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Honor 20 Lite has a 32-megapixel selfie camera and sells for £249. We go hands-on

The phone sells now in the UK, Europe and other places.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
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Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
honor-20-lite-1

The Honor 20 Lite fights to bring high-megapixel cameras for cheap.

 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Google is expected to unveil a pair of cheaper Pixel 3As on Tuesday, but today, Huawei's Honor brand is all about its affordable Honor 20 Lite. Already on sale for £249 in the UK, Europe, India and select countries in Southeast Asia, the Honor 20 Lite is all about multiple cameras that won't break the bank. 

You get a 32-megapixel front-facing camera (f/2.0) with AI beautification mode, and three more lenses on the back: a 24-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel super-wide-angle and a 2-megapixel depth-assist sensor. There's also 480fps super-slow-motion video.

During my brief hands-on with the Honor 20 Lite, it was the finish that stood out most. Honor, which is a Huawei sub-brand aimed at young people with limited budgets, has poured a lot of energy into making its design stand out.

Read: Black phones are boring, but color still matters

The Honor 20 Lite comes in phantom blue and midnight black. The blue, which I held, has an eye-catching gradient that runs from deep blue at the top to a rich purple hue -- in the right light. From another angle, it looks deep blue all around, the spines nearly glowing as they reflect the light.  It's a highly reflective surface, so taking a photo dead on is basically you taking a self-portrait. Like all glossy phones , it's a fingerprint magnet.

honor-20-lite-3

Check out that gradient finish. 

 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Honor 20 Lite specs:

  • 6.21 display with central camera cutout (2,340x1,080 FHD display resolution)
  • 415ppi
  • 4GB RAM 
  • 128GB onboard storage
  • 3,400mAh battery
  • Kirin 710 chipset, octa-core
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Nano-SIM or microSD
  • Fingerprint sensor 
  • Midnight black and phantom blue
  • EMUI 9.0 (not Magic UI), based on Android 9

Huawei will launch the full Honor 20 series in London on May 21.

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