a 20MP camera with a 2-micron pixel size and f/2.0 aperture. The P20 Lite has a 16MP primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture coupled with a 2MP depth sensor. On the front is a 24MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture. Both the front and back cameras record 1080P videos while the front camera also has 3D Portrait Lighting, similar iPhone’s Portrait Lighting.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is a popular choice in India. Its pricing and specifications suit the Indian market as well, something Xiaomi would be aware of. The P20 Lite offers a great design and specifications and is readily available in India. Huawei would hope that Xiaomi doesn’t launch the Mi 8 SE in India and the P20 Lit continues to have a free run at the 20K category.
2018 so far, has been a great year for smartphone enthusiasts. Vivo became the first company to unveil a smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Concept phones like the Vivo APEX captured everyone’s imagination while flagship devices like the OnePlus 6, Huawei P20 Pro have been well-received by consumers and critics alike. The budget smartphone market in India has also seen a lot of really interesting launches in 2018 so far, from the Redmi Note 5 Pro to Huawei P20 Lite. So, here is a list of top budget smartphones to buy in 2018 if your budget is Rs 20,000 or less!
Launched along with the flagship P20 Pro, the P20 Lite is priced at Rs 19999. The Huawei P20 Lite has an all-glass design with a dual-camera setup. For a price of Rs 19999, the P20 Lite has a great build quality along with an impressive set of cameras.
The Huawei P20 Lite has a 5.84 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2280 x 1080 px resolution. The Huawei P20 Lite runs on the HiSilicon Kirin 659 Octa-core chipset coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
The Huawei P20 Lite has a 16MP RGB sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. In fact, this dual camera setup is similar to the one found on the Honor 7X. The Huawei P20 Lite has a 24MP front-facing camera with 3D Portrait Lighting effect. This is very similar to the Portrait Lighting effect found on the iPhone X.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro was launched in February 2018 along with the Redmi Note 5. With the Redmi Note 5 an underwhelming upgrade over the Redmi Note 4, many believe that the Redmi Note 5 Pro should have succeeded the Redmi Note 4. It recently received a price hike and is now priced at Rs 14999 for the base variant.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro has a 5.99-inch display with a 2160 x 1080px resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood, the device runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset along with an Adreno 509 GPU to handle the graphics. The Redmi Note 5 Pro is available in two variants, 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/64GB storage. The 6GB RAM variant is a great prospect for users who multitask a lot.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro has a 20MP Sony IMX376 camera on the front with an LED light. To the back of the smartphone is a vertically place dual-camera setup. It is a 12MP colour sensor f/2.2 and 5MP f/2.0 colour sensor setup. The smartphone will click portrait mode photos from the front and rear cameras.
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro was launched in India on April 23rd. Without a doubt, one of the highlights of the Zenfone Max Pro is its battery capacity. It is powered by a 5000 mAh battery while the size and weight of the smartphone are almost equivalent to that of the Redmi Note 5 Pro. For context, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is powered by a 4000 mAh battery.
That 5000 mAh battery will be powering a 5.99 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. Under the hood, the Zenfone Max Pro runs on the Snapdragon 636 chipset coupled with 3GB/4GB of RAM along with either 32GB or 64 GB storage. There will be a 6GB RAM variant which will launch later in the year with improved camera capabilities.
The device has a 13MP primary sensor on the rear along with a 5MP depth sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. The dual-camera setup can record 4K videos @ 30fps which is impressive for the price point. To the front is an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture with a bokeh effect.
The Nokia 6 was launched in India in early-April after launching it in China on January 2018. The smartphone does not have an 18:9 aspect ratio like the other devices in the list. However, it carries the sentiments of the Nokia brand and also has decent specifications for the price. The device is priced at Rs 16999 for the base model and the Nokia 6.1 is priced at Rs 18999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant.
The Nokia 6 2018 has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with 16:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the smartphone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Octa-core chipset with 4GB and 32/64GB storage. Like the original Nokia 6, the storage is expandable up to 256GB using a micro SD card.
The has a 3000 mAh sealed battery with support for fast charging via USB type C port. The fingerprint sensor now sits on the back of the device. This is a peculiar decision by the company since it has retained the 16:9 aspect ratio. Smartphone makers usually revert to a rear-facing fingerprint sensor when they shrink the bezels and don’t have enough space to place the sensor on the front.
This smartphone also has a Zeiss certified single 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an 8MP front-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The primary camera can record native 4K videos, whereas the front-facing camera maxes out at 1080p @ 30fps.
Huawei launched the Huawei P20 Lite along with the P20 Pro in India on the 24th of April. The Huawei P20 Lite is a budget offering from Huawei which yet again, runs on the Kirin 659 chipset. However, there are a lot of new features and design changes that make it an exciting prospect, especially at its price of Rs 19999. Both the smartphones went on sale via Amazon on 7th May and there will be more sales in the coming weeks.
The P20 Lite truly feels like a ‘Lite’ version of the P20 Pro. The Huawei P20 Pro has been grabbing all the spotlight with its Twilight colour variant and the triple-camera setup on the back. However, the P20 Lite appears to be the smartphone to get with its design and price in India.
[section label=”Unboxing”]
Inside the box of the Huawei P20 Lite
Huawei P20 Lite
Earphones
Wall Charger
USB C Cable
Clear Case
Sim Ejector Tool
[section label=”Initial Impressions”]
There will be a few documents in the retail unit which we did not have in our box.
The Huawei P20 Lite has a striking design that isn’t matched by many smartphones in this price category. It has an all-glass design with an aluminium frame that has the same colour as the glass so it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. The dual-camera setup on the back is placed vertically which, ever since the iPhone X was launched, has become the norm. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the back in the middle at a very comfortable position. Thanks to its different texture, it is also very easy to recognise the fingerprint sensor when it is in your pocket.
The power button is situated on the right-hand side of the device along with the volume rockers. The left-hand side houses the SIM tray and that is it. The headphone jack (yes, it’s there) and the USB C port are situated at the bottom of the smartphone.
The 5.84 inch LTPS IPS LCD display is powered by a 3000 mAh battery with support for SuperCharge. The smartphone has an unusual 19:9 aspect ratio thanks to that notch. This means that even after stretching a YouTube video, it won’t use the entire screen real estate. However, on the brighter side, the notch will be hidden at all times while consuming visual content.
The P20 Lite runs on the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset which is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The storage is expandable via hybrid microSD card slot.
The P20 Lite has a 16MP primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture coupled with a 2MP depth sensor. On the front is a 24MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture. Both the front and back cameras record 1080P videos while the front camera also has 3D Portrait Lighting, similar iPhone’s Portrait Lighting.
At a price of Rs 19999, the P20 Lite’s competition is dated. The design and build quality is somewhat matched by the Moto X4 which also has a glass build but that is about it. The P20 Lite might be the smartphone to get at this price but, we will leave that judgement for our in-depth review.
