Huawei’s P30 series has received quite the warm reception from fans and tech reviewers, thanks to a combination of premium design, innovative features, and imaging capabilities that has once again set the bar high for mobile photography.
Today, we’re having a closer a look at the most affordable device of the lot, the P30 Lite, which has undergone quite a makeover from its predecessor.
Design and Build Quality
Despite the significant price difference to its more premium siblings, the P30 Lite doesn’t look like out of place as far as design is concerned. It still has that premium look and feel that wouldn’t make you feel like you’re left out of the loop.
The P30 Lite’s 6.15-inch display has FHD+ resolution, and shows good sharpness and detail. Viewing angles are pretty decent, and colors look punchy enough. There’s a certain richness in this display that makes it look so premium, despite being in what is essentially a mid-range phone.
While its slim form factor and weight makes one-handed operation a breeze. Its glossy back panel is quite slippery. Thankfully, it comes with a clear case that offers better grip, at the cost of losing that glossy look. Fortunately, this also solves any doubts you may have about the protruding rear cameras.
On the right side, you’ll find both the Power Button and Volume Rocker, while the Hybrid SIM tray can be found up top. Though plasticky, the buttons have a good clicky feel, and aren’t so wobbly.
At the bottom, you get a speaker grill, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB-C port.
Performance
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The Kirin 710 has been Huawei’s mainstay for its mid-range smartphones for quite a while now. Despite being an older chip, it still proves itself to be very reliable in terms of common daily activities.
| PUBG Mobile | Mobile Legends | |
| Average FPS | 29.93 | 59.76 |
| Max FPS | 32 | 61 |
| FPS Stability | 100% | 100% |
| Average CPU Usage | 12.34% | 0.70% |
| Peak CPU Usage | 21.06% | 0.96% |
| Average RAM Usage | 683MB | 22MB |
| Peak RAM Usage | 782MB | 26MB |
| Estimated Playtime | 4h 57m | 6h |
It’s also quite a capable chip for gaming. Using GameBench to monitor the device’s performance, the device was able to deliver an enjoyable and consistent experience in both Mobile Legends at the highest settings + High FPS Mode ON, and PUBG Mobile at HD + High Framerate setting.
Camera
One notable upgrade to the P30 Lite from its predecessor, is its triple rear camera setup, which now includes a wide angle lens for added coverage.
Standard
Wide Angle
Standard
Wide Angle
As for overall quality, its cameras are able to capture a good deal of detail with vivid colors. Wide angle shots are slightly less detailed, but being able to include more in the frame makes up for it.
There’s no aperture mode on the P30 lite, which means you don’t get the flexibility of adjusting how intense the depth of field effect would be. On the bright side, the depth of field effect it generates looks refined and accurate.
Even with its dedicated Night Mode, the P30 Lite could only capture average looking night shots with a visible lack of detail and sharpness, like the photos were over-processed. It’s control of light sources also need work.
Portrait Mode
Standard
Selfies also show good detail, though edge-detection could use some work, and there’s notable pixelation and graininess on the background.
Software
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P30 Lite runs on EMUI 9 on top of Android 9 Pie, and runs smooth, snappy and fluid. It’s simple, straightforward, and even the aesthetics are on point – lively enough, but not overdone.
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What I like about this skin is the amount of control it gives the user on various aspects of the device – from being able to control the color temperature of the display, the screen resolution to extend battery life, being able to turn the app drawer on and off, and more. Little things that add up to the overall user experience.
Note: We’re temporarily holding off on scoring this device, until we get the battery test result.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
