[REVIEW] Honor 200 Lite 5G, subtle but bold

The midrange smartphone market is a popular segment and Honor hopes to gain a piece of the pie with its 200 Lite 5G smartphone.

The company has really made strides since its divorce from Huawei.

South Africans are spoilt when it comes to choice for a cellphone with sort of flagship features in the mid-tier category.

When it comes to Android phones, the go-to option for many is the Samsung Galaxy A series, while other brands that are also eyeing the pie include Oppo and Huawei with its Nova series.

Look and feel

Priced at R9 999 the Honor 200 Lite is aesthetically pleasing and with the Starry Blue that I reviewed, it really stands out. It’s got this glittery back cover, accompanied by a metal frame that has a subtle blue hue to it.

It’s a shame that you have to put a case on it, but it is a necessity if you want to keep your device in pristine condition.

I like the look of the Honor 200 Lite a lot: it’s thin, light weighing in at just 166 grams. While the camera bump may seem a bit large and would make this phone feel top heavy, it is well balanced and feels comfortable in the hand.

ALSO READ: [REVIEW] Huawei Pura 70 Pro, flagship with excellent camera performance

Display

The brightness and crispness of the 6.7-inch, 1080 x 2412 pixel AMOLED display is definitely one of the highlights of the Honor 200 Lite.

I do like the cute always-on display options you can pick from – a deer in a forest

Shifting to the performance,  the 200 Lite 5G is fitted with a solid MediaTek processor that facilitates the 5G connectivity, along with pairing 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Performance is mostly fine and snappy, though you do occasionally see a moment’s delay if you’re doing something complicated.

Cameras

The Honor 200 Lite takes things to the next level, with the kind of triple camera in a rectangular set-up you might expect to see in a flagship phone.

The 108MP main camera ensures exceptional clarity and detail through its high-res mode. The 5MP wide and depth camera is perfect for capturing expansive scenes and adding depth to photos, while the 2MP macro camera excels at close-up shots with incredible precision.

A photo of my cat Maliha taken with the new Honor 200 Lite 5G. The clarity and detail is excellent. The Honor 200 Lite 5G has an amazing camera set up for a mid-range smartphone 😊 #Honor #Honor200Lite @HonorAfrica pic.twitter.com/Sklpa67EIF

— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) July 8, 2024

For the selfie connoisseurs, there is pill-shaped hole on the front display that houses a large 50MP selfie camera underneath.

There is AI-Empowered Magic Portal on the 200 Lite 5G which takes convenience to new heights, allowing users to save time when juggling multiple apps or looking for information.

This extends to the camera which is designed to make colours pop more once you’ve captured an image.

Durability

While Honor claims it received the SGS 5-star Drop Resistance for Overall Unit certification, making it an ultra-durable phone to withstand everyday wear and tear, I didn’t put this to a test, it does feel premiums and will survive those knocks and bumps.

The Honor 200 Lite prioritises long battery life with a 4 500mAh battery, complemented by support for 35W wired charging but lacks wireless charging which is a deterrent for some especially when you become used to plonking down on a wireless charger without the inconvenience of dragging cables around.

The phone runs the latest Android 14 operating system, further enhanced by Honor’s MagicOS 8.0 with fair few of Honor’s own apps, a video player, music player, a notes app, and a gallery for your photos and videos. It’s a fair bit of bloat.

Verdict

If it’s a decent display, satisfactory performance, good battery life, you want, Honor has crafted another fine-all-round budget contender in the Honor 200 Lite, with a camera that’s capable of good things.

ALSO READ: Honor 200 Lite 5G becomes perfect accessory for Durban July

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