No, Huawei hasn’t forgotten about the P9 Lite, but it’s missing the P9’s best feature

By Andy Boxall Updated May 27, 2016

The Huawei P9 is official, and it has been joined by the P9 Plus, the successor to the old P8 Max. However, what about a P9 Lite? The P8 had a cheaper cousin with the Lite name, and rumors prior to the P9’s announcement speculated one would be coming along with the P9. Sure enough, Huawei has added a P9 Lite to the range, and here’s everything you need to know about it.

If you’re expecting the P9 Lite to have the same Leica camera as the P9, then sadly you’re about to be disappointed, because Huawei has chosen a single lens 13-megapixel camera for the rear of the P9 Lite. It has a dual LED flash and autofocus, and a manual mode for fine tuning, but none of the Leica magic that makes the P9’s camera such a winner. On the front is an 8-megapixel selfie cam.

Recommended Videos

It’s still wrapped up in an aluminum body, giving the P9 Lite the chance to compete with other mid-range specced devices with so-called ‘premium’ builds, and it’s thin at 7.5mm and weighs 147 grams. This is slightly thicker, and a couple of grams heavier than the P9. Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Huawei’s own EMUI user interface over the top is displayed on the 5.2-inch touchscreen. It shares the same 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution as the P9.

There’s less power on offer, as you’d expect, from a 2GHz quad-core Kirin 650 processor with 3GB of RAM. Internal memory is just 16GB, but there is a MicroSD card slot to bump this by 128GB. A 3000mAh battery matches the P9, and there’s a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone. Certain models come with NFC, but annoyingly not all.

Huawei has listed the P9 Lite on its website, but it’s not up for sale through the Vmall online store yet. A May release is expected in the U.K., and it’ll be sold through the O2, EE, and Vodafone networks, plus Carphone Warehouse stores. The price hasn’t been confirmed, but we’ll keep you updated with details when they’re announced.

Previous updates:

Updated on 05-27-2016 by Andy Boxall: Removed rumors and updated with official release details

Updated on 04-21-2016 by Andy Boxall: Added in information on the P9 Lite from the TENAA certification website

Former Senior Mobile Writer

Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.

Topics

Phones

Snapseed 4.2 is making it easier to import Lightroom presets and customise photos

Snapseed just stole one of Lightroom's best tricks, and your editing workflow will thank it

Snapseed App

Google is rolling out Snapseed 4.2 for Android and iOS, bringing a fresh batch of photo-editing features to the popular mobile app. The update adds Motion Blur, better Lens Blur, preset and LUT imports, and a way to discover other photographers’ editing styles, according to this Reddit post.

The biggest addition might be preset and LUT support, especially for users already entrenched in editing workflows using apps like Lightroom. Instead of having to start from scratch with their favorite color treatments, they can now import those looks straight into Snapseed. This rollout is staged, so it may take a while before the update appears on all devices.

Phones

Apple admits iPhone Duo is in limited supply, and it’s unclear if you can bag one for your holiday cart

iPhone Duo's rear camera selfie preview on the cover screen.

Apple executives rarely say “we can’t predict that” about their brand-new products, so I perked up when one did.

The Cupertino giant has admitted the iPhone Duo is supply-constrained. COO Sabih Khan told investors on Monday’s earnings call that it is “constrained as of today” (via Investing.com).

Computing

Apple issues a grim warning as memory costs soar. It seems pricey iPhones and Macs are here to stay

Apple’s memory bill is climbing, and your receipt may follow.

MacBook Pro PROLED XDR laptop

Whether it’s iPhones, iPads, or MacBooks, Apple has already slapped revised price tags on a long list of products. Since these products already cost hundreds of dollars more than they did (especially MacBooks and the Mac mini, which use highly capable M-series chips), I was quietly hoping this was it.

However, during its recent earnings call, Apple ended that hope. The company has warned that memory chip prices are climbing at an “unprecedented” pace, with CEO John Ternus telling investors that costs will be even higher in the December quarter (via The Guardian).