HUAWEIMate20 Lite (Single SIM) 64 GB 6.3-Inch Android 8.0, SIM-Free Smartphone - UK Version, Black, Huawei Mate 20 Lite Black

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the Huawei Mate 20 Lite was a far more expensive phone than it is. While it has an older brother, in the form of the 20 Pro, the Lite is a fantastic device for the price.The device comes with a screen protector in the box, plus manual, sim opening tool, headphones and USB C charger, all in a premium looking black box.Turning the phone on, the 6.3 inch screen looks impressive with its 2340 x 1080 resolution. It's bigger than last year's P20 with thinner bezels but has a larger notch at the top to allow for the double front camera. The colours look natural, if a little more muted than some other phones and the response to touch is really quick and accurate.Face recognition and fingerprint recognition can be used for securely unlocking the phone and both worked well. The Face recognition is the easier of the two as it just works when you hold the phone up, though it had issues in low light.The Mate 20 Lite also has a proper headphone port (yey!) and, more surprisingly for a budget phone, USB C. The camera on the back is 20mp plus another 2mp for blurring and distance effects with a f/1.8 lens. It won't beat top end phones but takes some nice phones, none-the-less. There are a wealth of options and the AI helps you to get good photo in seconds by recognising the subject. I've tried this on flowers, dogs, landscapes and even the moon and it managed to recognise them all, providing a suitable photo mode to match. Surprisingly, the front facing camera is 24MP + 2MP which seems a bit much for selfies but I'm not complaining.Android 8.1 is installed by default but it immediately notified me of an update to Android 9, the brand new OS, which was a nice surprise. Many of last year's phones still haven't got 9 yet. Overlayed on top of this is the latest version of Huawei's own EMUI front end which changes some of the icons slightly and adds their own tools to the mix. Having used previous phones from them, I'm used to this and find the tools fairly useful. Things such as Huawei Health 9 are well designed alternatives to other health apps.The 3,750mAh battery keeps the phone going all day. I've used mine over almost 2 days for calls, photos, internet and gaming before the battery finally gave out and needed a recharge. Thankfully, it has fast charging via the USB C port. Huawei have brought back additional storage via Micro SD card this year. The included 64GB on the phone should be fine for apps but having a 128GB or 256GB card in the phone is great for media.Gaming-wise, the Mate 20 Lite is average, as expected, the Kirin 710 chip copes fine with Asphalt 8 and Real Racing 3 but struggled a little with Fortnite on full. It's perfectly fine for general casual gaming, though.Overall, the Huawei Mate 20 Lite is a great budget phone for those who don't want to spend huge amounts but want something that looks good, is fast, up-to-date and, more importantly, has a great camera. that can take impressive pictures.

I received this product as part of a review program in return for an unbiased review. Huawei who??? is where this review begins. Coming from brands that are well known but not that exciting anymore, I was itching for a change. The problem, phones aren’t cheap so experimenting is not an option, hence why many stick to popular brands. Huawei are doing things different, filling you with confidence with flashy ads. I ordered mine from Amazon and it arrived shortly afterwards. I was excited and nervous at the same time, trying to explain the brand to my other half who was not convinced. However the moment you open the box everything changes. It feels premium, no build quality concerns at all, its sexy and slick. Then you turn it on and wow the screen hits you with its vibrant bright colours and hardly any bezels in view. Now the other half is interested and keen to see it up close. I have had the phone for over a week and it’s my main device. I have had friends and family thinking it’s a rival top phone. Only I know It’s not a flagship device but what you get does not make you feel any less. Its packed with features and at this price point it’s worth your attention. The camera is amazing, bright and colourful. Captures are sharp and detailed. The number of extra filters and AR jiggery pokery is all there and fun. The selfie camera is second to none, which on other brands is usually an afterthought. The low light performance is disappointing but then I have to remind myself this is not a flagship device and this is where the cuts have been made. But you have to remember this is a third of the price. I have mentioned the screen and build quality which continue to amaze. I should give kudos to the speaker, considering there is only one it has surprising amount of base and fullness of sound. In the time I have had the phone I have experienced no UI slowdown, everything works great and switching between apps is quick. The UI itself is nice and not bloated. I'm enjoying the customization options with themes and fonts to play with. Just be warned this phone is extremely slippery. It can easily slide off a table when it rings. But a quick look on an auction site and you will find 1000's of cases at great prices, which will fix this. Overall this phone is outstanding easily sitting beside the other top brands. At this price point this phone is a winner and no longer will we being saying Huawei who.

Does all that my i phone did before, better camera & certainly better battery lifeDo not always get as good a signal as I had with previous phoneWell worth the money

First off the camera, 20 mega pixel and easy to use. Good zoom the photos look good.The only downside was getting my old sim in and opening the slot with the pin, a bit fiddley but once that was done everything else was easy. Set up was not a problem I logged into gmail and was up and running in a few minutes.The fingerprint recognition is nice and a quick way to get in the phone. Faster than using the facial system.I had read the the company had had issues with using the app store, but it is on the phone and once I had it connected to my Wi-Fi I had all the regular apps up and running in a few minutes.Good camera, fast and reliable and very good value for money.Can not comment on the headphones as I use a dedicated MP3 player for my music, still the headphones supplied will make a useful backup pair.