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Huawei Mate 20 Lite vs Huawei Nova 3i vs Honor Play specs comparison

Just recently, Huawei finally unveiled their newest Lite smartphone in the form of the Mate 20 Lite. In this specs comparison, we will check how it fares with two of the company’s popular smartphones — the Huawei Nova 3i and the Honor Play. Which do you think will come out on top? Let’s begin!

The Huawei Mate 20 Lite is the Lite version of the upcoming flagship Mate smartphone of the company. It sports a 6.3-inch LTPS IPS display with 2340 x 1080 resolution, Kirin 710 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, 20MP + 2MP dual rear cameras, 24MP + 2MP dual front cameras, and 3,750mAh w/ Huawei Quick Charge technology.

The Huawei Nova 3i launched a few months ago which turned the heads of many consumers. It comes with a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with 2340 x 1080 resolution, Kirin 710 processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, 16MP + 2MP dual rear cameras, 24MP + 2MP front cameras, and 3,340mAh battery.

The Honor Play made people very confused due to its flagship-level performance capabilities. It has a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with 2340 x 1080 resolution, Kirin 970 processor, 4GB/6GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, 16MP + 2MP dual rear cameras, 16MP front camera, and 3,750mAh battery with fast charge technology.

Here are their detailed specs:

SpecsHuawei Mate 20 LiteHuawei Nova 3iHonor Play
Display6.3-inch 19.5:9 LTPS IPS FHD+ display @2340 x 1080px, 409ppi6.3-inch 19.5:9 IPS LCD FullView display 2.0 @ 2340 x 1080 pixels, 409ppi6.3-inch 2340 x 1080 IPS LCD display, 409ppi
CPUHiSilicon Kirin 710 4x cortex a73 2.2ghz + 4x cortex a53 1.7ghz Octa-core ProcessorHiSilicon Kirin 710 4x cortex a73 2.2ghz + 4x cortex a53 1.7ghz Octa-core ProcessorHiSilicon Kirin 970 2.36GHz octa-core
GPUMali-G51 MP4 GPUMali-G51 MP4 w/ GPU Turbo TechMali-G72 MP12
RAM4GB RAM4GB RAM4GB/6GB
Storage64GB UFS 2.1 internal storage128GB internal storage64GB internal storage
Expandable StorageExpandable up to 256GB (hybrid)Expandable via microSD (hybrid)expandable via microSD up to 256GB (hybrid)
Rear Camera20MP f/1.8 + 2MP dual rear cameras w/ Super slow mo 480fps16MP + 2MP AI dual rear cameras w/ Super slow mo 480fps16MP + 2MP rear cameras, LED flash
Front Camera24MP Fusion Pixel f/2.0 + 2MP dual front cameras24MP + 2MP AI dual front cameras16MP front camera
ConnectivityDual 4G LTEDual 4G, Dual-VoLTE4G LTE
SIMSingle/Dual-SIM (nano, hybrid)Dual-SIM (nano, hybrid)Dual SIM (nano, hybrid)
Wi-FiWiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/acWiFi 802.11b/g/n, 2.4GHzWiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
BluetoothBluetooth 4.2 BLE, HWA, aptX, and aptX HDBluetooth 4.2, BLE, HWA, aptX, and aptX HDBluetooth 4.2, BLE, aptX, aptX HD, HWA
Biometrics- Fingerprint scanner
- Face Unlock (?)
- Fingerprint scanner
- 360 face unlock
- Fingerprint scanner
- Face unlock
GPSGPS, A-GPS, GLONASSGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, A-GPSGPS, A-GPS, Beidou, GLONASS
USBUSB Type-CMicro USB 2.0USB 2.0 Type-C
Audio Port3.5mm audio port3.5mm audio port3.5mm audio port
OSEMUI 8.2 (Android 8.1 Oreo)EMUI 8.2 (Android 8.1 Oreo)EMUI 8.2 (Android 8.1 Oreo)
Battery3,750mAH battery w/ Huawei Quick Charge (9V 2A charger)3,340mAh Li-Po battery3,750mAh battery (Fast Charge 9V/2A)

Here are the advantages of each smartphone:

Huawei Mate 20 Lite

  • LTPS IPS display
  • UFS 2.1 internal storage
  • Highest main rear camera resolution

Huawei Nova 3i

  • Highest internal storage

Honor Play

  • Best performing CPU
  • Best performing GPU
  • Largest maximum RAM capacity

Let’s tackle each key aspects one by one, shall we?

First off, the display configurations of the three smartphones are almost identical except for one thing. The Mate 20 Lite is equipped with an LTPS IPS panel which is more power efficient than the normal IPS LCD. All smartphones give an excellent viewing experience but the Mate 20 Lite has a slight edge over the other two.

The Honor Play’s flagship chipset, the Kirin 970, is definitely the winner in terms of overall performance. This is the same chipset used by most of Huawei’s early 2018 and late 2017 flagships (see the list of Kirin 970 smartphones here).

What we are not sure, however, is if the Mate 20 Lite also comes with GPU Turbo just like with the Nova 3i. Check out the AnTuTu scores that we got from the Nova 3i and Honor Play.

In terms of camera performance, we’re not yet sure which one is the clear winner since we don’t have sample shots yet from the Mate 20 Lite. On paper, however, it has the highest main rear resolution and has an equal front resolution with the Nova 3i. Check out the sample shots that we took here (Nova 3i and Honor Play).

Author’s note: The Mate 20 Lite does not have Leica lenses which means that we can’t determine yet which one wins in the camera aspect.

The Huawei Mate 20 Lite and Honor Play both have the same 3,750mAh battery and fast charging capabilities. This doesn’t mean that the Nova 3i is the least capable battery performer. Based on our reviews, it lasted longer than the Honor Play on both PC Mark battery test and video loop test. We’ve yet to know, however, how the Mate 20 Lite fares in this aspect.

Here are their prices:

  • Huawei Mate 20 Lite – £379 (SIM-free) (~Php26,244)
  • Huawei Nova 3i – Php15,990 (see listing here)
  • Honor Play – Php15,990 (see listing here)

In summary, we’ll be picking the Honor Play as our number one choice due to its CPU and GPU performance. Next is the Nova 3i for the internal storage and last will be the Mate 20 Lite for the viewing experience.

Author’s Note: This verdict is subject to change once we get a local pricing for the Mate 20 Lite since we’re also looking at the value-for-money perspective.

What do you guys think of this specs comparison? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Avatar for Vaughn Chua

Vaughn is your go-to person when it comes to comparing gadgets especially smartphones. He's also a gamer by heart and the "Hackerman" of the team.

1 Response

  1. Avatar for Kiro Ro Kiro Ro says:

    Ambilis nyo magpost ng comparison. Kanina lang ako nagcomment sa article ng Huawei Mate 20 lite. Haha. Ang lupet nyo, dahil jan baka di ko na mahintay yang Huawei Mate 20 lite, I will choose Honor Play. Thanks Yugatech for this article.

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