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Review: HONOR 90 Lite 5G—A close relative

Hot on the heels of the launch of the HONOR 90 5G in August, HONOR Philippines further expanded its array of smart device offerings with the introduction of the HONOR 90 Lite 5G, HONOR X6a, HONOR X5 Plus, and the HONOR Pad X9. As its name suggests, the HONOR 90 Lite is considered the younger sibling of the HONOR 90 5G. It is available in two color variants: Cyan Lake and Midnight Black. The latter is the subject of our review.

The HONOR 90 Lite 5G sports a 6.7-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 2388 × 1080p. Responsive and vibrant, the smartphone display allows users to easily maneuver through various apps and content types appearing on the screen. The HONOR 90 Lite 5G brandishes a frosted matte body with flat sides and curved corners. Aside from exuding subtle elegance, the phone's finish makes it less prone to unsightly fingerprints and smudges. For added protection, the device comes with a TPU case. On the bottom, the HONOR 90 Lite 5G integrates a USB Type-C port. For personal audio, users may connect a compatible USB Type-C earphone set or use the supplied adapter that works with earphones carrying the traditional 3.5mm audio connector.   

On the imaging front, the HONOR 90 Lite 5G carries a protruding triple rear camera system consisting of a 100MP main camera, a 5MP ultrawide and depth camera, and a 2MP macro camera. Users can quickly snap self-portraits with the help of the smartphone's 16MP front camera. Both the rear and front cameras can record 1920 × 1080p videos. Images captured by the HONOR 90 Lite 5G are mostly sharp with lighter color quality at default settings. The images shot under low light or too bright conditions are automatically processed to make subjects, especially faces, more defined. Apart from the default automatic mode, the HONOR 90 Lite 5G also offers other camera modes, such as Night, Super Macro, and PRO, which users can play around with for better and more creative results. Users who are into vlogging should also try the phone's MULTI-VIDEO feature.

Within its slim body, the HONOR 90 Lite 5G has a mobile platform consisting of a Mediatek Dimensity 6020 octa-core CPU (2× A76 2.2GHz and 6× A55 2.0GHz), a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, 8GB RAM, and 256GB onboard storage with MagicOS 7.1 operating system based on Android 13. Running this platform, the HONOR 90 Lite 5G scored 398685 in AnTuTu Benchmark Version 10. The smartphone also has a 4500mAh lithium-ion polymer battery that supports 22.5W HONOR SuperCharge. This feature enables the device to recharge up to 53% in just half an hour.  

Selling for ₱12,990, the HONOR 90 Lite 5G nearly costs half as much as the HONOR 90 5G. The HONOR 90 Lite 5G is one of the more affordable 5G smartphones out there, yet it does not come up short in terms of build, camera performance, battery life, and several other features. The HONOR 90 Lite 5G has the essential functionalities consumers seek in today's fast-paced and social media-driven lifestyle powered by 5G connectivity. With the gift-buying season fast approaching, the HONOR 90 Lite 5G can be a fine addition to a growing list of gift ideas.