HONOR 10X Lite smartphone review

We are testing the new HONOR 10X Lite – an affordable smartphone with a quad-camera, fast charging, and a lot of memory.

The HONOR 10X Lite is a smartphone with a large battery, fast charging, and striking design. You can buy the device tomorrow (5th November) for $162 from the official HONOR website. The model will be available in stores on November 20.

HONOR 10X Lite: Design and display

• 6.67 inches, Full HD + (2400х1080 pixels.), IPS
• Plastic case, fingerprint sensor in the power button 

What’s good about 2020 is that manufacturers have moved away from glossy and colorful backs and started making matte panels. Such a coating looks more elegant and “expensive”” and retains its marketable appearance longer – scratches and fingerprints are not visible. We had a green model on our test, and a silver version will also be on sale.

The case of the new HONOR is plastic, like many state employees. The set includes a transparent silicone case, although it is convenient to use the smartphone without it.

The screen is large enough to work and watching videos. Full HD + resolution at 6.67 inches looks excellent. No individual pixels are visible – even if you look closely. The screen is made based on an IPS-matrix: it has wide viewing angles, high brightness, and high-quality color reproduction. If desired, the color temperature can be changed in the settings, although by default, everything is okay with it.

Like other HONOR devices, the smartphone has been certified by TÜV Rheinland – it is equipped with an eye protection mode against blue radiation, which helps to reduce eye strain during prolonged use.

As is fashionable now, the front camera is located in a small hole in the center of the screen. But the fingerprint sensor remained in the button – like in other HONOR models. Also, it reacts to wet fingers, which is very important in our climate.

It is also worth noting a 3.5 mm jack – lovers of wired headsets will be delighted.

HONOR 10X Lite: Autonomy

• 5000mAh battery
• USB-C, 22.5W

The gadget is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery – today, this is the “golden mean” for smartphones with a screen larger than 6 inches. Such a battery will allow the device to hold out without recharging up to two days with active use. For example, in half an hour of online video playback in HD resolution, it lost only 4% of its charge (the brightness was average). A full battery will last about 12-13 hours of playback.

It is incredibly convenient that the 10X Lite supports fast charging, and the corresponding 22.5 W charger is immediately included in the kit. The manufacturer claims that in the first 10 minutes, the smartphone replenishes 18% of the charge – and this is true, we checked. 18% is enough for 8 hours of listening to music or 3 hours of working with a navigator. In half an hour, the gadget is charged up to about 40%, and in one and a half – up to 100%.

HONOR 10X Lite: Cameras

• 4 cameras in the main sensor: 48 MP (f / 1.8) + 8 MP (120 °, f / 2.4) + 2 MP (f / 2.4) + 2 MP (macro)
• Selfie camera 8 MP

The smartphone received a quad-camera with a 48-megapixel primary sensor. Thanks to AI processing, photos are bright and colorful, but without kinks – colors remain natural.

The ultra-wide-angle camera, as usual, loses in quality to the primary sensor. It slightly distorts the shape of objects at the edges of the frame and takes pictures that are not so clear. We took some photos with the primary and ultra-wide-angle sensors – you can compare them in the gallery.

The smartphone also has two more 2-megapixel sensors: one is needed to measure the scene’s depth and create a bokeh effect, and the second – to shoot macro from a distance of 4 cm. Rarely someone shoots macro on the phone, but it’never sits too late to start – such shots are quite spectacular. Another thing is that with the same success, you can take a picture with the primary camera and then crop the frame to the desired resolution.

Video on the HONOR 10X Lite can be shot at a maximum of 1080p at 60 fps. There is no stabilization. The front camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels received autofocus and immediately detects the face in the frame. Also, when shooting selfies, you can use various enhancers and background blur effects. 

HONOR 10X Lite: Equipment and performance

• Kirin 710A processor, GPU Turbo 3.0 support
• 4/128 GB, NFC, 2 SIM cards

Over the past couple of years, even budget smartphones have become quite powerful. Even though HONOR 10X Lite does not belong to the flagship segment, it still pulls popular 3D games. The gadget is powered by a Kirin 710A processor and is equipped with 4 GB of RAM, and also supports GPU Turbo 3.0 technology for smooth video playback in games. Apps like PUBG and World of Tanks: Blitz run smoothly at medium and high settings.

The memory is also sufficient – 128 gigs expandable. In this model, you can use microSD without damage to SIM cards since the slot is separate. There is NFC for contactless payments via Wallet, Huawei Pay, or SberPay applications.

There are still no Google services on HONOR, but today this is hardly a problem. All popular apps are already in AppGallery. And if you need to install a program that has not yet been added to the brand store, you can download it through APKPure. We recently tested the company’s first tablet, the HONOR Pad V6 – and easily got by without Google Play.

In addition to the absence of Google services, the Magic UI system has another feature – a multi-window mode. You can open and use up to three applications on your smartphone at the same time. It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the user will work in three windows at once on a small phone screen, but it is quite possible in two. How multitasking works is described in detail in the HONOR tablet review.

Should you buy the HONOR 10X Lite?

HONOR 10X Lite is suitable for those looking for a smartphone with a good screen and a powerful battery – it keeps the charge for a long time and replenishes it quickly. The gadget is also equipped with a good camera and processor, which will be relevant for the next couple of years. Of course, in the price category “$162 to $198” the model has many competitors: for example, Redmi 9, Galaxy M21, and OPPO A72. However, in addition to these smartphones, there are not as many gifts as HONOR offers.

When buying HONOR 10X Lite, the user receives many useful bonuses from the company’s partners as a gift – they can be activated through the Participant Center application. Among them are 90 days of subscription to Yandex. Music, three months of IVI, 6 months of access to Tinder Plus, and discounts on car sharing, food delivery, bonuses in games, and much more.