Huawei P40 Lite 5G – Anything but a Liteweight

With 5G becoming more and more affordable by the day, Huawei has entered the fray to offer a wallet-friendly 5G device in the form of P40 Lite 5G.

I’ve always been a bit iffy when it comes to “Lite” versions of flagship devices. Normally, too many corners are cut in order to give the consumer a reasonable price. But, with P40 LIte 5G, Huawei have balanced it nicely between performance and price.

Huawei P40 Lite 5G is my first time using a Huawei phone for any sort of decent length of time and also my first time using a phone that doesn’t have access to the Google Play store.

I was a bit iffy about using a phone that doesn’t have Google Play on their device but with Huawei mobile services, the vast majority of your everyday apps are included or links take you to where you can download them to your device. These include the big apps like Twitter and WhatsApp. It’s more the convenience of the Google Play Store you miss, than anything else.

We’ve published a guide to help you get the best out of Huawei Mobile Services.

Build Quality – Understandable Sacrifices

Huawei have done a fair job in giving P40 Lite 5G that premium look from the front. There’s only one selfie camera located at the top left of the screen which is far more preferable to me than the P40 Pro pill setup.

It feels great in the hands and thankfully is a reasonable size in today’s world of phablets at 6.4 inches. There’s a slight chinstrap on the bottom but nothing that is too distracting while there are thin bezels around the side. But not P40-level thin. It’s a Lite phone after all.

Not only is it Lite in price, but in weight. That’s really the first thing i noticed when holding it compared to more flagship phones. I’ve always preferred my phones to have a bit of heft and i always worry if the phone is too light.

When you tap the rear of the phone it feels quite plastic-y and almost hollow. According to Huawei, the back of the phone is covered in tempered glass, but if I didn’t know it, I would’ve guessed a premium plastic. But, always take into consideration the price of the device and at €329.99 SIM-free you shouldn’t be expecting P40 level build quality.

No Guts No Glory

With P40 Lite 5G only costing between €299 – €329.99, usually you’d be unsure of the specs inside and how it’ll perform a few months after you’ve purchased it.

Thankfully you can rest easy because P40 Lite 5G gives an excellent level of performance for the price. My model came with 6GB of Ram and 128GB of storage which handles multiple apps and tabs open at the same time, without a bother.

I’m sure you’re thinking ‘how can a 5G phone cost so little? Well, Huawei has no need to use expensive party chips from Qualcomm. Instead, they use their in-house line of Kirin chips that give an excellent level of performance for the price. P40 Lite 5G uses the Kirin 820 5G on the highly efficient 7NM process.

There’s a pretty hefty 4000mAh battery inside along with a 40 watt Huawei Supercharge which charges the battery from 0% to 70% in 30 minutes.

While I’m praising the price and performance, there are certain things that you just shouldn’t expect from a €329.99 phone. It has a 60hz screen which is to be expected at this price point. But, like I’ve said in previous reviews, if you’re buying P40 Lite 5G, chances are you haven’t experienced a 90hz or 120hz screen before. So you and I can continue to live in blissful ignorance.

Camera

P40 Lite 5G comes with a quad camera set up on the rear of the device. For the main sensor we have a 64 mp sensor which gives nice and sharp images that stack up well to higher-priced competition. But, like I’ve said before, if you’re buying P40 Lite 5G, don’t expect flagship-level camera performance.

Also included on the rear of the phone is a 8mp ultra wide, 2mp Macro and 2mp Bokeh lens. I really messing around with Macro sensors but my personal preference is always for at least a 5mp sensor.

Huawei are known for adding cool functions to cameras on their devices and P40 Lite 5G is no different. You can now shoot video in ultra slow motion at 960 frames per second. Thanks to the powerful chip inside, you can record video in 4K at 30fps. For a full specification breakdown, scroll to the bottom of the review.

Huawei P40 Lite 5G is no longer available at the Carphone Warehouse but is still at Vodafone on one of their bill pay planes which range from €40 – €80 per month (21/01/2021).

Don’t forget to read our review of the Free buds 3i.

In Conclusion

Huawei P40 Lite 5G is another example of the entry price for 5G dropping at an incredibly fast rate. It wasn’t that long ago that a 5G phone would cost north of €1000. But thanks to companies like Huawei, One Plus and Realme, you can now get a really great 5G handset for €300. With P40 Lite 5G you get 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a quad camera setup and a really nice mid-range build quality. If you’re willing to live without Google Play, you’ll struggle to find a better offering for the price.

Specifications