Introduction
Last year, I had the chance to explore a plethora of phones from Chinese manufacturers, and one name that consistently stood out was Huawei’s sub-brand Honor. Their flagship killer, the Honor 10, had already set the bar pretty high for mid-range devices. When the company launched the device’s younger sibling, the Honor 10 Lite, it immediately caught the attention of many users — including me. From the first launch, it was clear this wasn’t just another smartphone in a saturated market. The Honor 10 Lite carried the charm of the much-famed Honor 8X, but with a personality that felt more youthful and energetic, perfectly built for people who want something unique in their tech without breaking the bank.
After using the device for weeks, I can say it truly offers the nitty-gritty features that make a modern smartphone stand out. Whether in Pakistan or elsewhere, this mid-range device proves that Honor understands what its fans crave — performance and style balanced seamlessly. It’s tough for any phone to take its place among so many, but the Honor 10 Lite seems to do just that by providing a refreshing experience that can easily steal your heart. As I dig further into this in-depth review, the hype around this phone feels absolutely real.
Design and Display Excellence
The Honor 10 Lite perfectly balances style and functionality, proving that a midrange phone can look and feel premium. Even though it doesn’t have a high-end glass finish, its design and build reflect Honor’s attention to detail. The plastic body and frame may sound simple, but the glossy look gives it a sophisticated edge. The back panel catches light beautifully, especially in the blue and gradient color variants that fade from white to deeper shades. Whether you compare it with iPhone 17, Infinix Note 10 Pro, Y9 Prime, or Samsung J6 Plus, this device easily stands out in looks and comfort.
Sleek Body and Camera Design
The dual-camera setup is vertically aligned on the top left corner, creating a clean and nifty appeal. Although the slightly bulging lenses may feel a bit intrusive, the fingerprint scanner at the middle balances the design nicely. The curved edges and sleek body provide an excellent grip and feel, making one-handed use effortless. The shiny rings around the camera lenses add a slick touch that enhances the phone’s overall aesthetic.
Thoughtful Layout and Practical Features
On the right side, you’ll find the power key and volume rocker, while the top houses the noise cancellation mic and dual SIM hybrid slot. The lower end features a micro USB charging port, single speaker grill, primary microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Every component feels purposefully placed, improving usability and everyday convenience. During my review, I appreciated how natural the handset felt to handle — simple, functional, and comfortable.
Vivid Screen and Bright Display
The 6.21-inch IPS LCD panel offers an excellent display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, ensuring sharp colors and great clarity. With a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, the phone feels taller, offering more space for gaming and videos. The waterdrop notch, subtle chin at the bottom, and notification light make the screen look modern and elegant. Even under sunlight or daylight, when brightness is cranked full, it stays incredibly bright, offering great legibility with minimal reflections. Overall, the Honor 10 Lite delivers a decent display that feels far better than you’d expect from its price range.
OS Experience
The Honor 10 Lite runs on the latest Android Pie with EMUI 9.0, offering a smooth software experience packed with nifty features from Google’s OS. Huawei claims that EMUI 9 is 25.8% faster and includes GPU Turbo for optimized gaming, while AI in HiVision helps the camera detect similar things when pointing at an object and even translate languages instantly. The gesture navigation can be single button, traditional bar, or button-free, and the digital balance tool tracks time spent on apps giving you full control. Despite some bloatware, unwanted suggestions, and notifications, the usability of the software remains excellent, making the Honor 10 Lite a practical and efficient phone for everyday use.
Performance and Battery
The Honor 10 Lite is powered by a Kirin 710 processor from HiSilicon, with 3GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, priced at PKR 38,999. While some phones with a lesser price like the Nokia 6.1 Plus offer more RAM or a glass body, the performance of this device is smooth for daily use. During moderate usage, running apps in the background is mostly seamless with minimal stutter or inconvenience, though occasional negligible lags may appear.
When handling heavy usage or intense gaming with titles like Asphalt 9 and Deer Hunter, the limited RAM alongside bloatware can slightly slow load times, cause heating, and frame drops. The notch optimization is weaker than on Honor Play or Honor 10, sometimes cutting out display content in certain apps.
Battery and Speaker Performance
The speaker quality on the Honor 10 Lite is impressively loud even at maximum volume, with no cracking or loss, though it may sound sharp or shrilling at times. The battery is a 3400mAh unit that takes around 2 hours 24 minutes to charge from 0% to 100%, as fast charge is not supported. On moderate usage, it consumes roughly 16% of battery per hour, while heavy usage drains about 21% in the same time. With a 6.21-inch screen, the Honor 10 Lite offers average battery performance that manages daily tasks efficiently, though intense gaming can significantly reduce battery life.
Camera Performance
The Honor 10 Lite comes with a dual-camera setup on the back with 13MP + 2MP lenses, and a front 24MP selfie camera that features AI and beautification. The camera interface is very user-friendly — you can swipe left and right to switch between modes like Aperture, portrait, and photo, and explore extra tweaks and options in the More category. In ample light, the device captures detailed pictures, although sometimes the colors appear over-saturated, and AI mode can enhance the color too much, reducing the naturality of the details.
HDR and Low-Light Performance
The HDR works well in bright light, balancing tones and improving dynamic range, especially when capturing clouds or landscapes. However, in low light, the phone struggles with noise, even when turning HDR on. AI helps reduce noise and maintains proper color contrast, particularly for well-lit subjects at night, although Auto mode may sometimes blow out the colors.
Portrait and Aperture Modes
Thanks to the dual camera, you can take portraits with a blurred background for a DSLR effect, and the rear camera generally keeps a good subject outline. The front camera sometimes blurs the subject unevenly in patches, and the Aperture mode on the rear camera may fail to properly recognize the subject line in close-up shots. Overall, the performance is solid in daylight, but poor lowlight performance and oversaturation of colors remain noticeable limitations.
Final Thoughts
The Honor 10 Lite is a hyped device that offers a decent display and a plastic body, which has become the norm for mid-rangers. With 3GB RAM, its performance may feel limited compared to other offerings in the same price range that include 4GB RAM, but for a moderate user, this phone can still be a perfect choice. If you are willing to spend Rs. 38,999, the device provides room for improvement, yet it remains a better option for everyday use despite some limitations in performance.
